Professional Ajax

by Nicholas C. Zakas; Jeremy McPeak; Joe Fawcett

• ISBN13: 9780471777786
• ISBN10: 0471777781
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-01
• Publisher: Wrox

Summary

Written for experienced web developers, Professional Ajax shows how to combine tried-and-true CSS, XML, and JavaScript technologies into Ajax. This provides web developers with the ability to create more sophisticated and responsive user interfaces and break free from the "click-and-wait" standard that has dominated the web since its introduction.Professional Ajax discusses the range of request brokers (including the hidden frame technique, iframes, and XMLHttp) and explains when one should be used over another. You will also learn different Ajax techniques and patterns for executing client-server communication on your web site and in web applications. By the end of the book, you will have gained the practical knowledge necessary to implement your own Ajax solutions. In addition to a full chapter case study showing how to combine the book's Ajax techniques into an AjaxMail application, Professional Ajax uses many other examples to build hands-on Ajax experience. Some of the other examples include: web site widgets for a news ticker, weather information, web search, and site search preloading pages in online articles incremental form validation using Google Web APIs in Ajax creating an autosuggest text box Professional Ajax readers should be familiar with CSS, XML, JavaScript, and HTML so you can jump right in with the book and begin learning Ajax patterns, XPath and XSLT support in browsers, syndication, web services, JSON, and the Ajax Frameworks, JPSpan, DWR, and Ajax.NET.

