Ajax: The Complete Reference [Paperback]

Thomas Powell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 007149216X | ISBN-13: 978-0071492164 | Publication Date: February 21, 2008 | Edition: 1

The Definitive Guide to Ajax Web Application Development

Evolve from the click-and-wait programming pattern to the latest Web 2.0 paradigm using this comprehensive guide to Ajax. Written by Web development expert Thomas Powell, the book lays out every feature of Ajax alongside detailed explanations and real-world code examples.

Ajax: The Complete Reference explains how to create and test Ajax-enabled Web applications using the XMLHttpRequest object as well as alternative JavaScript-based communication mechanisms. You'll explore a variety of sample applications featuring emerging user-interface conventions and build applications that address real-world networking and security issues. A robust communication library is developed throughout the book that enables you to architect flexible Ajax applications. The latest technologies such as Web services, Flash-Ajax integration, client-side templates, Comet, and Offline Access are also covered. Discover the future of Web development today!

• Work with traditional JavaScript communication approaches like iframes
• Explore all the quirks and details in the XMLHttpRequest object
• Handle disparate data formats, including XML, JSON, CSV, YAML, and more
• Deal with networking issues, including timeouts, retries, response ordering, and a variety of server and content errors
• Simplify JavaScript programming using open-source Ajax libraries like YUI
• Secure Ajax applications using authentication, obfuscation, and encryption
• Implement common Ajax UI patterns such as auto suggest, click-to-edit, and drag-and-drop
• Solve troubling Ajax architecture problems, including back button, history, and bookmarking issues
• Learn Ajax's role in Web 2.0 and Web services
• Explore push style communication using Comet and Flash
• Discover the future of offline Web application access and operation

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas A. Powell brings a blend of real-world experience with academic rigor to the job of exposing the realities of Ajax. As the CEO of PINT (www.pint.com), a nationally recognized Web development shop, he has been involved in the design and architecture of websites for leading organizations around the world for nearly 15 years. Mr. Powell is also an instructor at the University of California, San Diego and the author of numerous books, including HTML & XHTML: The Complete Reference, JavaScript: The Complete Reference, and Web Design: The Complete Reference.

Product Details

• Paperback: 654 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (February 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007149216X
• ISBN-13: 978-0071492164
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > Ajax
  • #22 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Comets, Meteors & Asteroids
  • #40 in Books > Computers & Technology > Graphic Design > Web Design > Flash

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone, February 8, 2011

By 

Jonathan Steinmann (TAMPA, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ajax: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

This book is intended for a computer science class. It's very, very dry, and its really not for everyone. The information doesn't ramp up at all, straight to advanced topics. With that said, it covers some great information, demos debugging throughout, and the author clearly demonstrates his strong knowledge of AJAX. The topics covered are worthy of a read. It's not for beginners to AJAX and/or computer programming. This should be the second book you purchase on the topic, after establishing a basic knowledge of AJAX. Worth a note, the examples use PHP, so if that's not your programming language of choice, then you might want to skip this one.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As the title of the book says it... a great reference book, August 1, 2008

By 

Keun Lee (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ajax: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

What I like the most about this book is very detailed explanations on how to attack and solve problems. I also love the way how this book has a lot of examples that are compatible to most of the modern browsers. All examples are already presented on the site that goes along with the book.

The author also give tips on making design decision when making either small or large scale websites. It is very well written with full of examples that come with detailed explanations.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Complete Reference" indeed, August 9, 2010

By 

Chris C. Hill - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ajax: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

Key features of this outstanding book:

* Powell has deep and mature knowledge of his subject, which he shares generously.
* The text has been well edited -- errata are few and the writing is clear.
* Powell's Javascript is straightforward and cross-browser friendly. Powell is clearly familiar with Crockford-style object-oriented Javascript (a style I happen to like), but he doesn't build his code around it since this could make the code less accessible to many readers.

This is not a quick overview: it's long on detail. This is not a cookbook: ends of chapters assume that beginnings of chapters have been read. But if you're serious about mastering Ajax-type transport techniques, it's invaluable.

I've been a professional Web developer for many years. I've yet to see a better resource for client-side coding.