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Ajax in Action

Manning Publications Co.
209 Bruce Park Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830

Ajax in Action Dave Crane and Eric Pascarello with Darren James October, 2005 | 680 pages ISBN: 1932394613
	$22.50	PDF ebook
	$44.95	Softbound print book

Index A-M

 
Symbols

$ method in Prototype library 548

 
Numerics

200 response, in HTTP 60
302 response, in HTTP 60

 
A

A9.com, Amazon portal 424
absolute position property, CSS 516
ActionScript, in Flash 28
Adapter pattern 79

Sarissa library uses 105

add/delete windows command 462
addFeeds() of RSSReader object 553
AddHandler() 376
addItem() in RSS feed object 538
Ajax

as a separate tier 162

as Dynamic HTML 4

defining principles 17

definition 4

handling 405

increments of implementation 65

injecting behavior 401

key elements 32

request/response cycle 406

sending 402

silent process 475

using full page posting 488

Ajax application

A9.com 424

allocation of logic 18

alternatives to 28–29

battleship 269

characteristics 23

“clickbox” memory management 316

code volume 23

compared to conventional web apps 65

delays in 468

double combo box 331

exchanging data 174

file system access 248

framework requirements 169

frameworks, server side 111

GMail 24

Google Maps 25

guessing game 253

HTTPS implications 265

hyperlinks required 165

in role of a desktop application 65

interaction model 65

inventory management 92

life cycle 18

localization 221

memory use 322

mouse pad 138

MVC architecture in browser 122

need for structure 73

phone book search 473

planet browser 175

problems with 363

RSS feed reader 509

server side example 93

stock trading 87

tools, effect on 562

with only client-side code 510

with unstructured server code 164

without patterns 93

workflow 65

workflow problems 165

Ajax component

Cascading Style Sheets 33

Document Object Model 33

JavaScript 33

XMLHttpRequest object 33

Ajax tools

browser tools 564

compared to other tools 564

compared to web tools 562

maintenance information 564

page-based workflow in 563

state of IDEs 562

Ajax, DHTML techniques

displaying comlex objects 151

event router 141

handling data from server 144

ajaxEngine(), in Rico 396
ajaxUpdate() 346, 356, 463

in ContentLoader 556

in Rico library 405

AjaxWindow.css 446
AjaxWindows.js library 445, 456
alert(), using for data 148
animation, as processing indicator 468
anonymous function, as event handler 457
Apache Axis, framework 170
API

server, coarse-grained 271

server, fine-grained 270

security in 271

appendChild() 50
application

desk top 5

secure login 267

transient vs sovereign 15

application framework 111

Backbase for widgets 113

Echo2 for UI components 113

Ruby on Rails for web page development 114

SAJAX for remote procedure calls 112

server side 111

applyButtonBehaviors() in RSSReader object 548
architectural patterns 91
architecture

MVC 123

n-tier 7, 162

Ajax as a tier 162

early 2-tier 162

web application 162

server-side 164

architecture, n-tier 162

Ajax view 7

arguments pseudo array 349
arguments, property 607
Array

asignment by keyword 594

assignment by index 594

Array class

extending methods of 599

instantiation 593

arrow keys

event handler 379, 409

moving highlight 388

preventing default behavior 410

ASP 161
asynchronous communication

ActiveX objects 58

and HTTP protocol 14

benefits 27

callback function 61

detecting completion 351

example of 62

IFrame 54

Microsoft.XMLHTTP 58

onload property 61

onreadystatechange property 61

readyState property 62

response handling 349

Rico AjaxEngine object 110

send a request 58

XmlDocument object 56

XMLHttpRequest object 56

asynchronous data exchange

client-only interaction 175

content-centric interaction 178

data-centric interaction 188

script-centric interaction 182

asynchronous interactions 12
asynchronous request to server 34
asynchronous requests 19
asynchronous thread, for lengthy interaction 13
Atlas toolkit 169
ATOM syndication feed format 504, 506
attachEvent() IE function 137
attributes property of XML DOM 145
authenticate user and password 432
authentication 277
authorization 277
autocomplete, browser feature

disable for type-ahead suggest 370

autosave 448

adapting the library 448

collecting properteis 449

saving properties 450

server side code 451

 
B

Backbase application framework for widgets 113
background color

property 517

setting 435

background image 42
background processing, techniques for 469
background property 42
backing object 611

circular reference and 323

design pattern 141

for DOM node 318

in MVC 137

reference by name 611

bandwidth, in type-ahead suggest 363
banner ad rotator 537
battleship game

implementation 269

hacking the game 272

setup 270

behavior object in Rico library 109
behaviors, injecting to a page 353
bind(), in Prototype library 395, 548
bindAsEventListener(), in Protrotype 395
blog 505
bookmarking Ajax pages

problems with 472, 490

recovering query string 499

updating query string 500

border-collapse property, CSS 486
box-model 39
branching a library codebase 456
Break Cyclic References design pattern

example 320

breakpoints

conditional 574

debugger 572

browser

as application host 17

as dumb application 17

borrowing functions 610

event hooks 135

event models 134

host objects in 599

storing state 18

browser detection 375

IE autocomplete 407

browser differences 34

ActiveX component 78

adding content to DOM elements 496

animation in IE 468

asynchronous communication objects 56

attaching callbacks 137

bindAsEventListener(), in Prototype 408

browser detection 375, 399

callback handler functions 137

creating XMLHttpRequest 348

detecting key press 379

detecting XSLT support 498

document type, effect of 479

event handlers 395

extending host objects 599

façade and adapter, role of 77

finding element’s position 77

flicker in fades 554

getting attributes of elements 416

graceful degradation 492

handling transparency 42

gif files 42

handling with try-catch block 257

HTML and body tags 435

IE and web services 254

IE asynchronous communication 64

IE garbage collection 310

Jar file for application delivery 262

keypress 376

libraries for 104

loading documents 78

Mozilla asynchronous communication 64

Mozilla PrivilegeManager 254

object detection 57

opacity rules 524

optimizing on visibility 55

pixelLeft property 78

position, finding 78

privilege granting 255

PrivilegeManager access 535

profiler in Mozilla 288

profiling tools 289

Prototype library for 107

ready states 64

Sarissa library 105

security model 250

security of local file system 251

select list display 342

string arguments 220

text attribute in IE 357

W3C event model incompatibilities 138

W3C multiple event handler 83

width property in IE 343

window libraries 445, 448

writing to status bar 197

x library for 104

XmlDocument object 57

XSLT in Mozilla 484

XSLT in MS Internet Explorer 483

XSLT in Opera and Safari 487

XSLT processing 481

XSLT processing code 485

browser functionality, visible to JavaScript 35
browser render engine vs JavaScript 133
browsers

Camino 34

Firefox 34

in PDAs 34

Internet Explorer 34

Mozilla/Gecko 34

Netscape Navigator 34

Opera 34

Safari 34

BuildChoices(), processing results 381
BuildError() 523
BuildSettings() 451
BuildXMLResults() 522
business domain, JavaScript model 144
business tier, in architecture 162

 
C

C#, server-side example 366
cache

client side 376

managing updates 377, 380

need for 363

server side data 369

call stack inspection 573
callback function 61

context for 136

callback handler 76
Cascading Style Sheets

adding events with 125

adjusting opacity 525

Ajax component 32

apply to multiple tags 515

applying 485

box model 39

centering lines 436

class name as progress marker 530

cursor formatting 387

description 36

elements inside another element 517

external file 486

formatting 36

formatting strings 386

hiding elements 373

layout with 40

overriding values 415

padding property 486

page layout 36

positioning elements 372

rules 36

selector rules

class-based 37

element-based 37

tag-based 37

style properties 39

table formatting 486

visual styling 41

categories, in StopWatch system 284
centering text

horizontally 517

vertically 514

CGI parameters 58
change point 456, 463

isolating 459, 464

ChangeView() 523, 525–526
channel element, in RSS feed 506
childNodes, DOM property 49
circular reference

