Check in/out book search not working

I have noticed an issue on the Check in/out page. When I first bring up the page to checkout books to patrons, I am able to scan or type in barcodes, and the book search function works well. However, if I let the Check in/out page sit for a bit and then try to search for a book, it acts like it searches, but it will not return anything. I tried multiple barcodes and no luck. I tried to refresh the page, but that does not help. I tried to go back to the Admin page, and then back to the Check in/out page, but it doesn't help either. The only thing that seems to work is if I sign out and back in again. Then, it works for a small amount of time, and the problem occurs again. I have replicated this issue on 2 separate computers. Has anyone seen this problem, and is there a quick fix or setting change I can do? Thank you!

NB: I can tell this is a question for TinyCat, so I'm answering. (Also, you can post any TinyCat-related questions in the future, in the TinyCat Group here: https://www.librarything.com/groups/tinycat)

There is an admin security feature where you're supposed to get auto-logged out after 15 minutes of inactivity. Perhaps there's something with your browser/setup that is making it so you can't see yourself getting logged out (or maybe it's breaking? if so I'll want to investigate), but I suspect that's what you're seeing. You'll want to run your check ins/outs when you're ready to run them, and then make sure you're active in the Admin portal before trying again. I hope this helps!

>2 kristilabrie: Thank you for the response! I wondered if it was breaking, as I haven't been seeing the log out screen, or if I do, it's an ubrupt appearance that seemed odd. I am going to try checkouts and checkins tomorrow with groups of 20 students. I can let you know how it goes. If you have any browser/setup suggestions to try in the meantime, I would definitely appreciate that. Thank you!

I would just make sure that you have the most updated version for whatever browser you're using, and to make sure you're not using any browser add-ons or extensions that could mess with the system (if you're not sure, you can always just try disabling all of them to see if it helps). Then, just make sure you're staying active (taking actions on a page, changing pages) in the Admin portal (within the 15-minute time period) to stay logged in. That should do it.

>4 kristilabrie: I’m sorry for the late reply. I am out of town and won’t be able to check browser settings until next week. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know that I believe it takes only 5 minutes before I am experiencing issues. I try to add a known book for checkout, and no book is returned from the search. Trying it multiple times and with different books yields nothing. Then if I try to go back to the main admin button, a screen pops up letting me know that I have been logged out. If I try to log in again, I only get the option to log in as admin. I am trying to practice checkouts as a volunteer, so then I have to bring up the page which gives me the option to either login as admin or a staff/volunteer. I was trying to stay active with the checkouts, but had to pause here and there. On Tuesday, I had to sign in multiple times during multiple class checkouts, and it was very cumbersome. Again, I will look at my browser settings next week, but I just wanted to give you a bit more info, in case something is breaking or I’m doing something wrong. Thanks!

11/12/23 Update: I think my browser settings are ok. I spent quite a few hours this evening alternating being signed in as "admin" versus "volunteer". I could not replicate the problem as admin, but it is fairly common when signed in as a volunteer. Hopefully this is a clue? Thanks again!

11/14/23 Update: Today, while I was actively checking out books, with no interruptions, I experienced the problem too.

>4 kristilabrie: Hi Kristi, I just wanted to make sure you saw my replies/updates and wondered if you could still help? Thanks!