Tractivity

Tractivity is a minimalist desktop timer built with Electron and TypeScript. It focuses on accurate work-time tracking with an auto-pause feature that relies on system idle time, plus a simple UI layout designed around expandable panels.

Requirements

• Node.js 18 or newer
• npm 9 or newer

Installation

npm install

Available scripts

• npm start – build the project and launch the Electron app.
• npm run dev – start the development mode with TypeScript watch and auto-relaunch (requires a desktop session).
• npm run build – produce the compiled output in the dist directory.
• npm test – run the Vitest suite that covers timer and inactivity logic.
• npm run lint – run ESLint on all TypeScript sources.
• npm run dist:win – create the Windows distributables under release/.

Project structure

src/
  assets/     Application assets (icons, static files)
  main/       Electron main-process logic
  preload/    Preload bridge that exposes safe APIs to the renderer
  renderer/   Timer UI, inactivity monitor, and styling
tests/        Vitest unit tests for timer behaviour

Building the Windows installer

1. Run npm run dist:win (the script clears any previous release/windows-build contents).
2. The task compiles TypeScript, copies static assets, and invokes electron-builder.
3. The resulting NSIS installer and portable build are stored in release/windows-build/.

Note: On Windows the packaging toolchain may need symlink support. Enable “Developer Mode” in system settings or run the command prompt with elevated privileges if you encounter the error A required privilege is not held by the client.

Roadmap

• Session history with persistent storage.
• Installation packages for macOS and Linux.