memory leaks 305

removing 311

class

associative 594

functions 595

indexed 594

Class object, in Prototype library 394
class, HTML

declaring 37

multiple class declarations 42

className property 51
clean-up functions, for circular references 307
cleanUp() 309
ClickBox widgets 316
client program, definition 5
client side

data, ways to provide 332

domain model 163

client/server

architecture 5

communication

document-centric approach 173

exposing server objects 171

frameworks for 112

HTML forms 193

message granularity 172

SAJAX object 113

sending data to server 333

serializing data 201

small methods, effect of 172

updating the server 197

using HTML 472

using XML 472

XML as medium 95

controlling request rate 403

loading JavaScript 186

script-centric 438

synchronizing models 193

XmlHttpRequest 195

XSLT 192

client-only interaction 175
closure

avoiding 616

creating 395, 548, 614

definition 614

execution scope 349

function scope in 615

memory leaks, in 616

code generation

conventions 445

in Ruby on Rails 114

code-behind class, .NET MVC 102
code-behind page 368
CollectGarbage(), IE function 311
command

add/delete windows 462

issuing to server 459

load settings 461

login 461

save settings 462

symbols for 459

command processor, error handling 463
command stack 85
Command, design pattern 85, 173

in portal object 458

completion callback method 555, 558
compliant CSS formatting 513
component configurability 399

defaults 497

component-based frameworks

Ajax compatability 168

componentizing, Ajax code 491
composite function, event handler 81
composition 601

alternative to inheritance 601

as helper classes 601

conditional breakpoints, set in IDE 575
configurability, per instance 401
configuration parameters, holding 399
consistency, application feature 214

reuse and 215

constants, in JS 518
constructor

attaching functions to 492

for portal object 455

function 597

hiding in JavaScript 89

prototype and 598

prototype object 347

constructor word in 598
content-centric interaction 178
ContentLoader

applied 333, 371

constructor 346

defined 74

in portal application 437

refactored 195

with notifications 237

Content-Type header 349
context area display 541
context of functions 307
contract

as interface 603

changes to 459

ContentLoader 355

model creator 539

portal object, defined 458

usage 454

with server 453

controller in MVC 134–143

as event handler 134

example 121

in classic web application 165

Model2 framework for 166

controller object for event handling 408
Cooper, Alan 15
Cornford, Richard 311
coupling

client and server, with XML 190

in content-centric interaction 180

in script-centric interaction 182

with mobile script 187

Create Always, design pattern 310
Create If Not Exists, design pattern 310
createElement() 50
createOptions() 356
createPortal() 455
CreateScript(), call back 437
createTextNode() 50
CreateUnderline() 387
CreateWindow() window library method 445
Crockford, Doug 601
cross scripting 248

using document.domain property 250

CSS classes for transitions 511
CSS properties, reading 450
CSS. See Cascading Style Sheets
currentStyle, IE attribute 416
cursor, styling 387
cyclic reference 306

 
D

data exchange interaction styles 174

client-only 175

content-centric 178

data-centric 188

script-centric 182

data freshness, notification 241
database

normalizing 96

tables for windows 439

data-centric interaction 188
data-marshaling 463
DBUtil object 452

db access 432

interface to DB 442

deadlock, in a GUI 214
debugger

evaluating expressions 574

types 572

default values, providing reasonable 393
degradation path for non-Ajax systems 434
DELETE, HTTP method 60
dereference a variable 303
description element, in RSS feed 509
design pattern

