Keep loading AJAX request - ajax

Question

I have an AJAX request which gets data from the database and then populates the page with the data collected. The problem I am having is that currently the ajax request is in a setInterval which is being called every second.
setInterval(function () {
$.ajax({
method: "POST",
url: "/PLM/FetchPageContent",
dataType: "json",
success: function (data) {
console.log(data);
}
});
}, 1000);
This is fetching the data every second which is a huge strain on the server as it's making a request and then I am calling it again even when the data hasn't come through first time.
Is there a way that I can call the same AJAX request over and over but only after it's finished fetching the data first time and not keep going up?

Answer 1

There are better architectures to accomplish this type of scenario (websockets as mentioned in the comments would be one example), but to do strictly what you're asking, sure! Wrap it in a function that calls itself:
function getData(){
$.ajax({
method: "POST",
url: "/PLM/FetchPageContent",
dataType: "json",
success: function (data) {
console.log(data);
getData();
}
});
}

Answer 2

Replace the setInterval with a setTimeout only once you're done:
function fetchAjax() {
$.ajax({
method: "POST",
url: "/PLM/FetchPageContent",
dataType: "json",
success: function (data) {
console.log(data);
setTimeout(fetchAjax, 1000);
}
});
};

Answer 3

Add a variable to distunguish if ajax call is already underway. If it is, don't do anything. If not, go ahead.
var isAjaxInProgress = false;
setInterval(function () {
if (!isAjaxInProgress){
isAjaxInProgress = true;
$.ajax({
method: "POST",
url: "/PLM/FetchPageContent",
dataType: "json",
success: function (data) {
console.log(data);
isAjaxInProgress = false;
}
});
}
}, 1000);