GC times you out while composing a log

[+Harry Dolphin]

Yesterday, I found a cache in one of my favorite places. Mount Tammany in Worthington State Forest in the Delaware Water Gap, NJ. It's a tough hike with fantastic views. One of my favorites!

I was not signed in using the "Remember Me" cookie. There are many reasons for not using that. One of which is when you are using someone else's computer.

The quality of the area and the cache inspired me to write one of my longest logs ever!

See photo of Dolphin atop Mount Tammany:

 

 

It's an 1100' climb on a rocky trail, but well worth it! Even in 90º weather.

I am not noted for my long logs, but yesterday I was waxing poetic. I would estimate that the log probably took me twenty minutes to a half hour to compose. It detailed many things from a better parking spot to the bear (that we did not see) that was reported eating blueberries near the trail.

Finally, happy with and proud of my log, I submitted it. I was told that I had been timed out. All that I had written had been lost. Needless to say, I was quite miffed. The new log has little more that "Found cache. Thanks."

In five years of geocaching, this had never happened to me before. I am quite unhappy, and will probably never log more than "Found cache. Thanks" again. Why waste my time if I'm going to get timed out for writing long logs?

There is much discussion in the fora about cache owners not liking cut and paste logs. Now, I understand a good reason for only leaving "Found cache. Thanks" logs. If one is going to get timed out for writing long logs, why bother?

The problem might be in the difference between the 'remember me' cookie, and not using that. But I ask: What is the difference? I was not being idle. I was composing a long log. Allowance should be made for cachers writing logs.

And, thus, it appears to me that Geocaching is actively discouraging cachers from writing anything other than a short log. I certainly don't plan on trying that again. It was extremely frustrating!

FWIW, I use MSIE 8.0.6001.18702, and Zone Alarm. Verizon (or is it Venison?) is my ISP.

Thanks for trying to resolve a very annoying problem (if applicable.)

[+WRASTRO]

Many years ago I lost an entire day's work on a spreadsheet because I had not saved it and there was a momentary power failure. Ever since then I have been an advocate of save early and often. I have used this philosophy to my benefit several times when writing longer logs on caches. I will simply do a ctrl-c every few minutes and then again before I click on the Submit button. Those few extra keystrokes have saved me from experiencing your current level of frustration.

 

This is an example of what I refer to as "know your enemy", which means to be aware of what can go wrong and try to minimize the ways that things can/will go wrong.

 

Sorry you lost your nice log. Hope you decide to continue writing good logs in the future.

[+Prime Suspect]

Use Firefox. Pressing the "back" button would have restored everything. Then just log back in on another tab, and copy/paste your text into a new log.

[+dakboy]

Or just compose "offline" in Notepad, MS Word, Wordpad, edit.exe, TextEdit, BBEdit, TextWranger, Scrivner, WordPerfect, your email program, you get the idea. When you're ready, copy/paste to your gc.com log.

[+Hynr]

Sometimes if you "back" the browser to the previous page, you can get back to the screen that the browser had before and your text might still be there. It still won't let you submit that, but you can block your log and copy it to the clipboard. Then log in and submit it.

 

But probably the best suggestions for logs where you know that you are going to get creative: use a wordprocessor and then cut-and-paste.

 

And if you are finding that you are getting creative when you did not anticipate it, and you think you might be getting close to the time-out, then just submit the log as you have it and go back in to edit it. Each editing session will have the same time-out issue.

 

I have had this sort of problem on a few occasions where i have constructed an extremely long log. I then found out that you can also loose your stuff by submitting a log that has too many characters in it. But that has not happened in a long time as I have, like you, reached the decision that being so eloquent and verbose is not really the best way to go with cachelogs.

 

EDIT: I see that others posted some of the same sentiment while I got interrupted while composing this response. Sure glad that these forums don't have the time-out issue.

Edited August 18, 2009 by Hynr

[+Arrow42]

And, thus, it appears to me that Geocaching is actively discouraging cachers from writing anything other than a short log.

 

Your really making the claim that ground-speak is out to stop people who write long logs?

 

I recommend A tin foil hat - not just for you, but your furry companions too. Most of us nuts forget about our pets and unknowingly leave a way for the government mind control waves to enter into their heads!

 

 

/ I'll shuddup now.

