Ajax

[jason]

I just got "back" form HighEdWebDev, a conference hosted by my day-job employer for web developers working in higher education. During the conference I presented on AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), a process used to make requests back to the server after a page has been loaded, without having to refresh the page.

I figured that some people around here might be interested in exploring this technology, so if you are, here's a link to my presentation:
http://www.jaypitoniak.com/highedwebdev05/

This is just a basic into to the technology. I'm considering redeveloping it into something bigger and presenting it again next year, so I'm open to any comments and criticisms you may have.

By the way, the presentation was created with Eric Meyer's S5: Simple Standards-Based Slide Show System, a very cool tool for creating PowerPoint-like sideshows that require nothing but a browser to run. Navigate through it with arrow keys, enter, the space bar, or by clicking anywhere in the presentation, just like you would with PowerPoint.

--Jason

Edit: fixed typos-thanks Vin.

[Vin DSL]

I just got "back" form HighEdWebDev...

I figured that some people around here might be interrested...

This is just a basic intor to the technology...

I'm considering redevleoping it...

I'm open to any comments and criticisms you may have...

Dude, it sounds like you just back from SpecialEd. You been into the elderberries again?

[jason]

You been into the elderberries again?

No, I was just tired when I posted that.

So Vin, you seem to be an early adopter of web technologies. How long before we see some Nuke modules that use AJAX?

--Jason

[Ron]

I know nothing about ajax yet, but it looks like this forum may be using it, at least in the PM section when it gives you username suggestions...

Pretty neat.

[jason]

...it looks like this forum may be using it, at least in the PM section when it gives you username suggestions...

I hadn't noticed that feature before, but I'd say your suspicions are correct, given this call I found when I checked it out:

new vB_AJAX_NameSuggest('recip_sugg', 'pmrecips_txt', 'pmrecips');

AJAX (I actually dislike that name, though I don't really have a reason to) is pretty neat. I used it in a class I took last spring to create a web-based multi-player version of the game "Uno." Unfortunately that site is no longer online and I don't know for sure that I have all the code to recreate it. In the game we used an XMLHttpRequest to call a script that delivered all of the game state info to the player every 3 seconds. On the browser side we'd parse the data to find what changed and update only those elements in the game, so there was no flashing on the screen the way there would be with a refresh. Once we got that working I immeadiately thought of the conference and what a great topic that would be to present. The reaction I received was very positive--lots of people said they'd heard of Ajax and my presentation what what they needed to get them started.

If you wnat to play with this technology, I highly recommend reading the Apple site that I referenced in the "who's using it" side of my presentation. That's the best getting started resource I've found to date.

--Jason

[the_ancient]

AJAX does wonders for my countertops....... ohhh nevermind


//sorry could not resist.. goes hand in hand with all the LAMP j kes

[Connie]

Sinks and bathtubs too.

[jason]

//sorry could not resist.. goes hand in hand with all the LAMP j kes

Did you see the slide where I introduced the term AJAX? I did the same thing.

--Jason

[the_ancient]

Did you see the slide where I introduced the term AJAX? I did the same thing.

--Jason

yea I did...


So, What do you get when you Mix AJAX with LAMP???

A JAX LAMP


/////no sex for me tonight, geek hat is fully on

[Vin DSL]

So Vin, you seem to be an early adopter of web technologies. How long before we see some Nuke modules that use AJAX?

I dunno... let me work on it!

I lean more toward the hacker end of the webdev spectrum. If I see something that interests me, I'll work on the project non-stop, night n' day, until it's completed. Otherwise, I could care less about creating programs. Instead, I spend my time honing and perfecting the programs I've already made.

Does that make sense?

The only thing I'd like to do, right now, is port WordPress to PHP-Nuke, to replace the Journal module. I think that would be a major enhancement.

Anyway, I'll check into AJAX...

[Ron]

An AJAX module that would check spelling on the fly that could be called for a text entry box (like in phpBB or it's nuke equivalent) might be interesting...

[tank]

I've been implementing small doses of AJAX into some backend CMS stuff I've been writting and so far the response has been great. People reaaly like the "program" feel of being able to issue a command and not feel like they have to wait for the page to regenerate.

I've being using a PHP class called sajax that is really helpful in writing scripts and they are growing into a nice community. Some people say that the class is bloated, but due to me entry level knowledge of the technology it is helping me to learn.

The next item I'm looking to write would be an application that genereates a dropdown from a list of data in a database table. If the user needs to add an option to that list he could enter it into a field located nearby and submit it. AJAX would add the record to the DB and re-write the dropdown list without refreshing the page and having to transfer all the data that was filled in up to that point.

[jason]

I've been implementing small doses of AJAX into some backend CMS stuff I've been writting and so far the response has been great. People reaaly like the "program" feel of being able to issue a command and not feel like they have to wait for the page to regenerate.

I've being using a PHP class called sajax that is really helpful in writing scripts and they are growing into a nice community. Some people say that the class is bloated, but due to me entry level knowledge of the technology it is helping me to learn.

The next item I'm looking to write would be an application that genereates a dropdown from a list of data in a database table. If the user needs to add an option to that list he could enter it into a field located nearby and submit it. AJAX would add the record to the DB and re-write the dropdown list without refreshing the page and having to transfer all the data that was filled in up to that point.

I looked at sajax, but I never did much with it. For what I've done so far I've found it easy to just write the XML parsing functions myself, but I do plan to give it a second look one of these days. It looked interresting; I just didn't have time to research it enough to get it into the presentation.

--Jason

[gerilya]

I am not really excited about AJAX, but the presentation looks nice

I would add some navigation hints, though.

[Vin DSL]

So Vin, you seem to be an early adopter of web technologies. How long before we see some Nuke modules that use AJAX?

--Jason

Heh!

I've been studying AJAX ever since you posted this thread. I think I have a pretty good handle on the situation -- what it's especially good for, et cetera -- and I think I finally found an AJAX app that's right up Nuke's alley, so to speak.

http://www.smiletag.com/

This has PHP-Nuke written all over it!

Stay tuned...