To document the steps you use to operate People Counter, write a repeatable procedure that defines each entry, each exit, the optional capacity reminder, the local-day review, and the export you will keep. The People Counter tool supports that process by recording entries and exits separately, displaying the current net count, flagging a user-set operational threshold, and retaining dated totals that can be exported as PNG or CSV. It is a manual local-browser tool: you decide when to press a control, and no camera, sensor, badge reader, location feed, or AI model detects movement. Each interaction is attached to the device's local calendar date, so a count made near midnight remains on that date; when a new local day begins, the visible current count starts at zero while earlier nonzero days remain in Daily history. Exports are also created in the browser, allowing a file to be kept outside it when needed. The result is a clear manual operational record, not an automatic measurement of a real-world space.
What your People Counter procedure should capture
A useful People Counter document does more than list button names. It tells the person applying it what one count represents, when to record movement, what the capacity alert means, how a local day is closed, and where the resulting record will be kept. The tool and the written procedure have different jobs: People Counter records count data, while your document adds context such as the operating area, responsible role, purpose, review schedule, and file-handling rule.
| Part of the record | What People Counter provides | What your written procedure should add |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | Separate Entered and Exited totals for each local calendar day | What qualifies as an entry or exit and who records it |
| Capacity | An optional whole-number threshold; an alert appears when Current people reaches or exceeds it | That it is an internal reminder and what response follows |
| Zero floor | The exit control is disabled at zero, and the underlying logic rejects an exit that would create a negative count | That an extra exit press will not change the recorded total |
| Local date | Interactions remain on the device's local date, and earlier days remain in Daily history | Which local date to review, close, and report |
| Output | PNG or CSV export created in the browser | The chosen format, file name, storage location, and discard point |
Set the counting and alert rules
People Counter does not detect anyone automatically. It has no camera, microphone, sensor, badge reader, location feed, or computer-vision model; every movement is a manual choice. Your documentation should therefore say that each arrival requires a Record entry press and each departure requires a Record exit press. If people are already present when you begin, include a clear rule for adding them to the starting manual count.
The threshold is optional. Enter a whole number only when an internal reminder is useful. When Current people reaches or exceeds that number, the page displays a clear alert. It is not a safety certification, legal occupancy calculation, access-control system, fire-code determination, or replacement for trained staff and site procedures. This distinction belongs in the written document so nobody mistakes the visual warning for an official ruling.
Before relying on the totals, reviewing mistakes to avoid when using a people counter can help make the manual procedure explicit and consistent.
Record entries, exits, and the capacity reminder
Follow this sequence during the operating period:
- State the counting unit in your procedure. Define one press of Record entry as one person added to the manual count and one press of Record exit as one person removed. This keeps repeated clicks from representing vague activity.
- Set the optional threshold. Enter a whole number if you want a capacity reminder. In the notes beside the procedure, identify it as an operational threshold and state who should respond when the alert appears.
- Establish the opening count. For each person included at the start, press Record entry as that person is added to the manual count. If the operating period begins with no one included, no opening entry is needed.
- Record arrivals promptly. Press Record entry each time someone is added to the count. The page increases the Entered total and the net count shown as Current people.
- Record departures promptly. Press Record exit each time someone leaves. The page increases the Exited total and reduces Current people, but the net count cannot fall below zero.
- Handle the zero-floor behavior. Do not work around a disabled exit control. The exit button is disabled at zero, and the underlying logic also rejects an exit that would create a negative net count, so an accidental repeated exit cannot create a misleading negative occupancy.
- Watch the current total and alert. Current people is the net, meaning Entered minus Exited, for the current local date. When it reaches or exceeds the threshold, the page shows a clear alert; treat that as a prompt to follow your own operating procedure.
- Close the period with a review. Check the entered, exited, and net totals for the relevant local date, then export PNG or CSV if the record must live outside the browser.
Review the daily history on the correct date
Every interaction is attached to the device's local calendar date. A count made near midnight stays on that local date rather than moving to another date because of a UTC boundary. At the start of a new local day, the visible Current people count starts at zero; earlier nonzero days remain available in Daily history. Your procedure should therefore specify the local date being closed and not merge the new day's zero with the prior day's record.
For each saved date, the history shows three values: Entered, Exited, and Net people. Use them to distinguish arrivals from departures rather than leaving one unexplained total. This is a date-level manual operational record, not an attendance database.
People Counter stores state only under its local browser key. It does not post the count to a server, connect it to a sign-in, synchronize it to another device, or use it as an attendance database. Clearing browser data removes the history, and another browser starts with an independent empty record. If browser storage is unavailable, the page can show an interaction in the current session but reports that it cannot retain the record. Include that limitation in any procedure that promises a durable audit trail.
Export PNG or CSV when the record must leave the browser
Use an export when a copy must be kept outside the browser, shared through a separate process, or opened in a spreadsheet. Both formats are generated in the browser with native canvas and Blob APIs; neither the count nor the exported file is uploaded for processing.
| Export | Contents | Documentation use |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | A 1080 by 1350 summary image with the Lizely mark, a total, and recent date rows. It includes no URL and omits the optional custom label. | A compact visual snapshot for a report or retained image |
| CSV | Date, Entered, Exited, and Net people columns, with one data row for every saved local date. | A spreadsheet-ready record for reviewing each saved date |
CSV is the more complete option for reviewing every saved local date in spreadsheet software. PNG gives a compact visual summary and recent date rows. Decide in your procedure which format you retain, where you store it, and when it may be discarded. The exports preserve count data; they do not add the operator identity, approval, or written rationale that your procedure may require.
Write the written procedure beside the count record
The exports show count data, but they do not contain the complete operating procedure. Keep a short written document that explains the purpose, scope, and owner of the count. A practical structure is:
- Identification: name the local date or operating period, area or event, person or role responsible, and purpose of the count.
- Counting rule: explain exactly when to press Record entry and Record exit, including how the opening count is established.
- Capacity reminder: record the selected whole number, explain that it is not an official occupancy limit, and describe the response you want.
- Review routine: say when the local daily history will be checked and how Entered, Exited, and Net people will be reconciled with the operating note.
- Export routine: specify PNG or CSV, file naming, storage location, responsible custodian, and disposal point.
- Limitations: state that the count is manual, local to one browser, and dependent on browser storage, and name the site procedures that remain in force.
Do not imply that the tool validates a capacity limit or identifies who moved. It records the entries and exits that a person manually chooses to enter. If your organization needs a named approver, incident detail, or formal compliance determination, keep that in a separate system and reference it from the written procedure.
What the final record can and cannot show
Before using the procedure, confirm that it describes People Counter for its actual purpose: a private, manual, two-way headcount with a local daily history. The tool helps document arrivals and departures separately, but it does not observe a room automatically. Its alert is an operational reminder, and the local history is a personal aid rather than a durable facility system.
Accuracy depends on consistent button presses, correct local dates, and prompt exports when the browser record must survive clearing browser data or moving to another device. The finished procedure should be easy to follow, but it should not overstate what the numbers prove. That balance makes the file useful as an operational record while keeping responsibility for on-site decisions, procedures, and any official capacity determination with the appropriate people.
If you're weighing options, How Do I Get Started Using an Online Tally Counter covers this in detail.