What is AJAX?

[Saurabh Chaubey]

What is AJAX all about?

[Bear Bibeault]

In a nut-shell, AJAX is a methodology to make "back-door" requests to the server withut having to refresh the entire page. While generally the XMLHttpRequest object is envisioned when the term Ajax is used, it can also encompass the "low tech" approach of using invisible iframes embedded within the page to make such requests.

More here.

[Dimi Kol]

Also, where can I download Ajax from and what are the minimum requirements for installation and acceptable performance?
Thanks.

[Eric Pascarello]

You do not download anything.

Eric

[Mulyadi Kurniawan]

Hi Eric,

Like these guys, I am also clueless about AJAX. Is there an easy "Hellow World" example that we can take a look at? Is there an easy AJAX coding that we can try on our desktop?
Thanks in advance.

- Mulyadi

[sanker san]

How do I send a request to the server from javascript without blocking the user?

[Bear Bibeault]

Originally posted by sanker san:
How do I send a request to the server from javascript without blocking the user?

The first A ina AJAX stands for asynchronous. However, you can also configure synchronous calls.

[Darshit Hirani]

ALso in AJAX u dont need any extra protocol as such. Since AJAX involves XML and JavaScript, there are no overheads of installing any plugin or anything. And thats a great thing.

[Eric Pascarello]

Ajax does not need XML....

[Paul Santa Maria]

This is a good summary answer to the question "What is Ajax???":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AJAX

PS:
Apologies to Bear - I just re-read the postings and noticed he added the same link.

Bear - just curious: I've noticed a lot of people at Java Ranch much prefer linking to "here" instead of the full URL. My strong preference is to *know* what the link is before I click it (in much the same spirit as I always DISABLE the default "hide file suffixes" in Windows Explorer). I can't really believe brevity is an issue - so I'm curious why the fondness for "hidden here"?

PPS:
I agree that the Wikipedia article is definitely a good link to point to!
[ November 15, 2005: Message edited by: Paul Santa Maria ]

[Bear Bibeault]

Originally posted by Paul Santa Maria:
I can't really believe brevity is an issue - so I'm curious why the fondness for "hidden here"?

1) I'm lazy
2) It reads well
3) I'm lazy
4) You can hover over the link and see the destination in the status bar of most browsers
5) I'm lazy

[Macy]

I'm still working on Sun Java exams. It's my first time heard about Ajax. Thanks for your information, I will keep track on new technology.

[Sapna Grover]

Found an interesting arlicle on the web - " The Ten Best Ajax Links: Tutorials, Examples, and History"

http://www.mygadgetbag.com/MGBResearch/MGBResearchArticles/tabid/261/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/445/The-Ten-Best-Ajax-Links-Tutorials-Examples-and-History.aspx

[sunitha reghu]

You can have a look at this web page

http://www.manning.com/books/crane

Originally posted by Mulyadi Kurniawan:
Hi Eric,

Like these guys, I am also clueless about AJAX. Is there an easy "Hellow World" example that we can take a look at? Is there an easy AJAX coding that we can try on our desktop?
Thanks in advance.

- Mulyadi

[Eric Pascarello]

I wrote a very basic example here using the responseText and responseXML with an XML file using the a version of the Ajax content loader from Ajax In Action.

http://www.pascarello.com/basicAjaxExample/

Hope this helps

Eric

[Paul Santa Maria]

Thanx, Bear. I was just wondering if I was breaching some unspoken protocol or something.

Your .. PSM

PS:
I'm lazy, too ;-)