Update: I am using an apache server on the back-end and vanilla JS and jquery on the front-end.
Currently i have a web page that is displaying a variety of data that i am pulling from my back-end server.
How it works: I have a php script that is scraping directory names and displaying them in a dropdown. I have a refresh function set in my html for the web page that refreshes the page every 30 seconds.
The problem: I don't like the constant refresh, especially if there is nothing to update.
Is there a way to use ajax to pool my back-end server and check if new data has been entered in the directory and then update my dropdown?
Many thanks!