Authentication error on community - are you affected?

[#1]

I'm using FF 47.0 and have just had

Error message
  Authentication Failed.
  Authentication Ticket Mismatched, failed authentication.

whilst composing a post (not this one) - I think it might have been about to attempt an autosave. However due to interruptions I'd been away from that tab for some time before I returned to it and started typing.

[#2]

@LouisaMartin,

Until a volunteer (everyone steps back on pace) is found to implement @MauriceC's excellent suggestion...

@17:54 ish I sought to post a PM which I had started drafting earlier in the day.  I stopped the drafting as my computer totally became unresponsive whilst typing the PM.  On returning to the PC all appeared OK (part drafted PM was where I had left it) and I completed the draft.  On clicking post I got...

HTH?

[#3]

Due to both of these instances appearing after time away or an extended period of compilation is this issue not indicative of an expired cookie or token? That would be my thinking.

[#4]

Having just seen the posts from @spraxyt and @Townman my first thought was exactly the same @Anonymous.

I'll pass these to Lithium but I think that's what the response will be. I'll come back later. Ta

[#5]

At the very least they are going to have to take a serious look at their software this time?

M

[#6]

@MauriceC - If I were implementing this I would start a JS timer in the background when the compose page was displayed with it being reset by user action; Preview etc. If this timer then expires I'd auto save the content to drafts and return the user back to a landing page that explained what had happened and more importantly why.

By doing this the user then doesn't lose any of the work they've put into their composition and can retrieve it from drafts to complete the post / message. But as you've gathered I'm not doing this!

[#7]

@LouisaMartin both @spraxyt and @Townman 's posts there definitely seem to be due to the "timeout" that's been commented on elsewhere, which if I recall correctly @jaread83 has now extended to the maximum 2hrs. I don't have a particular problem with this myself - providing Autosave works Ok and it's still possible to go back to the Rich Text tab and 'Select All' and 'Copy' for good measure, something I now do as a matter of course. My only gripe as I've mentioned previously on staging and maybe here, is that this "timeout" takes no notice of any 'activity' on the tab - ie typing and Previewing - it merely notes the time from the start of a reply/post compilation. The counter should be reset automatically when there is activity. This is quite important when compiling lengthy technical replies, especially when reference/research has to me made to other places/posts/etc which can take some time - never mind the interuptions one may get during all of this process

[#8]

I fear for the 2nd time in less than the time it takes to timeout on here, I have to say I agree with you @Anotherone!! 

For me, the timer should be around inactivity and not from opening of the post etc. I'll go back to Lithium on this and raise our concerns

[#9]

Thanks @LouisaMartin
In relation to Lithium trying to close this down, again it clearly implies that they have not examined this issue thoroughly and believe it is only related to the FF46 issue.
I would suggest Lithium need to look at the issue mentioned in my previous post here - and any related aspects that may have some sort of "timeout".
As @MauriceC has already suggested, I would want to exercise caution. I have not been here and posting/reading enough of late to know if the what appeared "random" Authentication problems are still occurring. Clearly the known repeatable ones will occur until changes are made.

[#10]

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@LouisaMartin wrote:

For me, the timer should be around inactivity and not from opening of the post etc. I'll go back to Lithium on this and raise our concerns

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@LouisaMartin - That's what I said in 141 above, but the timer must start somewhere so on page load is the obvious choice, with it being reset on user activity.

[#11]

Just had the error below.  Not clear that it is an 'Authentication' issue but this thread seemed a logical first point.

Using WinXP SP3 +loads more;  FF47; 1.80 gigahertz AMD Turion 64 X2.

From 'Unread Topics'  clicked a thread I was interested in (see screenshot) and got the error.  Clicking on the link 'Return to my original page'  and I arrived at the post I was interested in not the 'Unread Topics' page I'd expected?

To add to the problem, selecting this thread to add this new report I got taken to post #1!!!!  This is a thread I regularly contribute to and access?

[#12]

@Anonymous I think the timer may start on Page/Thread load. I've just stumbled across a post I made on Staging (before we went Live) where I'd loaded a thread (a longish one) and had been reading on & off due to an assortment of interruptions. I wasn't even attempting to post. As I hadn't finished reading it, I eventually got to the point of wanting to mark the thread as Unread so that I could easily locate it later -something I do now and again. And lo & behold when I came to mark is as 'New' I got the Authentication Error! I'll have to carry out a test or two.

@MauriceC I have seen that one before now and again, my best guess is that at the instant you requested that thread, the request couldn't be completed for some (obscure) reason but as it was only a momentary passing thing, when returning you actually got the page. As for going to the first post, this is an observation we've made in another thread, where when you've read all the posts in a thread it takes you to the first, not the last. If I find the thread I'll post the link for reference.

Also, I'm not sure that splitting out any posts from here would be a good idea. I think all these problems are Timing related and it may just be that FF46 introduced something that caused additional timing issues. Clearly the other timing issues are still there and there's one that should be easily fixable, and that is resetting the timer when there is activity on a page - ie changing page, or typing/previewing a reply.

[#13]

@Anotherone - That's my point, I don't think there is a timer at all, but someone in the know may correct me. I think that the cookies / sessions token that are carried forward when you open the page simply expire if you take you time reading, composing etc. My idea was to include a timer so that as long as there was user activity the timer would be reset. Once the timer had elapsed then the composition would go to drafts and the user returned to a landing page to inform them of what happened.

[#14]

There is a timer as Jack has said so, and changed it more than once (he also changed it previously on Staging IIRC) and I have noticed/tested the difference when compiling a reply. What I clearly had forgotten and was reminded of by the post I've made mention of on Staging, was that I wasn't trying to post when I got that one so the timer must have started when I loaded the page.

[#15]

@Anotherone - Oh yes I see that now, in msg 97. TBH I haven't read all of the post, but if @jaread83's timer is working then would it not be possible to amend the code to dump to drafts and redirect the user?