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FTP - Do you want to reconnect ?

Posted: 2009-04-30, 07:04 UTC
by cos
Please get rid of the annoying do you want to reconnect message.

make it transparent for the user. Did the connection die, then reconnect silently once user tries to do something on the ftp.

Make this as an option to enable or disable for people who think thi sis needed. But it's SUPER ANNOYING !!

THANK YOU in advance.

ps: i own a few licenses :)

Posted: 2009-04-30, 10:19 UTC
by ghisler(Author)
This would indeed be nice, but unfortunately too much can go wrong to support automatic reconnect and resuming of transfers.

Posted: 2009-04-30, 10:38 UTC
by Lefteous
The question for me is how can the user help to solve this problem by answering the connect yes/no question?

Posted: 2009-05-01, 06:34 UTC
by cos
Hi cristian, thank you for checking into this.

I am NOT talking about automatic reconnect for file transfers.

Here is the scenario:
- i open a FTP connection
- edit / upload something
- task is finished
- leave ftp connection in the left panel open
- go back to work on my right panel
- 1 hour passes by
- now i have my latest version of files on my right panel, and left panel is still "open" with the ftp.

Now, the connection is long dead, but the panel still displays the ftp. So if you do ANYTHING, from browsing, or effectively trying to upload, first thing it asks you, "Connection dead, Do you want to reconnect" (approximative message :P), obviously, that is why i left the left panel there, since i need it continiously.

So yes, it should reconnect, silently, before it starts doing, what i asked it to do (browse, upload, etc).

Scenario for TC:
A: copy from one panel to a ftp panel
- check if connection is available
- if yes, continue with action
- if no, reconnect silently (do not ask the user, do not even prompt that it's reconnecting, obviously the action, will take 1 extra second)
- after silent reconnect, continue action

B: browse on disconnected ftp panel
- one open panel with the ftp
- click/double click on one folder
- check if connection is avaialbe
- if yes, continue action
- if no, silent reconnect, and continue action.

ps: ich kann es auch auf deutsch erklearen wenn notwendig :P

Let me know what you think.
Personally i think it's a max 30 min, job and it will not even add bug (well, my experience tells me that it might add, but from the simplicity of the request, it might be actual easy .. )

Thank you again. !!

Posted: 2009-05-01, 06:35 UTC
by cos
Lefteous wrote:The question for me is how can the user help to solve this problem by answering the connect yes/no question?
Well, that is my point too, i ALWYAS have to click yes, most of the time 99%, i do use that panel.

Obviously, this is a feature for webdeveloper, more than normal average users, since once they are done, they can close the connection. But it should support the silent reconnect too :)

Posted: 2009-05-01, 08:25 UTC
by Samuel
Support++.

Posted: 2009-05-01, 09:06 UTC
by ghisler(Author)
The question for me is how can the user help to solve this problem by answering the connect yes/no question?
Only the user knows whether the Internet connection is still available. The user may have walked away from the WLAN hotspot, he may have disconnected his (mobile phone) modem etc. etc.

Posted: 2009-05-01, 09:07 UTC
by Samuel
So an error pops up like:
Reconnect failed.

Posted: 2009-05-01, 09:14 UTC
by ghisler(Author)
The problem is that there are ways to enable auto-reconnect when the connection is lost. What I would need is a 100% bulletproof way to detect that an Internet connection is available. Virus scanners seem to know that, and get their updates automatically when the connection is established. But how do they know?

Posted: 2009-05-01, 09:16 UTC
by Samuel
Ping google :D

Posted: 2009-05-01, 09:47 UTC
by ghisler(Author)
Looks good, thanks!

Posted: 2009-05-01, 12:20 UTC
by Hacker
Christian,
Personally I do this in a small AHK script to check if the network is available:

Code: Select all

Loop
{
	Sleep, 1000
	If (DllCall("Wininet.dll\InternetCheckConnectionA", Str,"http://192.168.1.1", Int,1, Int,0) = 1)
		Break
}
Which is basically pinging my default gateway.

In general it has one disadvantage - there might be no internet connection available, just LAN. On the other hand, I do not think there is a foolproof way to detect internet connection availability, as anything might be filtered on a firewall or on a proxy.

Pinging Google is nice and universal, but might be filtered on a firewall as well. The only thing you can count on not being filtered and the only thing you actually must be able to reach is the FTP server. It isn't blocked since you've been connected a few moments ago and it is also a foolproof test of the availability - if everything else is filtered and this one FTP server is not - it is enough.

Thus the most feasible approach to me would seem to try and connect to the FTP server to which the connection failed, with a configurable timeout and an Abort button.

Roman

Posted: 2009-05-01, 13:52 UTC
by Da_Teach
Why not add a 'Keep-alive' option?

While it isnt supported by all FTP servers (some servers ignore the command), the NOOP command is intended to keep the connection alive.

This should stop most FTP servers from timing out.

While we're talking about FTP, can we get a 'remember option' or an option to disable the dialog that says :
"Do you want to close the connection to 'bla'? NOTE: You can have up to 10 connections...."

I mean if I can have 10 open connections, why on earth does TC keep asking if I want to close my active connection? And why dont I have any way of disabling this box.

Posted: 2009-05-01, 13:54 UTC
by Lefteous
Why not add a 'Keep-alive' option?
Because it's already there.

Posted: 2009-05-01, 16:56 UTC
by Da_Teach
Lefteous wrote:
Why not add a 'Keep-alive' option?
Because it's already there.
You must be using a different TC then me, 7.5b2 does not have 'Keep-Alive' as an option on the FTP-configuration panel.