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TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
The Troubleshooting Guide has been developed to help you resolve problems in viewing or using Intertec TimePro on your web browser.
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Your browser has been identified as Netscape 4.x
Please note: Browser detection cannot be foolproof - there are many little-used browsers, and new browsers are released frequently.
If this is not the browser you are actually using, the instructions below may not correctly relate to your browser.
However, these instructions may still serve as a useful guide, and you should find similar menu options in your browser.
Supported Browsers
Intertec TimePro is designed to work correctly with as wide a range of browsers as possible.
For the technically-minded, using Intertec TimePro requires a browser which supports Javascript, cookies and CSS1 stylesheets.
In practice, this means that most browsers currently in use will work perfectly well with Intertec TimePro.
We have tested Intertec TimePro with a number of browsers, including:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later,
- Mozilla 1.1 or later,
- Firefox 1 or later,
- Netscape 6 or later,
- Opera 7 or later
The only issues we know about affect administrators printing batches of timesheets. When a batch is printed, each timesheet appears on a new page.
This has been verified as working correctly on Netscape 4.7x and 7.0, Mozilla 1.1 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and later, all of which allow page preview.
We recommend using one of the browsers named above to do batch printing.
Page breaking and page preview do not work with FireFox 1, Mozilla 1.0 or Netscape 6, but do work correctly from FireFox 1.2, Mozilla 1.1 and Netscape 7.
Opera 6 offers a print preview mode, but does not support controlled page breaks (still the case in Opera 9.27). Internet Explorer prior to version 5.5 did not allow page preview.
Browser Settings
Intertec TimePro does not use any unusual features, and will work correctly with the default settings
that browsers are usually installed with. If you have changed the settings, you may run into problems.
Below is a guide to setting up your browser to work correctly with Intertec TimePro.
The features Intertec TimePro needs are:
Cookies
What a cookie is
A cookie is a small parcel of information which is sent to your computer, can be stored on your computer for a period, and can be requested to be returned from your computer. This information allows a Web site to "recognise" your computer when next you visit the site. Intertec TimePro doesn't store any information on your computer, but does use "session cookies", which maintain continuity between you and the Intertec TimePro site. Intertec TimePro uses the simplest kind of cookie, which is discarded as soon as you close your browser window, and is returned to the Intertec TimePro server only.
How cookies are used in TmePro
When you log on on to the Intertec TimePro site, a session is created to respond to you.
This session has an ID number, and this number is passed to your browser in a cookie.
When your browser sends another message to Intertec TimePro, this session identification number is returned with the message,
and allows the message to be directed to the correct session, which "knows" what you were doing. If you don't respond for some time,
this session will time out, all information it holds will be discarded, and you will have to log in again to use Intertec TimePro.
If cookies are disabled on your browser, Intertec TimePro has no way to maintain this continuity,
and you are effectively logged out as soon as you move to the first screen after the login screen.
Cookies must be used in order for you to use any site which presents something other than static data.
How to enable cookies in Netscape 4.x
If the browser you use is not Netscape 4, you should find similar features in the menu, possibly under Options.
- From the menu, choose Edit.
- Now choose Preferences.
- Select the Advanced category in the left panel.
- In the right-hand panel under Cookies, choose one of the first two radio buttons. ("Accept only cookies that get sent back to the originating server" is enough. If you choose "Accept all cookies", Intertec TimePro will still behave correctly.)
- Choose OK to save the changes.
Javascript
Javascript is a programming language which allows the behaviour of your browser to be controlled to a limited extent by Intertec TimePro. If this is not enabled, then the buttons won't work, and some other features also won't work, and nor will cascading style sheets work in Netscape 4.x. For Intertec TimePro to work, then, Javascript must be enabled.
How to enable Javascript in Netscape 4.x
If the browser you use is not Netscape 4, you should find similar features in the menu, possibly under Options.
- From the menu, choose Edit.
- Now choose Preferences.
- Choose the Advanced category in the left panel.
- In the right-hand panel in the upper region, click on Enable Javascript.
- Check at the same time that "Enable style sheets" is selected.
- Choose OK to save the settings.
CSS1 Style Sheets
The abbreviation stands for Cascading Style Sheets level 1, and refers to a mechanism for controlling the appearance of the displayed page. Support for level 1 of CSS is automatic for all the supported browsers with the exception of Netscape 4.x. Netscape 4 style support is dependent on Javascript, so turning on Javascript is a prerequisite for CSS to work and for Intertec TimePro to display correctly. Please refer to the section on Javascript for instructions on enabling stylesheet support in Netscape 4.
