Ajax: Creating Web Pages with Asynchronous JavaScript and XML

Chapter 8. Ajax Using XML and XMLHttpRequest Unlike the previous chapter, which was sort of "mad scientist stuff" with training wheels, here the training wheels come off. We're free to either fly like the wind or remove large amoun...

8.1. Traditional Versus Ajax Websites Before we go any further, this is a good time to review how the average website works, if only to see the contrast between it and Ajax websites. With a traditional website, it isn't unusual for the same page...

8.2. XML As you're aware, if only from the cameo appearance in Chapter 2, "Introducing Ajax," XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language, but other than the purpose of padding resumés, you're probably not aware of why XML is used s...

8.3. The XMLHttpRequest Object As interesting as the previous section may have been, remember that it was only an appetizer. Now the time has come for the entrée: the XMLHttpRequest object. If you've never used the XMLHttpRequest object, it...

8.4. A Problem Revisited Now that we have covered some of the necessary background material for using XML, SOAP, and XMLHTTP, let's apply it to the e-commerce site. As you might recall, the objective of the site is to provide materials for the o...

8.5. Tabular Information and Forms With the server side taken care of, there are three ways to proceed with developing on the client side. The first is to continue developing the way that we've been developing, hand-coding every function. Although...

8.6. Advantages and Disadvantages At the risk of repeating myself, and everyone else who has ever uttered a word about Ajax, the advantage of Ajax is that a web application has the look and feel of a Windows or Linux application. No more does the ...

8.7. Summary With a couple side trips into the magical worlds of XML, XML-RPC, SOAP, and MySQL stored functions and procedures, we've touched upon every part of Ajax as it stands at the time of this writing. Alright, maybe the MySQL part doesn't d...