An Introduction to AJAX

In simple terms, Ajax is an approach to rendering web pages that improves a web site's appeal and usability. It enhances user interaction by targeting updates from the server to specific areas of a web page. It allows information to be changed without long delays or frustrating page refreshes.

Prokata (2006). Articles>Web Design>DHTML>Ajax

JSON on the Server Side

JSON is an easy format to use for sending (and receiving) data that maps to objects, or even arrays of objects. In this final article of the series, you'll learn how to handle data sent to a server in the JSON format and how to reply to scripts using the same format.

McLaughlin, Brett D. IBM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Server Side Includes>Ajax

Make Ajax Development Easier with AjaxTags

Developers and users have much higher expectations for the usability and responsiveness of Web-based applications in the Web 2.0 era. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past two years, you've likely heard of Asynchronous JavaScript + XML (the Ajax technique). Ajax allows you to build slick, responsive, and highly dynamic browser-based user interfaces without requiring browser page reloads. This article takes a look at AjaxTags, a Java/JavaScript Library that lets you easily integrate Ajax functionality into your JSP pages.

Wintschel, Daniel. IBM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Server Side Includes>Ajax

Make the Best Use of Asynchronous Callbacks

It takes some finesse to make the best use of asynchronous callbacks for Ajax data sources in JavaScript applications. This tip discusses why you should use asynchronous callbacks for Ajax data sources and gives examples of coordinating the readiness of mutually dependent application data sources that may become ready at undefined times with asynchronous calls.

Mertz, David. IBM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Programming>Ajax

Making Ajax Work with Screen Readers

The accessibility community is understandably concerned about the accessibility of client-side scripting, in particular using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax) to produce Rich Internet Applications. Steve Faulkner of Vision Australia and founder member of the Web Accessibility Tools Consortium (WAT-C) and myself on behalf of The Paciello Group (TPG) have collaborated in an effort to come up with techniques to make Ajax and other client-side scripting techniques accessible to assistive technology.

Lemon, Gez and Steve Faulkner. Juicy Studio (2006). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Ajax

Mastering Ajax, Part 1: Introduction to Ajax

Ajax, which consists of HTML, JavaScript™ technology, DHTML, and DOM, is an outstanding approach that helps you transform clunky Web interfaces into interactive Ajax applications. The author, an Ajax expert, demonstrates how these technologies work together -- from an overview to a detailed look -- to make extremely efficient Web development an easy reality. He also unveils the central concepts of Ajax, including the XMLHttpRequest object.

McLaughlin, Brett D. IBM (2006). Articles>Web Design>Interaction Design>Ajax

Mastering Ajax, Part 1: Introduction to Ajax

Ajax, which consists of HTML, JavaScript™ technology, DHTML, and DOM, is an outstanding approach that helps you transform clunky Web interfaces into interactive Ajax applications. The author, an Ajax expert, demonstrates how these technologies work together -- from an overview to a detailed look -- to make extremely efficient Web development an easy reality. He also unveils the central concepts of Ajax, including the XMLHttpRequest object.

McLaughlin, Brett D. IBM (2006). Articles>Web Design>Interaction Design>Ajax

Mastering Ajax, Part 2: Make Asynchronous Requests with JavaScript and Ajax

Most Web applications use a request/response model that gets an entire HTML page from the server. The result is a back-and-forth that usually involves clicking a button, waiting for the server, clicking another button, and then waiting some more. With Ajax and the XMLHttpRequest object, you can use a request/response model that never leaves users waiting for a server to respond. In this article, Brett McLaughlin shows you how to create XMLHttpRequest instances in a cross-browser way, construct and send requests, and respond to the server.

McLaughlin, Brett D. IBM (2006). Articles>Web Design>Interaction Design>Ajax

Mastering Ajax, Part 3: Advanced Requests and Responses in Ajax

For many Web developers, making simple requests and receiving simple responses is all they'll ever need, but for developers who want to master Ajax, a complete understanding of HTTP status codes, ready states, and the XMLHttpRequest object is required. In this article, Brett McLaughlin will show you the different status codes and demonstrate how browsers handle each and he will showcase the lesser-used HTTP requests that you can make with Ajax.

