Intermediate page while mysql goes to work. How does this work?

[jtown]

How do you code it so that an intermediate page shows with an animated gif that tells the user the site is at work doing mysql? Sites like expedia.com have this when you do a search for flights. What is the basic principle behind this when mysql is taking some time to return results?

I just had a thought ... is it a hidden div and when the information is done loading it shows the div and hides the animated gif div?

Thanks in advance.

[Roger_Ramjet]

Well, don't know expedia per se, but these days it is probably a sign they are using AJAX and yes it would be show/hide the animation.