Accurate Users Online Information

#1 · 02 Dec. 2009 08:08pm

"Users Online: 458 (163 members and 295 guests)"

My ass. I've only seen one other person post in the last half hour. The stats are apparently set to include members who logged in within the last hour or summat. I suggest it be lowered to the last 15 minutes, which is the standard for forums. If it's listing people who aren't online anymore, it looks good statistics-wise, but it's an utterly useless feature. So, a more strict time limit would be swell, please.

**Oharo - kun** · 02 Dec. 2009 08:16pm

That was a problem even in the Old LG. xD
And trust me, its not last hour..

In the past 3 hours, LG is already dead. -.-
There's no way that there were 458 users online few hours ago. -.-

**Rundeer** · 02 Dec. 2009 08:23pm

Originally Posted by Oharo - kun

That was a problem even in the Old LG. xD
And trust me, its not last hour..

In the past 3 hours, LG is already dead. -.-
There's no way that there were 458 users online few hours ago. -.-

Either that, or we have a lot of lurkers on the site.

**MattSmith** · 02 Dec. 2009 09:13pm

There online. They just sit there. Im constantly online, i never sign off. It always shows me. Im just not active most of the time.

#5 · 02 Dec. 2009 10:09pm

Originally Posted by Sk8er

There online. They just sit there. Im constantly online, i never sign off. It always shows me. Im just not active most of the time.

Except that it only lists you if you've loaded a page in the last [X] amount of time, which is what needs to be lowered.

#6 · 02 Dec. 2009 10:42pm

Originally Posted by GAMEchief

Except that it only lists you if you've loaded a page in the last [X] amount of time, which is what needs to be lowered.

Except if you check the remember me button, which keeps you logged in until you clear out browsing data.

#7 · 02 Dec. 2009 10:57pm

Originally Posted by Defy

Except if you check the remember me button, which keeps you logged in until you clear out browsing data.

You obviously don't know how the "Users Online" statistics are generated...

Here's an example query:
SELECT COUNT(`id`) FROM `members` WHERE `last_visit` > SUB_DATE(NOW(), 5 MINUTES)
Although I believe 5 minutes is typed differently.
i.e. select the number of members who have visited the page in the last 5 minutes.

The "Remember Me" option just changes the expiry of the cookie to a year.
I would hope you have noticed that if you close your browser and open it again, you are still logged in. For the sake of statistics, you are not online during that time your browser is closed, which is why Users Online statistics are not generated that way.

**FoRspArTA** · 03 Dec. 2009 02:20am

GAMEchief just pwned you haha. I don't really understand how it works even though GAME just explained it since I am sort of new to programming and whatever. But regardless of how it works, I agree with the need for a more accurate system.

#9 · 03 Dec. 2009 03:03am

Well then there should be a list of how many people active (an acitive person is one who browses the forum and post atleast once in 15-20min)

#10 · 03 Dec. 2009 03:11am

I wouldn't even include the requirement that they have to have posted, since it may be useful to PM someone who is online but isn't posting. But how long since they last visited the page definitely needs to be reduced, because with the current list, odds are, they aren't visiting the page, and you'd end up PMing someone who isn't even online, thus defeating the purpose of having Users Online in the first place.

**Drakonid** · 03 Dec. 2009 01:13pm

The online members aren't that important.
What should be back is the latest posts thing in the "What's Going On?" part...

#12 · 03 Dec. 2009 06:48pm

Originally Posted by Drakonid

The online members aren't that important.
What should be back is the latest posts thing in the "What's Going On?" part...

I agree. But the former would be easy to fix, as it's a single option in the Admin CP where you just change the number 60 [or whatever it is] to the number 15 (or less).

The latest posts section is a vB mod, and assuming it's not already installed, it would be a semi-pain in the ass to add. When I had a vB, I just downloaded a premodded version for that reason. It came with said mod, so I assume that's what LG did the previous time. Not sure why they didn't this time.

**Torian** · 04 Dec. 2009 10:56pm

Originally Posted by GAMEchief

I agree. But the former would be easy to fix, as it's a single option in the Admin CP where you just change the number 60 [or whatever it is] to the number 15 (or less).

The latest posts section is a vB mod, and assuming it's not already installed, it would be a semi-pain in the ass to add. When I had a vB, I just downloaded a premodded version for that reason. It came with said mod, so I assume that's what LG did the previous time. Not sure why they didn't this time.

This isn't a nulled version, that would have been the first thing someone who hated LG would have tried to do, report the forum for using a nulled copy of vBulletin.

#14 · 05 Dec. 2009 05:53am

Originally Posted by Torian

This isn't a nulled version, that would have been the first thing someone who hated LG would have tried to do, report the forum for using a nulled copy of vBulletin.