[+tozainamboku]

EDIT: I see that others posted some of the same sentiment while I got interrupted while composing this response. Sure glad that these forums don't have the time-out issue.

Maybe, but I've had a few times when I've composed a long response to a forum thread only to find out when I press Add Reply that the thread has been locked.

[+Puppy Dawg]

What is the difference between this thread and this one??? BTW, I use 'remember me' and still get logged out, usually when editing logs, sometimes cachepages. Antivirus junk turned off.

Edited August 18, 2009 by GeoBigDawg

[+Jumpin' Jack Cache]

What is the difference between this thread and this one??? BTW, I use 'remember me' and still get logged out, usually when editing logs, sometimes cachepages. Antivirus junk turned off.

 

I won't accuse you of smoking anything

 

It is interesting that it happens even though you use "remember me", it was looking like that was the main factor.

 

Doesn't happen to me, even back to FF 2.x, through 3.5. I have found myself logged out at times but they are seldom and random as far as I am concerned.

 

Edit to add: I don't know what the difference is between the threads, this one was on top because you posted to it so it's the one I replied to...

Edited August 18, 2009 by Jumpin' Jack Cache

[+mtn-man]

What is the difference between this thread and this one???

You really don't read my posts that I have written, do you?

Go back to that topic and read them and you will see what the difference is.

[+mtn-man]

<snip>

If one is going to get timed out for writing long logs, why bother?

The problem might be in the difference between the 'remember me' cookie, and not using that. But I ask: What is the difference? I was not being idle. I was composing a long log. Allowance should be made for cachers writing logs.

<snip>

I'll try to boil this down in this topic.

 

You are writing a log on a cache, but choose not to use the "Remember Me" cookie function.

The site will only allow you to stay logged in for a certain amount of time if you don't "Remember Me".

 

The questions/concerns are:

 

What is the amount of time you are allowed to stay logged in without a "Remember Me" cookie?

Can this time be increased in case I am writing a very long log on a memorable cache so it doesn't kill my log?

It also seems that I cannot stay logged in if I am actively doing things on the site, not just for long logs?

 

By the way, just adding that typing in a browser window isn't being active. Having the site open in a side window and hitting refresh on the main page every 15 minutes or so would be active. The site doesn't know you are typing on your computer. It does know that every 15 minutes you are refreshing if you manually do it. The tracking cookie the "Remember Me" function gives makes sure you stay logged in. Otherwise, you have to hit the server so it knows you are still there.

Edited August 18, 2009 by mtn-man

[+Harry Dolphin]

Nope. Not interested in third party software. Not interested in composing in Word, or Inflamatory Fox. I expect to be able to compose my log in the log composing area. That's what it's there for.

Thank you, mtm-man.

Perhaps one option would to have the timer disabled when in 'Log your visit'? That should be an easy fix.

I don't think it took me more than a half hour to compose and edit the log. Allowing two hours should be enough for anyone. I had no idea that it would take me that long. I was expecting 'Log your visit' to allow me to log my visit. How silly of me!

As I mentioned, there are several reasons for not using the 'remember me' cookie. One is when I'm using a computer other than my own. The other is being logged in under two different accounts. Yes. I do help other cachers log their caches. If I'm logged in with the 'remember me' cookie, I cannot also be logged in as another cacher.

As mentioned (elsewhere) the other option is just to log "Found Cache. Thanks" or "Found Cache. Blecch". Then I would never have to worry about being logged out again! Though I do think that due consideration should be given to allow cachers (even slow typists like me) to log the caches properly.

[+Teddy2k]

Nope. Not interested in third party software. Not interested in composing in Word, or Inflamatory Fox. I expect to be able to compose my log in the log composing area. That's what it's there for.

 

Forgive me for being brash, but the quoted comment is very ignorant. The site is designed to log you out automatically for security reasons. That way, if you leave your account logged in on a public computer, the next person can't hijack your account. You are the one that chose not to use the "Remember Me" function and hence, you need to accept the consequences. WRASTRO said it best..... "save early, save often".

 

In five years of geocaching, this had never happened to me before. I am quite unhappy, and will probably never log more than "Found cache. Thanks" again. Why waste my time if I'm going to get timed out for writing long logs?

