Support by Time WHMCS module Description Changelog Installation and Configuration Guide Step-by-step instructions for installing and configuring the Support by Time WHMCS module: WHMCS deployment, product creation, hour package and per-currency hourly rate setup. WHMCS setup (install/update) Support by Time module WHMCS Order now | Download | Community System requirements & compatibility The module supports PHP 7.4, 8.1 and 8.2+ and is published as a separate ionCube build per PHP version. Download the build that matches the PHP version your WHMCS server actually runs on. WHMCS version PHP version Module build to download WHMCS 8.x PHP 7.4 php74 WHMCS 8.x PHP 8.1 php81 WHMCS 8.x PHP 8.2 php82 WHMCS 9.x PHP 8.2 php82 WHMCS 8 runs on PHP 7.4 / 8.1 / 8.2 — pick the build matching your PHP (php74, php81 or php82). WHMCS 9 runs on PHP 8.2 — use the php82 build. PHP 8.2 and any newer PHP (8.3, 8.4, …): always use the php82 build. ionCube Loader v13 or newer (v14, v15) must be installed and active. Note: The module uses ionCube encoding. Make sure the ionCube Loader for your PHP version is installed and active on your server. Download The module can be ordered and downloaded from PUQ Cloud: Order / Download: https://puqcloud.com/whmcs-module-support-by-time.php All versions and builds (browse everything): https://download.puqcloud.com/WHMCS/servers/PUQ_WHMCS-Support-by-time/ — contains the php74 / php81 / php82 directories, each with the latest archive and all previous versions. Community: https://community.puqcloud.com/ Direct download — choose the build that matches your PHP version: # PHP 7.4 (WHMCS 8 on PHP 7.4) wget https://download.puqcloud.com/WHMCS/servers/PUQ_WHMCS-Support-by-time/php74/PUQ_WHMCS-Support-by-time-latest.zip # PHP 8.1 (WHMCS 8 on PHP 8.1) wget https://download.puqcloud.com/WHMCS/servers/PUQ_WHMCS-Support-by-time/php81/PUQ_WHMCS-Support-by-time-latest.zip # PHP 8.2 and newer (WHMCS 8 on PHP 8.2, or WHMCS 9) — use php82 wget https://download.puqcloud.com/WHMCS/servers/PUQ_WHMCS-Support-by-time/php82/PUQ_WHMCS-Support-by-time-latest.zip Which build? Match the build to your server's PHP version, not to WHMCS: PHP 7.4 → php74, PHP 8.1 → php81, PHP 8.2 or newer → php82. After downloading, extract the archive: unzip PUQ_WHMCS-Support-by-time-latest.zip Installation Step 1: Upload files Extract the module archive and copy the puqSupportByTime directory to the WHMCS servers module directory: WHMCS_WEB_DIR/modules/servers/puqSupportByTime Step 2: Create product Navigate to System Settings → Products/Services → Create a New Product: Select the PUQ Support by Time module in the Module settings section Configure the product parameters (see Product Configuration) The Support by Time module is a server module without a server: no server entry is required in WHMCS System Settings → Servers — the module does not connect to any external system. Update Step 1: Backup Before updating, it is recommended to back up: WHMCS database Module files in modules/servers/puqSupportByTime/ Step 2: Upload new files Download and extract the new version, then overwrite all files in: WHMCS_WEB_DIR/modules/servers/puqSupportByTime/ Step 3: Verification Log in to the WHMCS admin panel Verify the home screen has no license warnings for your products Open one of your support products and verify all configuration values are still set Important (v3.0): The product configuration form was redesigned. After updating to v3.0, open every Support by Time product and re-save its settings to migrate existing values into the new structured storage format. Product Configuration Support by Time module WHMCS Order now | Download | Community Add a new product to WHMCS Navigate to System Settings → Products/Services → Create a New Product. In the Module Settings tab select the PUQ Support by Time module (leave Server Group as None — this is a server module without a server). Two billing modes are supported, selected by the product's WHMCS billing cycle: Recurring billing cycle (Monthly, Quarterly, Annually, …) — the included hours reset every month and overage hours are billed automatically by the daily cron at the end of each month. One Time — the included hours are a fixed bucket that the service consumes ticket by ticket. When all hours are used, the service is automatically terminated by the next cron run. Configuration parameters All settings live in the Module Settings tab. Saving the product persists them as a single JSON document in tblproducts.configoption24 (the license key stays in configoption1). Parameter Description License key A pre-purchased license key for the PUQ Support by Time module. The license must be active for correct operation. After saving, the verification status (and the period it is valid until) is displayed below the field. Hours per month Number of support hours included in the package. For One Time billing cycles this is the total bucket of hours. Invoice action How the billable item for overage hours is generated at month-end: Invoice on Next Cron Run, Add to User's Next Invoice, or Do not invoice. Invoice item name Description prefix used for billable items (default: Support). The final description is composed as # Hour(s) ( /Hour). Show work log to client When ON, the client sees the operator name and the per-entry note for each ticket in their service-page ticket list. Date and time spent are always shown regardless of this setting. Price per hour outside the package Hourly rate charged for time exceeding the package allocation, configured per WHMCS currency. Notify thresholds (% of package) Comma-separated percentages (e.g. 80,100). When a client's monthly usage reaches a threshold, the email template below is sent — once per threshold per month. Empty disables notifications. Notification email template WHMCS Product/Service email template used for usage alerts. Available custom variables: $puq_used_hours, $puq_package_hours, $puq_used_percentage, $puq_threshold, $puq_hours_left, $puq_used_hours_outside_package, $puq_price_per_hour, $puq_currency_prefix, $puq_currency_suffix, $puq_how_much_pay. Support package Price per hour (per currency) Usage notifications How billing works Recurring billing cycle During the month, operators log time on tickets through the