New Plugin for Glyphs: TypeSpan, a Time Tracker and Workflow Reporter for Type Designers

typespan
typespan Posts: 4
in Type Design Software
After months of refining and early feedback, I'd like to introduce TypeSpan, a time tracking and workflow reporting plugin for Glyphs. 

Install TypeSpan from Glyphs Plugin Manager. Then enable it from View > Show TypeSpan.



Features

  • Tracks your working time automatically in the background while you work
  • A small timer in the Edit view shows current tracking data
  • Pauses when you switch to another app or step away, and resumes when you come back
  • Fully automatic. No buttons to press, no manual interaction needed
  • Export a full report with an overview by glyph, master, and whole font
  • Customize the timer position, size, and metrics from Window > TypeSpan Preferences



Use Cases

1. You do not know where your time went

  • You finish a font with a rough idea of what you worked on, but not which glyphs took longer than expected, or whether you spent too much time on one master. 
  • When you can see where your time actually went, you can make better decisions about what needs more attention and what does not.

2. Estimates are just guesses

  • You are halfway through a font project. How long did the first half really take? Which parts were more time-consuming? 
  • Without real numbers, estimating the rest is difficult.

3. One glyph pulls you in

  • It is easy to lose track of time on a single difficult glyph. 
  • The timer keeps you aware of how long you have been on it, without interrupting your focus.

4. No way to show your work

  • Clients or collaborators cannot see what you have been working on. 
  • TypeSpan lets you export a shareable web report, organized by glyph, master, and date, so you can show your progress clearly.


Privacy

  • All tracking data is stored inside your local file. 
  • When exporting reports, only the tracking data needed for the report is used. 
  • Your glyph outline data is never accessed or transmitted.


Demo Report

Live playground: https://typespan.com/demo

See More



Feedback and questions are welcome!
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Comments

  • Mark Simonson
    Mark Simonson Posts: 1,813
    This looks really useful, and probably worth the price for the pro version. But I’m curious who built it. The website only ever refers to “we” but never says who “we” is.
  • typespan
    typespan Posts: 4

    In addition to developing the plugin myself, I collaborate with a Graphic Designer who is responsible for UX design and providing feedback.

    Neither of our full-time jobs is related to typography. Glyphs and type design are simply passions that we pursue in our spare time.

    Because our available time is limited, we became curious about how we were actually spending it. That curiosity eventually led to the creation of this plugin. What started as a side project has gradually grown into TypeSpan as it exists today.

    Although TypeSpan has been developed entirely in our personal time, we've chosen to remain anonymous for now due to potential conflicts of interest with our current employers. We look forward to sharing more about ourselves once we are able to dedicate ourselves to the project full-time.  :)

  • SCarewe
    SCarewe Posts: 139
    This looks, on the surface, like a great tool, and I would be very interested in using it.

    However, as I already pointed out in a GitHub issue, TypeSpan writes a lot of metadata into the document’s userData, which creates a huge amount of noise when versioning with git.

    I would really love to see this solved differently, maybe a .TypeSpanLog.json file next to the Glyphs file. Otherwise, the tool becomes functionally useless when collaborating on the same file.
  • C.Fransen
    C.Fransen Posts: 24
    I was literally working on something like this for myself the other day. Main reason was to track my time on each glyphs. I noticed I lost myself in fiddling too much which costs me too much time. Didn't got it to work properly and put it aside. I was working in some initials at the time.

    Well done :) 
  • typespan
    typespan Posts: 4
    SCarewe said:
    This looks, on the surface, like a great tool, and I would be very interested in using it.

    However, as I already pointed out in a GitHub issue, TypeSpan writes a lot of metadata into the document’s userData, which creates a huge amount of noise when versioning with git.

    I would really love to see this solved differently, maybe a .TypeSpanLog.json file next to the Glyphs file. Otherwise, the tool becomes functionally useless when collaborating on the same file.
    You're right that storing the data in the font's userData could create some git noise.
    I've added this to the roadmap. Thanks again for the feedback!
  • SCarewe
    SCarewe Posts: 139
    edited October 12
    Hi, out of curiosity, did you think about this further? I see the last commit on GitHub is from three months ago. I would really be interested in this tool, but the git noise (and impossible file collaboration) really doesn't make this feasible, unfortunately. I know this would interest many people and foundries whom I collaborate with, but we all work with git.
  • typespan
    typespan Posts: 4
    SCarewe said:
    Hi, out of curiosity, did you think about this further? I see the last commit on GitHub is from three months ago. I would really be interested in this tool, but the git noise (and impossible file collaboration) really doesn't make this feasible, unfortunately. I know this would interest many people and foundries whom I collaborate with, but we all work with git.
    We just release v2.0. TypeSpan now supports External Storage!

    Detailed tracking data stays in a local log, while the .glyphs file keeps just one stable ID, so ongoing tracking no longer clutters Git diffs.

    New fonts use External storage by default. You can also migrate existing data in Preferences.
  • SCarewe
    SCarewe Posts: 139
    Great, thank you very much! I will be happy to try this out soon.

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