jQuery AJAX and PHP return true/false

Question

I would like to know how to retrieve a return true or return false from a PHP script using jQuery AJAX. This is my current ajax call code which works just fine aside from always directing to the profile page of the entered username even if the login wasn't actually successful...

    $("#signInForm").submit(function() {
        $(document).ajaxStart(function() {
            $("#loading" ).show();
        });
        $.ajax({
            url: "/ajax/signIn.php", // Action of the form
            data: $("#signInForm").serialize(), // Send forms data to server
            dataType: "JSON", // Take response as JSON
            type : "POST", // Send form by post or get
            complete: function(result) {
                $(document).ajaxStop(function() {
                    $("#loading" ).hide();
                });
                $("#ajaxResponse").html(result.responseText);
                $("#ajaxResponse").slideDown("slow");
                var username = $("#usernameSignIn").val();
                setTimeout(function() {
                    window.location.href = "/profile.php?username=" + username;
                }, 3000);
            }
        });
        return false;  // Default submit return false
    });

Answer 1

complete fires when the call is complete --- reguardless of the result - I suppose as long as it takes the response - it's perfectly acceptable.

Otherwise, you may want to use success instead, but in this case, what you need to do is determine what to do based on that response

ie:

if(response === true){ //proceed }else{ alert("error!"); }

You have to put that logic in, yourself -- as complete & success are only concerned with the actual transmission of the data, and not the content of it.

Thus, in your code:

$("#signInForm").submit(function() {
    $(document).ajaxStart(function() {
        $("#loading" ).show();
    });
    $.ajax({
        url: "/ajax/signIn.php", // Action of the form
        data: $("#signInForm").serialize(), // Send forms data to server
            dataType: "JSON", // Take response as JSON
            type : "POST", // Send form by post or get
            complete: function(result) {
                $(document).ajaxStop(function() {
                    $("#loading" ).hide();
                });
                $("#ajaxResponse").html(result.responseText);
                $("#ajaxResponse").slideDown("slow");
if(result.success === true){
                var username = $("#usernameSignIn").val();
                setTimeout(function() {
                    window.location.href = "/profile.php?username=" + username;
                }, 3000);} 
else { //the result.responseText is probably suitable here, eh? so you could just:
$("#ajaxResponse").slideUp(5000); }
            }
        });
        return false;  // Default submit return false
    });