Time Control is a software designed for parents who want to manage their children's computer usage time. It consists of a client that runs on your computer and a server that runs on your child's computer.
Currently, the server can only run on Windows, but you can still use the client on other platforms.
- Download and extract the client web application.
- Download the server executable.
- Move it to C:\Windows\System32.
- Create a basic task in Task Scheduler to start the program when the user logs in.
- Open the task properties and check "Run with highest privileges".
- Move to the tab "Conditions" and uncheck "Start the task only if the computer is on AC power".
- Move to the tab "Settings" and uncheck "Stop the task if it runs longer than 3 days".
- Finally, click on the button "OK" to save the changes.
- Log out and then log in to start the service.
To configure your child's computer usage time, your computer must be connected to the same network of your child's computer. This is only necessary in the first setup or when you need to make changes.
- On your computer, open the file Time_Control.exe from the extracted folder.
- If you aren't on Windows, start an HTTP server and open the URL in your browser.
- In the app, type the IP Address of your child's computer on your local network and connect.
Now, let's clarify some aspects that might not be clear.
You must use the 24-hour format for both, as in the following examples:
- If you want a downtime between 10 pm and 8 am, use 22:00 - 08:00.
- If you want a daily limit of 2 hours and 30 minutes, use 02:30.
- Wireless Network Name: This allows the server to automatically connect to your Wi-Fi in order to sync the system time.
- Update Interval: The interval of execution of the main loop in milliseconds.
- Lock Interval: The interval of execution of the lock function in milliseconds.
This will avoid unwanted behavior when your child's computer time is incorrect and will prevent them to change the time to continue using the computer.
Before starting the build process, ensure that you have the following requirements installed on your computer:
Now, download this repository as a zip file, extract it, and follow these steps:
- In the project folder, open the terminal and run the commands:
npm install
npm run build
cd client
pyinstaller start_http-server.py --onefile --name=Time_Control --icon=../public/app-logo.ico
- Create a new folder in a location of your choice (e.g., your desktop).
- Move the generated executable from the client/dist folder and the contents of the dist folder to the newly created folder.
- In the project folder, open the terminal and run the commands:
cd server
npm install
npm run build
- Move the file server.exe to a location of your choice.