What is the purpose of the 'action' parameter in AJAX calls in PHP?

The 'action' parameter in AJAX calls in PHP is used to specify the action that the server-side script should perform based on the request. This parameter helps to differentiate between different operations that the script needs to handle, such as retrieving data, saving data, updating records, or deleting entries. By using the 'action' parameter, the PHP script can determine the appropriate logic to execute based on the value passed in the AJAX request.

// Example of handling the 'action' parameter in an AJAX call in PHP

if(isset($_POST['action'])) {
    $action = $_POST['action'];

    switch($action) {
        case 'get_data':
            // Logic to retrieve data
            break;
        case 'save_data':
            // Logic to save data
            break;
        case 'update_data':
            // Logic to update records
            break;
        case 'delete_data':
            // Logic to delete entries
            break;
        default:
            // Handle unknown action
            break;
    }
}