Ajax for Java Developers: Java Object Serialization for Ajax

If you're doing Java Web development using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax), then delivering data from the server to the client is probably your top concern. In this second article in the Ajax for Java developers series, Philip McCarthy walks you through five approaches to Java object serialization and gives you all the information you need to choose the data format and technology best suited to your application.

McCarthy, Philip. IBM (2006). Articles>Web Design>Programming>Ajax

All Hail Shale: Shale Isn't Struts

What Shale isn't is a shrink-wrapped, well-documented, well-tested product complete with an automated installer and a polished management interface. Now find out what it is, as Brett McLaughlin unveils this mighty -- and rightful-- heir to the legacy of Struts. In this first of a five-part series, Brett explains what Shale is, how it's different from the Struts framework, and how to install and set it up in your development environment.

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

Avoid Unnecessary Ajax Traffic with Session State

Where possible, creating Web applications -- including Ajax-based applications -- in a RESTful way avoids a large class of bugs. However, a pitfall of REST (REpresentational State Transfer) is sending duplicate data across similar XMLHttpRequests. This tip shows how the moderate use of session cookies can maintain just enough server-side state to significantly reduce client-server traffic, while still allowing fallback to cookie-free operation.

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

Building Block Definitions (Containers)

Dives into the components of the building block system. Each has a place in his design framework for dashboards and portals.

Lamantia, Joe. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Design>Web Design>Programming

Call SOAP Web Services with Ajax, Part 1: Build the Web Services Client

Implement a Web browser-based SOAP Web services client using the Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax) design pattern.

Snell, James. IBM (2006). Articles>Web Design>Programming>Ajax

Cross-Browser Web Application Testing Made Easy

'Test on multiple browsers' has been a mantra ever since there have been multiple browsers to test on. Testing them all--especially these days--is impossible. But you can come a lot closer than you may think. In this article, learn a variety of techniques for cross-browser testing, from the very thorough to the quick and dirty. The choice you make will depend on your resources, but this is an issue you can't ignore.

Fruhlinger, Joshua A. IBM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Programming>Testing

Curbing JavaScript Dependency

JavaScript can be used as an enhancement, but too often it ends up rendering a page unusable to people who don't run it. There are a number of good reasons why it might not be running in a given browser, and pages should never depend on it. MSG is a 'flavor enhancer,' with one slight problem -- some people are allergic to it. Most people don't seem to care much either way, but a small number of people seems to have bad reactions to it. If you ask people in the industry who sell it, they'll tell you it's quite safe, but there are others who claim that it's potentially lethal to some (very, very few) people.

Seebach, Peter. IBM (2001). Design>Web Design>Programming>JavaScript

Debugging JavaScript Using Venkman

Most people who do even a little bit of JavaScript programming, even those who are simply tweaking somebody else’s code, are familiar with the rudimentary JavaScript debugger in the recent versions of Internet Explorer. Click on the yellow warning icon in your browser, and you get a listing of various JavaScript errors in your code. It is simple, and for many people it is enough, but it’s not really the type of fully-fledged debugging environment with features programmers have come to expect in other development languages. If you find yourself doing a lot of JavaScript programming or tweaking and you are concerned with cross-browser support for your scripts, then Venkman is worth checking out.

Schengili-Roberts, Keith. WebRef (2003). Design>Web Design>Programming>DHTML

Enhancing HTML Documents With ActiveX  

ActiveX is definitely a technology buzzword--but what is it, really? How does it work? Is it something that would benefit me as a writer? How can I utilize it? Technical writers are increasingly being called upon to combine new publishing technologies with writing skills. ActiveX technology provides new ways for writers to enhance their HTML documents with little or no actual programming involved. This workshop presents the various technologies associated with ActiveX, along with functional demonstrations. The goal of the workshop is to provide an overview of ActiveX that can serve as a starting point to further research and implement the technology.

