Refresh button on Browser - php

Question

I have a simple coding problem. I try to create a page with a textbox and a share button.
When the user clicks the share button the text in the textbox get inserted as string into the database table named "posts".
I use the following code.
<?php
if(isset($_POST['share']))
{
$status = $_POST['status'];
$res = mysql_query("insert into `posts`(postid,username,post,pointscollected) values('','$username','$status','')");
if($res)
echo "<script type='text/javascript'>alert('Posted successfully')</script>";
else
echo "<script type='text/javascript'>alert('some error')</script>";
}
else
{
?>
<form action="<?php $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']?>" method="post">
Status : <input type = "text" name ="status">
<input type = "submit" name ="share">
</form>
<?php
}
This solution works fine but there is a problem when the user refreshes the page. The browser will show a message window asking for resend the information, which will submit the post to the table again. Then the same entry is in the table twice.
I want the user to stay on the same page after submitting. But a page refresh should not show the message window or send the information again.
Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Redirect the user after he shares, use redirect
header('Location: whatever.php');
exit;
Use this :
<?php
if(isset($_POST['share'])) {
$status = $_POST['status'];
$res = mysql_query("insert into `posts`(postid,username,post,pointscollected) values('','$username','$status','')");
if($res) {
?>
<script type='text/javascript'>alert('Posted successfully')</script>
<?php
header('Location: whatever.php');
exit;
} else {
?>
<script type='text/javascript'>alert('some error')</script>
<?php
header('Location: whatever.php');
exit;
}
}
?>
And btw better don't alert the users using javascript
AND DO USE BRACES AROUND IF ELSE
P.S : You Can Also Redirect An User Using JavaScript window.location
Header Reference

Answer 2

It's called "redirect-after-post": After you received the post request and did something useful with it, you redirect the user (usually) back to theire own post, or whatever.

Answer 3

You can try doing redirect just after your logic saving the post is done.
header("location: $my_page");
exit();
Set variable $your_page with the name of page which contains your code
$my_page = 'yourpage.php';
This should work:
$my_page = 'your_page.php'
if(isset($_POST['share']))
{
$status = $_POST['status'];
$res = mysql_query("insert into `posts`(postid,username,post,pointscollected) values('','$username','$status','')");
if($res)
{
echo "<script type='text/javascript'>alert('Posted successfully')</script>";
header("location: $my_page");
exit();
}
else
{
echo "<script type='text/javascript'>alert('some error')</script>";
header("location: $my_page");
exit();
}
}

Answer 4

Right after you have finished inserting your query and everything, change to another page using:
<?php
header('Location: /path/to/yourotherpage.php');
exit();
?>
What this does, is it is a redirect to another page, which removes all POST data from the browser's 'memory' of the page.
On that page, you write something like 'Your stuff has been submitted and recorded', whatever you want, your choice.
If your user refreshes on that page, nothing will be inserted at all.
That should work.