Shopping cart empties when using browsers back browse button

[Foxtel]

Hi everybody,

 

This is the test case when "Cart Empties".

• Browser FireFox or IE6 set to NOT accept cookies.
   
  
• Customer arrives at index page then clicks on any product "Add To Cart" button.
   
  
• Customer gets taken to shopping cart page with product added to the cart, then customers uses the browsers back browser button to go back to the index page.
   
  
• At this point the cart is empty.
  

These are some observations at the point where the cart emptied

• The URL does NOT have the SID.
   
  
• A new SID was generated different from the original one that was first given to the customer when they first arrived.
  

Now this does make sense, because if the customer gets a new SID different from the original they received then all the items in their cart would empty.

 

These are test cases where the cart "Dot Not Empty":

• Browser FireFox or IE6 accepting cookies.
   
  
• If the customers used a link in the shop that take them back to the index page(for example "Home" link back to index)(even when cookies are not accepted by the browser) the cart Does Not empty. The original SID that was given to the customer shows in the URL for the case when cookies are not being accepted and for when cookies are accepted by the browser then there is no problems with the cart emptying.
  

I also tried this test on the stock version of osC for the test case "Cary Empties" and observed the same scenario of the cart emptying out when using the browsers back button and getting a new SID. Stock version of osC does not have add to cart button on index, but the same issue happens when you click on any product , then next page you add to cart then use the browsers back button to get back to index and the cart will be empty.

 

 

These are my session setting in admin:

• Session Directory /tmp
   
   
  
• Force Cookie Use False
   
   
  
• Check SSL Session ID False
   
   
  
• Check User Agent False
   
   
  
• Check IP Address False
   
   
  
• Prevent Spider Sessions True
   
   
  
• Recreate Session True
  

What my concern is that if a customer that has disable cookies on their browser will arrive at the site add items to the cart and then decide they need to look at the home page(index) and use the browsers back button or the mouse back browser button and when they get to "Home", they are wondering why their cart is empty.

 

 

What I think would solve the issue is if osC did NOT generate a new SID when you get back to index, by osC generating a new SID the customer losses everything in their cart.

 

Could someone please help me solve this?

 

 

Thank you -Marizka

[KennethS]

Hi everybody,

 

This is the test case when "Cart Empties".

• Browser FireFox or IE6 set to NOT accept cookies.
   
  
• Customer arrives at index page then clicks on any product "Add To Cart" button.
   
  
• Customer gets taken to shopping cart page with product added to the cart, then customers uses the browsers back browser button to go back to the index page.
   
  
• At this point the cart is empty.
  

These are some observations at the point where the cart emptied

• The URL does NOT have the SID.
   
  
• A new SID was generated different from the original one that was first given to the customer when they first arrived.
  

Now this does make sense, because if the customer gets a new SID different from the original they received then all the items in their cart would empty.

 

These are test cases where the cart "Dot Not Empty":

• Browser FireFox or IE6 accepting cookies.
   
  
• If the customers used a link in the shop that take them back to the index page(for example "Home" link back to index)(even when cookies are not accepted by the browser) the cart Does Not empty. The original SID that was given to the customer shows in the URL for the case when cookies are not being accepted and for when cookies are accepted by the browser then there is no problems with the cart emptying.
  

I also tried this test on the stock version of osC for the test case "Cary Empties" and observed the same scenario of the cart emptying out when using the browsers back button and getting a new SID. Stock version of osC does not have add to cart button on index, but the same issue happens when you click on any product , then next page you add to cart then use the browsers back button to get back to index and the cart will be empty.

These are my session setting in admin:

• Session Directory /tmp
   
   
  
• Force Cookie Use False
   
   
  
• Check SSL Session ID False
   
   
  
• Check User Agent False
   
   
  
• Check IP Address False
   
   
  
• Prevent Spider Sessions True
   
   
  
• Recreate Session True
  

What my concern is that if a customer that has disable cookies on their browser will arrive at the site add items to the cart and then decide they need to look at the home page(index) and use the browsers back button or the mouse back browser button and when they get to "Home", they are wondering why their cart is empty.

What I think would solve the issue is if osC did NOT generate a new SID when you get back to index, by osC generating a new SID the customer losses everything in their cart.

 

Could someone please help me solve this?

Thank you -Marizka

 

In your config file try changing where sessions are stored. File based or Mysql.

[Foxtel]

In your config file try changing where sessions are stored. File based or Mysql.

Ken,

I currently have session stored as MySQL based. I will try changing them to file base. I'll post my results.

Thank you for your suggestion.

-Marizka

[KennethS]

Ken,

I currently have session stored as MySQL based. I will try changing them to file base. I'll post my results.

Thank you for your suggestion.

