If you are an existing customer using this connector and looking for assistance with an inquiry, please use this article or reach out to us at support@clicktime.com.
The ClickTime Connector for QuickBooks application was designed to quickly move time and expense data from your ClickTime account to your locally installed QuickBooks Company File.
For best results, we recommend reviewing the following Help Documents prior to using the Connector:
Supported Features and Recommendations
Installation and Setup
Synchronizing Time and Expenses
If you experience any errors or unexpected behavior with using the Connector, the above guides should be helpful to make sure what you are trying to do is supported and correctly set up.
If, however, you experience errors during installation or synchronization, this guide should be useful in troubleshooting those specific errors. You can always email ClickTime Support with more information on your error (and any steps you took to try to resolve the issue) and they will be happy to assist.
Please note: These instructions are geared towards users who have successfully used the Connector in the past and are now experiencing errors. If you have not yet used the Connector to synchronize time or expenses, you may want to uninstall the Connector and QBFC13 files, restart your computer, and try to reinstall both files (the installation process is covered in detail here).
Errors You May Experience When Using the ClickTime Connector for QuickBooks:
Connector stops abruptly
Unable to complete Setup Wizard - no pop-up to allow access to QuickBooks
I need to install .NET Framework 3.5
"Cannot access the specified device, path, or file" error message
Hiding the "x items in QuickBooks lists are missing in ClickTime" message
Cannot create employee from QuickBooks - no email address
Unable to synchronize time to employee - payroll item error
Unable to check the "use time data to create paychecks" option on the Settings page
Unable to complete Link Lists Wizard during time synchronization
"Response is not well-formed XML" error when exporting
Asked to use the Link Lists Wizard multiple times in a row during time synchronization
Time Off Not Exported / No Leave Type/Payroll Section of the Link List Wizard
"There is no disk in the drive" error when running the Connector
"Can't Open QuickBooks - QuickBooks already has a company file open" error message
"Can't Open QuickBooks" Error continues after computer restart
"Failed to export time" or "Failed to export expenses" error for certain date periods
"Company Holiday" Time Off Entries Are Not Exporting
"You Might have the wrong company file open in QuickBooks" error
"Revoked Consent" error
"QuickBooksCommunicator Not Initialized" error
If you find that the Connector stops at any point in time during your session, please try the following steps:
- If there are ClickTime Projects or QuickBooks Customer:Jobs that are no longer in use, marking them as inactive may help the Connector run without error. Please make sure to synchronize any time entries associated with the Projects or Customer:Jobs before marking them as inactive.
- Issues may be resolved by closing the Connector and QuickBooks. Then re-open QuickBooks and try the Connector again. If you have any difficulty doing so, please restart your computer and try the process again.
- If the Connector is failing during Time Synchronization, please go to the Link Lists Wizard and make sure that all active ClickTime Projects have a related Customer:Job in QuickBooks (more details here)
- If issues continue after trying all these steps, please reach out to ClickTime Support and we can schedule a time to troubleshoot via screenshare.
Unable to complete Setup Wizard - no pop-up to allow access to QuickBooks
If you reinstall the Connector, you will be required to complete the Setup Wizard before you can use it. In some cases, you may find that Step 3 of the Setup Wizard is not working as expected. If you are not seeing the pop-up message from QuickBooks asking if the Connector should access your Company File, please try the following:
First, close the Connector.
Then, go to your QuickBooks Preferences (this is typically accessed from the "Edit" options):
Go to "Integrated Applications" and choose "Company":
Click on "ClickTime Connector" and remove/confirm:
You will also want to make sure that the "Don't allow any applications to access this company file" setting is un-checked.
Next, exit the Preferences page and try to run the Connector again. You should see the popup this time.
I need to Install .NET Framework 3.5
Our Connector requires that .NET Framework 3.5 is installed/enabled in order to use it. In some cases, your machine may have a more recent version of .NET Framework, but that is not necessarily backwards compatible.
If you need to download and install .NET Framework 3.5, it can be be downloaded here.
Additionally, your machine may already have .NET Framework 3.5 installed, but it may not be enabled just yet. You can check this by using the Windows key on your keyboard, and typing "Windows Features". This will display the "Turn Windows features on or off" dialog box.
From there, select the option for ".NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0)", and select OK.
You may need to reboot your computer for the changes to take place.
Additional details and steps to update/troubleshoot .NET Frameworks 3.5 can also be found in this Microsoft Help article.
"Cannot access the specified device, path, or file" error message
You will need to have Administrative access to your computer to install our Connector. If you are seeing a Windows error message indicating "Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file", there could be several reasons for this.
This troubleshooting article from Microsoft has more information on how to resolve this error if it is actually related to your permissions to your computer.
