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Build Your Own AJAX Web Applications
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by Matthew Eernisse
Sales Rank: 227003
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Discount: 40 %
$9.49
At Amazon
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Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: SitePoint; 1 edition June 14, 2006
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0975841947
ISBN-13: 978-0975841945
Product Dimensions:
9 x 6.8 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
Book Description
AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a new approach for developing web applications. It essentially permits users to interact with a Webpage without forcing a slow & tedious reload of the entire page after every action. This means web applications become more responsive, easier to use, and more intuitive. Build Your Own Ajax Web Applications uses a step-by-step tutorial format that's so easy to follow, you'll be able to build sophisticated and intuitive Ajax web interfaces in no time!
Read this book, and you'll: Get an overview of the basic technologies you'll need to use to build Ajax applications. Understand the XMLHttpRequest object, the core of Ajax applications. Build a cross-browser XMLHttpRequest wrapper that you can use in all of your Ajax projects. Build an Ajax application monitor that works in real time. Learn how to use Ajax without breaking older browsers or causing accessibility issues. Get your Ajax application working with screen readers. Use dynamic animations to improve usability. Build edit-in-place functionality. Create an Ajax search application that pulls data from Amazon, del.icio.us, and Google. Fix the "Back button" problem. Use JSON, YAML, and XML to communicate with the server. Build an Ajax drag 'n' drop chess game. And a whole lot more!
Throughout the text, the author stresses usability, accessibility, and graceful degradation for older, less-capable web browsers.
About The Author
Matthew Eernisse is the lead web application developer for an enterprise-class learning management system at an e-learning solutions company. He has been working and playing with Linux and other open source software since 1999.
Customer Reviews & Comments
The craze of Ajax has publishers rushing their own Ajax books to market to get a piece of the Ajax pie so to speak. This book sets itself apart from the other Ajax books for one reason...Clear, concise explanations with no confusing terminology! The author uses code snippets, browser results snapshots, and nice white space to allow the reader to digest what the author is talking about without getting overloading with techno-babble. In my opinion, the most important part in learning Ajax is not the fancy DOM effects or the server-side coding to pull the data; it is understanding how you need to use the XMLHttpRequest object in sending and receiving requests from the server. The way we program our web applications to send and receive data from the server has changed with Ajax and this book shows the reader in gradual steps how to utilize the Ajax pieces in creating some useful editions to your website. This book assumes you have knowledge of CSS and JavaScript, but that's it. You don't have to be a guru in either, just have a good basic understanding of each. The rest will be supplied by the author's code examples. Actually reading this book and learning Ajax will help you create better accessible website (even if you don't use Ajax), because it focuses on using technologies where they can degrade nicely if the user of the site does not have the most up-to-date browser or is using a screen reader which would definitely hinder on the web experience. The most important chapter(s) in my opinion are Chapters 2, 3 and 4 where the author explains in great detail the XMLHttpRequest object and how is it is used to send a request asynchronously in getting requests from the server. I really like (as mentioned before) how the author stresses graceful degradation in case the object is not supported in the user's browser. Most of the other books that I have read through on Ajax do not even mention this and is a vital part in creating accessible web sites. Chapter 3 continues the theme on understanding the basics of asynchronous server requests with some useful examples that can be used right away in most websites. IE issues on memory leaks (hopefully eliminated with IE7), CSS and JavaScript differences are also discussed. Of course most other books slip other these simple things that can cause you hours of debugging and research on your part. Chapter 4 is the meat and potatoes of using GET and POST and how different salutations would lead you to using either one. Some nice useful, "real-world" examples are show and I have already incorporated one of these already. The author shows you how to incorporate Ajax in a simple login page to make it look more professional. Another topic in this chapter that I have never seen in another Ajax book is how Ajax is can be used with screen readers and has information on how to test it for (JAWS, IBM Home Page, Windows-Eyes, and Hal). That is another great addition that should be in every Ajax book (and actually most other web design and development books). I never knew how to test my web pages in screen readers until I read this chapter on it. Great Job! The rest of the book focuses on incorporating different web services, how to not loose the Back button, and creating some fancy DOM-based effects with Ajax. This should be your first book you get on Ajax (maybe not your last --- unless the author writes another book), and hopefully you will become a better web designer/developer because of it, I know I have.
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Build Your Own AJAX Web Applications
Discount: 40 %
Available from Amazon
Price: $9.49
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