Question

I am currently working on a php application that allows for users to schedule an event. I capture this detail in an event_date column in my event table as a unix timestamp which is a string to time conversion of the event date and time. I am using mysql database.

I intend to have users alerted both via email and sms 2-hours prior the scheduled event date.
This implies that I need to keep track on the above column and execute a script based on the conditional time limit.

What is the best approach to this? Kindly give me insights.

Answer 1

The best approach is to write a script that will check and compute the value in the event_date column with respect to the predefined interval. This script will be run periodically via a cron job. If results are returned, then an email and sms is sent to the corresponding users.