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BooJewels

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Everything posted by BooJewels

  1. I have asked the hosts if they changed anything and gave them the week that I think the issue started for me. Having asked the question in more than one message, they didn't choose to answer that detail. They think the issue is with the cart and suggested that I take it up with the developers. Thankfully, the nature of my shop is that most customers only order on average a couple of items at a time, so the cart emptying won't be as big an issue for me as it obviously is for you - but as you illustrated, an irritated customer is not a returning one. I like to think that I've set up my shop with care, to give customers the best possible experience (and thorough details about what they can expect of me, the service and the products), so I don't like to think that anything doesn't run optimally. ETA: I was going to see if there was a more definitive explanation crop up before going back to the host to see if they could help further - at the moment we're just speculating as to the cause.
  2. Yes, I saw that last night, but it's now getting beyond my own ability to understand or act upon. What no one has yet answered is that this is a new phenomena - I wasn't getting regularly logged out a few weeks ago and now I am, so something clearly changed in an upgrade of something - I think I can pin it down to week commencing 12th June in my case, as I was dashing to get all my orders out before I went on holiday that weekend and didn't have the time to look at it further then. It's irritating that it's happening to me as Admin - but 24 / 40 minutes whatever isn't long enough for customers - if they get distracted half way through an order. I regularly put stuff in carts to return to and it's very annoying when a cart empties. So I hope that customers aren't being lost due to this. I need to test that on my own shop as a customer.
  3. My hosts are perplexed too. One thing they suggested was that they found this somewhere in an error file: "PHP Warning: Stored session data did not match DB record. Session aborted as possible session hijack." It then gave different IP addresses - none of which were mine - and were based in the US. They were also using different user agents from mine. So maybe that is another legit user on another domain trying to log in to their account and kicking me out in the process?
  4. My hosts increased the time to 604800 of the Master Value of session.gc_maxlifetime in the php.ini my shop was using (I can see the change on the php info page in Admin) and unfortunately that hasn't fixed the short session log in time for Admin. As you say keat - the time does seem to vary - yesterday it seemed around 15 minutes on one occasion and probably over an hour another time - so my feeling is that it's averaging around 30-40 minutes - my very loose testing would suggest that it's certainly not a precisely fixed time. From your description, that would suggest it happens when the session meets the criteria of two schedules simultaneously.
  5. Thanks, I'll create a support ticket with the host and see if they can help extend the time. At the moment I can't even ascertain what the session time limit is - because it's obviously down to inactivity and if you try a page change or something to see if you're still logged in, if you are, that presumably re-sets the clock.
  6. Many thanks keat. On the Admin page 'PHP Info', under Session, I can see session.gc_maxlifetime 604800 1440 - and 24 minutes does sound about right for the time the Admin log in sessions are lasting - I'd need to test it more thoroughly to be sure of the actual time. I haven't yet found anything in phpMyAdmin where I can see that this setting could be edited. I might have to contact the hosts, see if they could change it for me.
  7. Thanks Al, but I have absolutely no idea where that file is or how to edit it. I've done a search of the server and phpMyAdmin, but can't see any reference to it or the setting you mention. Can you give me an idiots guide to find it please. I apologise for my stupidity and lack of understanding. The php Info page shows the loaded configuration file as /usr/selector.etc/php.ini - but none of those directories show in the area I can access.
