What are some best practices for handling data processing and output in PHP to avoid the need for frequent refreshes?

When handling data processing and output in PHP, one way to avoid the need for frequent refreshes is to use AJAX to asynchronously fetch and update data on the page without reloading the entire page. This can help improve user experience by providing real-time updates without disrupting the user's workflow. 

// PHP code snippet using AJAX to fetch and update data without page refresh

// index.php
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>AJAX Example</title>
    <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
    <div id="data"></div>

    <script>
        $(document).ready(function(){
            function fetchData(){
                $.ajax({
                    url: 'fetch_data.php',
                    type: 'GET',
                    success: function(response){
                        $('#data').html(response);
                    }
                });
            }

            // Fetch data initially
            fetchData();

            // Fetch data every 5 seconds
            setInterval(fetchData, 5000);
        });
    </script>
</body>
</html>

// fetch_data.php
<?php
// Simulate fetching data from database
$data = "Data fetched at " . date('Y-m-d H:i:s');
echo $data;
?>

Keywords

caching AJAX server-side processing output buffering data serialization

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