That explains part of it, but I'd imagine there are still premodded legit copies. Also, why are these suggestions never read by ~~staff~~ anyone who can do anything about them?
Also, [s] tag needs to be added.

**Torian** · 05 Dec. 2009 06:37am

Because Alex is away for a bit, Sk8er cant finalize any changes I think, and Plobby and Shane are pretty much moderators until Alex comes back to upgrade their powers.

**MattSmith** · 05 Dec. 2009 01:14pm

Well, i have control of the entire server. I have complete FTP control, cpanel control, and i have control of the VPS.

**uber_noob** · 05 Dec. 2009 03:15pm

This is because when most people leave to go do something else, they just turn their monitor off and leave LG up.

#18 · 05 Dec. 2009 07:25pm

Originally Posted by uber_noob

This is because when most people leave to go do something else, they just turn their monitor off and leave LG up.

Did you not read my explanation? No, that's not the reason. A web server is unable to know if a web page is currently being viewed. Just the last time it was viewed.
Please, people need to stop posting in here unless they know how users online statistics are generated, because I'm tired of explaining it. >_<
I mean, no offense, 'cause I'm sure I thought the same thing before, but it's not the case, as I'm sure I've said at least three times now.

Well, i have control of the entire server. I have complete FTP control, cpanel control, and i have control of the VPS.

So why can't you change it? Do you not have Admin CP control? You should at least be able to do so through a custom MySQL query or phpMyAdmin.

**uber_noob** · 05 Dec. 2009 11:40pm

Originally Posted by GAMEchief

Did you not read my explanation? No, that's not the reason. A web server is unable to know if a web page is currently being viewed. Just the last time it was viewed.
Please, people need to stop posting in here unless they know how users online statistics are generated, because I'm tired of explaining it. >_<
I mean, no offense, 'cause I'm sure I thought the same thing before, but it's not the case, as I'm sure I've said at least three times now.

So why can't you change it? Do you not have Admin CP control? You should at least be able to do so through a custom MySQL query or phpMyAdmin.

I might be wrong - but when I do transactions through PMs, it says the username is online, so I know they've received the PM. However, when I look at their profile, they are staying on one page, and that same page about 5 hours later. So it does not expire.

#20 · 06 Dec. 2009 06:24am

Originally Posted by uber_noob

I might be wrong - but when I do transactions through PMs, it says the username is online, so I know they've received the PM. However, when I look at their profile, they are staying on one page, and that same page about 5 hours later. So it does not expire.

Then that's because one of two things:
1) The user just happened to view that same page again.
2) The activity time set by LogicalGamers is 5 hours, which is what I've been asking to be reduced. Go back to the first page and view my example query. Replace "5 minutes" with "5 hours." The Users Online is being generated by gathering who has viewed any page in the last 5 hours. Which is most certainly not considered "online," as the user very well most likely isn't online 5 hours later. It's impossible for the server to know if they left the page open, or if they clicked "remember me." The way the server calculates this is by the last time the page was viewed, and if it's considering everyone who's viewed a page in the last 5 hours as "online," then it isn't hardly accurate.
Shit needs to be set to 5 minutes. I'm thinking it may be set to 24 hours to show all the members who've logged in that day; but doing that is pointless. It needs to show who's online now, so that they can be PM'd and the like.

**Chris** · 06 Dec. 2009 01:01pm

Originally Posted by GAMEchief

Then that's because one of two things:
1) The user just happened to view that same page again.
2) The activity time set by LogicalGamers is 5 hours, which is what I've been asking to be reduced. Go back to the first page and view my example query. Replace "5 minutes" with "5 hours." The Users Online is being generated by gathering who has viewed any page in the last 5 hours. Which is most certainly not considered "online," as the user very well most likely isn't online 5 hours later. It's impossible for the server to know if they left the page open, or if they clicked "remember me." The way the server calculates this is by the last time the page was viewed, and if it's considering everyone who's viewed a page in the last 5 hours as "online," then it isn't hardly accurate.
Shit needs to be set to 5 minutes. I'm thinking it may be set to 24 hours to show all the members who've logged in that day; but doing that is pointless. It needs to show who's online now, so that they can be PM'd and the like.

You could use the PHP 5 Session file method, all you do is open the session files check the dates last written to and eliminate those older than X minutes/hours/etc.

Save's MySQL, it's load faster, and it is the same amount of accuracy because vBulletin call's session creation on every page load.

#22 · 06 Dec. 2009 07:16pm

Originally Posted by Chris

You could use the PHP 5 Session file method, all you do is open the session files check the dates last written to and eliminate those older than X minutes/hours/etc.

Save's MySQL, it's load faster, and it is the same amount of accuracy because vBulletin call's session creation on every page load.

Yeah, but this system is already built into vBulletin. All the admin has to do is change a number in the admin CP.

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