Adapter defined 79

architectural 91

Attach Backing Object To DOM Node 613

backing object 141

Command 85, 173

JS function objects in 85

Create Always 310

Create If Not Exists 310

definition of 71

Façade

defined 79

interface for server side 172

for memory management 319

history 71

in memory footprint 302

interaction between 322

interactions between 316

introduce with refactoring 73

memory management 322

nested 120

Observer

defined 80, 82

implemented 82

listener in 82

over use 73

refactoring in 72

Reference Backing Object By Name 612

Remove by Dislocation 309

Remove by Hiding 309

request dispatch 454

Singleton

defined 89

in business logic 90

in Java 88

using top variable 90

design tools

examples 569

lack of support for Ajax 569

detachEvent(), IE function 137
DHTML

example 369

formatting results 382

library for windows 428

dialog modal, non-modal 226
dialup modem, accounting for 363
display property

hiding elements 390

of DOM element 421

div element, properties 474
document

global variable 49

root of DOM tree 49

Document Object Model

$() function for getting an element 395

adding nodes 293

Ajax component 32

attaching functions to nodes 613

circular links with domain model objects 310

creating dynamically 47

creating nodes 50

destroying nodes 308

by disconnecting 309

by hiding 309

dynamic content creation 130

element, definition 46

event handler properties 135

exposes page structure 45

finding a node 49

finding location with offsets 383

getting elements 49

IFrame element 54

library for manipulating 104

manipulate with XSLT 192

node, definition 45

parent and child nodes 49

position of a node 77

property 51

innerHTML 53

style array 51

style.left 78

style.pixelLeft 78

removing 320

removing nodes

by walking the tree 311

rendering on attachment 293

reusing nodes 309, 319

root of DOM tree 49

setting styles 51

single event handler supported 81

tree structure 45

XML document 190

document, HTML

look 43

structure 43

doFilter() Java method 273
DOM Inspector tool

for Safari 585

IEDocMon for Internet Explorer 584

Mozilla 46, 583

domain model

cache on client 144

circular links with DOM elements 310

client side 163

client side, building 146

objects on client 144

on the client 146

on the server 146

refactoring for 96

server side 163

domains, defining “the same” IP address 249
double combo box

Ajax solution 330

client side solution 328

description 328

expanding to triple combo box 345

server side solution 329

DoubleCombo object 354
drag-and-drop library

Scriptaculous 109

draggable window object 178
Dreamweaver, web development 570
Drip tool 315
DRY

don’t repeat yourself 79

in view 125

Duck Typing, contract 603
DWR

application framework 112

for Java 170

framework example 170

Dynamic HTML, initial promise 34
dynamic query construction 338

 
E

e.target, non-IE property 379
e.which, non-IE property 379
Echo2 application framewwork 113
Eclipse, IDE 569

plug-in based 563

plug-ins for making plug-ins 564

editor, code

characteristics of 565

jEdit 567

TextPad 567

UNIX editors, Vim, Emacs 568

editor, syntax highlighting 565
Effect object, in Rico 548
element id in DOM, constructing 549
element, HTML, applying styles 37
Emacs, editor 568
encryption

add on client side 276

HTTP headers 274

in HTTPS 264

MD5 algorithm 266

overhead of 265

with plain JavaScript 266

Enter key, event handler for 379
error handling 463, 557

deferring to the application 358

design 358

ignoring errors 381

error, communication 351
ErrorBuildSettings() 451
eval()

handling results with 381

JS function 35, 433

in script-centric interactions 438

performance 433

script context of 187

event handler

adding to list spans 420

attaching programmatically 125

attaching to page DOM element 356

blocking form submit 473

borrowing functions 609

broker object for 407

changing function 498

classic 138

classic JavaScript 134

composite function 81

CSS based 125

custom notify event 156

detecting user actions 375

DOM as context of 610

dymanic substitution 457

Event as argument 610

EventRouter object 143

example 127

function, context for 136

hooking to user actions 22

injecting 402, 406

inline 124

listeners 82

mouse events 420

multiple 81

Observer pattern 80

onclick event 548

onmouseup 448

onreadystatechange 350

onReadyStateChange(), callback 62

portability 128

properties 135

removing 488

retrieveing anonymous function 458

router for 139

using markers 125

W3C multiple event handler system 83

W3C not recommended 138

event model

browser differences 137

calling callback functions 137

classic 134

new W3C 137

normalized in Prototype library 409

event types, multiple 84
event.keyCode, IE property 379
event.srcElement, IE property 379
EventRouter

constructor 141

in ObjectViewer 156

execution context, creating 350
extend(), in Prototype 395
external files

CSS 47

JavaScript 47

 
F

Façade, design pattern 79
fading transition 512

implementation 525

fading with CSS classes 527
feed count 512
feed management functions 512
fibonacci(count) 290
file links, testing 446
FillDataTable() 338
FillDropDown() 340
FillTerritory() 333
filter

configuration 275

for opacity 525

in Java 430

findUser() 432
Firefox browser, Ajax plug-ins for 563
Flex framework 28
float property 41

