This is one key setup for Oracle Time and Labor Timecard entry. These preferences are how do you enter and submit the Timecard page.
By using these preferences we can set up the approval rules, retrieval rules, timecard entry rules, layouts and much more.

Preferences

Navigation: OTL Super Administrator -> Preferences
Right click on Preference Tree and click on New then Save – Name in Tree(XXCUS OTL)

Preference: Self Service Create Template Functionality

This preference will allow users to create a template or not
We can provide value as Yes or No


If we set this preference value to No then users don’t see create template button.

Preference: Self Service Save as Template Functionality on Timecard

This preference will allow users to save their current time entry page as a template or not.


If we set this preference value to No, users don’t see the save template option.

Preference: Self Service Template Functionality for a Worker

This preference will allow users to select the template and apply those on timecard page


If we set this preference values to No, users don’t see select and apply the template option

Preference: Self Service Timecard Period for Worker

This preference describes period starts from and how to display on timecard page. Generally, most cases period starts from Monday and ends with Sunday.


Change the preference value to Week Starts Friday then week period changes from Friday to Thursday

Preference: Timecard Display Date Formats

This preference allows us to change the Period week display format and Timecard display format.
Current Period Format: August 29,2016 – September 04,2016

Current Timecard Matrix on Timecard Page:

If we want to change above formats we can achieve using Timecard Display Date Formats preference

We changed the date format in preferences.

Preference: Self Service Number of Empty Rows on the Timecard

This preference allows us to set how many empty records show on Timecard page. The default preference is 1, we can change by using this preference.

We changed the preference value to 2 and then we can see timecard page is displaying two empty rows by default.
When we click on Add Another Row button, it will add rows by default.

Preference: Self Service Number of Recent Timecards on Time Entry Screen

This preference allows us to set a dispaly number of timecard in a recent timecard page. If we set preference value as 5 then users can able to only 5 records per page. We have to click on next to see another 5 records.

Preference: Self Service Timecard, Review and Confirmation Layout Pages

This preference is one of the main important preference for OTL. Here we can select the template for timecard entry page, notification page and so on.

Timecard Layout: Timecard entry page layout, as soon as we login to create time entry page, we see one template/layout correct i.e whatever we assign here in this step.
Review Layout: Once we have done with timecard entry(finished entering hours), we click on continue/save then we land into new page i.e whatever we assign here in this step.
Confirmation Layout: After submitting the timecard, we will redirect the confirmation page.
Details Layout: In recent timecard page we click on the details button.
Notification Layout: If we define approval and we submit the timecard, the system will send a notification to the approver with details whatever the user entered.

Let’s assume we have added new columns/fields in the timecard layout and you have not modified the other layouts. So you don’t see those new columns/fields in the review, confirmation and notification layout. So we have to change all these layouts we change we want to do any changes.

We can copy the oracle sedded layout, rename, modify and upload it server then you can attach your own modified template here. You can Timecard Layout Modification see here how to modify and attach a template.

Preference: Self Service Timecard Status that Allows User Edits

This preference allows timecard entry users to when to enter and edit the timecard i.e based on the timecard status.

Status Allowing Edits:
New, Working or Rejected -> Users are able to enter/edit/delete timecard only the timecards in these statuses. If the timecard is submitted/approved users cannot edit the timecard.

Retro -> Users are able enter/edit/delete timecard even if is submitted/approved.


Future Time Period Limit: Active Assignment
Past Number of Days: How many past numbers of days users can enter the timecard.
Future Number of Days: How many past numbers of days users can enter the timecard.
Since we have NULL values in the initial preference values.

Change the preference values to past as 10 and future as 10.

Preference: Timekeeper Misc Setup Items

This preference allows us to display employee name and employee id on the Timecard pages and we can display in/out times for each day in timecard matrix.

Preference: Time Store Time Entry Rules

We can create rules and combine all those rules into a group and assign it to preference. How to create rules and assign it to preference we can find Timecard Rules here.

Preference: Time Store Retrieval Rule Groups

If we would like to import these timecards into Project Accounting or Payroll or sometimes both modules we have to assign preference value based on our requirements.
Here we are only importing to Projects so we are selecting only Projects Retrieval Rule Group.

We can define Projects Retrieval Rule Group in the Oracle system or we can use define our own based on requirements. Please have a glance on some of the pre-defined retrieval groups.
Projects: Only approved timecards will move to Projects

Projects & Payroll: Only approved timecards will move to Projects and Payroll

Preference: Time Store Application Set

Since we are only looking into projects so we assigned preference value as Projects. If we use timecards into different applications we have to different values.

Deafult Timecard Period

Closest Period prior to system date: If we set this is as a preference value, then by default timecard page will display last week date based on sysdate in Period LOV. Today’s date is 20-AUG-2016 then period LOV shows last week date.
Earliest Period prior to system date: By default Period LOV display as timecard period which we didn’t submit i.e today’s date is 20-AUG-2016 and we didn’t submit the timecard in MAY(15-MAY-2016) system will display automatically 15-MAY-2016(Week date) in period LOV.
Period on or after system date: This shows by default current week in the timecard page period LOV
If we don’t assign any value in this preference(Deafult Timecard Period), the system will display the current week in the timecard page period LOV.

Default Template on Timecard Page

If we would like to assign a template by default to users we can achieve by using the preference Self Service Default Template Assigned by Sys Admin
We have to create a public template and assign a public template to the public template group.
While creating a template we can give provide a project name, hours and etc..
Public Template:

Public Template Group:

Attach it to Preference:

We have a couple of other preferences also, try adding it to your preference tree and then see the changes. Here we covered some of the user preferences for Projects.

Eligibility Criteria

We have to assign it to employees/persons in the system then we could able to see all our preference tree setups to those employees.
Here we have taken the person type as an employee, so all these preferences will only work for employee person type and won’t work for contingent employees.

If you want to assign one timecard template/layout to US organization and for UK different template can be done by assigning Link by as Organization and Lined to US/UK.

Sometimes one preference might fall into two different tree’s and employees also fall into two different preference tree and eligibility criteria. Then which eligibility rule has the highest precedence, that preference will be applied to employee/person.

Based on the below screenshot we have some preferences in XXCUS OTL and Default Preferences also. Here the first system will check for XXCUS OTL preferences for person/employee and apply it to timecard page since it has the higest precedence.
Some of the preferences we didn’t define in XXCUS OTL but present in Default Preferences tree so employee/person timecard layout will be applied by Default Preferences since it has the least precedence.