Gameplay Time Tracker Application

Gameplay Time Tracker is a desktop application developed in C# using the WPF framework. It allows users to monitor and track the total time spent on specific applications or games by observing their executables. Monitored applications can be launched from the interface as well. Each game's save files can be backed up to a remote machine, saves will be retained for a specified number of days.

Data Update Process (Version 1.3.2 and Later)

In version 1.3.1, a new method for storing elapsed time was introduced, along with a button to manually convert legacy data. In version 1.3.2, this process has been automated. Upon the first launch after updating to version 1.3.2, the user will be prompted to update from the previous data format.

If legacy data conversion is required, it is strongly recommended to complete this process using a build prior to version 2.0.0, as this functionality has been removed in the rewritten version.

Application Configuration

The configuration file will be generated in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Gameplay Time Tracker\settings.json.

• Preferences

  • Start With System
    • Default value: true
    • When enabled (true), the application will automatically start upon system boot by creating a shortcut in the system's startup directory.
  • Prefer SteamGridDB Images
    • Default value: true
    • When enabled (true), the application will attempt to load Icon and Hero images from SteamGridDB
    • When disabled (false), the images will be loaded directly from the executable of the selected application.
  • SteamGridDB API key
    • Default value: empty
    • When provided, this key enables the integration with SteamGridDB, allowing the application to retrieve assets from the SteamGridDB service.
  • Quick Add
    • Default value: false
    • When disabled (false), the application will prompt the user with a basic configuration menu after loading an executable.
    • When enabled (true), the executable will be added with default values without prompting for configuration.
  • Performance Mode
    • Default value: false
    • When enabled (true), the application will perform reduced animations to improve performance, particularly useful for lower-end systems.
  • Backup On Exit
    • Default value: false
    • When enabled (true), the application will create a backup of the currently loaded data file under %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Gameplay Time Tracker\Backup Data\ upon exiting.
  • Display
    • Default value: Horizontal
    • Specifies the layout of the application.
    • Currently available options: Horizontal,Vertical, Compact
  • Save Frequency
    • Default value: 1
    • Specifies the interval, in minutes, at which the application will save data to the file.

  

• Themes

  • Users can specify the color scheme of the application.
  • Each color component of the theme can be individually configured through the user interface.
  • Default themes: Dark, Pink, Custom.
  • If a theme is deleted from the settings file, it will be automatically recreated using the default color values.
  • Currently available colors:

  Property	Description	Example Value
  Background	Background color of the application.	"#1E2030"
  Card 1	First gradient color of a card.	"#414769"
  Card 2	Second gradient color of a card.	"#2E324A"
  Progress Bar 1	Left-side gradient color of a progress bar.	"#89ACF2"
  Progress Bar 2	Right-side gradient color of a progress bar.	"#B7BDF8"
  Font	Text color.	"#DAE4FF"
  Running	Highlight text color for running apps.	"#C3E88D"
  Footer	Footer bar color.	"#FF3377A6"
  Footer Font	Footer bar font color.	"#FFDAE4FF"
  Button	Normal button color.	"#FF3BC9E3"
  Positive Button	Positive button color.	"#FF90EE90"
  Negative Button	Negative button color.	"#FFED0C0C"
  Shadow	Currently not in use.	"#FF151515"
  Transparent	Currently not in use.	"#00000000"

• Backup

  • Users can create and load backup data files.
  • When selecting a backup file, its contents will be displayed to assist in identifying and choosing the correct file.

  

• Remote Machine

  • Users have the option to enable remote saving functionality.
  • To configure a remote machine, the Address, Port, User and Password must be provided.
  • A remote folder must also be specified to allow saves to be uploaded to the remote machine.
  • After configuring the remote machine, users can test the connection by using the provided test button.

  

Data Configuration

Each monitored application is tracked with the following attributes:

• Name
  • The name of the application as a string.
  • Initially, this value is derived from the File Description of the executable, if available.
• Total Playtime
  • An integer array representing the total duration the application has been open.
  • To ensure compatibility, the time format from previous versions, which used double precision, will be automatically converted.
• Last Playtime
  • An integer array representing the duration of the most recent application session.
  • This value is automatically updated and cannot be edited manually.
• Path
  • A string specifying the full path to the application's executable file.
  • The Launch button will be enabled only if the specified path exists or the file is a valid an executable.
• Arguments
  • A string that contains any launch parameters for the executable.
  • Arguments are automatically extracted from shortcut files during the application's addition.
• Icon Path and Hero Path
  • Strings specifying the paths to .png files representing the application’s icon and hero image.
  • Icons are either extracted from the application's executable or retrieved from SteamGridDB.
  • If no valid icon is found or the path is invalid, a default image (Assets/DefaultIcon.png) will be used as a fallback.
  • If retrieving assets from SteamGridDB fails, or if Prefer SteamGridDB Images is disabled, a Hero image will be generated from the Icon image.
  • All images are stored in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Gameplay Time Tracker\Images\.
  • Refresh assets using the following options:
    • Full SGDB: Reloads all assets from SteamGridDB
    • Hero Local: Generates a hero image from the current icon.
    • Icon Local: Extracts the icon from the executable at the specified path.
• Statistics Graph
  • By pressing the Show Stats button, a graph displaying the playtime data of the last 7 days will be shown.

  

Remote Backup Configuration

• Each loaded application can be individually configure for creating backups.
• Local Save Path
  • Specifies the directory where the application's save files are stored.
• Save if session longer
  • Defines the minimum session duration (in minutes) required for a backup to be created.
  • A threshold of 5 minutes is applied to this calculation.
• Retentions Period
  • Specifies the number of days save files will be retained before being deleted.
• Backup Method: Manual or Automatic
  • Enabling the Remote Backup option allows automatic backups when a session ends.
  • Manual backups can be performed at any time, regardless of the session duration.
• Restoring Saves
  • Save files can be retrieved from the remote machine by selecting an available backup entry.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

You are free to use, modify, and distribute this software under the terms of the GPL. See the LICENSE file for full details.