What are some best practices for updating user online status in PHP to ensure accuracy and reliability?

To ensure accuracy and reliability when updating user online status in PHP, it is important to regularly update the user's status based on their activity. One way to achieve this is by setting a timestamp for when the user was last active and periodically checking this timestamp to determine their current status. Additionally, using a session variable or database entry to track the user's online status can help maintain accuracy. 

// Update user online status
function updateOnlineStatus($user_id) {
    // Set user's last activity timestamp
    $last_activity = time();
    
    // Update user's online status in the database
    // Example: 
    // $query = "UPDATE users SET last_activity = $last_activity WHERE user_id = $user_id";
    
    // Check user's online status based on last activity timestamp
    $is_online = (time() - $last_activity) < 300; // Consider user online if last activity within 5 minutes
    
    return $is_online;
}

// Example of how to use the function
$user_id = 123;
$is_online = updateOnlineStatus($user_id);

if($is_online) {
    echo "User is online";
} else {
    echo "User is offline";
}

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