Author Biography

<b>Nicholas C. Zakas</b> has a BS degree in Computer Science from Merrimack College and an MBA degree from Endicott College. He is the author of <i>Professional JavaScript for Web Developers</i> as well as several online articles. Nicholas has worked in web development for more than five years and has helped develop web solutions in use at some of the largest companies in the world. Nicholas can be reached through his web site at www.nczonline.net. <p> <b>Jeremy McPeak</b> began tinkering with web development as a hobby in 1998. Currently working in the IT department of a school district, Jeremy has experience developing web solutions with JavaScript, PHP, and C#. He has written several online articles covering topics such as XSLT, WebForms, and C#. <p> <b>Joe Fawcett</b> started programming in the 1970s and worked briefly in IT after leaving full-time education. He then pursued a more checkered career before returning to software development in 1994. In 2003, he was awarded the title Microsoft Most Valuable Professional in XML for community contributions and technical expertise. Joe currently works in London as a developer for The Financial Training Company, which provides professional certifications and business training.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xvii
Introduction	xix
What Is Ajax?	1	(14)
Ajax Is Born	2	(1)
The Evolution of the Web	2	(3)
JavaScript	2	(1)
Frames	3	(1)
The Hidden Frame Technique	3	(1)
Dynamic HTML and the DOM	3	(1)
Iframes	4	(1)
XMLHttp	4	(1)
The Real Ajax	5	(1)
Ajax Principles	6	(1)
Technologies Behind Ajax	6	(1)
Who Is Using Ajax?	7	(5)
Google Suggest	7	(1)
Gmail	8	(1)
Google Maps	8	(2)
A9	10	(1)
Yahoo! News	11	(1)
Bitflux Blog	11	(1)
Confusion and Controversy	12	(1)
Summary	13	(2)
Ajax Basics	15	(32)
HTTP Primer	15	(4)
HTTP Requests	16	(2)
HTTP Responses	18	(1)
Ajax Communication Techniques	19	(24)
The Hidden Frame Technique	19	(14)
XML Http Requests	33	(10)
Further Considerations	43	(2)
The Same Origin Policy	43	(1)
Cache Control	44	(1)
Summary	45	(2)
Ajax Patterns	47	(34)
Communication Control Patterns	47	(28)
Predictive Fetch	48	(1)
Page Preloading Example	48	(8)
Submission Throttling	56	(2)
Incremental Form Validation Example	58	(6)
Incremental Field Validation Example	64	(3)
Periodic Refresh	67	(1)
New Comment Notifier Example	68	(4)
Multi-Stage Download	72	(1)
Additional Information Links Example	73	(2)
Fallback Patterns	75	(4)
Cancel Pending Requests	76	(2)
Try Again	78	(1)
Summary	79	(2)
XML, XPath, and XSLT	81	(44)
XML Support in Browsers	81	(21)
XML DOM in IE	81	(10)
XML DOM in Firefox	91	(4)
Cross-Browser XML	95	(1)
A Basic XML Example	96	(6)
XPath Support in Browsers	102	(9)
Introduction to XPath	103	(1)
XPath in IE	104	(1)
Working with Namespaces	104	(3)
XPath in Firefox	107	(2)
Working with Namespace Resolver	109	(1)
Cross-Browser XPath	110	(1)
XSL Transformation Support in Browsers	111	(13)
Introduction to XSLT	111	(3)
XSLT in IE	114	(5)
XSLT in Firefox	119	(1)
Cross-Browser XSLT	120	(1)
Best Picks Revisited	121	(3)
Summary	124	(1)
Syndication with RSS/Atom	125	(32)
RSS	125	(3)
RSS 0.91	126	(1)
RSS 1.0	127	(1)
RSS 2.0	128	(1)
Atom	128	(1)
FooReader.NET	129	(23)
Client-Side Components	130	(9)
Server-Side Components	139	(6)
Tying the Client to the Server	145	(7)
Setup	152	(3)
Testing	155	(1)
Summary	156	(1)
Web Services	157	(34)
Related Technologies	157	(9)
SOAP	157	(3)
WSDL	160	(3)
REST	163	(3)
The .NET Connection	166	(1)
Design Decisions	167	(1)
Creating a Windows Web Service	168	(7)
System Requirements	168	(1)
Configuring IIS	168	(2)
Coding the Web Service	170	(2)
Creating the Assembly	172	(3)
Web Services and Ajax	175	(9)
Creating the Test Harness	175	(2)
The Internet Explorer Approach	177	(2)
The Mozilla Approach	179	(3)
The Universal Approach	182	(2)
Cross-Domain Web Services	184	(1)
The Google Web APIs Service	184	(1)
Setting Up the Proxy	185	(4)
Summary	189	(2)
JSON	191	(36)
What Is JSON?	191	(4)
Array Literals	191	(1)
Object Literals	192	(1)
Mixing Literals	193	(1)
JSON Syntax	194	(1)
JSON Encoding/Decoding	195	(1)
JSON versus XML	195	(2)
Server-Side JSON Tools	197	(2)
JSON-PHP	197	(2)
Other Tools	199	(1)
Creating an Autosuggest Text Box	199	(26)
Functionality Overview	200	(1)
The HTML	200	(2)
The Database Table	202	(1)
The Architecture	203	(1)
The Classes	204	(1)
The AutoSuggest Control	204	(16)
The Suggestion Provider	220	(2)
The Server-Side Component	222	(1)
The Client-Side Component	223	(2)
Summary	225	(2)
Web Site Widgets	227	(54)
Creating a News Ticker Widget	227	(13)
The Server-Side Component	228	(1)
The Client-Side Component	229	(8)
Styling the News	237	(2)
Implementing the News Ticker Widget	239	(1)
Creating a Weather Widget	240	(15)
The Weather.com SDK	240	(1)
The Server-Side Component	240	(9)
The Client-Side Component	249	(1)
Getting Data from the Server	249	(2)
Customizing the Weather Widget	251	(3)
Implementing the Weather Widget	254	(1)
Creating a Web Search Widget	255	(11)
The Server-Side Component	256	(1)
The Client-Side Component	257	(5)
Customizing the Web Search Widget	262	(3)
Implementing the Web Search Widget	265	(1)
Creating a Site Search Widget	266	(14)
The Server-Side Component	267	(6)
The Client-Side Component	273	(4)
Customizing the Site Search Widget	277	(2)
Implementing the Site Search Widget	279	(1)
Summary	280	(1)
Ajax Mail	281	(66)
Requirements	281	(1)
Architecture	282	(31)
Resources Used	282	(1)
The Database Tables	283	(1)
The Configuration File	284	(1)
The AjaxMailbox Class	285	(23)
Performing Actions	308	(5)
The User Interface	313	(10)
The Folder View	316	(3)
Read View	319	(1)
Compose View	320	(2)
Layout	322	(1)
Tying It All Together	323	(23)
Helper Functions	324	(2)
The Mailbox	326	(17)
Callback Functions	343	(2)
Event Handlers	345	(1)
The Last Step	346	(1)
Summary	346	(1)
Ajax Frameworks	347	(40)
JPSpan	348	(14)
How It Works	348	(1)
Installing JPSpan	348	(1)
Creating the Server-Side Page	349	(6)
Creating the Client-Side Page	355	(4)
Error Handling	359	(1)
Type Translation	360	(2)
Summary of JPSpan	362	(1)
DWR	362	(12)
How It Works	362	(1)
Installing DWR	362	(4)
Creating the Client-Side Page	366	(1)
Using a Custom Class	367	(4)
Error Handling	371	(1)
More about dwr.xml	371	(1)
Converters	372	(1)
Summary of DWR	373	(1)
Ajax.NET	374	(12)
How It Works	374	(1)
Installing Ajax.NET	374	(2)
Creating the Web Page	376	(6)
Simple and Complex Types	382	(2)
Session State	384	(1)
Summary of Ajax.NET	385	(1)
Summary	386	(1)
Index	387