Online Users not showing up (2.1B2)

Dr_Sommer

(Using V2.1.b2 and Whosonline V.1.2 Opera/Firefox)

Hi Community..

I have this strange Error... I see just myself in the Frontend Whilst in the Backend there are 6 Users...
I tried this:

1. Login from PC User A
2. Login from Smartphone (different IP) User B

On the PC i See the Smartphone User, but when I refresh the Site a couple of Times (lets say after 3-4 Seconds) he'll disappear...
I think it is somehow connected to the Frequency (3 Seconds)

I increased the Frequency in Config.php with:

$Configuration['WhosOnline']['Frequency'] = '500';

Now it showes more Users, but when "500" is reached, the Users that are still online will not be shown anymore...

Is this a common Error, or did I Wackydoodle it up ??

ThX..

hgtonight

WhosOnline operates on the assumption that users "on the site" will be loading new pages and/or content regularly. On every page hit, if a user is logged in, it updates a db table with the username and a timestamp.

Then it queries that table for a specific time period and shows the users as a list. The frequency configuration is how far in the past, in seconds, a user needs to have acted to be considered online. I feel that the default of 4 is too low, but feel free to tweak it to fit the needs of your community.

Dr_Sommer

Hmm... ThX HG, but i think there is something wrong with Whosonline on my website...

For example:

It indicates, that 2 Users are online, but just 1 is shown...

Dashboard is showing:

Also i have a feeling that it was correct in 2.0.18, showing the Users exactly like in the Dashboard

Shouldn't it show the User in the Frontend like in the Dashboard??

peregrine

Actually you will note the several user where last on line over 20 minutes ago in your dashboard. They were recent users but perhaps not active in the last minute or so.

online within the last minute perhaps.

They may not be online now.

you can create several test users and open up several tabs in your browser to test, I believe that could give you a better indication of what is working and what is not.
I think the cookies will allow multiple users logged in from your browser.

hgtonight

Those two lists are getting their data from 2 different sources. WhosOnline is based on user's loading content from your site while the dashboard buzz is getting it's data from the user model and just listing the last 5 active users.

EDIT - Notice the large time difference in your second picture 17:17 to 17:43.

Dr_Sommer

Sooo.... if i would like do show the Users for about 1 Hour in the past, I have to set the Frequency to 1 Hour?

$Configuration['WhosOnline']['Frequency'] = '3600';

AND... how do You explain the difference in the Frontend, saying in this case 6 Users are online but showing just 3 ??

I think something is wrong... i feel it in my tush...

hgtonight

3600 should do the trick.

Users selecting to hide themselves from being listed in their preferences will still be counted.

Dr_Sommer

Ahaaa... okee... Thanx very much, HG & Per... now I gonna cool of my Tush and Inform my lovely CaBa Users...

BTW: I'm getting a bunch of Sexy Proposals here in Vanillaforums.org over Private Messages... although I feel desired and wanted ( ), how can I mark them as Spam?? There seems no Flag possibility in the Conversation Menu, thx..

peregrine

Sooo.... if i would like do show the Users for about 1 Hour in the past, I have to set the Frequency to 1 Hour?

$Configuration['WhosOnline']['Frequency'] = '3600';

The reason I think this is a bad practice. settting overly long online frequencies

A few minutes is more realistic and more apropos.

Sometimes one messages someone or replies to a question if the poster appears online so one can hopefully get a quick response, thinking they are still online. If they logged off 55 minutes ago, they will not see the message or reponse (if they turned off e-mail notifications or don't check e-mail). Then one can get perturbed and a bit surprised that they are online but fail to respond.

Although your forum might seem busier, it is a bit of a deception, because they may not be online, especially when the frequency is greater than 10 minutes.

Dr_Sommer

@peregrine:
But you can orientate yourself on the TimeStamp each User has...
Every User that is active in the Forum will also get the current Time...

peregrine

Yes, you can do alot of things. But .... whosonline is perceived as whosonline now!

not whoWASonline and whoMAYbeonline.

its your forum - my opinion. I don't run your forum. just my thoughts.

Dr_Sommer

No Prob, Peregrine... ThX for your opinion...