CSS 436, 514

CSS attribute to align icons 234

for loop

optimization 290

identical calculations 291

form element, populating with data 332
form, HTML

submit button, disabling 194

validating 194

formatting data

flexibility in 472

with XLST 472

formatting, with CSS 41
Forms arguments 58
Foster, Mike 77, 137
frame

for background processing 469

navigation problems in 469

frame-detection scripts 470
frameworks

Ajax data needs 169

Ajax support 169

Apache Axis 170

Apache Struts 166

component-based 167

DWR 170

event listener 138

event processing in 167

Flex 28

for server side 163

no framework 164

JavaServer Faces 168

Lazlo 28

Model2 166

Object-Relational Mapping 146

SAJAX 170

service-oriented architecture 170

Windows Forms 168

workflow 166

function

() for execution control 593

argument list 607

as object 593, 606

binding to object 609

borrowing from other objects 608

context 609

return type, testing for 605

stand-alone 607

function context 136

in the call() 607

function literals 347
Function object 604

apply() 403, 607

as Command pattern objects 85

call() 76, 606

context of method call 76

in array 595

in command processor 460

using 76

function parameter

checking for null 338

options array 107

functional requirements, for suggest component 393
functions as first-class references 76
functions as objects 591

 
G

Gamma, Erich 73
garbage-collection 302

determining unused variables 303

Garrett, Jesse J. 4
GET, HTTP method 59
getComputedStyle(), Mozilla method 416
getElementById() 49
getElementsByTagName() 50, 339
getElementsComputedStyle, Rico utility function 416
getLayer() helper method 555
getPortalWindows() 443
getTransport() 348
gif images, with transparency property 42
global variable

alternate to 375

appropriate use 75

avoiding in reusable components 393

for communication 519

for sharing 518

for simplicity 518

inappropriate use 74

var keyword, effect on 349

GMail 24
Google

googleKey access code 258

license key for access 260

SOAP interface to services 253

Google Maps 25
Google Suggest 24, 362

as an Ajax application 23

limits results 364

timers for post backs 364

GrabNumber() 473
graphical user interface, GUI

for message object 225

gray out a window 233

 
H

handleAjaxResponse() 351
handleError() 351, 358, 463, 557
handleMouseUp() 458
handleTextInput(), of textSuggest 411
HEAD, HTTP method 60
helper functions 84
helper method

example 356

getFirstValue 540

helper objects 346

DBUtil 443

JSUtil 442

portal application 443

hidden field for holding user choice 369
highlighting

for notification 241

list items 383

with CSS 388

horizontal rule in HTML 526
host objects 599

extending 599

HTML

page layout 433

structure for document 43

tree structure of tags 45

web tag in 16

HTML page

as template for code 128

as view in MVC 93, 124

dynamic creation 526, 542

for type ahead suggest 369

HTML page layout

positioning elements on top of each other 516

tables for 511

with CSS 511

HTTP protocol 59

DELETE() 60

GET() 59

HEAD() 60

header 59

header, for security 277

POST() 60

PUT() 60

state free 14

status codes 60

synchronous protocol 14

viewing headers 59

hyperlink 23
Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer (HTTPS) 264

browser support for 264

overhead of 265

 
I

iconized message 230
IDE 568
identification field, in type-ahead suggest 365
IFrame

background processing in 469

communication between 181

description 54

dynamic content display 428

dynamic creation 55

in asynchronous communication 54

in data exchange 178

loading script 184

making invisible 55

separate scriptng context 181

image loading 499
implicit execution context 350
inheritance in JavaScript 597

of prototypes 600

initAjax(), Rico function 401
initializeBehavior() 356
initWindow() 444
injectComponentBehaviors() 354
injecting behavior 399
innerHTML

attaching messages 230

clearing an element 484

property 53

instanceof operator 151, 602

in multiple script context 185

integrated development tool

effect of page-based workflow 563

interaction model in Ajax 65
interface, not explicitly supported in JS 603
Internet Explorer

