Spontaneous Logging Out

[David Sedgwick]

I often find that, having logged in, I have been logged out spontaneously without any conscious action on my part. This means that, when I try to upload a post, I am told that I am not logged in. On several occasions I've previewed successfully but the fault has occurred when I've tried to submit.

I then lose the post and am faced with re-typing it. I can avoid this by saving the post before seeking to upload it, but it's a nuisance to have to remember to do so every time.

Is anyone else experiencing the problem? Or am I doing something wrong?

[Stewart Reuben]

Dear David,
I am surprised that happens so rapidly. It is very similar to when you are composing an email and take too long. You get disconnected and lose the work.
For emails I try to remember to press the safe draft button from time to time.
For this forum I try to remember to copy and paste, by highlighting and then control + C. . Then, if cut off, I can rejoin the system and paste in the note.

It would help if it is technically possible, for Carl to provide a warning that we were going to be cut off in oned minute.

Stewart

[Carl Hibbard]

I need to do further testing since I cannot find an issue

David, how long do you reckon as a maximum you stay on the forum for in a single session since I think the limit is an hour - do you hover that long?

Stewart, what sort of time do you reckon you get before being disconnected as you suggest?

All rather puzzling to be honest but I will check further

When you both get logged off do you get any sort of error message or the like?

Anyone else please report if you see the same

[Carl Hibbard]

Do either of you use AOL as a provider?

[Roger de Coverly]

Is anyone else experiencing the problem? Or am I doing something wrong?

Does the following sequence apply?

You login to the forum
You use Post a reply to write words of wisdom (or just words )
Unnoticed, your internet connection drops and is reconnected
You hit Submit
You are returned to the login screen and asked to login.

If that is the case, it's not really the forum software's fault, rather the stability of the internet connection.

I had some problems myself with a suspect connection a while ago. I found that using the browser's go back button (Firefox) would return me to the Post a reply page - so the words could be retrieved.

[Anthony Taglione]

I've been connected for weeks, having changed IP address several times over that period and suffered no issues.

Could cookies be a problem? Maybe it'd be worth clearing cookies.

[Carl Hibbard]

You might get a problem with something like AOL as it's quite possible their front end proxy can change (or report..) a different IP address during an actual physical session causing a timeout with one of the security settings on this forum, or it's the one hour security timeout of a session if you stay online that long

I cannot at the moment see anything else

[Carl Hibbard]

I've been connected for weeks, having changed IP address several times over that period and suffered no issues.

I did wonder about that one from a security stand point to be honest

I should perhaps force people to log back in after say 60 says or something like that, however I am undecided on that one

[David Sedgwick]

Thanks to all for the replies.

Carl, I don't use AOL, but I think Stewart may do.

It certainly doesn't happen to me only after an hour. In fact it's just happened after about two minutes. I logged in to make this post. Then I noticed that I'd received a private message and went off to read it. By the time I got back to this thread I was no longer logged in.

However, I suspect that Roger's hit the nail on the head. The sequence of events is exactly as he describes, or alternatively the problem arises between Preview and Submit. Hence I may from time to time be losing my internet connection, but only momentarily so I don't notice the problem in other contexts. If that's the case, it is of course my issue, not Carl's.

Roger, thank you also for the tip regarding Firefox. I've hitherto always preferred IE. With IE I can get back to the "Post a reply" page as you suggest, but my own words have disappeared.

Stewart, I do try to remember to save the message in precisely the way you suggest. I sometimes forget, particularly with a short message when I'm not anticipating any problems. However, it looks as though I'll just have to try always to remember.

Addendum: I previewed, made a small change and found I wasn't logged in when I tried to preview again. Fortunately I'd saved the message as per the previous paragraph.

[Carl Hibbard]

It certainly doesn't happen to me only after an hour. In fact it's just happened after about two minutes. I logged in to make this post. Then I noticed that I'd received a private message and went off to read it. By the time I got back to this thread I was no longer logged in.

I think it's me now so I have changed something - please let me know how you get on

[Anthony Taglione]

I've been connected for weeks, having changed IP address several times over that period and suffered no issues.

I did wonder about that one from a security stand point to be honest

I should perhaps force people to log back in after say 60 says or something like that, however I am undecided on that one

For myself, I have my own machine which is not used by anyone else. I'm sure I could handle looking up my password every couple of months but is there really much difference, in security terms, between 60 days and forever?

[Simon Spivack]

I use notepad and paste from there. As David can spell, this is an alternative he might like to consider.

[Rob Thompson]

I have stayed logged in for 36+ hours at a time doing nothing and stayed logged in... In fact, most of my "sessions" are probably 5-6 hours. Am I supposed to be being logged out during this time... :S

[Carl Hibbard]

I have stayed logged in for 36+ hours at a time doing nothing and stayed logged in... In fact, most of my "sessions" are probably 5-6 hours. Am I supposed to be being logged out during this time... :S

I thought the "session" would expire after an hour but perhaps it doesn't quite work that way so I need to do some reading

[Carl Hibbard]

I have stayed logged in for 36+ hours at a time doing nothing and stayed logged in... In fact, most of my "sessions" are probably 5-6 hours. Am I supposed to be being logged out during this time... :S

The documentation says if you sit doing nothing then the one hour logout kicks in...

I will have to test it