Save time / Close ticket and save time form (or the live timer) in the ticket header. Each save is stored as a separate entry, and the parent ticket record snapshots package_hours and price_hour the first time it is touched. The first daily cron of the next month scans all support services that have unbilled tickets for the previous month. The package-hour pool is allocated across that service's tickets (oldest first); for every ticket whose hours exceed the remaining pool, one billable item per ticket is created for the overage: overage_hours × price_hour. The invoice action chosen in the product configuration determines how the billable item appears. Tickets fully covered by the package allocation are flagged as processed (billableid = 0) and no billable item is created for them. One Time billing cycle Operators log time the same way; each entry deducts hours from the bucket. After the cron run, services that have used 100 % of their hours are automatically terminated through ModuleTerminate, and their tickets/entries are flagged so no further billing is attempted. Important notes Warning: This module is a server module (Products/Services). It cannot be used as an addon. Attempting to use it as an addon will return an error. License gate: Every entry point (Create / Suspend / Unsuspend / Change Package / Terminate, ticket header, configuration page) verifies the license. If license.puqcloud.com is unreachable and the offline cache has expired, module actions fail until connectivity is restored. Configuration storage: Starting with v3.0 the entire product configuration (hours, invoice action, item name, work-log visibility, per-currency rates, notification settings) is stored as a JSON document in tblproducts.configoption24. Existing v2.x installations are migrated automatically — legacy values stored in the old configoption3 (package settings) and configoption4 (per-currency price) slots are read transparently when configoption24 is empty, so no manual reconfiguration is needed. Re-saving the product through the v3.0 form is recommended (it consolidates everything into configoption24) but not required. Client Area Overview of the client-facing features of the Support by Time WHMCS module: home screen with the current month's hour usage and overage cost, and the per-month history view. Home screen Support by Time module WHMCS Order now | Download | Community Client area home screen After logging in to the client area and opening their support service, the customer sees a modern card-based layout with the following sections. This month / Support package A summary of the current period as three stat cards: Hours of support in the package — the hour allocation included in the product Hours used this month (or Hours used for One Time) — total hours logged in the current month / bucket Hours left this month (or Hours left) — remaining hours in the allocation A progress bar shows the percentage of the allocation that has been consumed (it turns amber as the package fills and red at 100 %). Billing (recurring billing cycle only) Price per hour — hourly rate charged for overage hours, in the client's currency Hours outside package — hours that have already exceeded the included allocation How much to pay this month — running total of overage cost (hours outside package × price per hour) Cost calculator An interactive predictor: the client enters a number of additional hours and instantly sees the estimated total for the month, with the underlying overage hours × rate calculation shown beneath it. List of tickets A table with all tickets that have time logged in the current period: Ticket number and title (clickable, opens the ticket), with the number of time entries Total time spent (human-readable) Operator and Note — shown only when Show work log to client is enabled for the product Date of the most recent entry A status badge (Open / Billed / Paid / Unpaid) Each ticket row can be expanded to reveal its individual time entries (date, time, operator, note): Sidebar navigation The client area sidebar contains two menu items: Information — the home screen described above History — per-month history view (only for recurring billing cycles, see History) Note: For One Time services, only the Information tab is shown — there is no per-month history because the service uses a single bucket of hours. History Support by Time module WHMCS Order now | Download | Community Client area history The History tab is available in the sidebar for support services with a recurring billing cycle. It shows a per-month archive of all tickets that consumed hours, together with a 12-month usage chart. Month navigator A row of buttons lists every past month for which time has been logged. Clicking a month switches the view to that period (loaded via AJAX); the currently selected month is highlighted. Usage trend chart A Last 12 months chart (Google ComboChart) plots Hours used as bars against the Package allocation as a dashed line. Bars are coloured by status so months with overage stand out at a glance. Monthly summary For the selected month the summary panel shows the package allocation, hours used, hours left, the overage rate, overage hours and the overage cost — all using the package size and hourly rate that were active when the time was logged. Why a snapshot? Each ticket stores the package size and hourly rate that were active when the time was logged, so the history view always reflects what the customer was actually charged — even if the product configuration changes later. Tickets table For every ticket logged in the selected month the table shows the ticket number and title, total time spent, the most-recent date, a status badge, and — when an overage billable item exists — a direct link to the WHMCS invoice that contains it. As on the home screen, the operator and note are shown when Show work log to client is enabled, and each row can be expanded to its individual entries. Admin Area Administrative features available in the WHMCS admin panel: per-service summary and history on the product page, and the time-logging header injected into every ticket. Product Home Screen Support by Time module WHMCS Order now | Download | Community Admin area service page When the administrator