How to Implement a 3-Second Auto-Redirect in PHP | PHP Tutorial

M66 2025-07-27

How to Implement a 3-Second Auto-Redirect in PHP

In web development, auto-redirects are a common requirement. For instance, after a user submits a form or completes an action, they might need to be redirected to another page. This article shows you how to use PHP to create a functionality that redirects the user after 3 seconds, with a concrete code example.

PHP Code Example for 3-Second Auto-Redirect

First, create a PHP file, for example, name it redirect.php, and write the following code:

<?php
$url = 'http://www.example.com'; // Set the target page URL
$seconds = 3; // Set the delay time in seconds
echo "The page will automatically redirect to <a href='{$url}'>here</a> after {$seconds} seconds.";
header("refresh:{$seconds};url={$url}"); // Use header function to set auto redirect

Code Explanation

In this code, we define the target URL and the waiting time for redirection. Then, we use the header() function to set the refresh header, which specifies the delay time (in seconds) for redirection. Additionally, a message is displayed to the user, notifying them that they will be redirected after 3 seconds.

Deployment and Testing

Deploy the redirect.php file to your web server and access it through a browser. After loading the page, you'll see a message, and after 3 seconds, the page will automatically redirect to the specified URL.

Important Notes

It's important to note that different browsers may behave differently regarding auto-redirects. Some browsers might limit or block this feature, so make sure to test it in multiple browsers to ensure compatibility.

Conclusion

With this simple PHP code example, you can easily implement a 3-second auto-redirect. This is useful in many web applications, such as automatically redirecting users to a dashboard after login or redirecting to another page after completing an action.

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