Most features of CSS2 are not supported at present (April 2003) by any browsers except Mozilla 1 or Netscape 6 and later. Even these browsers have incomplete support for CSS2. For this reason, Intertec TimePro uses only CSS1 features, with the exception of the page-break feature used in printing batches of timesheets - this is a CSS2 feature, and the limitation on browsers suitable for printing of timesheet batches is because of the inconsistent support for this feature.
Page Caching
When you visit any Internet site, information is transferred back and forth between your computer and the Web site. Browsers try to minimise the traffic and improve responsiveness by keeping local copies of pages you've visited, and if you revisit a page will present the copy already stored. This is fine for pages with static content, but for a business application in which the information is changing constantly, this can be a profound nuisance - you don't want to save your time entries for the day and find that you're seeing the period summary as it was before you entered the new information.
Web applications do their best to ensure that the page is regarded as "expired" as soon as it's presented, but browsers can still override this attempt. You can control this behaviour to some extent with your browser settings.
The problem doesn't stop there. Your local server, through which you "talk" to the Web site, is probably also caching copies of pages and serving up previously-visited pages from a local "proxy" server. Ways to get around this are discussed below in the discussion on Proxy Servers.
How to disable page caching in Netscape 4.x
If the browser you use is not Netscape 4, you should find similar features in the menu, possibly under Options.
- From the menu, choose Edit.
- Now choose Preferences.
- Expand the Advanced category in the left-hand panel, and select Cache.
- Choose the middle radio button (Every time).
- Choose OK to save the changes.
Clearing the local cache
Your browser may have non-expired copies of pages dating from before the time you set the caching behaviour as described in the preceding section. To resolve this, you need to empty the cache of all the existing temporary files.
How to clear the local cache in Netscape 4.x
- From the menu, choose Edit.
- Now choose Preferences.
- Expand Advanced in the left panel and choose Cache.
- In the right panel, choose "Clear disk cache".
- In Netscape 4 only, you will need to confirm this action.
- Use OK or Cancel to close the Preferences dialogue.
Proxy Servers
Proxy servers maintain a local cache of pages visited by any of the browsers they serve, and will try to serve a page first from the local cache before downloading a fresh copy from the next computer in line. You have little direct control over this. Your network administrators may need to take action to permit these options to work correctly.
If you are still having problems with non-current pages being delivered, you should contact your IT support centre and ask them to arrange, if possible, for you to have one of:
- a direct connection to the Internet which bypasses your proxy server;
- your browser set up to ignore the proxy for the Intertec TimePro Web site.
In what follows, the Intertec TimePro URL referred to is the first portion of the Web address, up to the third "/" character, which you will find in the address panel after you have logged on - as an example: http://www.timesheets.com.au/.
How to bypass a proxy server in Netscape 4.x
- From the menu, choose Edit.
- Now choose Preferences.
- In the left panel, expand Advanced and choose Proxies.
- If possible, select "Direct connection to the internet".
- If you have manual proxies selected, with Netscape 4 you will need to choose the View button to see details. In the bottom section you can set domains for which the proxy server will be bypassed; specify the Intertec TimePro URL here.
- If you have automatic proxies selected, contact your network administrators about setting up the bypass.
- Choose OK to save the changes.
Specific Problems
The following is a list of symptoms indicating specific issues, usually with browser settings.
Guidelines are suggested for dealing with these problems.
You log on, and are immediately logged off
Symptom: You log on in the normal way, and your login details are accepted, but you then get a mostly-blank screen with the Intertec TimePro header and a grey box, with the words "Not logged on" near the top right.
Resolution: You probably have cookies disabled. Intertec TimePro depends on a cookie, a small parcel of text, being passed back and forth between your browser and the application. This cookie allows the server to route your responses to the correct session of Intertec TimePro. The cookie is discarded as soon as the session ends, and carries no information other than the session identifier. You need to enable cookies.
If this doesn't work, you may have internet security software which is causing the problem, which would need to be resolved by your in-house technical staff.
Note that in version 3.3.1 and later of Intertec TimePro, you will also see a message at the top of the page advising you that this feature is disabled. This message provides a link to a help page which tells you how to enable cookies.
The browser background does not appear
Symptom: You use Netscape 4 and find that the background is not the correct Intertec TimePro blue.
Resolution: Enable Javascript and style sheets.
