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Thread: Posting being lost because I've been logged out

  1. #1

    Default Posting being lost because I've been logged out

    In the last week I have several times crafted eloquent comments in a discussion, then press POST only to get a message that I'm logged out. AND my comments have disappeared, never to be seen again. Needless to say, this is quite frustrating. Any idea what's going on here?.

    Steve

  2. #2

    Default Re: Posting being lost because I've been logged out

    Probably timed out. After you get the message that you're logged out, if you scroll down that page, is there a place to re-enter your login info? Sometimes that works (at least here), and sometimes it will restore the text that was typed earlier, but not always. (I've also occasionally seen a button that said something about restore-something but I haven't got around to trying that yet.)

    But as a preventative, to keep from losing text, here's what I do:

    Short answer:
    Just before I try to post or preview, I copy & paste my entire message into a plain-text editor, so that I have a 'backup' of what I've typed. Then if necessary I can copy & paste back into the forum page. Saves having to retype everything.

    If the above paragraph sounds like Greek, I'll try to explain in more detail - the long answer:

    Just before you try to post or preview:

    1. Click once in the MandolinCafe text box where you've been typing, then press Ctrl-A (or if you're using a Mac, press Cmd-A).
    2. Then copy the text by pressing Ctrl-C (or Cmd-C on a Mac).
    3. Then open a plain-text editor program such as Notepad or similar... how to access it varies by operating-system and version... possible instructions for Mac, and Windows 7, and Windows 8, and Vista, and Windows XP .
    4. So now you should have a blank text-editor window open. Press Ctrl-V (or Cmd-V if you're using a Mac) to paste in the text that you copied in Step 2.
    5. Save the text file in case you're going to shut off your computer before you get around to finishing up the post, and/or for additional protection against losing the text. Might as well keep the text-file window open for easy access, don't close it yet.
    6. Now, go back to your web-browser's MandolinCafe page (on Windows, try Alt-Tab to switch between apps), and try to post or preview. If it goes through ok, that's good, you can skip the rest of these steps. But if it tells you you're logged out, then just log back in again and start over again at the page that you wanted to reply to...
    7. Go back to your text-editor program where earlier you'd pasted in the text, select all of the text by pressing Ctrl-A (or Cmd-A on a Mac), then copy it by pressing Ctrl-C (or Cmd-C on a Mac).
    8. Go back to your web-browser MandolinCafe posting page one more time, click once in the area where you want to type your reply, then press Ctrl-V (or Cmd-V on a Mac) to paste your text.
    9. The post or preview should work now, at least if you got through all these steps in a reasonable amount of time so that the forum page didn't time out again.


    Hope that helps... that's what works here, anyway... also hope I typed it right, it's a lot easier to do than to explain. Keyboard-shortcuts are really handy and you'll get pretty quick at them with a little practice.

  3. #3
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Posting being lost because I've been logged out

    Quote Originally Posted by Loudloar View Post
    In the last week I have several times crafted eloquent comments in a discussion, then press POST only to get a message that I'm logged out. AND my comments have disappeared, never to be seen again. Needless to say, this is quite frustrating. Any idea what's going on here?.

    Steve
    Your browser is not retaining the login information in the cookie. The answer "why" is going to be found on your end I'm sorry to tell you--not the answer you wanted to hear. If you've recently set your browser to not accept cookies or for it to be aggressive towards their use that's problematic for you in a lot of places on the web. When you log in you should click the box that says "Remember Me?" so the login is retained. Many users, myself included, go months on the forum without the need to log in.

    After you log in, if you move about the Forum, keep an eye on your user name in the upper right-hand corner to make sure it's still there and you haven't been logged out.

  4. #4
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Posting being lost because I've been logged out

    If this seems to be a continuing problem I'd suggest composing the long eloquent replies in your word processor and then copying the text and pasting it onto the cafe page as well.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  5. #5
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Posting being lost because I've been logged out

    I think it's a better solution to find out what's wrong at the browser end instead of firing up a separate software program. Fix the problem, not avoid it. Just my opinion.

  6. #6
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Posting being lost because I've been logged out

    Further, here are the settings from the software, below. What you're describing then is your browser has actually logged you out somehow while your typing into the message window. You cannot even open the dialogue box to enter a reply to a message or post unless you're logged in so what's going on is inconsistent and indicates to me a serious misconfiguration of the browser.

