Building a Timesheet Application with SpreadsheetWeb Hub

Use tags, identity templates, and application events to turn an Excel-based timesheet into a controlled employee-submission and manager-approval workflow. The same pattern can be adapted to other records that move through review, approval, and revision stages.

Define roles and workflow states with tags

Create user-role tags for Employee and Manager. Then create record-status tags for each stage of the timesheet lifecycle:

• New while an employee is entering hours
• Pending Review after the employee submits the week
• Accepted after manager approval
• Revision Needed when the employee must correct the record

Icons and colors can make each role and status easy to recognize in the Hub interface.

Configure identity templates

Create an identity template for employees and associate it with the employee tag. Give employees at least the application access needed to open the timesheet. Configure data rights so they can edit records in the New or Revision Needed states and, if required, view other permitted records without editing them.

Create a separate manager template. Managers can receive edit access for Pending Review records or broader access if they are responsible for every stage. Keep read and edit rules separate so each role has only the required capabilities.

Apply the correct identity template when inviting users to the workspace.

Add workflow fields to the workbook and interface

Update the Excel model with named ranges and formulas for the submission state, approval state, and resulting status tag. Upload the revised workbook as a new transaction.

In the User Interface Designer:

1. Add submission and approval values as checkbox or toggle controls.
2. Add action buttons for submitting, saving, approving, and requesting revision.
3. Bind control visibility to Boolean named ranges so manager-only actions are hidden from employees.
4. Add the new values to the application database so their state is preserved.

Configure the save and revision buttons to assign the appropriate status tags. Tags can be selected directly or supplied by a named range returned from the workbook.

Notify reviewers

Create an email event if a manager should be notified when a timesheet is submitted. Bind the event's enabled setting to the submission condition, then attach the email event to the save button alongside the normal save action.

Test the full approval cycle

Sign in as an employee, enter hours, and save the timesheet while it is New. At the end of the period, submit it and confirm that the record becomes Pending Review and is no longer editable by the employee.

Sign in as a manager, open the record from the Data page, and either approve it or request a revision. A revision returns access to the employee; an approval assigns the Accepted status. Managers and employees can also use record chat to discuss required changes when both have access to that record.