What is the recommended method for implementing a chat feature in PHP that updates automatically without constant page refresh?

To implement a chat feature in PHP that updates automatically without constant page refresh, you can use AJAX to periodically fetch new messages from the server and update the chat interface dynamically. This way, users can see new messages without having to manually refresh the page. 

<?php
// Fetch new messages from the server
function fetchMessages() {
    // Code to fetch messages from the database or other source
    $messages = array(); // Placeholder for fetched messages
    return $messages;
}

// Check for new messages periodically
while (true) {
    $newMessages = fetchMessages();
    
    // Output new messages as JSON
    if (!empty($newMessages)) {
        header('Content-Type: application/json');
        echo json_encode($newMessages);
        exit;
    }
    
    // Wait for a few seconds before checking again
    sleep(3);
}
?>

Keywords

Websockets real-time updates PHP chat feature AJAX long polling

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