XSLT processing XSLT 483

zone security model 254

Internet Explorer browser

secruity zones 250

interpreted language 591
issuePortalCommand() 459
isValidRequest() 274
item element in RSS model 538
item elements 520
itemClickHandler handler 420

 
J

JAR files

for Mozilla browsers 262

keytool for certificates 263

Mozilla tools for signing 263

portability 263

Java 161

filtering HTTP requests 273

server side example 428

Java Web Start 28

application 28

runtime system for 29

JavaCrawl.com for XML feeds 504
JavaScript

$ as function name 395

accesing nested objects 296

accessing the DOM 47

Ajax component 32

apply() method of Function object 403

arguments pseudo array 349

as OO language 143

bracket, and dot notation 141

call stack 573

comparison to other languages 590

constants in 459

context in IFrame 185

conventionl use 21

debugger 572

statement 572

description 35

document variable 45

domain model in 143

dynamic creation 441

dynamic loading 182, 184

function approach 185

object approach 185

problems 185

with SMKHttpRequest 186

eval() 186, 433, 463

execution speed 281

for loop optimization 290

identical calculations 291

functions as objects 76

general purpose 35

global variables as constants 518

global variables in 145

in Ajax application 18

inheritance

in 597

with Prototype library 106

interpreted language 35

loading external file 371

login code 436

loose typing 35

memory managed language 302

mutable function arguments 145

Net.js library 178

object creation 89, 592

on the server 163

patterns and 72

processing with JS disabled 473

properties 590

public and private keys 266

returned from server 432

role in conventional apps 16

scripting languages, and 72

security issues 247

security model 249

setTimeout() problems 243

setting security parameters 535

static function 492

String.split function 128

timers 390, 527–528

try...catch blocks 257

types in, Prototype library 394

var keyword and global variables 349

visibility semantics 541

Windows.js library 178

JavaScript Console, viewing permission errors 534
JavaScript Object Notation 593

creates only Object or Array classes 602

description 593

mixing with plain JavaScript 596

object graph, creating 594

using 154

JavaServer Faces (JSF), widgets 168
JDOM library, parsing XML 204
jEdit, editor 567
Johnston, Paul 276
join method, of String 383
JScript .NET, consumes JSON script 192
JScript .NET, JavaScript interpreter 163
JSON 593

JavaScript Object Notation 191

JSON-RPC

application framework 112

library 192

JSUtil

generate JS code 442

initialization code 444

JSWindow library 439, 445

adapting 448

 
K

key-down event handler 409
keypress, detecting 379
key-up event handler 411
Komodo, IDE 571

 
L

Laszlo framework 28
layout with CSS 40
layout, reusing 128
layout, using browser engine 133
left and top properties, CSS 450
library

adapting 445

adapting without changing code 456

AjaxWindows.js 456

Behaviour library for event handlers 129

JDOM, XMLparsing 204

JSON-RPC 192

JSWindow 439, 445

adapting 448

MD5 generator 267

overriding functions 456

Prototype for OO programming 105

Sarissa for XML 105

Scriptaculous 243

Scriptaculous for widgets 108

Effects library 108

transition object 109

x library 77

for DHTML 104

line-height property 514

for centering text 436

link element in RSS feed 509
list item, creating 419
list, selecting from 389
listener 138

attaching new 198

live search

description 470

double combination search 487

multiple parameters 487

LiveHTTPHeaders, browser utility 59
load settings command 461
LoadNews() 529
loadPage() 455
loadRSSFeed() in RSSReader object 548, 556
localization, date format 221
login

