Auto-refresh (Heartbeat)

Front-end record lists auto-refresh using the WordPress Heartbeat API. When a record changes, the list updates silently without a full page reload.

How it works

1. The [pfm_list] embed subscribes to heartbeat ticks for its entity
2. Every 15-60 seconds (WordPress heartbeat interval), the server checks for changes since the client's last-known timestamp
3. If changes exist, the client auto-fetches the updated list
4. The user sees the list update in-place with no page flash

Configuration

Auto-refresh is on by default for all front-end lists. To disable:

add_filter('pfm_heartbeat_list_refresh', '__return_false');

Graceful fallback

If the WordPress Heartbeat API is disabled (some hosts do this), the list embed falls back to a manual refresh button. No errors, no broken UI — just less automatic.

Performance

• The heartbeat tick only checks timestamps, not record data
• Only entities the user can READ are checked
• Per-row permission filtering is deferred to the actual fetch
• The server response is a few bytes per subscribed entity