Refresh PHP functions with JavaScript - php

Question

i need a a script that will refresh the functions:
$ping, $ms
every 30 seconds, with a timer shown,
i basicly got this script:
window.onload=function(){
var timer = {
interval: null,
seconds: 30,
start: function () {
var self = this,
el = document.getElementById('time-to-update');
el.innerText = this.seconds;
this.interval = setInterval(function () {
self.seconds--;
if (self.seconds == 0)
window.location.reload();
el.innerText = self.seconds;
}, 1000);
},
stop: function () {
window.clearInterval(this.interval)
}
}
timer.start();
}
but it refreshes the whole page, not the functions i want it to refresh, so, any help will be appriciated, thanks!
EDIT:
I forgot to mention that the script has to loop infinatly

Answer 1

This here reloads the whole page:
window.location.reload();
Now what you seem to want to do is reload portions of the page, those portions having been generated by php functions. Unfortunately php is server side so that means you cant get the client browser to run php. Your server runs the php to generate stuff that browsers can understand. In a web browser open a page you made using php and choose to view source and you'll see what I mean.
Here's what you'll need to do:
Make your two functions ping and ms accessable via ajax
Instead of window.location.reload() do a call to jQuery.ajax. on success write to your page
Here's what I think would be the ideal way of dealing with this... I haven't seen the php side of your problem but anyway:
make a file called ping.php and put all your ping function code in there. ditto for ms
in your original php file that called those functions, make a div at each point where you wanted a function call. Give them appropriate ids. Eg: "ping_contents" and "ms_contents"
You can populate these with some initial data if you want.
In your js put in something like this:
jQuery.ajax(
{
url : url_of_ping_function,
data : {anything you need},
type : 'POST', //or 'GET'
dataType: 'html',
success : function(data)
{
document.getElementById("ping_contents").innerHTML = data;
}
});
do another one for the other function

Answer 2

What you want is AJAX, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML
You can use jQuery for that.
I can put an example here, but there is a lot of information to be found on the internet. In the past I wrote my own AJAX code, but since I started using jQuery, it's all a lot easier. Look at the jQuery link I provided. There is some usefull information. This example code might be the easiest to explain.
$.ajax({
url: "test.php"
}).done(function() {
alert("done");
});
A some moment, for example on a click on a button, the file test.php is executed. When it's done, a alert box with the text "done" is shown. That's the basic.