Ajax Hacks

Those of you familiar with Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) know how useful the technology is for creating interactive web applications with XML-based web services and JavaScript in the browser to process the web server response. Responsive web applications with client-like functionality are the new wave of the Internet. Now, Ajax Hacks offers you 100 new tips and techniques for building faster web apps with rich client interfaces. Ajax reduces the amount of data interchanged between the web browser and web server to speed up the web experience. Now Ajax Hacks will help you enrich that experience even further.

Bruce Perry is an independent Java software developer and writer. Since 1996, he has developed web applications and databases for various nonprofits, design and marketing firms, and ad agencies. When not hacking or writing, he loves cycling and climbing mountains in the U.S. and Switzerland. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife Stacy LeBaron, daughter Rachel, and son Scott.

Foreword

ix

Credits

xi

Preface

xv

Ajax Basics

1

(57)

Detect Browser Compatibility with the Request Object

5

(3)

Use the Request Object to POST Data to the Server

8

(6)

Use Your Own Library for XMLHttpRequest

14

(3)

Receive Data as XML

17

(5)

Get Plain Old Strings

22

(3)

Receive Data as a Number

25

(4)

Receive Data in JSON Format

29

(8)

Handle Request Object Errors

37

(5)

Dig into the HTTP Response

42

(5)

Generate a Styled Message with a CSS File

47

(5)

Generate a Styled User Message on the Fly

52

(6)

Web Forms

58

(68)

Submit Text Field or textarea Values to the Server Without a Browser Refresh

58

(8)

Display Text Field or textarea Values Using Server Data

66

(5)

Submit Selection-List Values to the Server Without a Round Trip

71

(8)

Dynamically Generate a New Selection List Using Server Data

79

(6)

Extend an Existing Selection List

85

(7)

Submit Checkbox Values to the Server Without a Round Trip

92

(8)

Dynamically Generate a New Checkbox Group with Server Data

100

(6)

Populate an Existing Checkbox Group from the Server

106

(7)

Change Unordered Lists Using an HTTP Response

113

(8)

Submit Hidden Tag Values to a Server Component

121

(5)

Validation

126

(32)

Validate a Text Field or textarea for Blank Fields

126

(3)

Validate Email Syntax

129

(9)

Validate Unique Usernames

138

(4)

Validate Credit Card Numbers

142

(8)

Validate Credit Card Security Codes

150

(5)

Validate a Postal Code

155

(3)

Power Hacks for Web Developers

158

(76)

Get Access to the Google Maps API

158

(2)

Use the Google Maps API Request Object

160

(6)

Use Ajax with a Google Maps and Yahoo! Maps Mash-up

166

(9)

Display a Weather.com XML Data Feed

175

(8)

Use Ajax with a Yahoo! Maps and GeoURL Mash-up

183

(4)

Debug Ajax-Generated Tags in Firefox

187

(3)

Fetch a Postal Code

190

(7)

Create Large, Maintainable Bookmarklets

197

(1)

Use Permanent Client-Side Storage for Ajax Applications

198

(4)

Control Browser History with iframes

202

(2)

Send Cookie Values to a Server Program

204

(8)

Use XMLHttpRequest to Scrape an Energy Price from a Web Page

212

(5)

Send an Email with XMLHttpRequest

217

(6)

Find the Browser's Locale Information

223

(4)

Create an RSS Feed Reader

227

(7)

Direct Web Remoting (DWR) for Java Jocks

234

(26)

Integrate DWR into Your Java Web Application

234

(3)

Use DWR to Populate a Selection List from a Java Array

237

(5)

Use DWR to Create a Selection List from a Java Map

242

(2)

Display the Keys/Values from a Java HashMap on a Web Page

244

(3)

Use DWR to Populate an Ordered List from a Java Array

247

(4)

Access a Custom Java Object with JavaScript

251

(6)

Call a Built-in Java Object from JavaScript Using DWR

257

(3)

Hack Ajax with the Prototype and Rico Libraries

260

(25)

Use Prototype's Ajax Tools with Your Application

260

(5)

Update an HTML Element's Content from the Server

265

(4)

Create Observers for Web Page Fields

269

(4)

Use Rico to Update Several Elements with One Ajax Response

273

(5)

Create a Drag-and-Drop Bookstore

278

(7)

Work with Ajax and Ruby on Rails

285

(32)

Install Ruby on Rails

286

(6)

Monitor Remote Calls with Rails

292

(6)

Make Your JavaScript Available to Rails Applications

298

(1)

Dynamically Generate a Selection List in a Rails Template

299

(5)

Find Out Whether Ajax Is Calling in the Request

304

(1)

Dynamically Generate a Selection List Using Database Data

305

(4)

Periodically Make a Remote Call

309

(4)

Dynamically View Request Information for XMLHttpRequest

313

(4)

Savor the script.aculo.us JavaScript Library

317

(17)

Integrate script.aculo.us Visual Effects with an Ajax Application

317

(3)

Create a Login Box That Shrugs Off Invalid Logins

320

(4)

Create an Auto-Complete Field with script.aculo.us

324

(4)

Create an In-Place Editor Field

328

(4)

Create a Web Form That Disappears When Submitted

332

(2)

Options and Efficiencies

334

(71)

Fix the Browser Back Button in Ajax Applications

335

(7)

Handle Bookmarks and Back Buttons with RSH

342

Set a Time Limit for the HTTP Request

335

(23)

Improve Maintainability, Performance, and Reliability for Large JavaScript Applications

358

(6)

Obfuscate JavaScript and Ajax Code

364

(4)

Use a Dynamic script Tag to Make Web Services Requests

368

(5)

Configure Apache to Deal with Cross-Domain Issues

373

(2)

Run a Search Engine Inside Your Browser

375

(5)

Use Declarative Markup Instead of Script via XForms

380

(6)

Build a Client-Side Cache

386

(8)

Create an Auto-Complete Field

394

(3)

Dynamically Display More Information About a Topic

397

(3)

Use Strings and Arrays to Dynamically Generate HTML

400

(5)

Index

405

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Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials