Track-O is a free desktop application built for freelance tutors in Singapore. You can use Track-O to manage your tutee’s information, schedule lessons, track their payments, and many other functions. This application uses a command line interface; this means that you operate the application by typing commands.

It is available for Ubuntu, Windows and macOS operating systems.

Table of Contents

About

This user guide explains how to use Track-O.

If you are new to Track-O, you can head over to our Quick Start section to learn the basic features.

For detailed information on each command, you can hop over to the Features section for an in-depth guide.

If you are an advanced user, you can view all the commands at a glance at the Command Summary section.

Quick start

Installation

  1. Ensure you have Java 11 or above installed in your Computer. You can download it here.

  2. Download the latest Track-O.jar from here.

  3. Copy the file to the folder you want to use as the home folder to run Track-O.

  4. Double-click the file to start the app. The GUI should appear in a few seconds as shown in the image below. Note how the app contains some sample data.

  5. Refer to Setting up your first tutee to get started using Track-O.

If you need help with the start up process, visit our Troubleshooting section.

Application layout

gui_layout.png

The GUI of Track-O is divided mainly into 4 sections:

  • Menu Bar: Navigation buttons that you can click to exit Track-O or open up a help window containing a link to this User Guide.
  • Tutee list: A scrollable panel that shows a numbered list of your tutees.
    • The index number of the tutee list is the number that is assigned to each tutee in the numbered list.
  • Command box: A text box where you can type in commands and hit the Enter key on your keyboard to execute them.
  • Result panel: A scrollable panel that shows the result of the command that you have just executed.
    • Note that some commands such as get will show a particular tutee’s lessons in the form of a numbered list. Similar to the tutee list, the index number of a tutee’s lesson refers to the number assigned to each lesson in the numbered list.

Setting up your first tutee

This section provides a quick guide to adding your first tutee and carrying out your first lesson. For more information on each command, it can found under the Features section of our guide. To run a command, simply type the command in the command box and hit the Enter key on your keyboard.

Before your lesson

  1. Let’s clear the existing sample data first. Run clear to remove the existing tutees.
  2. To add in a new tutee, run add n/John Tan l/p5 a/246 Hougang Ave sch/Rosyth School p/84567890. This will add in a tutee with the name John Tan, a Primary 5 student from Rosyth School, staying at 246 Hougang Ave whose phone number is 84567890.
  3. To add a lesson for this tutee, run addlesson 1 subject/English d/7 s/14:00 e/16:00 rate/30. This will add an English lesson from Sunday 2pm to 4pm with the rate of $30 per hour for John.
  4. To state a payment receive date, run payment 1 by/05-01-2022. This means that you expect to collect the fees on the 5th of January 2022.
  5. Run get 1. If you performed all the steps correctly, the application should look like this.

After your lesson

  1. To add in the fees of this lesson, run payment 1 lesson/1. This will add in the total fees of the first lesson. Since the rate was $30 per hour over 2 hours, the total adds up to $60.00.
  2. To add in any remarks for the lesson, run remark 1 r/Good Progress! and this set the comments Good Progress! under John’s remarks.
  3. If you have collected the fees for this lesson, run payment 1 receive/ and this resets the payment value to 0.00, removes the pay-by date used in step 4 under Before your lesson, and updates John’s last paid date to today’s date.
  4. Run get 1. If you performed all the steps correctly, the application should look like this.

Features

This section covers the various features of Track-O.

Our main features includes storing the information of tutees, scheduling lessons and managing payments of tutees.

:information_source: Notes about the command format:

  • Words in UPPER_CASE are the parameters to be supplied by you.
    e.g. in add n/NAME, NAME is a parameter which can be used as add n/John Doe.

  • Items in square brackets are optional.
    e.g n/NAME [t/TAG] can be used as n/John Doe t/friend or as n/John Doe.

  • Items with … after them can be used multiple times.
    e.g. [t/TAG]… tags are optional can be added multiple times: t/friend, t/friend t/family etc.
    e.g. [subject/SUBJECT…] subject keywords are optional and allows multiple keyword search: subject/English Math Science

  • Parameters can be in any order.
    e.g. if the command specifies n/NAME p/PHONE_NUMBER, p/PHONE_NUMBER n/NAME is also acceptable.

  • If a parameter is expected only once in the command but you specified it multiple times, only the last occurrence of the parameter will be taken.
    e.g. if you specify p/12341234 p/56785678, only p/56785678 will be taken.

  • Extraneous parameters for commands that do not take in parameters (such as help, list, schedule, exit and clear) will be ignored.
    e.g. if the command specifies help 123, it will be interpreted as help.

