Yep, that’s how it has always been for me as well. That isn’t the case here though. When I’m on the forum, 99.999% of the time I’m on with my iPhone. No phone updates have taken place, nothing has changed any of the 3 times now that has happened over the last few years to cause it to start or stop having to log in every time I check out the forum.
As has been mentioned in another thread, the login database (username/email address/password) is stored within software that runs the commerce website (
https://bluesguitarunleashed.com/members/login/). The forum software is co-located on the same physical server, but it gets the login information through an API (software connection) to the commerce software.
Edit: I want to point out that this is only my theory as to why the log in problem happens. I haven't done any empirical testing of it.
Every now and then, the link gets temporarily out of sync between the two pieces of software. When that happens, the forum software updates all information as it re-syncs and as a result generates new session information. A copy is stored on the server and a copy is stored on your computer as a cookie. When the server updates, the cookie on your computer and the information in the server don't match and you will need to log in again.
Without going into a lot more detail, the decision was made to keep a single database for the two sites. It provides you the ability to log in to either the commerce site (where "
My Courses" are stored) or the forum using the same user/email/password. It also makes tech support easier because they don't have to chase two separate databases when someone has issues logging on to one site or the other. The added benefit is that with the setup currently in place, you have to have purchased some material from Griff to be allowed an account in the forum. It keeps the spammers at bay. There are exceptions, such as anyone who had an account while the previous forum software was up. Those old accounts were grandfathered into Griff's database whether purchases had been recorded or not.