Question

How to refresh aspx page from sql server.I am using asp.net,C-Sharp with SQL Server 2008.What i mean is i have table, say Table1.If any DML operation is performed (Update,Insert etc) to Table1,then my page,say Page1.aspx should autmatically get refreshed.I can’t use timer for refreshing the page.I need to trigger the refresh from database.

Answer 1

Even though the server may be notified when data has changed, the real challenge is communicating those changes to the client in real-time without requiring a timer or user interaction.

You have a couple of options:

1. Your best bet is to use a WebSocket, which enables bidirectional communication between the client and server. This is the solution I would pick.

   Here are some examples using WebSockets:

   • Building real-time web apps with WebSockets using IIS, ASP.NET and WCF
   • HTML5 C# WebSockets Server and ASP.NET Client Implementation
   • C# WebSocket Server
   • WebSockets in ASP.NET 4.5
   • WebHooks and WebSockets in ASP.NET

   There are a few good libraries around too that will take care of most of the leg work. A couple to check out are WebSync and PokeIn. Both products offer decent documentation and community editions that you can download for free.

   Here are some tutorials to check out:

   • WebSync Tutorials
   • PokeIn Basic Tutorial / PokeIn Advanced Tutorial

2. Use AJAX to poll for changes every X number of seconds. If changes are detected reload the page, otherwise do nothing.