McLaughlin, Brett D. IBM (2006). Articles>Web Design>DHTML>Ajax

Mastering Ajax, Part 4: Exploiting DOM for Web Response

The great divide between programmers (who work with back-end applications) and Web programmers (who spend their time writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) is long standing. However, the Document Object Model (DOM) bridges the chasm and makes working with both XML on the back end and HTML on the front end possible and an effective tool. In this article, Brett McLaughlin introduces the Document Object Model, explains its use in Web pages, and starts to explore its usage from JavaScript.

McLaughlin, Brett D. IBM (2006). Design>Web Design>DHTML>Ajax

Optimized and Predictable Ajax Applications

Wouldn't it be nice for developers if all browsers, computer models, and Ajax application users were the same? Maybe, but the reality is that they are not. Developers face a myriad of challenges when developing applications that behave predictably across browsers, computers, and individual user settings. When users transfer Ajax applications from one browser type to another (and especially when they transfer an Ajax application into a Web service portal), they're not guaranteed the same browser experience because of each browser's inherent limitations. In this article, author Judith Myerson gives a brief discussion of these limitations and what pitfalls to avoid, including some helpful solutions for optimizing browser differences.

Myerson, Judith. IBM (2007). Design>Web Design>Ajax

Optimized and Predictable Ajax Applications

Wouldn't it be nice for developers if all browsers, computer models, and Ajax application users were the same? Maybe, but the reality is that they are not. Developers face a myriad of challenges when developing applications that behave predictably across browsers, computers, and individual user settings. When users transfer Ajax applications from one browser type to another (and especially when they transfer an Ajax application into a Web service portal), they're not guaranteed the same browser experience because of each browser's inherent limitations. In this article, author Judith Myerson gives a brief discussion of these limitations and what pitfalls to avoid, including some helpful solutions for optimizing browser differences.

Myerson, Judith. IBM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Standards>Ajax

Performance Ajax Tools

Wasting server resources can impact the performance of Ajax applications, resulting in excessive HTTP requests, high memory consumption, and the need for an unusual amount of polling to make applications work. Regular developerWorks author Judith Myerson suggests some open source tools and Firefox add-ons you can use to improve or solve problems with your Ajax applications.

Myerson, Judith. IBM (2008). Articles>Web Design>Programming>Ajax

Re-Write a Layer's Content with Javascript

One of the most common tasks Web developers face every day is to change the content of a Web page, without additional requests to the Web server. The easiest way to accomplish this assignment is through the use of layers.

Todorov, Peter. SitePoint (2003). Design>Web Design>DHTML>Ajax

Read and Display Server-Side XML with JavaScript

XML is a very important base on which Web Services work, and, in conjunction with a number of client- and server-side languages, can be put to good effect. Let's see how we can use XML and client side JavaScript to display the contents of a XML file, access child elements, manipulate elements, and more!

Pillai, Premshree. SitePoint (2003). Design>Web Design>Interaction Design>Ajax

Responsible Asynchronous Scripting

Asynchronous or remote scripting has been lurking in the background of web app development for quite some time now. Originally dependent on proprietary technology like Java applets, ActiveX and Flash or clever combinations of disparate technologies like images and cookies, native support for the XMLHttpRequest (XHR) object in modern browsers has made it easier than ever to make web apps more responsive and more like their desktop counterparts. This lower barrier to entry also makes it easier to make poor decisions and inappropriate use of a powerful technology.

Inman, Shaun. Vitamin (2008). Articles>Web Design>Server Side Includes>Ajax

Set up an Ajax Environment With a Scenario

Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML) is quickly emerging as a modern way of bringing desktop-quality software features to Web applications running on browsers. Open source software such as Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP (LAMP) and open standards-based J2EE middleware, such as WebSphere Application Server Community Edition, provide excellent capabilities to develop and deploy Ajax Web applications.

