Using ProductCart - Cart sessions timing out?

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Cart sessions timing out?

Printed From: ProductCart E-Commerce Solutions
Category: ProductCart
Forum Name: Using ProductCart
Forum Description: Running your store with ProductCart
URL: https://forum.productcart.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=2290
Printed Date: 26-February-2025 at 8:48pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Cart sessions timing out?

Posted By: ericpollard
Subject: Cart sessions timing out?
Date Posted: 31-December-2008 at 1:32am

So according to this site: http://www.greybearddesign.com/productcart/session-saver/ customer's sessions will time out after 20 minutes with ProductCart.

Is this correct? I assume it is, but why is it this way? Seems a little quick... Any way to change this... other than buying code? Any reason not to change it?

Also, will this happen if the user has an account?

Replies:

Posted By: Matt
Date Posted: 31-December-2008 at 2:39am

This is a setting on the server. I will let Greg expand on some of the features of his solution. I am sure his solution does more than just simply expand the timeout duration. However, you can expand the timeout on the server.

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 31-December-2008 at 6:56am

By default, 20 minutes is the standard IIS server session timeout. If you operate a dedicated server and have remote desktop access, you can change that. But for anyone on shared hosting, you are likely looking at 20 minutes, and when the session times out (or the application pool is reset) the contents of any application or session variables are lost, and with them, the contents of any shopping carts that have not been kept active.

To be more specific, if the shopper's browser remains idle for 20 minutes, the session will be lost. And by idle, I mean that no keystroke, no mouse movement, and no other intervention that keeps the browser active and thus the session intact.

My script sets up a timer when an item is placed into the cart. As the shopper navigates the store, that timer is being constantly refreshed. If that timer expires, which is set for just less than the IIS session expiry, the shopper's browser is redirected to a special session-saver page which will continue to refresh itself repeatedly until further notice.

The end result is that the shopper's session is protected and kept active because the browser itself is kept active by this artificial interaction caused by the scripts in my utility.

The only case where this fails to work is if the server's application pool is being reset. Such is the case on a shared server where insufficient memory resources are available, the server itself resets that memory pool, and sessions are lost. At that point it is time for a new hosting plan, if such would resolve the situation, or a new host.

The code that runs this utility existed for an earlier shopping cart, was in wide distribution there, and has existed for ProductCart for over a year where it is also in significant distribution. It is easy to install, includes detailed installation instructions for integration into your graphical scheme, and works very well.

-------------
GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 31-December-2008 at 7:03am

BTW, looking at your other post I am reminded that your site is built on Joomla. I mention above that the timer code is activated by the presence of products in the cart. A minor revision can cause the initial timer to be activated (and reset) by the viewing of any page that contains a reference to that code. This was the original functionality before I made it sensitive to cart contents being present - a feature I added due to user demand.

The original functionality allows the script to protect any session, regardless of product selections being present in the cart. It was coded that way so that session saver could be used on non-ASP pages where the contents of the shopping session might not be available (think HTML pages, or in your case, PHP pages?). Returning to that original functionality is as simple as a minor code edit.

-------------
GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: shannondoan
Date Posted: 02-January-2009 at 4:56pm

20 minutes is fairly standard- and you do have to make sure that your host isn't timing you out as well.

I have Greg's Session Saver on my store and it works great. We were having very angry customers calling or writing because sometimes they would be trying to purchase 3 or 4 times and get timed out every time! (Lots of moms attending to babies with limited, interrupted time!)

We had several people say they ended up shopping elsewhere, where cart contents were saved and accessible to them through their accounts. That would be my ideal- that customers could re-start an order that they dropped off of (and the cart would update if inventory was no longer available, etc).

Since that doesn't seem to be a possibility for PC, Greg's Session Saver is the next best thing. We've even tested it overnight- put stuff in the cart and then checked it in the morning and everything still there.

Posted By: Hamish
Date Posted: 02-January-2009 at 6:13pm

Hi Shannon,
I came a cropper due to the very feature your suggesting recently, where I visited an online store I'd not been to for several months and ordered several things. Unfortunately the product I'd added to my cart previously was re-instated and I did not spot it, so I ended up purchasing something I no longer needed. Sometimes these things are great and sometimes they bite back :-(

I agree that the session saver is a great add-on and don't forget there is also the "Wishlist" feature built in to PC. If customers wish to build a list over time then that's an ideal way for them to shop, although you have to login when you add items to the wishlist as it's associated with the customer. It also means they could continue their shopping session from another machine if they wish to.
So session saver is great for customers who get interrupted & wishlist for those that plan to take time making their minds up.

-------------
Editing ProductCart Code?

See http://wiki.earlyimpact.com/developers/editcode" rel="nofollow - WIKI Guidelines for Editing ProductCart's ASP Source Code

Posted By: shannondoan
Date Posted: 02-January-2009 at 6:34pm

Oh, that's not good! I suppose we'd have complaints about that sort of thing too.. hard to have features that makes everyone happy!

Posted By: katharina
Date Posted: 03-January-2009 at 11:07am

I keep on telling customers to use the wish list to create their cart, if they are adding lots of things or it their order takes time to avoid the lost cart. We have over 300 scrap sheets and it really takes time to look at the stuff and decide which ones to buy. Most never thought about using a wish list. It would be nice to build on that and save the items to a unfinished order list while adding to cart. The order list could then get deleted when they check out or be kept when they don't finish. Then have a blinking text in the log in area notifying them that they have an unfinished order, if they come back. This with the option of adding it the a new shopping session cart (items can be deleted or added there) or simply discard the old unfinished order. I think this would not be to uncomplicated, since it can be build on something that is already there the wish list.
I've been to www.uline.com and noticed that they have a product purchase history section. It sorts products by category like bags, boxes, etc. It enables me in a very fast manner to reorder products without looking at previous orders. I would love to see that feature in PC, because it is very handy for my repeat customers.
Katharina