Viewing help : help

Shows a message explaining how to access the help page.

Format: help

Managing tutee’s information

Adding a tutee: add

Adds a tutee to the existing list of tutees.

Format: add n/NAME p/PHONE sch/SCHOOL l/LEVEL a/ADDRESS [t/TAG]…

  • n/NAME and [t/TAG] can only take in alphanumeric characters and spaces.
  • p/PHONE should only take in 8-digit phone numbers.
  • l/LEVEL should only take in p1 to p6, s1 to s5, j1 to j2.

Examples:

  • add n/John Doe p/93456789 sch/Temasek Jc l/j2 a/135 Rivervale Link
  • add n/Betsy Crowe l/p5 a/246 Hougang Ave 6 sch/Rosyth p/84567890 t/Northeast region

Deleting a tutee : delete

Deletes the specified tutee from our list of tutees.

Format: delete INDEX

  • Deletes the tutee at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …

Examples:

  • delete 2 deletes the 2nd tutee in the tutee list.

Editing a tutee : edit

Edits an existing tutee in the tutee list.

Format: edit INDEX [n/NAME] [p/PHONE] [sch/SCHOOL] [l/LEVEL] [a/ADDRESS] [t/TAG]…

  • Edits the tutee at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …
  • At least one of the optional fields must be provided.
  • n/NAME and [t/TAG] can only take in alphanumeric characters and spaces.
  • p/PHONE should only take in 8-digit phone numbers.
  • l/LEVEL should only take in p1 to p6, s1 to s5, j1 to j2.
  • Existing values will be updated to the input values while all other values without input values remains unchanged.
  • When editing tags, the existing tags of the tutee will be removed i.e adding of tags is not cumulative.
  • You can remove all the tutee’s tags by typing t/ without specifying any tags after it.

Examples:

  • edit 1 p/91234567 a/345 Bedok North Ave 3 Edits the phone number and address of the 1st tutee to be 91234567 and 345 Bedok North Ave 3 respectively.
  • edit 2 n/Betty Chan t/ Edits the name of the 2nd tutee to be Betty Chan and clears all existing tags.

Finding tutee by fields : find

Filters the tutee list to display matches according to keywords.

Format: find [n/NAME…] [subject/SUBJECT…] [l/LEVEL] [overdue/OVERDUE_STATUS]

  • At least one of the optional filters must be provided.
  • Keywords are case-insensitive.
  • The returned tutee list contains matches that fulfills all the filters. If the filter has multiple keywords, only tutees which fulfills all keywords will be returned.
  • name filter can take multiple keywords to be matched and can only be alphanumeric characters.
  • subject filter can take multiple keywords to be matched and can only be alphanumeric characters.
  • level filter can only take 1 keyword in the form of abbreviation.
    e.g. p5 for Primary 5, s2 for Secondary 2
  • overdue filter can only take 1 keyword, either yes or no.

Example:

  • Find all tutees with name containing David in the tutee list: find n/david.
  • Find all tutees with name containing David and Lee in the tutee list: find n/david lee.
  • Find all tutees of level Secondary 4: find l/s4.
  • Find all tutees taking math and physics classes: find subject/math physics.
  • Find all tutees taking math classes with fees overdue: find subject/math overdue/yes.

Listing all tutees : list

Shows the full list of tutees stored.

Format: list

Get tutee’s information : get

Gets the details of a specified tutee from the tutee list.

Format: get INDEX

  • Gets the tutee at the specified INDEX in the format Name: John Doe Level: P5
  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …

Examples:

  • list followed by get 2 shows the 2nd tutee in the tutee list.

Managing Remarks

Adding a remark to a tutee: remark

Adds a remark to the specified tutee with the provided TEXT input. New remarks will be appended to existing ones on a new line and will not overwrite them.

Format: remark INDEX r/TEXT

  • Adds the desired TEXT to the tutee specified at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …
  • Empty remarks and remarks with whitespaces allow you to skip lines when appending.

Examples:

  • remark 1 r/Went through Organic Chemistry

Clearing all remarks of a tutee: clearremark

Clears all remarks of the specified tutee.

Format: clearremark INDEX

  • Clears all remarks of the tutee specified at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …

Examples:

  • clearremark 1

Managing Lessons

Tracking lesson schedule : schedule

Retrieves your lesson schedule.

Format: schedule

Adding a lesson to a tutee : addlesson

Adds a lesson to the specified tutee and your current schedule.