-Marizka

 

Let me and the rest know. I've had similiar problems under different hosts. It oddly helped.

[Foxtel]

Let me and the rest know. I've had similiar problems under different hosts. It oddly helped.

Update: I changed sessions from being stored in the Database to File Based, but still the same issue, the cart still empties when you use the browsers back browse button.

This is the test case when "Cart Empties".

 

• Browser FireFox or IE6 set to NOT accept cookies.
  
• Customer arrives at index page then clicks on any product "Add To Cart" button.
  
• Customer gets taken to shopping cart page with product added to the cart, then customers uses the browsers back browser button to go back to the index page.
  
• At this point the cart is empty.
  

Please, any more suggestions?

Thank you -Marizka

[Foxtel]

I tried the "Cart Empties" test case on some of the live shops and I was able to recreate the issue.

Does anybody know how to prevent this from happening?

Thank you -Marizka

[boxtel]

I tried the "Cart Empties" test case on some of the live shops and I was able to recreate the issue.

Does anybody know how to prevent this from happening?

Thank you -Marizka

 

This is not possible, when cookies are refused, osc (as any other session based system) needs to maintain that session id in the url. The back button does not retain session id's that are in the url's on the page but were not yet shown in the address field.

As such, osc (and all others) sees that as a new client not having a session yet.

 

The only semi solution you can apply is to have the client redirected to the basket when putting something in there.

[Foxtel]

This is not possible, when cookies are refused, osc (as any other session based system) needs to maintain that session id in the url. The back button does not retain session id's that are in the url's on the page but were not yet shown in the address field.

As such, osc (and all others) sees that as a new client not having a session yet.

 

The only semi solution you can apply is to have the client redirected to the basket when putting something in there.

Amanda,

Your site does not exhibit this issue.

This is the sequence of steps when arriving on your site.

1. Browser FireFox or IE6 set to NOT accept cookies.
    
   
2. Arrive at index page then click on the "Add To Basket" for the featured product
    
   
3. Then you get redirected to shopping cart page with product added to the cart, then click on the browsers back browser button to go back to the index page.
    
   
4. Once you get back to your index page and look at any of your links, all the links still have the same SID that was given to me when I first arrived on your site. Now because I still have the same SID that was assigned to me when I first arrived I can click on "My Basket" and see the product I placed in there.
   

All the steps are the same for my test site until I get to step 4. In my case, when I browse back using the browsers back button and get to the index page, the system reassigns me a new SID and I lose the cart contents. How did you make it so that in your site the system does not give out a new SID?

 

Regards, -Marizka

[boxtel]

Amanda,

Your site does not exhibit this issue.

This is the sequence of steps when arriving on your site.

1. Browser FireFox or IE6 set to NOT accept cookies.
    
   
2. Arrive at index page then click on the "Add To Basket" for the featured product
    
   
3. Then you get redirected to shopping cart page with product added to the cart, then click on the browsers back browser button to go back to the index page.
    
   
4. Once you get back to your index page and look at any of your links, all the links still have the same SID that was given to me when I first arrived on your site. Now because I still have the same SID that was assigned to me when I first arrived I can click on "My Basket" and see the product I placed in there.
   

All the steps are the same for my test site until I get to step 4. In my case, when I browse back using the browsers back button and get to the index page, the system reassigns me a new SID and I lose the cart contents. How did you make it so that in your site the system does not give out a new SID?

 

Regards, -Marizka

 

yes but I think that is because when you enter my site for the first time and do not have a cookie with your browser resolution from a previous time (or cookies disabled) and have javascript enabled, you get redirected to the same page with your browser resolution attached as parameter ?azx=xxx so I can determine whether to send you the 800 or 1024 version of the pages.

That is also the reason why people do not see session id's attached on the first page if cookies are enabled as this also is bypassed by the redirect. Unintended features of BR&R.

 

So I suggest you try again with javascript disabled which disables that redirect.

[Foxtel]

yes but I think that is because when you enter my site for the first time and do not have a cookie with your browser resolution from a previous time (or cookies disabled) and have javascript enabled, you get redirected to the same page with your browser resolution attached as parameter ?azx=xxx so I can determine whether to send you the 800 or 1024 version of the pages.

That is also the reason why people do not see session id's attached on the first page if cookies are enabled as this also is bypassed by the redirect. Unintended features of BR&R.

 

So I suggest you try again with javascript disabled which disables that redirect.

With javascript disable the ?azx=xxx does not get appended in the URL, so following the four steps now we lose the cart contents. When javascript is enable the ?azx=xxx gets appended to the URL and we do not lose the cart contents. I think I now have clear picture of whats going on.

I appreciate your time and help, Thank You. Regards, -Marizka