Absolute Mind Bender

@prakartApr 29.2011

I have been banging my head off the desk for 3 days on this one..

I have been setting up a penny auction script for a client. The strangest thing is occuring with the javascript. Everything works fine, until we close the browser, or even go a CMS page that does not have a running auction on it, then the bid butlers just totally stop running. It was like they were never set in the first place, and the auction closes at the current price regardless of who queued what. As soon as there is no online visitor, it simply ends there and then… not another bid is placed!!

It also kills the session. the really strange thing is that it doesn’t matter who is viewing, so long as there at least 1 person online with an auction in view (with the bid butlers in operation) Then you would never know there was a problem. It can be anyone from any ip, logged in or not logged in, just as long as the js detects someone is watching… then it is happy to do its job.. as soon as everyone turns their backs, it gets lonely and comits suicide.

I am just a newbie, but i know because it is browser relient, then it has to be a js issue.

Anyway…. I was wondering if there was any way i could mimic an online userto fool the js into thinking there was someone online at all times??? I know there are all sorts of bots, but i just want to have single connection into the website that is happy to sit there viewing the same page 24/7 until i can get this maddening problem sorted.

If anyone wants to take up the challenge, i am not averse to remuneration ?

Incidentally, for those unfamiliar weith bidbutlers, these are babysitters that a user can prgram a start and end price and commit a number of bids to be used by the bid butler. They are then free to go to bed or work or whatever.. and the bidbutler actions the bids within the programmed range.

see here.

We have programmed the bidbutlers in this listing to apply bids for us between 0.25 and 500 with 2000 bids in the account.

~~[URL=”http://www.prakartfree.com/auctions_detail.php?pid=PB0086″]~~http://www.prakartfree.com/auctions_detail.php?pid=PB0086[/URL]

js files are available from viewing page source, but im sure you already knew that ?

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@DanInMAApr 29.2011 — #http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prakartfree.com%2Fauctions_detail.php%3Fpid%3DPB0086&charset=%28detect+automatically%29&doctype=Inline&group=0

almost 40 validation errors.

also you state "Everything works fine, until we close the browser, or even go a CMS page that does not have a running auction on it." but you don't ever state what the problem is in addition to your session being killed.

@prakartauthorApr 29.2011 — #I do alopogise... i have ammended the post to include the main fault... that's how much this has scrambled my brain over the past 2 or 3 days.

@prakartauthorApr 29.2011 — #What document did you put through for validation to get this report?

@aj_nscApr 29.2011 — #You can't solve a problem without knowing what the problem is. For instance, if you get a bucket of water from a well and walk 10 yards and the bucket is only half full, then walk 20 yards and it's only a quarter full - you can't say can we move the well 10 yards closer to the destination so I'll only have to make half as many trips to the well? You say....let's plug the whole in the bucket!!!

What if, instead of 'tricking the script into thinking someone's watching' you actually.....I don't know, found the logic error in the code and 'plugged the leak'?

I think I need a better explanation of this bid butler thing....after looking through the JS I can't find out how it is "started"?

Also, I know this is because I don't have any idea about this system but I have to ask - why/how do you expect JS to fire ajax requests to your system if the visitor isn't on the same page as the Javascript (e.g. when you close the browser window or when you navigate away from the page?)

@prakartauthorApr 29.2011 — #Penny auctions are where a bunch of bidders buy prepaid bids which reside in the user's account. they go to an auction they want to bid on, and instead of the bidders trying to outbid each other by claiming the highest price (like ebay). They bid against a dynamic countdown timer. The item price always starts at '0', as the timer counts down to zero it is up to any bidder to place a bid when they want (usually in the dying seconds. When a bid is placed 3 things happen. a pre-paid bid is debited from the bidder's account, the price rises by 0.25 of a cent (in the case of usa) and lastly the timer has 10 seconds added to the clock. This them gives time for other bidders to hit with a bid.

Each time, the price is slowely rising. but massively cheaper than listed price. the price and timers refresh every time a bid is placed.. the last person to bid when the time hits zero is the winner and pays the current price. The website makes a profit because they sell bids for say 40 cents a go. So each bid grabs 40C for the website owner. if the item goes for $10 then the website claims $1600 for something worth say $300 and the winner saves $290

Bid butlers will place your bids for you... User will login, buy bids and choose an auction.. when logged in, a window is visible to user, and they can select the 'start bidding price' end 'bidding price'... lets say $1.40 to $2.75 and select number of bids from their account that they want to commit to the auction... lets say 60. Once this has been set, the user no longer needs to be present... the bid butler will automatically place random bids with the user's chosen price range... enabling the user to go and do a bit of skiing or something, and when they return they can see if the bid butlers have won for them.

The problem is... unless there is a single person online.. the butlers switch off and all the auctions count down to zero and the auctions end... unless there are real time bidders who are manually hitting the 'bid' button. Then the autobidders will play with them... or even if nobody is playing manually... even if I am sitting there.. unregistered visitor watching, then the butlers will work... navigate away for even 5 seconds and the butlers stop.

@aj_nscApr 29.2011 — #Ok, so it sounds like you can easily identify the fact that their is a problem (although not the problem itself) using the following scenario:

Set up an auction and your bids (for easiness sake let's say nobody else can access it as this is a testing auction to identify the flaw in the system). So once you set up everything in place, you start watching the auction and let's say the timer is at 1 minute left. If you then navigate away from that page and then directly back to that page, you're saying the auction will be over...that's what I get from this:

<i>
 </i>It was like they were never set in the first place, and the auction closes at the current price regardless of who queued what. As soon as there is no online visitor, it simply ends there and then... not another bid is placed!!

Even though, technically there should be, say 50 seconds left, if navigating away from the page and then back to it took 10 seconds.

Am I following you correctly?

@prakartauthorApr 30.2011 — #No..... The bidbutlers only start bidding in the last dying 50 seconds... so the timer will count to 5 seconds left, then the bidbutler will place a bid, and the time goes to 15 seconds (adds 10). Up to the time bidders actually start their bidding, you can come and go as you please and the auction stays where it is with no problems.... but once that bidding action starts, there needs to be someone online. once the bidding is actually physically happening, that is when you cant navigate away... if you do the butlers go to sleep and never return, so the item ends

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