Disclaimer |
Instructions for implementing javascript timeout warning features for WebVoyage. Use at your own risk. TCC is not responsible for damage or problems caused by the use of these JavaScripts. No warranties or guarantees of any kind are implied or assumed. |
WebVoyáge Timeout Warning, version 2.2 |
Version 1.0, using popup windows, can be found here. Version 1.0 is not recommended because pop-up blockers will block the warning windows!
(2007-10-29) Thanks to Yan Yi Lee at Wagner College for pointing out that Internet Explorer 7 does not allow javascript control of the status bar by default. Version 2.2 allows the session timeout counter and message to be displyed in the title bar after the title. (2006-02-23) Thanks to Laura Guy at Colorado School of Mines for alerting me to problems encountered when accessing WebVoyage History. I violated a basic rule of programming (test for an object before using it!!), but it has been remedied. The real problem here is that the WebVoyage History page has an unterminated <form> tag. (2005-12-09) Thanks to Wally Grotophorst at George Mason University for alerting me to problems encountered with sorting result lists in new versions of Voyager. The instructions have been revised to reflect a fix for the problem. These scripts are meant to be used with the WebVoyage product by Endeavor Systems, Inc.™ WebVoyage has a timeout "feature" in which the product, unbeknownst to the user, will end the user's session after a period of time set in the Timeout variable in voyager.ini. When the user attempts to use the product after the designated time, they are sent to an error page from which they must restart the product. The scripts have been rewritten to use DHTML instead of popup windows because DHTML is more commonplace and more browsers now support DHTML functionality and because most users have been forced to block popup windows. The new scripts, just like the old scripts, will not work in browsers with JavaScript disabled. Users without JavaScript will experience the default WebVoyage behavior. The JavaScripts and stylesheets enclosed in timer.zip are meant to warn the user before the end of the session timeout, giving the user a chance to restart the timer by refreshing the page. If the user takes no action before the session timeout, the warning dialog informs the user, giving them a chance to begin a new search or to log in. The session counts down in the status bar of the user's browser, so users can see how much time is left at any time (provided their status bar is active and allows JavaScript updates.) There are three folders in the timer.zip package, but only two of them are required. The files in the src folder are made available for users who wish to look at the code in a more readable format. The files in the src folder are not required to make the program work. You can see these JavaScripts in action at http://library.tccd.edu. (Click "Library Catalog" and wait 12 minutes... ;-) |
Instructions |
|
Version History |
v2.0 (2005-12-09) |
Troubleshooting |
Questions can be sent to Jim Robinson at Tarrant County College District Some hints about debugging javascripts:
|