PHP Chat Box : How to Update Automatically

Question

Recently, I've made a chat box using PHP. There's no problem, but it is not very convenient as I need to manually refresh the page to check for the new message.

I'm trying to find a way so that the chat box will automatically check for new message and it will show new message.

However, what can I do? Could I

1. Use <iframe> for the chat box and find a way to refresh the iframe only;
2. Use javascript to check the SQL Database (it is not safe, discussed in another question, but is possible)
3. Use ajax - I don't know anything about it, so I cannot do so.

Which of the above way is the most suitable one (and if possible, the easiest one)?

Answer 1

Ajax is going to be your best option, but believe me, it's not so bad.

I hate to turn this into a tutorial, but here's a general outline.

1. Create a php file that gets the messages, if any, and prints them somehow. Maybe some list items? echo "<li>$message</li>"

2. Create a jquery interval that checks for messages every set seconds.

3. Have your interval call a function with code like this:

   $.get( "get_messages.php", function( data ) { //data contains the file's output
   
    $( "#messages-box" ).append( data );//insert the new messages into a div in your html
   
   });
   

That's really all there is to it!

Answer 2

Ajax is just a component of javascript. To create a chat box with php and javascript, the simplest solution is using setInterval function to refresh the chatbox