  8. Good morning. My old CC3 store used to log me out of Admin after a set period of inactivity and I simply got used to working with it, albeit annoying if I'd just typed up a long product description etc. But when Al helped me upgrade to the new CC6, I found I remained logged in as Admin and this was a joy, as I could work with impunity, knowing I wouldn't lose work by getting logged out mid-task. As I work alone, security of an open browser window wasn't an issue. But about a month ago, something changed and I now get logged out after a short period of time - something like 30 minutes I think. I hadn't changed anything and it happens on all platforms (Win7 desktop, Android tablet etc.) and all browsers etc. so this would suggest it's something beyond my immediate control, on the server, that has changed. Can you give me some pointers as to where to look, so that I might be able to extend the logged in time please? From my dashboard: CubeCart Version 6.0.11 PHP Version 5.3.29 MySQL Version 5.5.55-cll Server Software Apache
  9. [As an update, in case anyone finds it useful when searching in future. I hate it when I search and find the same problem I'm experiencing, but they don't come back to let us know if suggestions made work or not, or how they actually addressed a problem.] I have now done as described and made it a product to buy with price 'options'. I also created a Gift Certificate category to add it to, so that now appears in the menu in the same place as the CubeCart original link did. On balance, I think this will be better [for me] as I can manually fulfill the customers requirements - which weren't possible through the original official system, but I would imagine for shops with higher turnover than me and maybe a lot more smaller certificates sold, that wouldn't be a suitable solution. When I sell a certificate, I can create a coupon with a unique coupon code to put on the paperwork for the recipient and with 'Gift Certificate Conversion' using the order number that then manages the value for the recipient. This is how I've done it: https://www.boo-creations.co.uk/shop/miscellaneous/gift-certificate-choose-your-value-from-10.html
  10. As the Gift Certificates don't work as I might reasonably expect, I think I'd prefer to disable the current version of them. Seems like there too many ways it potentially won't work well. Even if I only offered it by e-mail, every single one I have done by e-mail manually, the customer has asked for it to be sent on a specific day, for a birthday or something, they don't necessarily want it going out at the moment they order. It seems as though I can re-enable my old gift voucher product (imported from CC3 and currently disabled) which used product options for the customer to choose a value. It looks like I can then allocate that order number to a coupon code of their chosen value that then works like a Gift Certificate and it will track the value as it's partially used. I just tried it and then spent most of it and the balance remaining showed That will still be an improvement over how I was doing it [rather clumsily] previously and on how it seems to work through CubeCart at present. I already have a template that I paste the recipient's name and message for into along with the gift certificate code - to either print and post or send to either party as a pdf. As for the legal aspects of GCs - I did research this at the time I enabled them and whilst what you say is true; some jurisdictions do require them not to expire - here in the UK where I am, as long as I make the validity period clear, it can be whatever I deem it to be and the law uses woolly terms like 'reasonable time' - the validity period is simply deemed a term in the contract between me and the buyer, as long as they knew what it was when they ordered. I chose 18 months as it seemed better than the year that most high street vouchers are valid for and I simply cannot guarantee that I'll even be alive in 18 months. To date, every one I've issued (granted, not a huge amount) was spent within about 6 weeks and they often ordered more and paid the balance - so I don't owe anyone a single penny at the moment in terms of gift voucher/certificates. I'll give it some more thought in the morning, it's gone midnight and my brain has turned to mush, so I'm off to bed. Goodnight.
  11. Maybe on the email version, but if it's a card that I'm creating to post to the recipient, then surely I absolutely must see it. I have customers overseas who either order goods to be sent to family in the UK for gifts, or in some cases, certificates. Almost all of the ones I've done have been of this nature (I used to sell them in CC3 as a product in the shop with price options - but that made managing the value and part purchases a little clumsy) - where I print a card and send it to the recipient on behalf of the gift-giver. How easy would it be to add this option, so that whatever they fill in the form on the Gift Certificate page becomes part of the order page in admin? I was hoping that I was just being thick and just doing something wrong. Alternatively, would it be easier to remove the Recipient Name and Message boxes from the GC page and leave a note instead asking them to put the details in the comment box during checkout, then it appears to me as 'Note from'?
  12. I upgraded my CC3 store to CC6 earlier this summer and received a lot of help here and it has been running well since. I've added a few mods and thought I was pretty much sorted, until I re-instated my Christmas ordering page and edited it for this year. I realised that I had never tested the Gift Certificates, having set the variables some months ago. Thankfully I haven't sold one in this time, but if I am likely to, it'll be at this time of year. Having now tested them, they don't appear to be working well - as Admin, I don't see any of the information the customer adds when ordering, such as their message, name of the recipient and even their choice of email or physical Certificate. Therefore I am currently unable to process the Certificates on their behalf. I've temporarily changed it to post only, so that an e-mail isn't sent to the recipient and I've edited the language file to ask the customer to email me their requirements instead. All I see in Admin for an order is that it's a Gift Certificate that's been ordered and the value. The code for it (presumably the bit the customer/recipient would enter in the cart for payment) only appears in the Gift Certificate tab of the coupon area of admin. I'm using v. 6.0.11 and with a modded custom skin eTone. I do have Force Order Completed Emails selected. The process seems to work as expected, but the data entered isn't sent to me or the customer making the purchase - it isn't there in their account if I log in as the customer. My Gift Certificate page is: https://www.boo-creations.co.uk/shop/gift-certificates.html What am I missing? In my testing, I've not paid for the certs I've bought, but have manually changed the order status from Pending to Completed - with email GCs, this then generates a message to the named recipient, but I (nor the customer who bought it) can see the details. Can failing to physically pay prevent it from working properly?