opens a customer's Support by Time service in WHMCS, the module adds the following panels to the service page. License verification If the license is invalid or unreachable, a red bar with the error message is shown. While the license is invalid, the module's lifecycle hooks (Create / Suspend / Unsuspend / Change Package / Terminate) all return errors. Summary A one-row summary table for the current month: month, package hours, used hours, hours left, price per hour, hours outside the package, and the calculated overage amount. Operator report Two side-by-side tables — This month and Last month — listing each operator who logged time on this service with their total hours and number of entries. History (recurring billing cycle) A row of buttons that switches the List of tickets table to any past month for which time has been logged. The current month is the default. Clicking a button reloads the list via AJAX without leaving the WHMCS service page. List of tickets One row per ticket logged in the selected month: Column Description Ticket Ticket number and title (links to the support ticket) Total Total time logged on the ticket, plus the number of entries Operator The operator(s) who logged time Date Date of the most recent entry Billable Item Link to the WHMCS billable item created for this ticket (if any) Invoice Link to the invoice that contains the billable item Status Open / Billed / Paid / Unpaid Expanding a ticket row reveals its time entries (date, time, note, operator) — each with Edit and Delete actions — followed by the per-ticket audit trail. Entries belonging to a ticket that has already been billed are locked (shown with a lock icon instead of the Edit/Delete buttons) so billed time cannot be altered. Before any time has been logged for the selected month, the tickets list shows an empty state. The panels sit on the WHMCS service page below the standard product/billing fields: One Time services For services with the One Time billing cycle the panel is simplified: a single Status block with package / used / left hours, and a list of all tickets that have consumed hours from the bucket. Floating active-timers widget On every admin page the module shows a small floating widget in the bottom-right corner listing all timers the current operator has running, each with a live elapsed clock and a link to the ticket. It polls in the background and ticks every second, so a running timer is never lost when navigating away from the ticket. License alert on the admin homepage The module also adds an alert to the WHMCS admin Home page that lists every Support by Time product whose license is currently invalid or unreachable. Each entry links directly to the corresponding product configuration page so the operator can fix it in one click. Ticket header Support by Time module WHMCS Order now | Download | Community Time-logging header Whenever an administrator opens a ticket in the WHMCS admin area, the module injects a context-aware header above the ticket. The header loads its state over AJAX and renders entirely client-side — every action (save, close, reopen, timer, order) happens without reloading the page. It detects the situation (active service, terminated service, no service, ticket charged in a previous month, ticket closed, license issue) and renders the appropriate UI. Open ticket — time form The default view is a panel containing: A drop-down with the customer's support services. Active services are listed first, then suspended; terminated services are shown disabled. Each entry shows the package allocation and remaining hours: Service name (cycle - status) Available: 0.46/1h. An HH:MM time input with − / + buttons (minute steps; minutes roll over into hours). For One Time services the value is capped at the hours remaining in the bucket. An optional Note field (visible to the client when Show work log to client is enabled on the product). Action buttons: Save time — appends the entered time as a new entry; the ticket stays open. Close ticket and save time — appends the entry and sets the WHMCS ticket status to Closed. Start — starts a live timer (see below). Each save adds a new entry to the ticket — it does not overwrite previous entries. The running total ("Already logged") and the full breakdown are shown in the audit trail. Audit trail Below the form, a timeline lists every action taken on the ticket (time logged, edited, deleted, timer start/stop/cancel, service ordered), with the operator name and a relative timestamp. Live timer Pressing Start opens a red Timer running panel with a server-anchored running clock and Stop / Cancel buttons. Stop rounds the elapsed time up to the nearest minute and appends it as a regular time entry (with the note, if any); Cancel discards it. After stopping, the action is recorded in the audit trail (elapsed time, added hours, new total): Closed ticket When the ticket is closed, the header shows a compact summary (logged time + service) plus a ReOpen button that switches the WHMCS ticket status back to Open so the operator can log more time. If the ticket has already been billed, ReOpen is refused (the time is locked). Ticket charged in a previous month If the ticket's time belongs to a previous month, editing is locked: the header shows a red panel with the recorded time, the service, and a hint to recreate or split the ticket if more time needs to be logged. This prevents retroactive changes after the monthly billable item has been created. Service is terminated If the service the ticket is attached to has been terminated, time editing is also locked and the operator is asked to recreate or split the ticket against an active service. Client without a support service If the client does not yet have an Active or Suspended Support by Time service, the header shows an inline order form: a drop-down with all available Support by Time products and a drop-down with available WHMCS payment methods. Submitting it creates a WHMCS order, accepts it, runs auto-setup and reloads the ticket. License issue When any of the customer's Support by Time products has an invalid or unreachable license, the header shows a red banner instead of the time form, with the product name and the error message returned by the license server.