Nathan, Senthil. IBM (2007). Design>Web Design>Programming>Ajax

Speed Up your Ajax Applications While Dodging Web Services Vulnerabilities

Deploying bandwidth-efficient Ajax applications does not guarantee that the service levels in a Service Level Agreement will stay high. No matter how well you change code in the Ajax format to make it more bandwidth efficient, there will be always risks and vulnerabilities you'll need to watch out for and mitigate. Regular developerWorks author Judith Myerson gives a brief Ajax recap, shows what Web services vulnerabilities are and why Service Level Agreements (SLA) are important, and suggests some solutions for speeding up Ajax applications.

Myerson, Judith. IBM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Ajax

Speed Up Your Ajax Applications While Dodging Web Services Vulnerabilities

Deploying bandwidth-efficient Ajax applications does not guarantee that the service levels in a Service Level Agreement will stay high. No matter how well you change code in the Ajax format to make it more bandwidth efficient, there will be always risks and vulnerabilities you'll need to watch out for and mitigate. Regular developerWorks author Judith Myerson gives a brief Ajax recap, shows what Web services vulnerabilities are and why Service Level Agreements (SLA) are important, and suggests some solutions for speeding up Ajax applications.

Myerson, Judith. IBM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Programming>Ajax

Survey of Ajax Tools and Techniques

Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML) programming techniques are increasingly dominating the world of Web application development. New developers are stepping into the world of Ajax development every day, and they come from disparate development backgrounds. Part 1 of this multipart series gives you a cheat sheet of Ajax development resources from an expert team of Ajax developers at IBM. The authors draw from their own ramp-up experiences to help you with practical information that will put you on a fast track to effective Ajax development.

Shachor, Gal, Yoav Rubin, Shmulik London and Shmuel Kallner. IBM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Ajax

Survey of Ajax Tools and Techniques

Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML) programming techniques are increasingly dominating the world of Web application development. New developers are stepping into the world of Ajax development every day, and they come from disparate development backgrounds. Part 1 of this multipart series gives you a cheat sheet of Ajax development resources from an expert team of Ajax developers at IBM(R). The authors draw from their own ramp-up experiences to help you with practical information that will put you on a fast track to effective Ajax development.

Shachor, Gal, Yoav Rubin, Shmulik London and Shmuel Kallner. IBM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Ajax>Methods

Take Command with AJAX

Want to get a bang out of your AJAX artillery? In this hands-on tutorial, Stoyan puts AJAX on the front line as he develops a Web app with which you can execute shell commands on your Web server. The downloadable code provides a real tactical advantage as Stoyan marshals JavaScript and XML to create the app.

Stefanov, Stoyan. SitePoint (2005). Design>Web Design>Programming>Ajax

Usability and Accessibility with AJAX

The Ajax express train rumbles on, threatening to crush anything in its path. Recent discussion has turned to those critical elements of good web development, usability and accessibility. Accessibility is a major issue with Ajax, mainly because anything that relies on JavaScript to function is inaccessible pretty much by default. There are two solutions: either provide a fall-back system where the site remains useful without its Ajax enhancements, or provide a whole separate interface that works without scripting.

Willison, Simon. SitePoint (2005). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Ajax

User Annotations in Ajax  

The ability to add notes and comments to your Web site can be a powerful and attractive feature for users. This tutorial demonstrates how to implement an Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX)-based user annotation system in the form of yellow sticky notes that sit on top of regular Web page content. The only additional, required configuration is a back-end Perl script that stores the annotations.

Travis, Greg. IBM (2006). Articles>Web Design>DHTML>Ajax

User-Proofing Ajax

When good AJAX web apps go bad, these guidelines and techniques can help you and your users stay informed and productive.

Quinsey, Peter. List Apart, A (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability>Ajax