However, we have also heard reports that anti-virus software could be blocking access to the Connector, which generates the same error. If the troubleshooting steps in the Microsoft article do not resolve, you may want to check your anti-virus software to ensure it is allowing access to the file location.
Hiding the "items in QuickBooks lists are missing in ClickTime" message
If you do not want to see the "items in QuickBooks lists are missing in ClickTime" message on the landing page, you can use the "Hide" option so it is no longer displayed.
If you do so, you will still need to make sure that a relationship exists between any ClickTime People/Projects/Tasks and the corresponding QuickBooks Employee/Customer:Job/Service Item before you can synchronize time. This can be done from the Link List Wizards (more details here) or when attempting to export time entries (more details here).
PLEASE NOTE: If you hide this message, you will not be able to display it again in the future, so please make sure you are certain you want to hide the message before doing so.
Cannot create employee from QuickBooks - no email address
When using the Connector to create an employee from QuickBooks, you may experience an error if the employee does not have an email address in your QuickBooks Company file.
To address this, close the Connector and then go to the Employee record in QuickBooks. Open the "Address & Contact" section and enter an email address in the "Main Email" field, and save:
Then try using the Connector to create the employee again.
Alternatively, you could create the employee is ClickTime and then map them using any of the mapping methods discussed here.
Unable to synchronize time to employee - payroll item error
You may see the following error the first time you attempt to export time for a new employee:
This indicates that the checkbox is in an unknown state and needs to be addressed. To do so, go to the Employee record in QuickBooks and navigate to the "Payroll Info" section. From there, un-check and then re-check the "Use time data to create paychecks" box, and then close out of the Edit Employee. This toggle needs to be enabled for all employees that you are syncing time entries for (from ClickTime to QuickBooks):
Then restart the Connector and try again.
Unable to check the "use time data to create paychecks" option on the Settings page
The ClickTime Connector for QuickBooks supports synchronizing time off data from ClickTime with a QuickBooks Payroll Item. In order to do so, you will need to have set the Leave Type List Controls on the Company --> Preferences page to "Employment Type" as seen below:
You will also need to make sure that the "use time data to create paychecks" box in the ClickTime Connector Settings is checked, and that a Payroll Item has been selected in the drop down:
Occasionally, you may find that this check box has been un-checked and cannot be re-selected. This is most commonly caused by a pending update to QuickBooks Payroll that needs to be applied.
To address this:
- First, make sure that QuickBooks in general is completely up-to-date using the Help --> Update QuickBooks Desktop option in QuickBooks. We recommend restarting your computer after updating (in some cases, QuickBooks will require a restart before you can run the program again)
- If you are still unable to check the box, there may be a Payroll-specific update that is pending. Close the Connector, and then go to the Employee --> Get Payroll Updates option in QuickBooks:
- Then, choose to "Download entire payroll update":
- After the update is applied, close the window and restart the ClickTime Connector
You should then be able to re-check the box to "use time data to create paychecks" and choose the appropriate default Payroll Item for new employees.
Unable to complete Link Lists Wizard during time synchronization
If you are prompted to go through the Link List Wizard during time synchronization, but cannot do so, there is likely some issue with your existing relationships. This could be caused by a few different factors:
- You may be attempting to synchronize time that is associated with multiple inactive items (in either ClickTime or QuickBooks). For best results, please make sure all the options you are attempting to synchronize are active before using the Connector. You can use the Customizable Data Export to generate a file that shows you all the time entries in your time period (more details on the Customizable Data Export can be found here).
- You may be attempting to link multiple items in ClickTime to the same QuickBooks item. Each ClickTime item should only correspond to a single QuickBooks item - please see the next section for assistance with this issue.
- You may have made a change to ClickTime or QuickBooks since running the Connector. Since the Connector will remember the settings in both ClickTime or QuickBooks as they are when you log into the Connector, you may need to restart the Connector to reflect the new changes.
- Your QuickBooks Company File is too large. It may be helpful to condense your file - before doing so, please make sure to backup your data. Your local Intuit Professional should be able to assist with reducing your file size.
In most cases, using the Link Lists Wizard independently of time synchronization will be the best method to review your settings and resolve. If you continue to have issues, please contact ClickTime Support with more details and we can schedule a troubleshooting session.
"Response is not well-formed XML" error when exporting
If you see an error that reads "Response is not well-formed XML" when attempting to export time entries, this likely is a result of issues with data in one (or more) of the comments associated with a time entry you are trying to synchronize. This typically occurs when employees copy/paste text from a program like Word or somewhere on the web. The time entry saves to ClickTime, but contains additional formatting that is not recognized by QuickBooks when exporting.
