Ajax Tutorial
“Asynchronous JavaScript And XML”, otherwise known as AJAX, is a programming language that allows a web page to receive miniscule amounts of data from a web server without reloading the complete web page. Ajax works together with JavaScript. AJAX permits Web pages to be dynamic, interactive and behave as local applications. This combination of features is known as “rich client” applications. AJAX is similar to Dynamic HTML and allows synchronous and asynchronous access to remote services by using the XMLHTTP Request object.
Before AJAX technology was developed, a request from the user for the retrieval of data would cause the entire Web page to be refreshed, resulting in very slow loading time and minimal interaction between the user and the web page. With the advent and success of AJAX, websites utilize the “remote scripting” of AJAX to better the functionality and waiting time of interactive and dynamic websites. The server exchanges small amounts of data without the user’s knowledge, increasing the speed, usability and navigation of web pages.
It is necessary for any IT professional programmer or developer to be familiar with the Ajax programming language. Online Training explaining the uses of Ajax, critique of Ajax, Challenges, Framework, basic overview of Web Services, XML, security aspects and the power of Ajax are discussed through tutorials in this section.
Introduction to Ajax Last time we looked at Web 2.0 and what differentiates it from older paradigms for Internet products. One of the differentiators is the use of Rich Client Interfaces. Ajax is possibly the most popular Rich Client technology and used in such applications as Google Maps and Google Mail. Ajax is an acronym for “Asynchronous JavaScript And XML.” Web pages are endowed with snippets of code that can access remote services (like web services) and not refresh the page. This prevents “round tripping” which is the cause for display flicker and slow response times. The techniques used in…
Last time we looked at Ajax and how to create a remote call to a service. We passed no parameters and received a simple text string. In this installment, we look at calling a web service using the SOAP protocol and XML. The response will come back to us in an XML document which we will display in a textarea. As explained in the article “Introduction to Web Services” , a web service is basically a web site that receives a request and processes it and returns XML instead of HTML. The XML must have a format that can be…
Ajax, Web Services & XML Part II Last time we created an Ajax application that wrapped an XML request in a SOAP envelope and called a web service. The web service returned another SOAP stream with a listing of theaters, movies and show times. We settled for showing the data in a textarea. In this installment we’ll go the final yard and parse the XML into tabular data to be displayed in the browser. If you look at file ajax2b.html you’ll see that the “updateMe()” method has been updated to call the ActiveXObject “Microsoft.XMLDOM”. Obviously, this method works only for…
Making Ajax Accessible There are a number of myths that surround the topic of accessibility with Ajax. It is very important for both developers and users to be able to separate myths from facts. In this article I will go over some common myths that surround Ajax and accessibility, and I will take the time to address them. One of the most common myths that surrounds Ajax is that accessibility is one issue. There are a number of problems with holding this view. When you do this, you will often combine ideas that are highly likely to be unrelated. For…
Ajax Challenges While Ajax promises to change the way we view and change the web, there are a number of challenges that it poses to developers. With Ajax, you have to do a lot of work yourself. It is comprised of a collection of web technologies that can be used to create sites which are quick and interactive. The Ajax trend has already made an impact on traditional web developers and development software. Some experts believe that if Ajax applications continue to become more prominent, they may force many online companies to change the ways in which they conduct business….
Ajax Framework The Ajax framework is a technology that is used to build pages which are dynamic. These pages will generally be tailored towards the client side. The data will be read via the server, or it may be transmitted to the server by a request that is made in JavaScript. In order for this to occur, it must be noted that processing must be conducted within the server if the requestes are to be processed properly. This process would basically involve finding data and storing it. To perform this task efficiently, it will be necessary to use the framework…
The Security Aspects of Ajax Security is an important part of Ajax that must be taken into consideration. While Ajax is the subject of a lot of hype, security is something that developers must look at carefully. This new technology is popular because of its ability to create pages which are highly dynamic and interactive. It has also been popularized because of its ability to generate pages that don’t need to be reloaded. However, it has also been the subject of controversy due to its vulnerability to hackers. While the truth of this is up for debate, the issue of…
Advantages and Disadvantages of Ajax While there are a number of advantages to using Ajax, there are also some disadvantages as well. One of the main reasons why people support it is the interface. Those who use pages with Ajax will find that they operate more like an application rather than a standalone program. With normal web pages, users will have to click on a link if they wish to refresh the page. This can become tedious and inefficient. With Ajax, the page can be refreshed dynamically. The response of the interface to the actions of the user is much…
How Ajax Has Become More Standardized If you are familiar with Gmail, Google Suggest, or Flickr, you will have had a glimpse of the world that Ajax promises to create. These web applications are the result of a new trend in emerging Internet technologies. You will probably notice that many of these applications are very similar to the desktop applications that you’ve used for years. There is little need for them to rely on things like plug-ins or features that are commonly associated with browsers. In the past, most web applications were nothing more than a group of HTML pages…
How Ajax Can Improve Web Applications Many Ajax pioneers such as Jesse James Garret feel that the Internet is pushing innovation. They feel that some of the greatest future developments will be made online. Personally, I agree with them. There are a number of ways in which Ajax can be used to improve the web applications that we use today. Many web developers are jealous of their desktop development counterparts. While there are a number of reasons for this, the primary issue is connected to the fact that desktop applications are much more robust and efficient. While web applications have…
How Ajax Can Become as User Friendly as Flash There are a number of reasons why Flash has become so popular on the web today, and this lies in the fact that users don’t have to reload the page. Products such as Flash Remoting will allow users to access the background server, and Ajax can do the same thing with HTML. Systems such as CFAJAX will allow users to send out complex objects, but it is difficult to receive and understand them, especially if you are using products such as ColdFusion. To solve this problem, some developers have come up…
Ajax Graphics Enhancement Tools When most people think of Ajax, they think of the ability to have changes occur on webpages without having to reload them. They also think about of the high levels of interactivity that they can achieve. Most importantly, many developers are waiting for the way where they will be able to use web applications that are just as robust as their desktop counterparts. However, many people fail to take into consideration the graphical issues of this collection of technologies. This phenomenon is a result of Web 2.0. A great emphasis was placed on the experience of…
The Rapid Expansion of Ajax on The Web A year ago, most web developers were not fully aware of the capabilities surrounding Ajax. Indeed, the system was largely obscure. However, this has greatly changed in the last twelve months. Ajax has gone from being rare to being a household name in the web development community.While many people make the mistake of thinking that Ajax is a new technology, those who have studied it know that its foundation has existed for nearly a decade, and it was only through recent advances in technology that it has reached the popularity it enjoys…