Format: addlesson INDEX subject/SUBJECT d/DAY_OF_WEEK s/START_TIME e/END_TIME rate/HOURLY_RATE

  • Adds a lesson to the tutee at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …
  • The lesson occurs on the specified DAY_OF_WEEK, from the specified START_TIME to the specified END_TIME, costing HOURLY_RATE dollars per hour.
  • DAY_OF_WEEK must be an integer in the range [1, 7] where 1 to 7 corresponds to Monday to Sunday.
  • START_TIME and END_TIME must be specified in an HH:MM format.
  • The supported duration for a lesson is 30 min — 23 h 59 min
  • START_TIME and END_TIME should be within the same day.
  • HOURLY_RATE must be a positive number expressed in either zero decimal places or two decimal places with the last decimal place (i.e. last digit) being 0 or 5.
  • HOURLY_RATE should not have a fee greater than $1000.
  • The lesson to be added must not clash with any of the lessons in your schedule.

Examples:

  • addlesson 1 subject/Biology d/7 s/11:30 e/13:30 rate/40.50
  • addlesson 2 subject/Math d/5 s/19:30 e/21:30 rate/40.75
  • addlesson 3 subject/Chemistry d/7 s/08:30 e/09:45 rate/40

Deleting a lesson from a tutee : deletelesson

Deletes an existing lesson from your tutee and from your schedule.

Format: deletelesson TUTEE_INDEX lesson/LESSON_INDEX

  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …
  • The lesson index is the number displayed beside the subject name after using get command on the tutee.
  • TUTEE_INDEX and LESSON_INDEX are compulsory fields, an error message is produced if either one is missing.

Examples:

  • Deleting lesson 2 from tutee 3: deletelesson 3 lesson/2
  • Deleting lesson 3 from tutee 1: deletelesson 1 lesson/3

Tracking Payments

Entering payment shows you all the payment-related commands available.
Note that Track-O keeps track of fees up to $100,000, any payment command that results in the fees exceeding the amount will return an error.

Retrieve payment details from tutee: payment

Format: payment INDEX

  • Retrieves the payment details of the tutee at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …

Examples:

  • payment 1

Adding lesson’s fees to a tutee: … lesson

Format: payment INDEX lesson/LESSON_INDEX

  • Adds the fees of the specified lesson at LESSON_INDEX to the specified tutee’s payment details at INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …
  • LESSON_INDEX must be within the size of the tutee’s lesson list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …
  • If the payment amount exceeds $100,000 after adding the lesson fees, Track-O returns an error message.

Examples:

  • payment 1 lesson/1
  • payment 1 lesson/2

Editing a tutee’s payment amount: … amount

Format: payment INDEX amount/AMOUNT

  • Changes the payment amount due by the specified tutee at INDEX to AMOUNT.
  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …
  • AMOUNT must be from 0 to 100,000 expressed in either zero decimal places or two decimal places with the last decimal place (i.e. last digit) being 0 or 5.

Examples:

  • payment 1 amount/0
  • payment 1 amount/80.50
  • payment 2 amount/100

Setting a tutee’s payment due date: … by

Format: payment INDEX by/DUE_DATE

  • Changes the payment due date of the specified tutee at INDEX to DUE_DATE.
  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …
  • DUE_DATE must be later than or on the current date expressed in the dd-MM-YYYY format.

Examples:

  • payment 1 by/25-12-2021
  • payment 2 by/01-01-2022

Receiving a tutee’s payment (and setting a next payment due date): … receive

Format: payment INDEX receive/[DUE_DATE]

  • Resets the payment amount due of the specified tutee to 0.
  • Resets the payment due date of the specified tutee at INDEX to -, or DUE_DATE if specified.
  • Updates the specified tutee’s last paid date in their payment details to the current date.
  • The index refers to the index number tagged to each tutee in the currently displayed tutee list.
  • The index must be within the size of the displayed tutee list and must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …
  • DUE_DATE must be later than or on the current date expressed in the dd-MM-YYYY format, if specified.

Examples:

  • payment 1 receive/
  • payment 2 receive/01-01-2022

Clearing all entries : clear

Clears the tutee list and your schedule.

Format: clear

Exiting application : exit

Exits from the application.