 

What an immature reaction to something that has affected the logging of 1 cache out of your 2,177 finds. Let's grow up and move along.

Edited August 18, 2009 by Teddy2k

[+Harry Dolphin]

Forgive me for being brash, but the quoted comment is very ignorant.

What an immature reaction to something that has affected the logging of 1 cache out of your 2,177 finds. Let's grow up and move along.

 

Thank you, kind sir for your constructive insults. Have you read the guidelines concering proper forum behaviour?

 

I started this thread at mtn-man's request to try to resolve these problems.

I thank you for your well-thought-out advice.

[+Don_J]

What is the difference between this thread and this one???

You really don't read my posts that I have written, do you?

Go back to that topic and read them and you will see what the difference is.

 

If you don't use the "Remember me", shouldn't the site set a non-persistent cookie that keeps you logged in until you close your browser? I simply do not understand the rational for logging off users because of inactivity. This is not Bank of America. Even so BOA gives me a warning that it's going to log me off in a few minutes if I don't go and do something. To log someone off in the background, while they have an form open, sounds more like a bug than what anyone intended.

 

By the way. I do use, "Remember me". I opened a log on one my archived caches last night, typed a few words and and then sat down and watched about two hours of TV. I than came back, posted the log, deleted it and went to bed. I'm very curious as to why I, (and others), can stay logged on for months, while others cant seem to write a log that takes more than fifteen minutes, without being kicked to the curb.

 

[Edit punctuation]

Edited August 19, 2009 by Don_J

[+dakboy]

Nope. Not interested in third party software. Not interested in composing in Word, or Inflamatory Fox. I expect to be able to compose my log in the log composing area. That's what it's there for.

Almost all websites have a time limit on things like this. You've been presented with explanations of why, and very easy workarounds for your long log composition. Now you're just covering your ears and yelling "lalalalala I don't wanna hear it!"

 

Perhaps one option would to have the timer disabled when in 'Log your visit'? That should be an easy fix.

People who aren't programmers and don't have knowledge of the code behind a website shouldn't make such statements. It most likely is not an "easy" fix, because part of what you're seeing is rooted deep in the session handling of the ASP.NET framework.

I don't think it took me more than a half hour to compose and edit the log. Allowing two hours should be enough for anyone. I had no idea that it would take me that long.

Slippery slope warning! Today it's 2 hours. Then someone will complain that they had to make a run to the supermarket, and it has to be increased to 4 hours. Then a quick trip to the movies. Now it's gotta be 6 hours. Before you know it, gc.com is slowing to a crawl because it's holding onto all these user sessions that really are idle, but haven't timed out yet because someone demanded that they be given 12 hours.

 

Really simple solution: before you click "Submit", select your log and copy it to your clipboard, then paste it into Notepad. Just in case.

 

If I'm logged in with the 'remember me' cookie, I cannot also be logged in as another cacher.

Sure you can. Click that Log Out link in the upper-left of every page, and you can log in as someone else.

[+Don_J]

And, thus, it appears to me that Geocaching is actively discouraging cachers from writing anything other than a short log.

 

Your really making the claim that ground-speak is out to stop people who write long logs?

 

I recommend A tin foil hat - not just for you, but your furry companions too. Most of us nuts forget about our pets and unknowingly leave a way for the government mind control waves to enter into their heads!

 

 

/ I'll shuddup now.

 

I tried your suggestion with my cat. The Dr. tells me that the sutures are self dissolving.

(He's a rascal) (the cat, not the DR.)

Edited August 19, 2009 by Don_J

[AZcachemeister]

I have never experienced this problem, so I cannot presume to reply from a position of sympathy.

HOWEVER, if potential solutions are offered, but you refuse them...how can anyone continue to care?

[+Don_J]

Just to let you all know. I logged off, and then logged back on without selecting "Remember me". I did the same experiment as last night. I came back about an hour later and when I tried to post the log I got, "The site has logged you off". No way to go back and save the log. It was gone.

 

I can completely understand Harry's frustration. If this is a new security feature, it would be really nice if GC would disclose the features of it, most importantly, the time constraints involved. In fact, a disclaimer should be put on the log page, such as the one on the "Submit a cache page".

 

Even better, a disclaimer on the log in page that states that if you do not choose, "Remember me", your session time will be limited to X minutes of inactivity.