EvoComms - Biometric Terminal Networking

Caution

This project is currently in beta and should be used with caution. The current implementation lacks authentication and should not be used in production environments.

Overview

EvoComms is a .NET 8.0 Blazor application that runs as a Windows service/process, designed to facilitate communication between various biometric clocking machines and time and attendance software packages sold by Clocking Systems UK.

The application provides a web interface for configuration and management of the integration processes.

Current State Of Project

This project has not had a sensible amount of time dedicated towards it, as a result a noticeable amount of technical debt exists in the codebase.

This can be seen in the form of DRY Violations, SOLID Violations, and mind-boggling implementations even hallucinating AI couldn't spit out.

Refactoring will be an ongoing process. A strong effort will also be made to make the codebase beautiful before it's deemed production ready.

Supported Clocking Software Products

Excluding InTime and EvoTime, the integration is done via outputting a file in CSV Format. Feel free to use one of the CSV-Based integrations as a stepping stone to integrating it with any unsupported software products.

• EvoTime (Implementation not OS)
• InTime
• TotalTime / BioTime
• InfoTime

Features

• Real-time communication with biometric clocking devices
• Data transformation and file generation for supported Software Packages
• Web-based configuration interface
• Runs as a Windows service, console app for debugging.
• Supports a variety of clocking machine manufacturers

Solution Structure

EvoComms/
├── EvoComms.Core                    # Core functionality and EF models
├── EvoComms.Devices.HanvonVF       # Hanvon device integration
├── EvoComms.Devices.Timy           # Timy device integration
├── EvoComms.Devices.ZKTeco         # ZKTeco device integration
├── EvoComms.Logging               # Logging functionality
├── EvoComms.Web.App               # Blazor web application
└── EvoComms.Windows.Installer.App # WiX Toolset installer project

Requirements

• Windows 7 or Later
• Supported clocking machine(s) & software
• Network connectivity between the host and clocking machine(s)

Installation

1. Download the latest release
2. Run the Windows installer package
3. Access the web interface at http://localhost:17856
4. Configure your devices and integration settings

Device Support

The application supports various manufacturer-specific integrations through dedicated device libraries:

• ZKTeco Devices
• Hanvon VF Series
• Timy Clocking Systems

Each device integration is modular and can be enabled/disabled as needed.

Configuration

The web interface provides configuration options for:

• Device connections and communication settings
• Output file formats and locations
• Integration schedules
• System logging preferences
• Time & Attendance system-specific settings

Development

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022 or later (Rider is BIS)
• .NET 8.0 SDK
• WiX Toolset for building the installer

Building the Solution

1. Clone the repository
2. Open the solution in Visual Studio
3. Restore NuGet packages
4. Build the solution
5. Run the Web.App project for development

Warning

You may need to manually map some of the DLL's included as they have hard paths.

Project Structure

• EvoComms.Core: Contains the core functionality, database context, and entity models
• EvoComms.Devices.*: Device-specific integration libraries
• EvoComms.Logging: Logging specific implementations
• EvoComms.Web.App: Blazor web application
• EvoComms.Windows.Installer.App: WiX-based installer project

Contributing

In the unlikely event you want to contribute, please follow the below:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Push to the branch
5. Create a Pull Request