Creating a countdown timer (SQL/PHP)

[bachx]

Alright, I want to create a time field in my MySQL DB where it acts as a countdown timer everytime I initiate it (Forum flood control, etc). This probably involves some SQL programming since the timer should still be running in the DB when the php script is not, but I haven't figured it out. So any help is appreciated.

[Hooker]

If its for some kind of forum flood control you don't actualy need any kind of timer, try something like this:

 

Add a "last post" feild to the user table then when they make a post have it ammend the current time to the feild and each post after just check against it with the current time and if the difference is only a few seconds/minutes (depending on what you want) don't save the post to the DB.

 

Hope that makes sense

[bachx]

Thanks for replying but that's not what I wanted. I only said flood control as an example, but I want it for a different reason. Anyone else? 

[Archadian]

well tell us what you want it for and we can go from there unless its top secret and you are planning on taking over the world with the info you are seeking haha just kidding

[bachx]

Well, I'm creating some kind of a game, and I want the player to wait some time (say 5 minutes) after he uses a certain features , before he can use it again.

[Archadian]

you might have to use javascript for "real time" and countdowns

[bachx]

I want the countdown timer to be updated in the DB, so Javascript is a no. Anyone?

[TRI0N]

Kinda fuzza what you mean by the need to post it in the database but you could just use SESSION to store the times then have your code look at the SESSION for the time it was used before it will allow it to be used again and once it is used again it will then update that SESSION variable. Less work load and faster.

[bachx]

Hmmm..Sessions, didn't think of that. Thanks for your reply, will look into it. 

[bachx]

Ok I've just had a thought, what if the user logout (Destroy the session), then login back with a new session. That would reset the timers now wouldn't it?

[TRI0N]

Only if you have the session close on logout..  But you don't have to close them if you don't want to.. But closing the browser will close them out..  Wouldn't the user not exit the game if they logged out?

[bachx]

Wouldn't the user not exit the game if they logged out?

 

Not really, it's not a real time or a turn based game, more like a MMO game, so the user can logout/login whenever he likes. That's why I need to store that timer somewhere, so I thought storing them in SQL was the only possible solution.

[TRI0N]

Well you can store them I would just store date("H:i:s").

[bachx]

I do know how to store a date, I just need to know how to increment/decrement that date, kinda like a timer, in the database itself. So if the user is logged out, the timer would still be running in the DB.

[TRI0N]

Well the DB isn't going to run a timer.  It can store the time with UPDATE each time that a user clicks whatever option that is to be timed.  Then have the code in the page look at that time and see if the time elapsed based on current time now.

[heckenschutze]

Why not store the time they logged off as a UNIX TIMESTAMP and then compare it to the current timestamp when needed...

 

eg:

id	| username	| loggedoff (int)
1	| test		| 68683782

 

Then find out how long its been since they logged off:

$off = $row["loggedoff"];
$seconds_since_logoff = time() - $off;