  13. I wonder if rebuilding the file list would fix it. I don't know what version you're on or when this feature came in (as I recently jumped from v3 to v6) - but I've found that images don't show in admin until they feature in the images list. I do this each time I upload any new images (i.e. by ftp), before I try adding them to my product pages. To create/update this, in Admin go to Images in the left hand menu and click the right-most tab at the top - 'Update File List' and it will spend a little time indexing the image files - when it flashes up at the top that it's done, your images should be available in Admin. for adding to product pages, viewing etc.
  14. That looks like the sort of reply I got yesterday from a Googlebot test. The second half of that suggests reducing 3 images by a total of 3.6Kb of data - which in the days when I first started designing web pages when we all had slow and expensive dial up connections (and I used to dial in using a mobile phone connected with a cable), might have been worth doing (I shaved every byte off that I could), but I doubt if you're using broadband you'd even notice the improvement, it's so negligible with current speeds. So I doubt this sort of data saving would be enough to overcome what you called 'sluggish' and 'taking much longer' whilst in admin. My site is pretty substantial (over 600 product pages and around 5000 product images) and I use quite a lot of images on product pages so have a look at a typical page of mine to see how it compares. There's a slight lag whilst the scroller I use for my images pre-loads them, but then they move through very fast. On this page, after the standard page images there are something like 300Kb of images, then 4 related products at the bottom with their thumbnails: https://www.boo-creations.co.uk/shop/necklaces/faux-amber-and-copper-necklace-with-mobius-ring-separators.html Just have a mooch around the site and see how it compares to yours - as an example of a working CC6 store.
  15. I can concur that it works as might be expected in my modded eTone skin too. The category can be found with a direct URL (which could then be linked to from anywhere else in page content) but with the visible checkmark off, it isn't added to my categories nav. Which whilst it might not help the OP, is a feature that I'm glad I tried as I might have a perfect use for this feature myself. Before I disable it, you can see it in action. The direct URL is https://www.boo-creations.co.uk/shop/pins.html but the category 'Pins' does not appear in the list/menu on the left. I'd disabled it as there were only 2 items in the category and I put them elsewhere to minimise the menu - hence there's not much content, but it could be a full page of introductory information with products at the bottom.
  16. I order my Christmas turkey on-line, pay a deposit, then collect it in person and pay the balance depending on the actual weight of the bird I'm getting. But initially, I choose the type of turkey I want and then I choose a weight category for that bird - just as bsmither described. The price is done in bands depending on size. I just looked at the on-line supermarket I sometimes use and for joints of meat they have a range in a drop down menu with different weight with corresponding increasing prices. In CubeCart, it can work just as bsmither described it - start with a base price for the smallest and add a price for larger ones. I did have an item in my shop that did just this, but I've just realised I've taken it out of my new store, so can't show you it, but it will work like that. That seems like it will be fair to both you and the customer.
  17. There's a modest lag when you first start tasks like editing or creating a listing, where it pre-loads the images list and other things you might need. So that would suggest that the more you have on the site, the longer that might take. I've noticed this pause (a few seconds) as I start some processes, but now I know about it, just use that time to check my e-mail, copy the text I want to paste in etc.
  18. Many thanks for this @bsmither it works a treat. That will be really useful for me, much appreciated. Whilst tinkering with this I noticed that in my sent messages I was getting a line "message from Boo's Hand Crafted Jewellery" butted immediately before where I'd typed the recipients name at the beginning of my reply - I'd seen it in a message I'd received from another shop as a customer and thought it odd at the time. Turns out I was doing it too. This turned out to be the TITLE of the default e-mail template, which doesn't show up until the message has been sent. I've removed it and it has resolved that issue, but there seem to be a lot of irritations to the e-mail templates. The Contact Form uses the reply to function for the sender's entered e-mail address, so it seems it would be useful to add this to the email templates you might reply to as well. It's these tiny details that make your shop and business look that bit more slick.
  19. My Request log also showed a verified response for the problematic pending orders, but without the error log, it looks to be something different then. Sorry, that's about the limit of the help I can offer. Others here are significantly more knowledgeable than me.
