How can I have program "follow" user from workstatation to workstation.

I'm developing an application be used in a networked, multi-workstation, multi-user environment. I'd like a user to be able to move from one computer to another, and have the application resume where (s)he left off.on the other machine.

Eg. 1. User at order desk pulls up record for customer ordering a part.
2. User locks the session, and travels several hundred feet to find the part in the warehouse.
3. User finds the nearest available terminal in the warehouse. By just by touching a fingerprint-scanning mouse, resumes his session where he left off, entering part information.
4. User locks session.
5. User returns to order desk, touches fingerprint-sensing mouse, and session resumes, just as he left it while in the back of the warehouse.

Is this possible If so, I'd really like to know how. People will be jumping from station to sation hundreds of times a day, and any user could sit down at any terminal. The application needs to be able to identify the user by the fingerprint-senstive mouse, and bring up the appropriate user's session.

Thanks very much.


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How can I have program "follow" user from workstatation to workstation.

  • DStar

    Could you please elaborate on which variables relate to "context persistence". Would I need to explicitly store information re the content and position of each open window, plus information re cursor positions, mouse position, open files, pending database writes, etc. Or, is there a simple way to grab the "environment" and save it. Please point me to appropriate resource material, so that I can delve into this further.

    Thank you very much for any help.

  • anandcbe14

    I think this is VERY possible, infact I don;t see what the problem is. I believe your concern is context persistence.

    Keep all contextual variables in a class. When a user shuts their program down, serialize the class to disk to persist it. Upon going to another machine they log on, run the application, deserialize it and they continue.



  • sh2

    I believe Citrix may have some ability to do what you want. They do have roaming sessions where logging into one device will automatically log you off of another device and pickup your session seamlessly. I do not know if it would work with a fingerprint sensor.

    Jim Wooley
    http://devauthority.com/blogs/jwooley/default.aspx



  • How can I have program "follow" user from workstatation to workstation.