How Can I Run PHP Scripts Asynchronously After Form Submission to Improve User Experience?

Executing PHP Scripts in the Background after Form Submission

Problem Statement:
After submitting a form, a user experiences delays due to the execution of a script that processes submitted data and sends notifications via email and SMS. This delay can lead to potential issues with multiple form submissions or user abandonment.

Proposed Solution:
Decouple the email notification process into a separate script and execute it as a background service.

Technical Approach:

The solution involves using shell_exec() to invoke the email script from the form submission page. Here's the key line of code:

shell_exec("/path/to/php /path/to/send_notifications.php '".$post_id."' 'alert' >> /path/to/alert_log/paging.log &");

Explanation:

• /path/to/php: Path to the PHP executable.
• /path/to/send_notifications.php: Path to the email notification script.
• **'".$post_id."' 'alert'**: PHP script arguments passed through $_SERVER['argv'].
• >> /path/to/alert_log/paging.log: Redirect output to a log file.
• &: Executes the command in the background.

By running the email script in the background, the main execution can complete while the notification process continues asynchronously. The >> operator persists the output of the email script to a log file for monitoring and debugging purposes.

Benefits:

• Improved user experience by eliminating delays on the submission page.
• Independent execution of the email notification process, preventing interference from user actions.
• Logging for tracking the execution and identifying any potential issues.

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