Please help me with expiration question

vidyaishaya

I've developed something of a good-sized PHP system (with global registers OFF, I'm happy to say..)

The problem is that I can't do any browser BACKS or javascript:history() calls, because I keep getting the message, "Warning: Page has Expired. To resubmit your information and view this Web page, click the Refresh button."

Which works fine, when I hit the refresh button. This is annoying. How can I get the system to just automatically do a BACK and a refresh, without that message?

😕

Thanks

....Vidya

jpmoriarty

anything that involves posting of data will generate that message, so you cant really.

the solution is to design links on the pages that follow data posting so that people dont need to click the back button: so self coded go backs that repopulate forms and so on, drop down boxes doing navigation, that sort of thing.

If a page is really well coded then you'll find people wont use back so much - take this site for example. I hardly ever use the back button cos it's so easy to get to everywhere from anywhere.

vidyaishaya

Yes, I figured that I would have to do that. In fact, I was planning to, but I thought -- what the heck, might as well see if it can be done either way.

I just hate to have users get messages like that. So a good design is essential, as you say.

Thanks much.

....Vidya

xblue

Hi Vidya,

I do use the back button a lot myself, here on the forum too - just a habit I guess.

I think it is like this: if something has been submitted via post, it is assumed that it is not supposed to be submitted twice by accident (e.g. an order).

With get it is different, there is nothing wrong about reloading e.g. some search results.

Therefore I use the get method for searches etc. (additional benefit that they can be bookmarked), and post only for things that are not meant to be submitted twice.

A redirection (with the header function, not meta-tags or javascript) can help here, e.g.
order form -> processing script redirects to -> confirmation page

where clicking back from the confirmation page would get you right back to the order form.

vidyaishaya

Well, that's a clever way of doing things. But I like elegant solutions and that one seems a little too much like a fudge to me.

But still clever!

Thanks

....Vidya