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wpForo 1.x.x [Closed] Forum Statistics - Online User Count shows unreasonable values?

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Topic starter
(@berndstromberg)
Active Member
Joined: 2 years ago

Dear WPforo community,

I was searching for a similar topic and read the documentation. However with no answers.

I have some problems and strange behaviour with the forum statistics displayed at the bottom of the forum & and with the "x users viewing" besides the topics. Both give me an unreasonable high amount of users online/reading.

Once I had my whole site in maintenance mode and yet still after hours of downtime and in the middle of the night, the reading of users online reached around 30 or 50. Also the "x users viewing" next to the topics is still active, although realistically, no user really was in the forum at that time. 

The number of "users online" seems indeed to high, as I have completely different values from WP_statistics. When this reads about 15 users online, wp foro states about 50 or more, which is for my site completely unreasonable. Even this huge forum here has only 6 users online while typing this post.

I noticed that it hasnt been always that way. I figured it changed after installing the plugin "Wise Chat" - an chat extension. But even after deactivating this plugin again, the wpforo numbers are still very strange.

What I already tried:

  • Clearing all caches from the dashboard
  • Deactivate other plugins
  • deactivated and activated the settings for showing the statistic/x-viewers
  • I do not have an active cache plugin (Only WP optimize, but no cache feature activated)
  • I have learned form this forum, that the count includes ALL members,i.e. guest and registered users.

 

Is there anything in the documentation that reveals more about how this figure is actually measured? Is it maybe more trustworthy than wp_statistics and I really have so many visitors?

 

Thanks for your time reading this and helping

KR

BerndStromberg

10 Replies
dimalifragis
Posts: 2615
(@dimalifragis)
Famed Member
Joined: 4 years ago

Hi,

Try to disable the wp optimizer and check.

If the issue is still there, check for SERVER cache (ask your hoster).

Still, if you want/can post a url so we can check.

7 Replies
(@berndstromberg)
Joined: 2 years ago

Active Member
Posts: 5

@dimalifragis 

Hi,

I should have mentioned, that this problem also existed before installing WP optimizer. Sorry.

I did however disabled it, cleared cache from wp foro dashboard, and no change of the problem. I also disabled all other plugins apart from Elementor and wpforo. No change.

I checked my hosting panel and the server automatic caching is disabled. This would mean that the problem most likely hasnt anything to do with my hoster, right?

Yes I can share the URL if this helps, but what can you see from your end without any specific login rights?

https://nebenwirkungen-covid-impfung.org/community/

Thanks for your help.

KR

Bernd

 

dimalifragis
(@dimalifragis)
Joined: 4 years ago

Famed Member
Posts: 2615

@berndstromberg True, the statistics are disabled for visitors so i can't check.

Could that "chat" i see in the forum page, causing issues? But you said you disabled it.

This is a long shot, but could you enable standard wordpress debug (in your wp-config.php) to a log for 24 hours? And then check the log ?

 

// Enable WP_DEBUG mode
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );

// Enable Debug logging to the /wp-content/debug.log file
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );

// Disable display of errors and warnings
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
@ini_set( 'display_errors', 0 );

 

https://wordpress.org/support/article/debugging-in-wordpress/

Your issue remind me some "session" issues.

(@berndstromberg)
Joined: 2 years ago

Active Member
Posts: 5

@dimalifragis thanks, I will come back to you with the log!

Talk soon. 

(@berndstromberg)
Joined: 2 years ago

Active Member
Posts: 5

@dimalifragis

While waiting for the log Id like to clarify another question:

Can you please specify how "Users online" is calculated by WPforo?

For example:

  • Is it a point measurement which is updated all X seconds?
  • Is it the average number of online users within a certain time interval?
  • or something else...

That questions is relevant to further elaborate the differences to other statistic tools. Because I am suspecting,that maybe the just use a different metric and thats why I see those differences...maybe..

Thanks! 🙂

dimalifragis
(@dimalifragis)
Joined: 4 years ago

Famed Member
Posts: 2615
Posted by: @berndstromberg

@dimalifragis

While waiting for the log Id like to clarify another question:

Can you please specify how "Users online" is calculated by WPforo?

I have no idea, the support here could help you on this.

(@berndstromberg)
Joined: 2 years ago

Active Member
Posts: 5

@dimalifragis 

Do you know who to link (@username) for this? Maybe some admin?

dimalifragis
(@dimalifragis)
Joined: 4 years ago

Famed Member
Posts: 2615
Posted by: @berndstromberg

@dimalifragis 

Do you know who to link (@username) for this? Maybe some admin?

They monitor here and they will step in when they can.

 

Posts: 11
(@jasonb)
Active Member
Joined: 6 years ago

Is there a solution for this? I also have this issue as I only have one member, myself as admin and the statistics usually says 1 member and  2 online. Even when I am logged out.

1 Reply
Robert
Admin
(@robert)
Joined: 9 years ago

Support Team
Posts: 10588

@jasonb,

This kind of issues can happen if you've not excluded the forum page from your cache plugin: https://wpforo.com/community/faq/wpforo-and-cache-plugins/#post-37150

If you don't have cache plugin then you should know the online user count is updated every 5 minutes. it's not a real-time information.