Invoking a PHP script without leaving ex

Anon

OK I have had a good search round the web for an answer to this one, but so far I have been unable to find one so here goes.

I am in the middle of writing a shopping cart app in good old PHP/MySQL and want the 'Add to Basket' function to invoke a script to add the contents to the basket, but not to render any new HTML to the browser. Effectively I want the user to click the 'add to basket' button and then carry on browsing. In the background the PHP should add the product to the basket. I've no problem coding the add to basket/session management etc. My problem is simply that I don't want to refresh the HTML. Any ideas. I was thinking of hidden frames etc., but there must be a better way.

Anon

Isn't it good practice to confirm back to the user that their action has been carried out, rather than providing no feedback?

Anon

Martin,

I hear what your saying and to a point your right. My software does actually comprise the ability to have a 'mini basket' display, but this can be turned on or off by the webmaster for the site. At the end of the day it comes down to speed of use vs information displayed. Some users wnat to click the add button and get on with it checking the basket later whereas others will want to see the basket contents accumulating.

Anyway none of the above really relates to the original question so if you have any answers I would be most grateful. Thanks for your reply.

Regards,

Chris.

kparker

Depends on how invisible you want it to be. Certainly you can POST to the server, and have the returned html be more or less "right where they left off". But to truly do it in the background, this is not a pure PHP issue. The only possibility I can see is if your click can start some javascript in the browser that can open a completely separate transaction with your web server (and I know so little about js I don't even know if it can open sockets under program control.)

[deleted]

You should be able to use a hidden frame and use javascript to load the "add_to_basket.php" in that hidden frame (thus not displaying the output)

But I most strongly agree with martin, this way, users will not notice they have added something to the basket, which is unfriendly and naughty.

Anon

AND SLOW .......

andyman

I'm only new to PHP, but I agree with Kirk. Since PHP is a server side scripting language, there's no point in using it when you're not gonna be sending info to (or getting info from) the server. Surely it would be far more sensible to use a client-side scripting language like javascript, which is designed for processes which take place solely in the browser.

Whatcha reckon?

Andy

Anon

What do I reckon? You need to read my post more carefully is what I reckon.

I am sending data to the server - that's the whole point. I am asking the server to run a PHP script to add the product id/qty passed from the browser to the shopping basket. The shopping basket is stored in MySQL on the server so Javascript is of no use to me here. What I do not want to happen is for the process to have to send anything back, but after further analysis I realise this is futile as it will have to due to the whole nature of the way HTML forms work. Therefore I will either have to code the PHP to add the product and reproduce the existing page or use the header fucntion to return to the page via the HTTP_REFERER value (although I am unsure how reliable this will be at the moment).

Regards,

Chris.

[deleted]

why slow?

andyman

good point. 🙂

What about if for each item the shopper picks, you just add more onto the form action url (using js say)

phpscript?item=kettle&quantity=5

and then when he's finished, submit the form
for the server side processing
Andy.

Anon

easy! just check how its done here: http://webmasterbase.com/article/314

it is done by using the http protocol and sending the browser a "204 No Content" header..

anyway, if you find out any way of updating the page without refreshing then let me know coz i havent!!