(non-coders please skip?)
..and another odd thing happened, I came back to a page which is part of a thing I'm developing, and the time out page came up, ... as it should, because I'd gone away having been auto logged on, but not returned until after the customer session variable had cleared itself.
This is more for the developers really.. currently the time out page asks you to log on, but of course the auto-log on coding (index\header_php.php) has worked, (in my version redirecting, so the 'my account' link is present at top)
...but theres no point in logging on!
The only thing I tried was transferring the whole code block that starts
if (PERMANENT_LOGIN == 'true' ....
into the end of init_sessions file, which is well 'above' the index\header_php.php file.
What I got then, (because the session was now correctly sensed as present) in time_out page, is 'sorry you're not allowed to do that' which is a bit more realistic than demanding a log on.
I see the only way to avoid time_out page appearing ever, is to change all the files which call it to suit auto-log on, that's changing all the cart process files - and even if you did that, I bet the current cart session / process would be affected, as the cart presumably has session variables as well..
So... I think its a good idea putting the re-directing auto log on code into the init_sessions file, rather than the index header, at least I don't get led into logging on when I'm already logged on.