Ajax Basics

Overview/Description
Rather than a singular technology, Ajax, or Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, is a collection of technologies that enables web pages to make server requests without having to reload the page. This course will introduce the history of Ajax and outline how it is commonly used to aid in the development of dynamic web sites. Beginning with the fundamentals of Ajax, the course will examine JavaScript’s role in Ajax development, including objects, the Document Object Model, and events. It will also explore the specific techniques used by Ajax in web applications, including the XMLHttpRequest object, hidden frames, and dynamic script loading. This course is one of a series providing an introduction to Ajax development.

Target Audience
Developers who are experienced in building Internet applications and who want to become skilled in the use of Ajax to add seamless interactivity to their web applications.

Prerequisites
A good knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, basic programming concepts, and general Internet development; programming experience would be an advantage

Expected Duration (hours)
2.5

Lesson Objectives

Ajax Basics

recognize how Ajax is used in web applications

specify how the different technologies behind Ajax are used

recognize how the Ajax application model works

determine if you should use Ajax when developing a web application in a given scenario

create and destroy objects

create nodes in the DOM

register events in Internet Explorer and Mozilla browsers

use a cross-browser approach to registering event objects

use JavaScript when developing Ajax applications

recognize key characteristics of the XMLHttpRequest object

use the XMLHttpRequest object in an application to retrieve information from the server

identify how to resolve issues when using the XMLHttpRequest object

use the POST method to prevent a browser from caching content

create multiple XMLHttpRequest objects in an application

use an array to manage multiple XMLHttpRequest objects

use inner functions to manage multiple XMLHttpRequest objects

use hidden frames

use hidden inline frames

use dynamic script loading

use images and cookies

use the XMLHttpRequest object

use multiple concurrent XMLHttpRequests

use alternative Ajax request techniques to XMLHttpRequest