AbtracOnLine includes a timeout setting after a certain period of inactivity.

If no data has been entered, or if the browser pages have not been manually refreshed then the software is designed to log out inactive users.

What are the timeout limits for AbtracOnLine?

For most pages in Abtrac the timeout limit is 60 minutes.

What this means is if there is no activity within most of the screens in Abtrac then the inactive user will be logged out within ONE hour.

The timeout activity criteria includes saved data modifications, screen navigation and page refreshes. In essence to keep a session active you need to either refresh your screen or enter and save some data every 60 minutes.

For the timesheet entry pages the limit is 10 hours.

The exception to the timeout rule is the timesheet entries screens. You can open a timesheet entry window and leave it open for TEN hours and you won’t get logged out. When setting the 10 hour limit we had in mind that a user may open their timesheet in the morning but not complete their timesheet until the end their working day.

Why have a timeout limit?

Most online applications employ a timeout settings after a period of inactivity, your internet banking sites are probably the most commonly experienced example.

Timeout limits online are mainly for two reasons, Security and Performance.

Although all communications between your browser and Abtrac are encrypted (using Https among other things) timing out an inactive session is additional piece of mind for us and our users, extra insurance that the data remains secure.

Performance-wise if we allowed a six hour timeout for all screens then the connection would take up system resources. Even with no activity there’s still processing at  both ends to maintain the connection – that’s on the local device accessing Abtrac and on the Abtrac application servers too.

Although it’s quite common for online applications to include a timeout we appreciate it’s a bit of a change – particularly for Abtrac users recently converted from Abtrac5. Long term as the technology becomes feasible we’ll look at an option to choose to extend the timeout as part of your My Settings or System Settings choices.

Abtrac KB# 2060