Note that in version 3.3.1 and later of Intertec TimePro, you will also see a message at the top of the page advising you that this feature is disabled. This message provides a link to a help page which tells you how to enable Javascript.
Pages you revisit show old data
Symptom: You make changes to a detail page, or change selections for a report, and submit the changes, but the page you see does not reflect the changes.
Resolution: There are several setting in your browser or local network which can cause this behaviour.
See the following sections for more information:
Data appears to save correctly, but you see the original data again
Symptom: You make changes to a detail page and submit the changes, but the page you see does not reflect the changes.
Resolution: First try the suggestions in the topic Pages you revisit show old data
Intertec TimePro has been verified to work with Norton Personal Firewall 2005 with its default installation settings. However some Intertec TimePro customers have found that Norton's Firewall incorrectly blocks some Intertec TimePro requests, this may be the case if you have modified the settings in Norton's Firewall or are using an older version. In this case you try the following to resolve the situation:
- Turn off your Firewall program
- Adjust the Privacy Control
- Add our timesheets web site to the list of safe sites
- Reinstall Norton's latest version with default settings
The Pop-Up Calendar doesn't appear
Symptom: The calendar icon appears, but clicking on it has no effect.
Resolution: The pop-up calendar works for most browsers, but not all of them. Known exceptions are Internet Explorer on the Macintosh, Netscape 4 and earlier, and Opera 6 and earlier. If you have Javascript disabled, it also won't work. Follow this link to learn how to enable Javascript.
Firewalls and Content Filters
Firewalls such as Norton Personal Firewall, ZoneAlarm and many others, can be excessively restrictive.
Content filters such as NetNanny and similar packages can also be restrictive in what they allow you to do and see.
If you have such software, first try using a machine without such software, or disable the software.
If this software is the cause of the problem, you will need to refer to the documentation or the help system for ways to make it less restrictive.
Launching help from the Support page doesn't work
Symptom: You get the list of help versions, but when you choose one the list disappears and the Help window doesn't appear.
Resolution: If you have pop-up window blocking enabled, your browser will be preventing the Help
window opening as it is a pop-up window. This applies to a machine which has had the Windows XP
Service Pack 2 applied if you use Internet Explorer, as well as Mozilla, Firebird, Firefox and
other browsers. You will need to enable pop-up windows for the Intertec TimePro web site.
Intertec TimePro+ In-house IIS Web Server configuration issues
Symptom: You get Server Map Path ASP error.
Resolution: Manually Set "Map Paths" ASP Setting:
- Open the Management Console (Start, Control Panel, Administration Tools, Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager);
- Expand the local computer, web sites and default web sites nodes (click on + symbols);
- Right click and choose properties on your Intertec TimePro virtual directory.
- Click the Virtual Directory tab and choose the 'Configuration' button on that tab.
- Click the Options tab and make sure the "Enable parent paths" setting is enabled.
Symptom: Intertec TimePro+ In-house website is not displaying at all.
Resolution: Enable dynamic content, which is by default disabled:
- Open the Management Console (Start, Control Panel, Administration Tools, Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager);
- Expand the local computer node (click on + symbol);
- Click on Web Service Extensions;
- Locate Active Server Pages (ASP) in the list;
- Click the Allow button if it is not already allowed.
Intertec TimePro response times are slow (more than 2 seconds per page)
Symptom: Intertec TimePro response times when you access a new page is slow ie. more than 2 seconds to load a new page.
Intertec TimePro response times should be around the 1 second mark - 2 seconds at most. If you are experiencing slower than expected response times when accessing a new page (or waiting for a page to refresh), consider the following:
Was Intertec TimePro originally running at a good speed for you? If so perhaps there has been a change within your technical environment - even perhaps something that you are not aware of - eg. an automatic software update from Microsoft or your Virus Software supplier, or your IT team, that is causing you issues. Or perhaps something further upstream such as your Internet Service Provider?
To get to the bottom of it, the quickest and easiest way is for you to test Intertec TimePro from another environment. Perhaps drop into your local internet café and test access from there, try accessing Intertec TimePro from home (best to use a different computer than what you use at the office), or try ringing up a friend that works somewhere else and asking them what the speed is like (ask them to access our demo rooms as these run on the same server). Note: If possible it would be best to test the performance from other locations using different Internet Service Providers just in case the ISP is where the problem is coming from.
If response time is still slow, check that you are not accessing Intertec TimePro via a proxy server. TimePro is a dynamic web application that should be accessed directly and not via a cache. If a proxy server is used, then you may need to add an exception in the proxy server's rules for TimePro so that it is bypassed and not cached.