Format: exit

Command summary

Action Format, Examples
Help help
Add tutee add n/NAME p/PHONE sch/SCHOOL l/LEVEL a/ADDRESS [t/TAG]…
e.g. add n/James Ho p/87652345 sch/Anderson sec l/s4 a/200 Yio Chu Kang Road
Delete tutee delete INDEX
e.g. delete 3
Edit tutee edit INDEX [n/NAME] [p/PHONE] [sch/SCHOOL] [l/LEVEL] [a/ADDRESS] [t/TAG]…
e.g. edit 2 sch/Victoria Jc l/j1
Find tutee find [n/NAME…] [l/LEVEL] [subject/SUBJECT…] [overdue/OVERDUE]
e.g find n/david subject/math
List all tutees list
Get tutee information get INDEX
e.g. get 2
Add remark remark INDEX r/TEXT
e.g remark 1 r/Good progress.
Clear remarks clearremark INDEX
e.g clearremark 1
View schedule schedule
Add lesson to tutee addlesson INDEX subject/SUBJECT d/DAY_OF_WEEK s/START_TIME e/END_TIME rate/HOURLY_RATE
e.g addlesson 1 subject/Biology d/4 s/11:30 e/13:30 rate/40.50
Delete Lesson from tutee deletelesson TUTEE_INDEX lesson/LESSON_INDEX
e.g deletelesson 2 lesson/1
View payment details payment INDEX
e.g payment 1
Add payment due payment INDEX lesson/LESSON_INDEX
e.g payment 1 lesson/1
Edit payment due payment INDEX amount/AMOUNT
e.g payment 1 amount/80.50
Set payment date payment INDEX by/DUE_DATE
e.g payment 1 by/01-01-2022
Receive payment payment INDEX receive/[DUE_DATE]
e.g payment 1 receive/01-02-2022
Clear clear
Exit exit

FAQ

Q: How do I transfer my data to another Computer?
A: Install the app in the other computer and overwrite the empty data file it creates with the file that contains the data of your previous Track-O home folder (tracko.json).

Q: I opened my application and all my data is gone! What do I do?
A: The data is most likely corrupted. If you are familiar with how to edit json files, you may open your tracko.json file to make the necessary edits. Otherwise, you would have to delete the existing tracko.json file and start afresh.

Q: Why does my application look slightly different?
A: The screenshots in this User Guide are from an application running on macOS. If you are using Windows, your application would look something like this instead:

It is just a visual difference. Both applications have the same functionalities otherwise.

Q: What are tags used for?
A: Tags can be used to indicate important details of the tutee that you would like to see straight from the tuteelist. For instance, in the sample data provided, tags were used to indicate important upcoming examinations for tutees such as PSLE.

Q: What does it mean by a lesson clashing with other lessons in the user’s schedule under the section on adding a lesson to a tutee? Why is it not allowed?
A: A schedule clash means that the lesson added coincides with another lesson in the existing schedule. To resolve this, pick a different day/timing where your schedule is free.

Q: Why doesn’t pressing F1 open the Help menu on my Mac?
A: Try pressing Fn + F1 (The Function and the F1 key together) instead. This is due to how macOS handles function keys.

Troubleshooting

Installing Java 11

If you do not have Java 11 installed and are unsure of which version to download, refer to the follow steps:

  1. Visit the Oracle website here.

  2. Scroll down until you see Java SE Development Kit 11.0.13. You should see something similar to the image below.

  3. Click on Java 11.
  4. Select your own Operating System. You may check your computer’s System Information for more details.
  5. Download the respective file. (You may need to register for an Oracle account)
    1. For macOS users, download the file that ends with .dmg.
    2. For Windows users, download the file that ends with .exe.
    3. For Linux users, follow the instructions here to download Java 11.
  6. For macOS and Windows users, once the .dmg or .exe file has been installed, double-click the file and follow the instructions provided to complete the installation.

Installing Track-O (macOS)

For macOS users, you may receive an error similar to the one below when double-clicking tracko.jar for the first time.

Refer to the following steps to get started using Track-O:

  1. Click on the “OK” to close the pop-up window.
  2. Run Spotlight by pressing the Command key and Space Bar at the same time.

  3. Type “Security & Privacy” and hit Enter. You should see a window similar to the one below:

  4. Click on “Open Anyway” and a new window similar to the one below will pop up.

  5. Click on “Open” and Track-O will start.

Glossary

Terms Explanation
operating system The system software that manages computer hardware.
command The text that you enter in the command box. Different commands have different formats.
prefix A word or letter that ends with /. It is a shorthand notation that is used to specify the fields involved in a command. e.g. n/ indicates that a name is involved.
parameter A value that is defined based on your input and is immediately preceded by a prefix. e.g. Given a p/ prefix which represents a phone number, followed by a PHONE parameter; if you input 98765432 in place of the PHONE parameter, the phone number holds a value of 98765432.
alphanumeric characters Words that consist of only English alphabets and/or numbers, e.g. 2km. Characters such as @, ? and % are not alphanumeric.
integer A number that has no decimal places or fractions.
level Refers to the education level of a student in the context of Singapore’s education system.