Question

I have a simple php page that displays data from a mysql database. I want it to update itself automatically when data gets changed on the server. (I don’t want to update the page periodically at fix time intervals.) I guess I need the technology behind FB chat box or omegle. But I don’t know how to implement it on php and mysql. I would be grateful if you could help me. Thanks.

Answer 1

You would need to look into WebSockets or a Comet server (which uses long-polling techniques) to accomplish a push system. Alternatively, instead of using push-like notification, you could make frequent polls to the server with nothing more than a request identifier and a timestamp, let the server decide if there is anything new since the last poll, and serve up the data if there is.