Dynamically updating a text-box

[TamusJRoyce]

I'm an experienced c++ programmer, but am learning php because I finally have some free time for it.

But my question is if there is a way to dynamically update a text box area so I can stream text from my home server to it without using a browser plug-in. I've seen it done in web based irc clones where it updates my screen automatically each time someone sends a message.

My goal with this is to watch a movie in text at work from my home server.

But I can't install plug-ins at work (virus reasons), and streaming movies as text lowers my bandwidth enough my system administrator doesn't mind me watching them.

Thanks for reading and hopefully responding, and I'm sure it's either easy to implement, or impossible without a plug-in...

[Atli]

Hi.

If you want your client-side content to be updated once it has reached the client, your best option is AJAX.

Your PHP code is only executed once one the server when the HTTP request is made. It executes, creates and sends the output to the client and then it is done.

With AJAX, you can have your client-side script send HTTP requests to the server and return the server's response to your client-side code, where it can be displayed.

Check out this AJAX tutorial at w3schools.com to see how to use AJAX.

Also, I have to ask.
What do you mean when you say you want to watch movies in a text box?

P.S. I've edited your thread's title to make it a bit clearer.

[TamusJRoyce]

Wow... That was exactly what I was wanting to know.

Well, as for updating a text box. The irc clone I saw had two text boxes (forms most likely) that where interactively updated while the page was running. I'm assuming AJAX is how they accomplished that.

My goal is to be able to watch movies as text through the library libcaca for c++. Mplayer, as an example, can play any movie through libcaca (into text playable in console). Instead I wanted this to play to my computer at work through my web browser.

Thanks atli... And thanks for changing the title of my question.