  20. I had a similar problem when setting up my CC6 store - the order was staying at pending and the customer (i.e. me using a different e-mail) and myself as admin got no messages. In my case, it was a fault in the e-mail template for orders preventing it being sent and the process completing - this seems to be a CC glitch as others have had the same problem and none of us have edited the pertinent part of the template. Have a look in your error log - down towards the bottom of the admin menu under Advanced. If you go to the second tab for System Error Log mine showed this error when it happened: [Exception] /home/yourshopnamewillbehere/public_html/staging/includes/lib/smarty/sysplugins/smarty_internal_templatecompilerbase.php:84 - Syntax error in template "string: Thank You {$DATA.first_name}! )} " - Unexpected ")" These two threads discuss this template issue: https://forums.cubecart.com/topic/51457-order-stuck-on-pending-smarty-syntex-error-in-error-log/ https://forums.cubecart.com/topic/51483-resolved-order-confirmation-email-query/ It's also worth looking at the history tab for the order itself to see what PayPal appeared to be doing - I've deleted those test purchases now, but I think it had several entries at pending as it tried to resolve it. Obviously it might be something entirely different, but being stuck on pending makes it sound very similar.
  21. I think I've now got the two main order templates working to my satisfaction, but I did notice several anomalies in the templates - differences between the admin version and the customers and between the plain text and HTML versions of the same template. I think they should maybe be looked after during the CC6 upgrade process to be more consistent for those sellers who use a vanilla version of the site and don't tinker the way people here are more likely to. I certainly think that the customer comment should be included in the templates, especially to admin. Amongst the anomalies I've spotted, in the Admin:Order Received plain text template - as mentioned above - it has an entry for 'Part Number' where on the site it uses the term 'Product Code', but this doesn't even appear in the HTML version, nor either version of the customer order confirmed e-mail. For me, this is important data and should appear in all four versions. I've added it to the missing three versions of my templates (just in brackets after the name). In the HTML version of the customer order e-mail (Cart:order confirmed), the data link to follow the order is not clickable from the e-mail, where it is in the admin version. I edited the code as follows: <p>{$DATA.link}</p> edited to: <p><a href="{$DATA.link}">{$DATA.link}</a></p> There is very definitely a glitch that takes the space out between the first and last name of the customer on the first line of the admin e-mail, I pasted the entire template worth of updated code in and checked that the space was there, did a dummy order and the name was merged in my e-mail, when I opened the template up, the space had gone and I still had my copy on the clipboard, so re-pasted it in and the space was definitely there. I've replaced it now with a no break space and that is seemingly holding it correctly. I've just spotted that the table containing the order sometimes left-aligns and is sometimes centrally-aligns - something else I need to look at. ETA: I solved the central align issue thanks to the details in this thread: https://forums.cubecart.com/topic/51039-resolved-force-plain-text/#comment-216261
  22. Thanks @cpierrep that's pretty much what I have done, but the additional first name in the admin is a nice touch. I put some horizontal rules and dashes between mine too, as if you also included a note to the customer, which I did for the purpose of my testing, the resulting layout was a bit confusing. I also took the quotation marks out from the note to customer as it looked a bit odd as part of the e-mail, but left them around the customer's comment as that seemed appropriate. Maybe I'm not bonkers after all. I was meticulous in my editing and did it in a plain text editor and pasted it back into the template. I know there was a space in the name earlier as I checked the e-mail I'd got from a genuine order, before I'd started tinkering. It does drive you nuts though - I noticed later when checking customer e-mails I'd received in my tests, that in the plain text version it had what it called 'part no.', which I edited to 'product code', as that's the term used on the site, but when I went to do the same in the HTML version, it wasn't even included, which I think it should be, so I'll need to look at that today.
  23. That has worked now thanks. But as you fix one issue you find another. I swear I didn't touch it, but when the e-mail came through to me - in the HTML version at least - the space between first name and last name had gone, merging the customer name into one. I think it might be useful for the customer to see a copy of their own comments too, if they're not in the confirmation e-mail, they're going to wonder if I've even seen them, as they're important details. So after my dinner, I'll look to add it into the customer e-mail too. I'm also going to try your 'reply to' edit posted in another topic, as that would be really useful. The contact form does it and it's much better. ETA: I can also now see how including the note to customer might well be useful, if the customer places the order, but pays off-line, you can add a comment for them as you update it to processing.
  24. Thanks. I've actually just realised (as it didn't work) what I was doing wrong (hence not grasping it). I was looking at the 'Order Confirmed' template which goes to the customer, I was initially thinking that the same e-mail went to both the customer and admin. I wasn't realising that I really need to edit the Admin order received template separately - I'd completely missed that. I'll put the relevant bit in the admin e-mail and put the customer one back as it was. Thank you!
  25. Many thanks @bsmither I'll try changing it to that - hence asking before I tried it, I knew there would be more to it than me just guessing. Now I've got my shop working well, I don't want to break it. Why is the 'note to customer' included in the order confirmation e-mail - when there's not likely to be one at that stage, yet these customer comments aren't, that bit doesn't make sense to me?
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