client side code 433

process 430

verifying 430

login code, JavaScript 436
login command 461
login() 429, 432, 455, 461

 
M

Macromedia Flash 28
MakeMatches() 383, 386
man-in-the-middle attack 263
many-to-many relationships

implementing in object functions 99

masterComboChanged() 356
MD5 algorithm 266

hex encoded 275

JavaScript library for 267

on server side 267

memory footprint

defined 302

effect of memory management models 322

example 316

freeware tools 315

Drip 315

Sysinternal.com Process Explorer 315

measuring 312

UNIX Top 314

Windows Task Manager 312

memory leak 302

circular reference 305–306

clean-up functions 307

closures and 616

dereference a variable 303

disposing of DOM objects 308

in controllers 306

inspecting for 306

memory management 302

example approaches 316

memory usage, JS and DOM objects 281
message granularity, client/server 172
message object 223

automatic rendering 236

constructor 236

options 225

removing 235

self rendering 227

method

defining 598

defining with prototype 598

invoking 598

limiting exposure 172

method scope

sharing across instances 347

specify with prototype 347

Microsoft Script Debugger 577
mobile code

definition 248

technology for 182

modal dialog, implementation 233
model in MVC 143–147

example 121

in RSS reader 537

Model2 framework 166
Model-View-Controller

applied to tree widget 121

by refactoring 102

client side, on 122

connecting view and controller 155

coupling model and view 96

defined 91

example 120

in Apache Struts 102

in RSS reader 537

Object-Relational Mapping tools

in 98

separating view and controller 125

separating view and model 125

separation of concerns 122

server side, on 91

using dynamic content creation 130

view

HTML page as 93, 124

XML document as 93

view-model coupling 541

modes, in an application 87
mouseoverHandler handler 420
mouseup event in windows processing 456
MoveFeed(), navigation 532
MoveHighlight() 379, 388
Mozilla browser

PrivilegeManager 254

security restriction 534

XSLT processing 484

Mozilla, signed jar files 262
multiple attribute of select element 343
multiple elements, in type-ahead suggest 392
multiple event callbacks 138
multiple feeds, loading 510
MVC. See Model-View-Controller
myTimeConsumingFunction() 282

DESCRIPTION

Web users are getting tired of the traditional web experience. They get frustrated losing their scroll position; they get annoyed waiting for refresh; they struggle to reorient themselves on every new page. And the list goes on. With asynchronous JavaScript and XML, known as "Ajax," you can give them a better experience. Once users have experienced an Ajax interface, they hate to go back. Ajax is new way of thinking that can result in a flowing and intuitive interaction with the user.

Ajax in Action helps you implement that thinking--it explains how to distribute the application between the client and the server (hint: use a "nested MVC" design) while retaining the integrity of the system. You will learn how to ensure your app is flexible and maintainable, and how good, structured design can help avoid problems like browser incompatibilities. Along the way it helps you unlearn many old coding habits. Above all, it opens your mind to the many advantages gained by placing much of the processing in the browser. If you are a web developer who has prior experience with web technologies, this book is for you.

"What is Ajax?"
Get a taste of what Ajax is all about by viewing one of our original screencasts. Choose to watch the entertaining and informative four minute overview or view the more detailed demonstration in our twenty-two minute screencast. It defines Ajax and builds a working example with rich features you can learn to create for your users.

What's Inside

• Ajax principles
• Why Ajax design patterns matter
• How to avoid Ajax pitfalls
• Examples of Ajax in action: type-ahead suggest, live searching using XSL, and many more.
• Examples using Ajax frameworks: Prototype, Scriptaculous, x and Rico
• Ajax usability, security, and performance

ABOUT THE AUTHORS...

Dave Crane has pushed the boundaries of DHTML, and latterly Ajax, on digital TV set-top boxes, in home automation and banking and financial systems. He lives in Gloucestershire, UK. Eric Pascarello is an ASP.NET developer and a moderator of the HTML and JavaScript forum at JavaRanch. He lives in Laurel, MD. Darren James is the architect of the opensource Rico project. He lives in Sunnyvale, CA.

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