AJAX anyone?

[wingdude]

Hey all,

Anyone heard of AJAX, Asynchrous Javascript and XML.

Here are some articles and examples for those interested on learning about the concept that made Google Suggest (http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en), Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/), and Gmail (http://www.gmail.com)successful:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AJAX
http://rajshekhar.net/blog/archives/85-Rasmus-30-second-AJAX-Tutorial.html
http://www.clearnova.com/ajax/
http://www.backbase.com/#home/pulldown/demos.xml[0] (http://www.backbase.com/#home/pulldown/demos.xml%5B0%5D) Wing

[T0PS3O]

Yes, I've heard of it and we're implementing some of it into osCommerce.

[digitalpoint]

It's cool stuff. vBulletin 3.5 (and therefore this forum) uses it as well. For example a response you make with the Quick Reply box doesn't require a page reload to insert itself into the thread.

[wingdude]

Very interesting how it has been used a lot before without a name but now Adaptive Path, who coined the name, have now turned into somewhat of a craze similar to that of CSS in some circles.

Wing

[Macbert]

I use Ruby on Rails (http://rubyonrails.com) for web application development and the Prototype Ajax library has been included in the standard distribution for a while now. It's become the standard way for me to implement certain functions, for example adding, deleting and ordering items in a list.

Script.aculo.us has some really cool demos (http://script.aculo.us/) of Ajax and javascript visual effects in action.

As usual with "new" stuff there're problems also with Ajax that need to be taken into account. I recommend reading the top 10 Ajax mistakes (http://sourcelabs.com/ajb/archives/2005/05/ajax_mistakes.html) for more information.

[wingdude]

Seen. yeah those are good examples, is anyone actually implementing them into sites now, as in DP members?

wing

[khudania]

This is cool new stuff and google has used in nicely in google suggest. I am preparing a presentation about this in some time for our internal project usage, I will also be preparing a kind of POC using Azax.

[someonewhois]

Just for the record, Google Suggest doesn't used "AJAX". It uses remote scripting. There IS a difference. AJAX is a buzzword, remote scripting has been around for years (I remember using it a few years ago, and making a pile of money freelancing with it, since it was unheard of at the time).

[mikmik]

Client-server interaction achieved without involving page reloads has become very popular for Web services. This can be handled in a variety of ways. This article covers several of them, starting with Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX).

Just got in email!

Introduction (http://www.devarticles.com/c/a/JavaScript/JavaScript-Remote-Scripting-Reading-Data-From-the-Server/)

With the rapid introduction of JavaScript-based http requests into Web programs, one of the most common activities during the development cycle for a client-side application involves writing code to perform some kind of silent interaction between the browser and the server.

Although it's rather premature to evaluate the real impact of all these backend processes within existing and future applications, the truth is that client-server communication without page reloads has become extremely popular for implementing a great variety of Web services. Whether you're planning to develop an auto-completion system, a simple news rotator or a full-fledged mechanism to pull out database records in the background, JavaScript-based http requests can make the overall development process much faster and more pleasant.

The thing about silent client-server interaction, though, is that it can be performed through several methods categorized under the generic title of remote scripting. Of course, if you're in touch with modern Web programming, probably the first approximation that comes to your mind is AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), which uses native XMLHttpRequest objects -- or an ActiveX Control in the case of Internet Explorer -- for dynamic file requesting.

However, the list doesn't end there. With very little knowledge about some DOM methods, it's possible to make true http requests on the fly, all without putting a single hand into AJAX technology. As I said right at the beginning of this article, background client-server interaction has turned quickly into a popular feature within Web applications, so it's worth taking a look at some of these approaches for making requests on the fly.

Over this series of tutorials, I'll be attempting to build some JavaScript applications, in order to illustrate different approaches to pulling out server data, ranging from the already traditional AJAX technique to W3C DOM standard-compliant methods. The end result of this experience will be a set of easy-to-customize JavaScript programs, useful to include in your own applications with only minor hassles.

Let's get going! (http://www.devarticles.com/c/a/JavaScript/JavaScript-Remote-Scripting-Reading-Data-From-the-Server/)

[wingdude]

Nice MikMik

[nevetS]

Here's a cross platform javascript/ajax library:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/sarissa/

I started playing with it yesterday and it took me less than half an hour to figure out how to grab data from the server.

[mikmik]

Nice MikMik

Haha, thanks! I looked at your link to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AJAX), it rocks big time. I have about three of the libraries, but this CPaint (http://cpaint.sourceforge.net/) one from sourceforge is quite, quite amazing. I also got AJAXForm (http://redredmusic.com/brendon/ajform/)

The sample that come with CPaint are so cool, especially the xmlhttp chat! There is about 9 of them to play with. The instructions don't teach much and could be better, but that's because I know very little here.

I have almost zero knowledge of javascript so lot's of this is a struggle for me - to lazy or impatient to learn javascript first. It is fun, though. Do you know much or doing it for long?

I have a couple of links for DevShed ajax forms and security.

[mikmik]

Then, out of nowhere I stumble upon... Fiaminga:Tutorials (http://dev.fiaminga.com/index.php?div=tutorial)
and the first one listed looks about to be the best beginner tute for http request, complete with a simple php server-side script to send and get data with:
Very Dynamic Web Interfaces (http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2005/02/09/xml-http-request.html)

[execute]

Yeah i have been using AJAX for a while now, and it is great, however it does use javascript so it shouldn't be overused because Search engines cant understand Javascript. Also, it can become a hassle with being cross-browser.

However if you need tutorials and learn exactly how it works in great detail there is a bunch of AJAX tutorials at designplanet.biz under tutorials section.

[cyclinder]

I'am progamming it right now. there are still features thet I want to be but they are not, like reading progress notification from http/xml activex object.

[execute]

i have always thought of that, but never tried it due to lack of time. It's probably hard to make a loading bar, but a little loading sign yea. However, AJAX happens so fast, that its really not worth it unless its a loading bar.

[Dekker]

is AJAX more resource intensive?

[mikmik]

You have to be careful about that. It is possible to get holes and leaks that crash browsers, as I am finding working on Gmaps.

It is also a security risk if you do not throttle the request rate, ie, if someone sets up repreated hits to the server by submiting httprequests. .
Otherwise, it is pretty fast, just like any other call, which is usually a lot lighter and doesn't involve sending asnd refreshing the whole page everytime.

There are a few php wrappers and classes showing up that use this.

[Dekker]

I guess because it opens a up a screen?

I want to use it in a login/registration format. so when you click on register it, you don't move to a new page, the new information/confirmation just appears

[execute]

Yea i have that in designplanet.biz register page,
and most of my website designplanet.biz has that sort of stuff. It is not resource intensive, but you should disable your button while its activated to ensure they dont spam your server and crash it.

Read up on about 4-5 tutorials about AJAX in designplanet.biz