Vincent, Bill. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Web Design>Programming>ActiveX

Frameworks for Designers

These days, 'framework' is quite a buzzword in web development. With JavaScript frameworks like the Yahoo User Interface library, jQuery, and Prototype getting a lot of attention and web application frameworks like Rails and Django getting even more, it seems like everyone is using some kind of framework to build their sites. But what exactly is a framework? And are they only useful to programmers, or can we web designers benefit from the concept, as well?

Croft, Jeff. List Apart, A (2007). Design>Web Design>Programming>Collaboration

An Introduction to the Eclipse Web Tools Platform

The Eclipse Web Tools Platform (WTP) extends the Eclipse IDE to enable easy development of Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE)-based applications. Learn how to install WTP, configure it for use with an application server, and use the tools it provides to create a J2EE application.

Delap, Scott. IBM (2006). Articles>Web Design>Programming

jQuery Crash Course

As developers, we have more and more JavaScript libraries to choose from and, of course, the option not to use any at all. Over time, we each tend to favor one method of coding over another. For those who'd like to learn more about jQuery, one of the more popular libraries, here's a crash course written with code-savvy web designers in mind.

Smith, Nathan. Digital Web Magazine (2007). Design>Web Design>Programming>JavaScript

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

PHP Coding Guidelines

The guidelines that I follow when writing my PHP scripts; can be helpful to have something like this if you're working on a joint project.

Waring, Paul. evolt (2005). Articles>Web Design>Programming

Programming Hamlets

This tutorial illustrates various aspects of Hamlet programming as it provides a number of practical Hamlet examples. The examples are part of WebZEC (Web-based Zurich Event Console) -- a fast, browser-based console to quickly navigate in intrusion-detection alarms. With these samples, you can develop a good understanding how to use Hamlets for Web-based application development and how Hamlets work.

Pawlitzek, Rene. IBM (2005). Articles>Web Design>Programming

Programming Web Services with SOAP

The task of creating and deploying web services is really not all that difficult, nor is it all that different than what developers currently do in more traditional web applications. The tendency on all platforms is to automate more and more of the gory details and tedious work in creating web services. Most programmers don't need to know the exact details of encodings and envelopes; instead, they'll simply use a SOAP toolkit such as those described here.

Snell, James, Doug Tidwell and Pavel Kulchenko. O'Reilly and Associates (2001). Design>Web Design>Programming>XML

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>Programming>Ajax

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

Understanding Java  

This paper introduces neophytes to Java. It starts with Java’'s beginnings as a programming language for interactive cable TV boxes and continues through the features of optimization, platform-independence, and object-orientation that make it unique. Next, it dispels the myths surrounding Java, presents solid guidelines for when and when not to use Java, and finally examines today’s practical uses of Java, including enhancing Web pages, managing a business, and delivering sophisticated training modules capable of advanced interactions.

Currie, Cynthia C. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Web Design>Programming>DHTML

Upgrade Web Applications with New Technologies

To maintain success, companies often incorporate the benefits of new and evolving technologies into their star products. Unfortunately, integrating new technologies can sometimes compromise a product's features and adversely affect the time to market. The time it takes for a product development team to become acquainted with the new technology can limit the number of new features added to the product. Discover the most common problems associated with incorporating new technologies into existing products, and learn what steps you can take to avoid these issues and upgrade your products successfully.

Bhattacharya, Shantanu. IBM (2007). Design>Web Design>Programming

Using ActionScript in Macromedia Flash MX 2004: Best Practices

Code it right: Use these best practices as you write your ActionScript.

deHaan, Jen. Adobe (2004). Design>Web Design>Programming>Flash

Views and Forms: Principles of Task Flow for Web Applications Part 1

One of the defining elements of web applications is their support for the editing and manipulation of stored data. Unlike the typical conversation that goes on between a user and a content-centric website however, this additional capability requires a more robust dialog between user and application.

Baxley, Bob. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Design>Web Design>Programming

What Ever Happened to Web Engineering?

Does it ever occur to you that today's Web developers could learn a thing or two from traditional computer programming? The cranky user talks about the foundations of software engineering and asks where in the Web those best practices have disappeared to.

Seebach, Peter. IBM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Programming