To address this, you will need to find the problematic time entries, update them in ClickTime, and then run the Connector again. The best method to find the errors is using our Customizable Data Export (more details here). Follow this process:
- Run the Customizable Data Export for all time entries you are attempting to export. Make sure to include all information about the time entry (Entry Date, employee who entered, Client/Project/Task/Leave Type information, and the Comments field
- Open the resulting file in Excel and then copy the entire column of Comments.
- Paste all comments into a text editor that does not support formatting. We recommend Notepad++, which is available for free download here (the standard Notepad program that comes with all Windows operating systems will not highlight the problematic time entries)
- Next you'll need to scroll through the pasted data to look for the problematic comments. They will often appear as a black box with white characters:
- Once you find the comments, you'll then need to re-enter those comments for any time entries. You should be able to determine which time entry they are by comparing the row in Notepad++ with your Excel document. You can either request your staff make the changes as needed, or do so on their behalf using the Override Timesheets feature (more details here). Please note if the timesheet has been approved or locked, you will need to "Undo Approval" or "Unlock" the timesheet before you can make edits, and will want to re-approve or re-lock it after updating the comment
- Once all time entries have been updated, try the Connector again and it should finish as expected. If you continue to get errors, please repeat the steps to find any other comments with issues
Asked to use the Link Lists Wizard multiple times in a row during time synchronization
In order for the Connector to run, every item in ClickTime must have a corresponding item in QuickBooks. Only one relationship can exist between each item.
If you are regularly being required to use the Link Lists Wizard and cannot complete the synchronization, it is possible that you are attempting to link multiple items in ClickTime to a single QuickBooks item. The issues is typically reflected in this workflow:
- At the time of synchronization, you are asked to use the Link Lists Wizard
- You go through and find at least one item without a relationship, so you add a relationship to an existing item
- Upon re-running the Connector you are again prompted to use the Link Lists Wizard
- When doing so, an item that was previously linked is now unlinked, so you re-link it
- The next time you run the Connector, you are prompted to use the Link Lists Wizard, and find the same item you linked in Step 1 to be unlinked
In this case, it is very likely that you have more than one ClickTime item linked to the same QuickBooks item. You will need to create a new QuickBooks item for each ClickTime item.
Alternatively, if you find there are duplicated items in ClickTime, you can merge them together using the bulk "Find and replace" option on the Company --> Advanced page, and then re-run the Connector.
Time Off Not Exported / No Leave Type/Payroll Section of the Link List Wizard
Occasionally you may export time and realize that no time off was synchronized. When creating relationships using the Link List Wizard, you may also notice that there are only 3 options (People, Projects, and Tasks, when you usually see a fourth option for "Time Off":
If the fourth option usually appears but does not now, this is usually caused by your QuickBooks Payroll becoming out-of-date. This is easy to address with a Payroll Update - please check with your local Intuit Professional if you have questions or concerns about running the Payroll Update.
To resolve, first close the Connector. Then go to the "Employees" section in QuickBooks and select "Get Payroll Updates".
Then, choose to "Update" Payroll.
QuickBooks will download and install the updates and then show you a confirmation message when it has finished.
You may be asked to restart QuickBooks, or in some cases, restart your computer, which you will need to do before the changes take effect.
After confirming QuickBooks Payroll is up to date, you can re-run the Connect. Go to the Settings --> Manage Lists --> Link Time Lists page to confirm you again have the fourth Leave Type/Payroll Item page as expected.
"There is no disk in the drive" error when running the Connector
Some customers have reported a Windows error that reads "There is no disk in the drive. Please insert a disk into drive 'drive name'". This may be caused by removable hard disk drives, usb readers, or another issue with your local machine.
This error is associated with your computer and not the ClickTime Connector for QuickBooks. If you are experiencing this your local IT team will be best suited to assist.
"Can't Open QuickBooks - QuickBooks already has a company file open" error message
Occasionally you may see an error that indicates "QuickBooks already has a company file open" when only one file is actually open. This error can prevent the ClickTime Connector from loading and may occur when either the Connector or QuickBooks had an issue when it was last closed.
You should be able to resolve this using your computer's Task Manager. You can access the Task Manager by right-clicking the Taskbar and selecting "Task Manager":
Then find any situations where either QuickBooks or the ClickTime Connector are running in the "Apps" and "Background processes" area of the "Processes" tab. Click on the Process and then "End Task":
(Make sure to check the "Background processes" section for anything that is related to QuickBooks as well).
After doing so, please try opening QuickBooks again, and then open up the ClickTime Connector.
If your issue continues after ending all tasks, please try restarting your computer. QuickBooks and the ClickTime Connector should perform as expected after rebooting your machine.
