Grid Timecard Settings

Use the Grid Timecard Settings page to assign grid layouts by PR company and PR group.

Before you can assign grid layouts, you must configure grid layouts and grid templates. See Grid Timecard Layouts and Grid Timecard Templates for details.
You have the flexibility to assign different layouts to grid timecards in the web portal, the payroll section of field tickets, and Field Management mobile timecards based on the features you use and your organization's needs. You can also import grid timecards settings from another PR company and PR group.

For descriptions of each of the fields shown on the Grid Timecard Settings page, see Grid Timecard Settings Fields.

  1. Select Employee Tools > Grid Timecard Settings.
  2. At the top of the page, select a PR Company and PR Group.
  3. To copy grid timecard settings from a different PR company and PR group, select the Import Settings button to the right of the PR Group field.
    1. In the Import Settings pop-up window, select the PR Company and PR Group with the settings that you want to copy.
    2. Select Import.
  4. If you have enabled Service or Mechanic line types, use the Default Line Type dropdown to select a default line type for this PR company and PR group combination.
  5. Select the layout(s) to assign to this PR company and PR group combination using the following fields:
    • Web Layout: Select the layout to use for grid timecards for the selected PR Company and PR Group.

      Note: The Web Layout that you select applies to new grid timecards only, not to existing grid timecards. We recommend modifying your Web Layout for a PR Company / PR Group combination in between pay periods only.
    • Field Ticket Layout: If you use field tickets, select the layout to use for the payroll section in Field Tickets.

      • If you select a Field Ticket Layout, also select your Field Ticket Template.
      • To allow users to enter time for multiple days in the payroll section of the Field Ticket, select the Enable Multi-day on Field Ticket checkbox.

        For more details on configuring field tickets, see Configure Field Tickets and Related Grid Timecard Settings.

    • FM Mobile Options > Layout for Mobile Timecard Lines: If you use Field Management Mobile, select the FM Mobile Options button, and then choose a Layout for Mobile Timecard Lines. For more details on configuring Field Management Mobile, see Configure Field Management Mobile in the Portal.

  6. To capture start and stop times for grid timecard lines, select the Time Worked Enabled checkbox.
    • If you enable Time Worked, start and stop times are saved to PR Employee Daily Time in Vista.

    • If you have enabled any Time Clock features, start and stop times will populate clock-in and clock-out times.

    For more details, see Configure Time Worked.
  7. To enable job approval for this PR company and PR group combination, select Job Approval Enabled. See Review Timecards in Job Approval for more information.
    Note: Job Approval applies only to web layouts.
  8. To require employees to sign off before grid timecard entries are submitted, select Require signature on submitted.

    If you enable this option, users who enter time for others will need to filter grid timecards by employee to allow each employee to sign. For more details, see How to Sign a Grid Timecard.

  9. Field Management customers who are using crews can select to Enable Copy by Crew. This option allows users to:
    • Add employees to the FM Grid Timecard and FM Field Tickets based on crew assignments.

    • Filter grid timecards by crew.

    • Select multiple employees in the Employee dropdown on grid timecards. Note that when you select a crew on a grid timecard, all employees in that crew are selected in the Employee filter by default.

    For help configuring crews in your portal, see Crew Configuration.
  10. To set up questions for employees to answer before they sign off on grid timecards in the web portal or in Field Management Mobile, select the Submission Questions button.
    Note: Submission questions display only when time is submitted for individual employees, not when time is submitted for multiple employees at the same time.
    1. In the Timecard Submission Questions pop-up window, select Add Item to create a new question. A new line for entering your question and a response type displays in the window.
    2. In the Item Prompt box, enter your question. For example, Did you take your lunch today?
    3. For the Response Type, select an option from the dropdown list:
      • Text: Employees must enter text before their time can be submitted.

      • Yes/No: Employees must select yes or no before their time can be submitted.

      • Text (Optional): Employees have the option to enter text, but their answer is not required before their time can be submitted.

      Mobile example:

      Grid example:

  11. In the lower section of the Grid Timecard Settings page, review the fields included in the layout for the selected PR company and PR group. You have the option modify behavior for those fields as needed.
    • Field Name: Lists the fields included in the current Grid Timecard Layout for the selected PR company and PR group. These fields come from Vista PR Timecard Entry and include user-defined fields, if applicable. You can select to rename a field if you want to change the display name of the field on the grid timecard.

    • Visibility: Allows you to select whether to make fields editable or read-only. Options include:

      • Editable: Select this option to allow users (based on permissions) to make entries in this field on the grid timecard.

      • Editable - Large Dataset: Select this option if the lookup for a field will return a particularly large list of options, which may disrupt workflow. Instead of selecting an option from a long list, users must enter three characters (numbers or letters) to access a list of options that is filtered based on the characters that they entered.

      • Read Only: Select this option to prevent users from editing a field. Remember to set New Line Behavior for read-only lines to ensure that they will populate on the grid timecard.

    • Job Time Approval Visibility: Allows you to determine which columns display and may be edited in Job Approval. Options include:

      • Hidden: Select this option to prevent this field from showing in Job Time Approval.
      • Read Only: Select this option to display this field in Job Time Approval but not allow users to edit it.
      • Editable: Select this option to display this field in Job Time Approval and allow users to edit it.

      See Review Timecards in Job Approval for more information.

    • New Line Behavior: Available for certain fields, this option allows you to determine if or how a field prefills when a user adds that field to a timecard line. Options include:

      • Blank: Leaves the field blank when it is added with a new timecard line.

      • Previous Value: Populates the field with the same entry used on the previous timecard line (users can still edit the new line). This option can be helpful if users are likely to enter multiple lines with similar information.

      • Employee Default: Populates the field with the default assigned on the PR Employee record in Vista. This option applies to the following fields only: Cert, Class, Craft, Crew, EarnCode, EMCo, Equipment, JCCo, Job, PRDept, Shift, SMCo, and TaxState.

        Note: The SMCo field (requires a lookup) pulls the default from the SM Technician record in Vista. For help setting up the SMCo lookup, see Create an SM Company Lookup.
    • Advanced: Allows you to set the following advanced options for the current field:

      • Auto Select 1st: Enable this setting to have the first item in a dropdown selected by default. This setting does not apply to dropdown lists that return more than one value. Options include:

      • Required: Enable this setting if you want to require an entry in this field before users can submit or save the timecard line. If a field is already required in Vista PR Timecard Entry, this setting is enabled by default and may not be changed in the portal.

      • Width: Allows you to manually adjust a field's width (in pixels). The standard field size is 150.

      • Dependent Fields: Allows you to list the field that are affected when the current field is changed. For example, equipment items change when a different equipment company is selected.

        • This field populates with defaults from Vista. If you clear all dependencies from a field and save, defaults are added back in automatically.

        • To remove all dependencies from a field, including defaults, enter "," in Dependent Fields, and save your changes.

        Note: If you modify this field by accident, you can select Reset Default on the Grid Timecard Settings page.
      • Line Types: Allows you to set up the current field to display only when specific line types are selected. For example, you can have the Job field display only for Job and Mechanic timecards.

        Note: To enable service line types for grid timecards, see Configure Service Fields on a Grid Timecard. To enable mechanic line types for grid timecards, see Configure Mechanic Fields on a Grid Timecard.
      • Reset Default: Allows you to revert advanced settings for a field back to their default settings.