Session Support and RefreshPrintable

Written October 6, 2009. Note that future browsers may no longer have the multiple session problems described below.  
Session support was phased out around 2017 and replaced with Threads.   This information below is no longer relevant.  November 2020

Session Support

When web browsers (such as InternetExplorer, FireFox or Safari) interact with a website they establish a unique Session number. When the User opens two or more windows on their desktop with a website, the two windows can each have the same session number. If the website collects or disseminates data, the website can get confused as to which window it is interacting with. The upshot is that data that you have displayed in one window might get stored as a result of an action that you take in the other window. This leads to serious errors in the database where data is cross stored in the wrong record. These errors are very hard to rectify.

Sophisticated Users of the website/database often like to have more than one window open into the database at the same time. A typical example is a User that is both an Assignor and a Scheduler. They may want to have one window open and logged in as an Assignor, and a second window where they are logged in as a Scheduler.

To avoid the RWL0183: Lock Failure error, the sophisticated User can establish multiple independent sessions into the database -- one for each window that they have open.

In the upper right hand corner there are three icons of computer monitors. receive idle idle When you open your second window, click on the second monitor and then log in. You are now in a different session than the first window. You can tell that you are in a different session because: 1) The pattern is now idle receive idle 2) There is a four digit number appended to the website name in the URL For example this page could have the URL http : // www . redwoodsoccer.org:9081/display?action=display&key=353

Note: Avoid using the shortcuts when in a second session. Some of the shortcuts will send you into your first session. In practice, you will find yourself with both windows again in the same session. Check the idle icons often.and click as necessary to keep yourself in multiple sessions.

Refresh

When the User clicks on the browser back button, the back button instructs the browser to reexecute the last command on the previous page. If this command involved storing or deleting data, the reissuance of the command just might store or delete the wrong data. To avoid storing the wrong data, the website issues a RWL0183 Lock Failure error.

To avoid these browser back button errors there is a LastDisplay, LastShow and LastNext command on the left side of the Shortcuts bar. lastdisplay will take you to the last page you visited that invoked the display action (The URL said 'Action'display') lastshow will take you to the last page you visited that invoked the show action. lastnext is displayed if you use the next command at the bottom of a ResultsList to see the next set of results (default is to see the next 20 results) . If you return to the ResultsList, you are typically sent to the beginning. With the lastnext you return to where you were.

If you find yourself doing a repetitive task, say changing the Status of 25 Matches, these 'Last' commands may help reduce the number of mouse clicks you need to perform to get to the same place.