Re: Automatic Page Updates

Christian Mogensen (mogens@CS.Stanford.EDU)
Tue, 10 Jan 1995 20:43:50 +0100


>Is there any way in HTTP for a Server to automatically update a page
>without requiring the user of the client to click on anything?

Currently no. HTTP is connectionless, and that makes it hard to
do things after a transaction is completed.

>An example use of this would be if a Client requests a stock price
>page and keeps the page displayed. Now suppose the stock price
>changes. Is there a way within HTTP for the Server to update the page
>automatically without requiring the user to click on the reload option?

Another way to do this is to provide a stock-ticker application that
is initialized by the web client when it receives application/x-stock-ticker
data. The browser forks off the special viewer which opens a separate
communication channel to the server.

The previously noted use of Expires: xxx header is interesting - I don't
think it will work in the described manner until after a few revisions
of browser software have passed...

Christian "web-head"