Problems with login and status acknowledgement

[krom_stormbrow]

Hi Guys

Please bear with me, I'm new to the whole running the forum game... after a period of acting as a moderator on a vbulletin forum and things went sour with an overbearing administrator, a couple of my buds and myself decided we go it alone. Taken on the smf system as it's easy to use a pretty intuitive.

So onto the problems we're having.

Login - we are having issues where the site will log out members... even when we have checked the login forever box... In fact if we quit web app (safari in my case) and go back we need to completely re-login. This isn't forever in my mind and has caused an issue of annoyance with some new members. Is there something I can do to ensure no one is unexpectedly logged out? And what about a setting to make sure the login forever works?


OK second problem... I have gone to make a backup of the database and it doesn't recognise me as an administrator - my account is the original administrator. We changed the name of the administrator member group, but that is it. Could this be the root of the problem? Is it linked to the dodgy login problem above? My first thought was to change the member group name back to administrator, but unfortunately that didn't work either.

Any thoughts?

Many Thanks

Pod
(krom_stormbrow)

[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

Hi!

The first problem I believe could be linked in the way some browsers clean their cookies etc. everytime you close them. Have you tried other browsers than Safari?
At least with IE I've never had any trouble with the login, unless I manually deleted temporary files and cookies.

As to the second one, do you have other admin functions working though?
Banning, account deleting, etc...

[krom_stormbrow]

The two other admins we have work on firefox and IE I believe. I know the firefox guy has the information stored into his cookies, but he still needs to click the login button.

As for the second problem, I can ban (chuckles - a good friend will have a shock at lunch ).

So admin functions do work... I even just added some mods (embed video).
And that's what's stumped me really, because I just can't figure out why it doesn't recognise me as admin on the back up option.

[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

Does your error log say anything that could be related to this?

[krom_stormbrow]

It certainly does. It's making it obvious that when I'm trying to make the backup it's only viewing me as a guest... even though I'm logged in?

Reckon it's worth trying the process on firefox (sorry mac user here).

I'd prefer if there was a way round it other than changing browser, as my preferred is safari and I also don't want to force any members to have to use firefox.

[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

Do test it with firefox, and if works then - I guess this could warrant a bug report.
But if it doesn't, then there just might be something wrong with your installation...

[krom_stormbrow]

Apologies, but I believe the term is bum stink!

Not working in firefox... So how do we go about checking the install? And is there a way to do it without damaging the current forum?

[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

Well... you could install a new fresh forum in another folder or a subdomain on the same server, and test if it works with a new installation. *think* You'd just have to make sure to install in a different database, or with a different prefix, so that it won't mess up the earlier installation by mistake.

[krom_stormbrow]

Thanks.

I'll give it whirl and report back. Currently re FTPing the smf files to a folder with a new database set up and running.

*Edit

On an additional note about the login issue. Even when the login forever tab is checked, the forum will unexpectedly log you out even when you are using the forum. Is this maybe a setting that's wrong?

*Edit* I have done that and I can't backup the test forum. Is it possible it's the host I'm using?

[metallica48423]

can you link to your board?