I just wrote a message to someone while logged in and the web site timed-out and ate everything I wrote. Backing up doesn't work and the form re-submission button gives a "cache error" message.

Not really sure why it timed out since I stay logged in while browsing threads for longer. The problem might just be in the message function.

Edit - there also appears to be a problem with the thread title display function, re the Title. I changed it to "Web site time-out problem in message center", that's what it shows now in the edit page, but it stills hows as "...succks" on the forum. Things are awry. I wrote freely and now it's locked in forever. I'd like to fix my error.

Actually it shows as the corrected title when you open it. There be web site problems here.

Edited June 19, 201410 yr by Zed Head

Sometimes what I do which isn't a cure all is to edit my message with a text editor on my comuter and then I copy it and paste it in to start a new thread or do a post. This helps me not to feel rushed at composing a post especially if I have to do a lot of thinking. Not a cure all but that has helped me.

You're right. Usually I copy the message before I hit Send, just in case. Then I can start over and just paste it back in if something weird happens. Took a chance this time and got burned. Then burned myself with my message title.

Fixed the title for you. . I have the timeout set to 30 minutes of idle activity. Unfortunately the system can't tell if you are typing a message so the timeout starts when you start typing. If you get up in the middle of the message, it will expire if you don't finish and hit send within 30 minutes. Thus is pretty typical across the entire internet. I can increase the timeout if you think it would help. But I usually tell people to finish their messages within that time period just to be safe. If you have been typing for a long time I also recommend highlighting your message (Ctrl-A) and copying it to your notepad. Then try clicking submit. If it goes in, great, but if it fails you will have all the text and can just paste into another message. I use this methodology every time I use web forms on any website. I'll take a look at increasing the timeout though. It's not that hard for me to do it.

M

Thanks Mike. Since we're on the topic, one of the old-time Z sites that used to be very good, zcar.com, actually lets you write a response to a thread before logging in, then asks you for log-in info and posts the response after you log in. It saves everything while you do the other necessary operations. Not clear why a site would dump everything, especially if you started the process logged-in. And with no warning about the 30 minute time-out, or a pop-up or something that says you're about to time-out. Especially if there's activity on the page, like typing. It just doesn't make sense to let someone create something then destroy it completely with no warning at all.

Otherwise, this is the best site around!

Cool, thanks for the feedback. I agree the site should warn you if it decides to discontinue your session. I've noticed this is a limitation of our core back-end software and I'm looking to move us to a new platform very soon. I'll have to double check to see if the new software pops up a warning. But I agree the system shouldn't dump the data in the text window if the login doesn't work, it should simply ask for the login and then continue forward. This is a limitation of old-style programming and we are about to be "modernized" very soon.

m

Mike, I just tested the message system to see what's what (wrote a message to myself, waited the 30 minute time-out period, and hit Send) and found that if you do log in at the prompt the message is subsequently sent. I must have tried to go back to the editing page and lost it on the resubmit request. If I had gone forward again and logged in maybe I could have logged in and had the message go through. In other words, if I had just done what I was directed to do, everything would have been fine.

Anyway, it's just one of those new social media bugs. Thanks again.

Awesome thanks for the update and testing this out. I'll have to get you to test the new software when that time comes.