Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

bmet
bmet Solar Expert Posts: 630 ✭✭
I logged in to post a new thread, taking extra time to word my request carefully. I was unknowingly logged out, thereby losing my new post in it's entirety, after having been redirected to log back in.

I am not against a time-out, but is there an option where perhaps the forum software can pop up a expiration warning before tossing us out? I'm not on my home computer, so I can't use cookies to be remembered. I don't have time to reconstruct the post, so tomorrow I will have to try again. :grr

Comments

  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    One solution would be to highlight and copy before you try to post your comment. That way you won't loose your work if you time out, just log back in, paste and post.
    No, I haven't ran into that yet.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    Sometimes just hitting the "back" button to return to your previous screen will allow you to recover your posts.

    Also, this forum allows you to stay logged in "forever" if you wish.

    However, there is a posting timeout (1 or several hours or something), but I have not lost posts because of it (I think I just went "back" the last time that happened to me).

    -Bill

    PS: If I understand the software correctly, the current timeout is 3,500 seconds or ~58 minutes.
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    Connections drop, stuff happens all the time, I use firefox for browser, and http://lazarus.interclue.com/ to bring incomplete posts back to life.

    Awesome. (I've always been seeing the yellow "autosave" pop-up with the new forum s/w, but never found a way to recover.)
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

  • CDN_VT
    CDN_VT Solar Expert Posts: 492 ✭✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    Look in your Java console for the auto save and options .

    As for the OP, Copy and save it on any computer as a wordpad if Microsnot . You can also build it from there, carry a small USB stick so you can always have your copy.
    Just remember that the stick should be scanned every time between transfers. My stick has security passwords just to open and view, that's the top part of my grey matter. ;)

    VT
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    i can relate as i'm not the fastest typer in the world. i have used the lazarus program with success. my problem was that in the firefox upgrades that the lazarus add on became outdated for the firefox version i had. this thread prompted me to upgrade it.:D
  • bmet
    bmet Solar Expert Posts: 630 ✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post
    mike90045 wrote: »
    (I've always been seeing the yellow "autosave" pop-up with the new forum s/w, but never found a way to recover.)

    Me too. That's one reason I was surprised to have lost the entire post. I've used the 'paste' shortcut to see what had been autosaved, and it turned out to be only the text from the last sentence. Sort of disappointing.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    I just lost an entire post too... And this was, it appeared, because of a cookie problem (not a 58 minute timeout). I had to logout and back to allow me to post (was complaining of session timeout even though it was only a few minutes between reply and (attempted) posting--Needed to clear all of the forum cookies to work again).

    New version of software, new ways of falling on my face. :p

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • manzanita
    manzanita Registered Users Posts: 37 ✭✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    I've lost posts too, usually when I take too long to write it. I don't think that I've ever taken 58 minutes to write a post, so perhaps there are other issues ... maybe the ISP considers the connection to be inactive ... I don't know.

    I usually forget to try the 'back' button. As suggested above, I finally started copying the text to the clipboard just before I hit the 'post' button. Then I can paste the text if I end up having to log back in.
  • Vic
    Vic Solar Expert Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    I have had to recover once, using AutoSaved data ... it did work! On my keyboard, there are just too many keys that will take one's computer off to some other Solar System, that I inadvertently poke in the dark. Think that this was the origin of the issue that required the recovery. Nice to have that feature on this Forum.

    Have also gotten in the habit of copying to the clipboard, and, as the internet link has been very unreliable recently, also save things to NotePad more often than I'd like to think about.

    The new BB software is nice - have gotten used to it. Thanks for this great Forum, and to the Moderators, who do a great job, and are moderate, as well. Vic
    Off Grid - Two systems -- 4 SW+ 5548 Inverters, Surrette 4KS25 1280 AH X2@48V, 11.1 KW STC PV, 4X MidNite Classic 150 w/ WBjrs, Beta KID on S-530s, MX-60s, MN Bkrs/Boxes.  25 KVA Polyphase Kubota diesel,  Honda Eu6500isa,  Eu3000is-es, Eu2000,  Eu1000 gensets.  Thanks Wind-Sun for this great Forum.
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post
    Vic wrote: »
    On my keyboard, there are just too many keys that will take one's computer off to some other Solar System, that I inadvertently poke in the dark. Thanks for this great Forum, and to the Moderators, who do a great job, and are moderate, as well. Vic

    Haha I can poke those keys too, but I'm way ahead of you - - I can do it in the daylight with my glasses on! ;):blush:
  • solarvic
    solarvic Solar Expert Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    Is there a way to stay logged in longer? It usually takes me longer to type a post than some and I get logged out before I get the post sent. Just had a post that was important to me and could even help others that probably would learn from it too. solarvic
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    SolarVic, is it taking you more than ~58 minutes?

    I have to research to make sure there is no downside (and check with Windsun)--But I guess I could set it to 7,000 seconds (1 hour 56 minutes)...

    And Vic (not SolarVic), how did you get the Auto-save to restore for you? I have not figured out the magic key strokes yet. ... Hmm, I guess never mind, I see a "restore Auto-Saved Content button at the bottom of the edit window (I swear it was not there yesterday :roll:).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • bmet
    bmet Solar Expert Posts: 630 ✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post
    BB. wrote: »

    And Vic (not SolarVic), how did you get the Auto-save to restore for you? I have not figured out the magic key strokes yet. ...

    -Bill

    Id like to know this as well, because I just saw that message pop up, yet when I selected the 'paste' shortcut it only gave me a phrase from yesterday web search.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    much of this is new to us too and we are all learning together.

    does that autosave do more than the last sentence? do you have to click on it to autosave? seems contrary to the wording of auto which means automatic.

    on many of my longer or more thought out posts i have taken more than 58min, but i'm a terrible typer and probably a good candidate for the program called dragon where you just talk and it pops it onto the screen. i wouldn't mind doing that, but it costs quite a bit and there are times when my talking would disrupt the household too.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    Really strange... Yesterday and today, I sometimes have a Restore Auto-Save Content button on the lower left of the edit window, and sometimes I don't.

    Pushing the button this morning did restore a test post that I never submitted.

    -Bill :confused:
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • solarvic
    solarvic Solar Expert Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    Bill, Do you get disconnected after you are logged on for 58 minutes or does the 58 minutes start after you quit browsing so you can type a post? Yes I do think 58 minutes is too short a time for me to type a posting. I use the one finger method and try to get all the information in my post so other members have the information to answer my post. If you don,t gove the info needed then members well ask you about the info you left out yhe post. I think the 7000 seconds would be better. When I know I am going to need extra time to type my post I could log out and sign in again and get the amount of time I need to get my post written. Thanks solarvic
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    As I understand, you are "logged in" and able to read posts until you "log out" (close browser or "log out").

    The 58 minutes appears to be a "session cookie" value. You hit post, and then a 58 minute cookie is placed on your computer. If you hit the Go Advanced or Preview Post buttons--then I would expect the session cookie to be reset back to 58 minutes.

    I will look around a bit later today and see if I can find any reason not to set the value higher.

    The whole Auto-Save stuff is really flaky on my computers. I have only seen the button twice in the last couple days. But it did bring back an old (test) post that was never submitted (using Firefox and No-Script--enabled for Wind-Sun.com--and Add Blocker Plus to keep to the old/add/noise free Internet). :confused:

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Was logged out unknowingly. lost post

    if it's ok with windsun i would be in favor of upping the time limits as well. i don't know if we need to double it though. maybe something in the 5000 to 6000 second range would due? or try upping it in increments? thoughts?

    i would do it right now myself if i knew windsun was ok with it.