Time Recording

I was tired of tracking my times using pen and paper of buggy excel sheets. So I first created a a very simplistic python wrapper around a sqlite database storing all the time records (see commit eea89d6). Though I commonly prefer CLI for simple tasks like this, I soon realized that a GUI application would be much easier to use.

The reason for this is that it is important to keep an eye on your recent time recordings. With a good GUI, it's easy to spot and fix unfinished or ridiculous intervals (like intervals of a day or more).

Features

• SQLite database: every edit is saved immediately, and your times are queryable with SQL.
• GUI that is optimized for speedy edits (many times a day).
• Fast start; no save step at all.
• Auto-assigned project colors for better overview.
• Gantt chart makes it easy to detect mistakes.
• Multiple views: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly.
• Summary view with accumulated hours for each project.
• Count overhours.
• Account for sickness and holidays.
• Key Shortcuts to navigate the database.
• Full undo/redo support.
• Convenience commands like "split interval".
• Works with light and dark themes thanks to smart color selection.

Storage

TiRe keeps everything in a SQLite database at ~/.local/share/tire/tire.db (QStandardPaths::AppDataLocation; the exact directory is platform-specific). It is opened at startup and written to as you edit, inside a transaction per undo step — so there is no Save action, and nothing is lost if the app or the machine dies mid-edit.

Point the app at a different database with --database, which is handy for trying things out without touching your real records:

tire --database /tmp/scratch.db

Only one instance per database runs at a time; starting a second one with the same database raises the existing window instead.

Querying

The schema is plain SQL, so you can report on it directly:

sqlite3 ~/.local/share/tire/tire.db " SELECT p.name, SUM((julianday(i.end_time) - julianday(i.begin_time)) * 24) AS hours FROM interval i JOIN project p ON p.id = i.project_id WHERE i.end_time IS NOT NULL AND i.begin_time >= '2026-01-01' GROUP BY p.name ORDER BY hours DESC;"

An interval with end_time IS NULL is one that is still running.

Backups

Use SQLite's own backup command rather than copying the file:

sqlite3 ~/.local/share/tire/tire.db ".backup /path/to/backup.db"

The database runs in WAL mode, so recent changes may live in the tire.db-wal sidecar file. Copying tire.db on its own while the app is running will silently miss them.