Problem Timed Out

[tmr]

Ok, I'm embarrassed to admit it but I studied a problem long enough that the system had logged me out so when I finished the problem (correctly by the way) all I got was a "Problem Correct - Register and Login to Do Rated Problems" or something along those lines.  Of course when I log back in I didn't get credit for the problem.

I'm guessing with the way you've implimented the system your server doesn't know I'm still working on the problem until the very end and if this is past the time-out period then my client and your server are no longer connected to record the result.  Seems as if at the minimum one should be able to log in at this point and still get credit for the problem.  This probably isn't a high priority (considering that likely only a small percentage of folks are crazy, or stupid, enough to spend that much time on one problem) but it is disappointing to spend all that time and then have nothing to show for it.

[richard]

Hi tmr,

That is disappointing. I think the easiest thing for me to do here is make the session length longer.  This should be fairly easy to do, in order to give me a guide to the range I should be looking at, how long do you think you took? (it's not for making fun of you - I promise :-)  ).

Regards,
Richard.

[drahacikfm]

I also get logged out a lot and have to re-login in.  For example, if I go to check emails and write a reply or two, then come back to do more problems, I'm logged out.  Would be good to make the session length longer.  Maybe one hour?

[pollock]

I think tmr deserves his points back  give him some points  . 40 minutes sounds sensible.

[richard]

Ok, the session should now last at least 2 days, if you are spending longer than this on a problem please seek medical advice :-) (this may not kick in until your next login).

Regards,
Richard.

[tmr]

I think I was logged out after 20 minutes or so.  I completed the problem in 24 minutes by its clock (adding to the embarassment was that it was only an 1850 problem, the best line was clear but there were many other possibilities that I wanted to evaluate to be sure).

I'm not sure the significance of keeping a session open with regards to your system resources.  I'd think the more active sessions the more overhead you have.  If this is the case, 2 days is excessive.  I think an hour is fine.  I too get called away by the kids or other activities (besides taking a long time on a problem) so a short time isn't good.  But I have gotten to using the Next Problem button so I can mostly plan when I'm going to spend some time on a new problem.

[drahacikfm]

Two days is great, if it doesn't cause any problems for your server! Now I just have to make sure my wife and son don't do problems under my name, although in the case of my wife, that would be good, because she has a higher FIDE rating than me! 

[tama]

Im sorry i just fined this topic Comical .

Did it ever so happen that your concentrating on a problem for 10 mins strait  AND JUST SNAP!
(WHY CANT I SEE IT!!! WHY!!!WHY!!!! SEE IT NOW!!JUST SEE IT!!!)

If u havent gest this happend to me...... lmao

[richard]

tmr: It shouldn't be too much of a problem in terms of the server.  I had actually thought I had set 30 day cookies which means the user should have stayed logged in for 30 days unless they explicitly logged out.  However that was just the setting for how long your browser keeps the cookie around, there was another setting on the server which was cleaning up sessions every 24 minutes (actually it wasn't exactly 24 minutes as the cleanup code is probabilistic and has a 1 in 100 chance of cleaning idle sessions 24 minutes or older each time any session is updated - this isn't my code, the language I'm using to implement the site does this by default).  You were probably a bit unlucky to have been hit right on the 24 minutes.  Anyway now the cleanup only occurs after 2 days of inactivity.

drahacik: you can always logout if you are worried about your wife gaining you some rating points :-)

tama:  :-)

Regards,
Richard.

[tmr]

Im sorry i just fined this topic Comical .

Did it ever so happen that your concentrating on a problem for 10 mins strait  AND JUST SNAP!
(WHY CANT I SEE IT!!! WHY!!!WHY!!!! SEE IT NOW!!JUST SEE IT!!!)

If u havent gest this happend to me...... lmao

For me its: "JUST MOVE A PIECE AND GET IT OVER WITH".

Unfortunately I just can't bring myself to do it. To much of a perfectionist I guess.

Worse is you spend all that time finding out none of the mating lines work and the problem was a simple take a piece and rated at 1400.  Under the old system with the ratings showing that would have been simple, not so much anymore, for me at least.  Not that I'd want to go back because the current method is more realistic.

Still I think all the analysis helps (slowly but surely).

[dlester]

An interesting side benefit to the new timeout is that if you visit every day you never timeout so you are already logged in when you return.

A detriment seems to be the solved puzzles counter at the bottom used to be a good indication of what you had done during that session.  Now it is cumulative unless you manually log out and back in again.

[richard]

dlester: clicking on the "last problem for session" box and then completing a problem should finish that session without logging out and should reset your session attempts to zero.  If this is not the case please let me know and I'll fix it.  I also plan more stats on how many problems you are doing on a daily basis in the near future.

Regards,
Richard.

[dlester]

That is good to know.  I am not in the habit of using the 'last problem for session' box because my preferences are just set up to stop after every problem, so when I am done I just close my browser

[richard]

dlester: I could probably reset the sessions stats after long idle times (without killing the entire session), although I think I prefer the explicit use of the last problem for session button as it allows users to have sessions that last over days if they want.

Regards,
Richard.

[dlester]

Absolutely!  It is hard to go wrong with giving people choices.