How can I get the function executed in the php (cakephp) application at a certain point in time, without the intervention of a person who clicks on the link or runs the function on his own?
All other answers are still correct, you need to schedule a cron job (or a scheduled task on Windows). With that said, CakePHP is designed to respond to HTTP requests and does not work through the command line.
For a CakePHP-specific tutorial, visit http://bakery.cakephp.org/articles/mathew_attlee/2006/12/05/calling-controller-actions-from-cron-and-the-command-line .
Linux Mac, Cron:
:
Linux:
https://www.interspire.com/support/kb/questions/298/How+do+I+set+up+CRON+on+my+server%3F
Windows:
http://troy.jdmz.net/cron/
, , (), AJAX + setTimeout .
, CRON , cakePHP , .
cakePHP 2.0: http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/console-and-shells.html