NOTE: another thing that can contribute to a persistent "company file already open" error, is an issue with QuickBooks Desktop itself, or the company file being that is being used. Here are a couple steps to try in that case:
* Locate the company file in your hard drive. Typically this will be in the sa,e folder as the QuickBooks application, or will be in a "Company Files" folder in the Intuit directory. Company files are designated with a ".qbw" filename. See if you can manually open the company file from this location and whether QuickBooks Desktop opens. If it does, try running the latest QuickBooks application update from the "Help>Update QuickBooks Desktop" menu.
* If you're not able to open QuickBooks, try selecting the QuickBooks application alias, then select "open file location":
....then open the file called "QBUpdateUtility". This should prompt an update to QuickBooks, which may help resolve any issues when opening the QuickBooks Desktop application. Once updates are complete, try opening QuickBooks as you normally do and login to your company file.
"Can't Open QuickBooks" Error continues after computer restart
If you continue see the "Can't Open QuickBooks - QuickBooks already has a company file open" error after a computer restart, you can also check some additional settings. This may be helpful if the "Can't Open QuickBooks" error also prevents you from running the Connector after the initial install.
First find your QuickBooks file - if you don't know where it is, you can search for "QuickBooks" in Windows, then right-click the application and choose "Open File Location".
Then, right-click the file and choose "Properties".
Now, go to the "Compatibility" tab, and make sure "Run program as Administrator" is un-checked. Then click "settings for all users" and make sure the same box is un-checked.
NOTE: For best results, we recommend that you are an Administrator for QuickBooks as well as your computer, but these steps may address issues with installation or running the Connector. If you continue to have issues, please contact your local IT support for assistance in having Administrative access to your computer and QuickBooks.
You may also need to uninstall the ClickTime Connector for QuickBooks file and the QBFC13 files, then restart your computer, and try the installation process again (please contact ClickTime Support: support@clicktime.com) for further assistance with installation files.
"Failed to export time" or "Failed to export expenses" error for certain date periods
If you are continuing to get a "Failed to export time" or "Failed to export expenses" error for all employees for a certain time period, you may have set a Closing Date for your QuickBooks Company File.
To check this, close the Connector and go to QuickBooks. Choose the "File" option, and then "Preferences":
On the left, choose "Accounting" and make sure you've selected "Company Preferences". You should see the "Closing Date" field at the bottom.
To change this, click "Set Date/Password" and then update the Date field. QuickBooks recommends setting a password so that only certain people can change the field. Then Click "OK":
More information about this field can be found on Intuit's help center HERE .
"Company Holiday" Time Off Entries Are Not Exporting
Currently the "Company Holiday" Leave Types (more details here) are not designed to export with our Connector. If this is a feature you are interested in, please feel free to email ClickTime Support to let us know and your interest will be noted for our Product Management Team to review.
"You might have the wrong company file open in QuickBooks"
This error means that there was a different QuickBooks company file that was authenticated to, since the last time the Connector was used. To fix this, consult with your team to confirm the correct QuickBooks file to be used now, then click the appropriate "This is correct...." button per the error message. This should allow you to re-authenticate into the correct QuickBooks file, so that the Connector will know that for the next time you login.
"Revoked Consent" error:
If you see this error when attempting to sign in to the ClickTime Connector, it means you are using an outdated version of the Connector. This error occurs not because there is a security threat to your QuickBooks application (or your computer)....but rather, the certificate authority that oversees the QuickBooks/ClickTime connection, has determined that the file being used (Connector), no longer meets certification requirements. This applies to v.1.4.3 and prior of the ClickTime Connector. To confirm your version, when you launch the Connector, you'll see the version displayed in the upper-left corner of the Connector login panel. We encourage customers to get the latest 1.4.4 version which has an updated security certificate.
SOLUTION:
1. Uninstall the current Connector file from your computer. This file is called "ClickTimeConnector" and you should see this listed under your "Add or Remove Programs" list.
2. Contact ClickTime Support: support@clicktime.com to obtain the latest v.1.4.5 installer file. This file needs to be installed in the same location (meaning the same primary computer) as the QuickBooks Desktop application.
3. Once you have installed the new Connector version, reboot your computer.
"QuickBooksCommunicator Not Initialized" error:
This error typically appears when the Connector hasn't made a successful 'handshake' with QuickBooks. "QuickBooksCommunicator" is an internal name referencing a part of our Connector code. To resolve this, there are a few steps you can try:
- Reboot your computer
- Login to QuickBooks as the administrator (in Single-User Mode)
- Wait 2 minutes, then see if you can login to the Connector successfully
- Worst case, contact ClickTime Support: support@clicktime.com and we would be happy to assist with reinstalling the Connector files
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