Why can I see all Tempo Timesheets worklogs through Tempo Reports, but not in Tempo's Rest API?

Question

Context: I'm trying to retrieve all worklogs from all users and projects by making requests to Tempo's REST API, but the only worklogs returned are my own. When I create a Report of hours logged, I can see all logs from users and projects, so I'm assuming I have the required permissions.

Eduardo Nunes da Silva · Answer

I'm using this endpoint https://api.tempo.io/4/worklogs and I have the permissions to see all logs in the instance.

Ignacio Aredez GenAI Expert · Answer

The issue likely stems from either permissions or how you're using the Tempo REST API. Here's a simplified approach to troubleshoot and potentially resolve this:

Permissions: Verify the API token or user account you're using has permissions to access worklogs from all users and projects. Permissions for viewing reports in Tempo might differ from those needed for API access.

API Endpoint and Parameters: Ensure you're using the correct endpoint and parameters. Some endpoints might only return your worklogs by default unless specific parameters are set to broaden the search.

Check API Documentation: Tempo's documentation can provide insights into any additional permissions or parameters needed to access worklogs across users and projects.

Ignacio Aredez GenAI Expert · Answer

The discrepancy you're experiencing between what you can see in Tempo Timesheets reports versus what's returned by the Tempo REST API could be attributed to a few key areas: permissions, API endpoint usage, or the specific parameters being passed in your API requests. Let's explore each area to identify potential causes and solutions:

1. Permissions:
Global Permissions vs API Permissions: In Tempo Timesheets, viewing all worklogs through reports might be governed by global permissions or project-specific permissions that allow you to see data across users and projects. However, accessing worklogs through the Tempo REST API might require additional permissions or be restricted based on the type of authentication used. Ensure that the API token or user account you're using to make API requests has the necessary permissions to access worklogs from other users.

API Scope: Check if the API token you're using has been granted the appropriate scope for accessing worklogs across users and projects. The required scope might differ from what's needed to view data within the Tempo application itself.

2. API Endpoint Usage:
Correct Endpoint: Ensure you're using the correct Tempo REST API endpoint designed to fetch worklogs across users and projects. Tempo provides different endpoints for accessing worklogs, and some might be user-specific or require specific parameters to return broader data sets.

Pagination: If the API supports pagination (limiting the number of items returned in a single response), ensure you're handling pagination correctly in your requests to retrieve all available worklogs.

3. Request Parameters:
Date Range: Make sure the date range in your API request matches the period you're interested in. If the date range is too narrow, you might be missing out on worklogs outside of this range.

Filter Parameters: Check if there are any default filters applied in your API requests that could be limiting the returned data to only your worklogs. This could include filters for specific users, projects, or other criteria.

Solutions:
Review API Documentation: Tempo's API documentation should outline the necessary permissions, endpoints, and parameters required to access worklogs. Reviewing this documentation can help ensure you're using the API correctly.

Check Permissions: Verify the permissions of the account or token you're using to make API requests. You might need to adjust these permissions or use a different account with broader access.

API Support: If you're still encountering issues, consider reaching out to Tempo's support team. They can provide specific guidance based on your account and API usage, including any recent changes to the API that might affect data access.

Alternative Approaches: If direct API access continues to be problematic, consider other methods to retrieve the data, such as exporting reports from the Tempo Timesheets interface, if this meets your requirements.

Understanding the nuances of Tempo's permission model and API can be challenging, but by systematically checking these areas, you should be able to identify and resolve the issue preventing you from accessing all worklogs via the REST API.