# No open envelopes for me

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-open-envelopes-for-me/18541>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [May 4, 2000, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-open-envelopes-for-me/18541 "2000-05-04T12:49:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2000, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-open-envelopes-for-me/18541/1 "2000-05-04T12:49:16Z")

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I apologize if this has already bean addressed. When I log in, the envelopes are as they should be, open ones for topics active since my previous log-on, closed for older topics.

But as soon as I switch forums, all I get are closed envelopes, like the board thinks I’ve been away, refreshed the SD home page, or something.

At first, I thought I could bypass this problem if I just jumped directly to a forum without going back to the forum main page. But no. I have to put up with all grey (closed) envelopes for my entire visit past the first forum.

Why is this happening to me?

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**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2000, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-open-envelopes-for-me/18541/2 "2000-05-04T13:11:35Z")

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Dunno. I’m seeing – or rather not seeing – the same thing.

Actually, as I make new posts, THOSE are showing up in color. Just the old ones (whether I read them or not) are grey.

I suspect some kind of timestamp problem . . . that the techs probably can’t do anything about . . . that will resolve in time.

I will ask the techs about it, though.

Sorry for your inconvenience.

your humble TubaDiva  
Administrator

[This message edited by TubaDiva]

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**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2000, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-open-envelopes-for-me/18541/3 "2000-05-04T15:59:20Z")

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**divemaster** , I think there is a timeout or expiration on the cookie or login. That was vague enough, wasn’t it?

Here’s what happened to me this morning. When I first logged -in, the main forum page said that I last visited last night at 11PM or so. All looked normal. I read some stuff, went into GQ, got distracted by work (don’t you just hate that?), and went back to the main forum page and it said I last visited at 8:45AM today & a lot of grey buttons & envelopes. I had never left. Having read this thread, I retraced all the links quickly to see if any were resetting the login time. None did.

I then went into Comments on Cecil’s Columns, more reading and distractions and when I came back to the main forum page again, it said I last visited at 9:28AM today. I was just now out of my office for a while, came back and it now says that I last visited at 10:26AM.

This browser hasn’t left the SDMB all morning. So, I assume that your login expires and when you go back to a forum page, it re-logs you in and updates the colors accordingly. That’s my guess anyway.

Jim