php: Output status bar while processing an array (ajax/jQuery?)

Question

I need a progress bar for a php script. As for now I choose a file in a html webformular and fire the form. Then nothing happens while the date is beeing processed for lets say 15 minuttes. First the file is turned into an array, then the array is inserted into a database.

I really would like to somehow show the progress.

• Either just write a line to the screen for every row (tried flush and ob_flush without luck).
• Then how about an ajax progress bar? Found a few but I cannot see how they can be implemented into a php-page processing a script.

If no other solution is available then it is possible to make a progress bar based on records in the database beeing updated - I added a marker for this so any sql count(*) will result in some answer.

BR. Anders

Answer 1

As far as an AJAX progress bar, you could set an interval that polls a PHP file every so often.

var timer = setInterval(“ajaxFunction();”, 5000); // call AJAX function every 5 seconds

In your ajaxFunction() you can increment your progress bar based on the AJAX result (that result being whatever progress you're trying to determine)