Another area to investigate is that of firewall / virus protection applications on your PC. Temporarily turn all off in case they may be causing the problem.
Other possible but less likely scenarios are:
- There is a data issue on the Internet in general between your location and ours.
- The particular time of the day when you are accessing the system and finding it slow (perhaps it is only slow during the time when you enter your work hours and not when we are testing?).
If you have conducted the above tests trying to access Intertec TimePro from other locations and still believe it is a problem at our end could you please email support@timesheets.com.au with some detailed performance notes as detailed below:
E.g. at 4:20 pm local time I logged on as user xxxx, whilst on the Timesheet Tab and clicking the Admin Tab the system took an average of 6 seconds to respond (tried 5 times and the average response was 6 seconds). Doing the same test an hour later and also on other PC's within our office and from other external locations achieved similar results (averaging about 5-6 seconds response time).
In addition, also send us some information on the speed of accessing our Demo Rooms (logon with admin / password), to let us know if you experience the same issue there).
Emails not being received from timesheet system
Solution: If emails have previously been received from the timesheet system but have suddenly stopped working, or have never worked for you, then there are several possible causes as listed below:
1) Your timesheet emails are being stopped by "Sender Policies" that have been introduced on your email systems.
When your timesheet system sends an email message it uses the "admin email address" (Settings->System Category) as the From: address for the email. This is normally set to your timesheet administrator's email address so that all emails appear to come from them as administrator of the timesheet system; and if anyone replies, the message will go to them. As part of a security upgrade on your email system, your email service may have recently been configured to reject email that is being sent from one of YOUR email addresses from a server which your email service knows nothing about (ie OUR timesheets email server).
You will need to contact your IT staff or email service provider to have them configure your email setup to allow emails to be sent from YOUR email address from OUR servers as defined below:
Australian/Asia Pacific (timesheets.com.au / timesheets.co.nz)
Email (SMTP) Server Addresses:
smtp.timesheets.com.au - 203.147.151.186
+ Email Server Clusters
203.147.178.16 to 203.147.178.31
210.247.193.192 to 210.247.193.207
203.147.134.176 to 203.147.134.191
International (i-timesheets.com)
Email (SMTP) Server Addresses:
mail.brinkster.net - 65.182.102.90
If you are unable to make the above changes to your email systems then as a workaround you can change the "admin email address" in the timesheet settings to be another email address which does NOT reference YOUR domain name. For example change the email address used to be your personal hotmail or gmail address rather than your official company email address.
More information on this "Sender Policy" can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sender_Policy_Framework.
2) Your timesheet emails are being stopped by other Anti-spam techniques that have been introduced on your email systems.
This can include DNS blacklists which are too aggressive in their implementation and are blocking "good" emails such as those from our timesheet system as well as "spam" emails.
You will need to contact your IT staff or email service provider to have them configure your email setup to add our timesheet email servers (listed above) to their "allowed list of senders" or "white list".
More information on Anti-spam techniques can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail_spam#Anti-spam_techniques.
Discuss these techniques with your IT staff looking after your email systems to ensure that they are not blocking legitimate email as well as "spam".
Unable to send timesheet as email via the "Send Page by Email" function in the web browser.
Symptom: Attempting to send a Intertec TimePro web page as email via the "Send Page by Email" function in some web browsers shows an error message in the email.
Intertec TimePro web pages are created dynamically and, hence, may not work with the "Send Page by Email" function available in some web browsers such as Internet Explorer v7.0. If you would like to send your timesheets via email, you should copy and paste the timesheet into the email (on PC: Control+A, Control+C and Control+V). Another method, which is quite a professional approach, is to print the timesheet to a PDF file and then send the file as an email attachment. There are a number of free applications such as CutePDF Writer and Primo PDF which allow you to do this.
If you still have a problem …
These are things you can try which might at least shed light on the problem.
- Refresh the page. Pressing the F5 key or Control+R will usually do this on most browsers, and usually there is a toolbar with a Refresh or Reload button.
- Hold the shift or control key down while doing a refresh as in step 1.
- Shut down all browser windows and start the browser up again - this will ensure that you start a new session on the server.
- Clear the local cache - see the separate notes which give instructions for each browser type.
- Try another computer - this will tell you if it's a problem specific to your normal machine.
- Restart your computer and try again.
- Call your technical people; they may know of network settings or security software that could be causing the problem.
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