    Auto-Save Content

    While users are writing messages, the in progress content can be automatically saved in case the user's browser crashes or the user mistakenly leaves the page. The time between automatic saves is set in seconds. 20 seconds is the minimum value that will be accepted. If you wish to disable auto-save, set this value to 0.

    I set this years ago to auto-save at 60 second intervals.

  7. #7
    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Posting being lost because I've been logged out

    I've seen the Auto-Save indicator, though I'm not sure how it works or even if it does. I would like to think that, if the message pane clears out when one gets logged out after attempting to post, Auto-Save would enable going back one step with one's browser to bring it back. (If that's not correct, please correct me.) I don't recall this working every time, but I believe it has done so occasionally.

    Since I was taught the necessity of using the Remember Me button some years back when faced with this issue, I have used it nearly every time I log in, even if expecting to be on a short while. (Time flies on these trains of thought.) But I have also gotten into the habit of copying message text to put it on my clipboard before posting - just in case. It's easy enough - Control-A, Control-C - and comes in handy. I've had a similar issue posting on facebook, which I believe is related more to my computer, which hangs up for a long time randomly often for longer than I care to wait. This hanging-up often leads me to do a hard reboot in order to make it snap to, - which is generally quicker than waiting for the little blue circle to stop spinning - and before doing that I can paste the text into Word Pad or Text and save for afterward.

    Sometimes I will copy and paste into Word Pad if I want to pause composition and revisit it later. But I don't do this regularly nor as a means to save a message prior to posting. I agree that it is better to address the issue and fix it than devise a workaround. An alternative to a solution may become the solution, rather than the actual solution.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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  8. #8

    Default Re: Posting being lost because I've been logged out

    Thanks for all the comments. In most cases I had just logged on to the Cafe, or at least within 30 minutes previously. I do see "auto save" while I'm composing a message, but have never figured out how to retrieve it once I've been logged out. I think I had clicked "remember me". You may be right that my browser has something to do with it. All the suggestions to save text or use another editor are good work-arounds, but it'd be nice to figure out why I'm being logged off unceremoniously. Here I am typing a message, and the instant I click Post the window goes to a message that I've been logged out. I've never had an issue with retaining cookies. My browser always remembers passwords and configurations. Sigh.

    Steve

  9. #9
    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Posting being lost because I've been logged out

    It wouldn't be the software, then. Even if you don't click Remember Me, it keeps you logged in for an hour.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

    Furthering Mandolin Consciousness

    Finders Keepers, my duo with the astoundingly talented and versatile Patti Rothberg. Our EP is finally done, and available! PM me, while they last!

  10. #10

    Default Re: Posting being lost because I've been logged out

    Quote Originally Posted by Loudloar View Post
    Thanks for all the comments. In most cases I had just logged on to the Cafe, or at least within 30 minutes previously. I do see "auto save" while I'm composing a message, but have never figured out how to retrieve it once I've been logged out. I think I had clicked "remember me". You may be right that my browser has something to do with it. All the suggestions to save text or use another editor are good work-arounds, but it'd be nice to figure out why I'm being logged off unceremoniously. Here I am typing a message, and the instant I click Post the window goes to a message that I've been logged out. I've never had an issue with retaining cookies. My browser always remembers passwords and configurations. Sigh.

    Steve
    Same exact situation here. I've learned to copy and paste before hitting the submit button.

    Funny thing is that if I'm just reading posts or doing searches while logged in, my 'logged in' status is never terminated.
    It's only when I'm submitting a post that the message appears telling me I'm not logged in. The top of the page indicates that I'm still logged in but evidently I'm not. Usually my work is lost at that point. Sometimes however, logging back in will re-direct me to the page and the post I was working on.

    Is it a problem with my browser? Probably. My computer guy advises me to clear cookies regularly along with history etc. My issues might even be the result of anti-virus software running in the background.

  11. #11

    Default Re: Posting being lost because I've been logged out

    I clicked the "Remember Me" button when logging on and it's kept me logged on for over a week. I haven't posted much, but just did a post and deliberately left my comments in the reply editor for about an hour before posting. I didn't encounter any problems. (Previous issues happened when I took a long time composing a comment.) If I have any further issues I'll report them. But so far it seems like "Remember Me" is the solution.

    Steve

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