Users logged off while shopping - shopping timeout

Users to my store (http://reliablegokarts.net/store/index.php) are being logged off while shopping and/or checking out. It seems to be random, and requires signing in again to get the shopping cart back.

My host is Powweb, which recently changed platforms. I'm running 1.2.4, PHP 4.4.4, on an Apache server running MySQL 4.1.18. The store has been up for about a year; this problem just started.

I am a novice at e-commerce, and your assistance is greatly appreciated.

It now appears to be working okay, but I've done nothing. Could this be a problem at Powweb?

Unless your customers are having long, 30min approx, periods of inactivity where ZenCart will auto kill the session then it is likely that this could be a hosting issue.

Kobra,

Thank you very much. I feel much better now. (It was doing it to me when I was testing, so it wasn't inactivity.) I figured it had to be a hosting problem, but the "new" Powweb doesn't seem as responsive to issues as the "old" Powweb, so I was desperate. And, they're very quick to say they don't support other products, such as Zen Cart.

NOTE: you really should consider upgrading to at least v1.2.7 if you are unable to upgrade to the current Zen Cart v1.3.5, at this time ...

Ajeh, thank you. You provided an answer to me before, and I really appreciate your help. Your answers are always so intelligent and cordial ... you never make anyone feel stupid.

I'll search the forums in the next few days and see if I can find instructions I can understand. I think the database has me the most concerned, but I'll do some reading. I'd like to upgrade to the latest and greatest, I just don't want to mess up my store in the process.

Again, thank you for your concern and your always polite responses.

question.....if a user is shopping and has items in the cart...then they leave without making an account or they are away for an extended period of time......do they lose everything in the cart?

I have been watching people all day place orders, then their cart goes inactive, they are there for a while longer, then the order (and them) disappear.

Is there any way I can set a longer time before they are auto logged out? This is frustrating :)

Not logged in ... time out ... all gone ... :eek:

Logged in ... time out ... all gone ... login ... all back ... :smartass:

:yes: I LIKE THAT! Think i will use it exactly as you have simply stated it :)

Thanks! you are super!

Nifty little feature eh? :smartass:

Definitely :)

Will endeavor to move all of my info pages as links on my main url...that may help a bit. Live and learn :)

Education and clear guidelines will help as well......i will work on that :)

thanks again!!

Thanks for all the comments. I changed hosts, and upgraded to the current version, and it's working fine.

How about mooncavecrystals question though can you extend the kick time or make it so the items in the cart are saved to a cookie if they are not loged in some how???

Mcf747

So, are you saying that if Grandma starts shopping your site in the library and decides she needs to leave, that her session should just sit there so someone else can come along and hijack it ?

The timeout is there for a reason. Part of that is security. Part of that is garbage-collection.

If your customers are aborting their shopping process, then a timeout isn't going to solve the problem. You need to determine why they're timing out, rather than merely extending the timer.