Pro Ajax and Java Frameworks [Paperback]

Nathaniel T. Schutta (Author), Ryan Asleson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1590596773 | ISBN-13: 978-1590596777

As a Java developer, you want a guide that shows you how to add Ajax functionality to your web applications with a minimum of effort. Look no further than Pro Ajax and Java Frameworks! In this book, recognized Java experts and authors of the bestselling Apress title Foundations of Ajax will show you how.

The authors begin by recapping Ajax basics. Then they unveil a comprehensive Java/Ajax toolkit. Tools include JSEclipse for code editing, Venkman for JavaScript debugging, and Dojo Compressor for code compression. They also explain Log4js (and other tools) for JavaScript logging, JsUnit (and others) for testing, and various libraries like AjaxTags, DWR, and Script.aculo.us for rapid code development.

The last part of the book shows you how to build up a series of professional Java/Ajax applications. These will incorporate some of today's most popular frameworksSpring, JSF, Struts, and Tapestry, giving you all you need to incorporate Ajax into your everyday work and become an Ajax expert!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nathaniel T. Schutta is a software engineer from the Twin Cities area of Minnesota with extensive experience in the financial services arena primarily developing J2EE-based Web applications. He holds a master of science degree in software engineering from the University of Minnesota. For the last several years, he has focused on user interface design by contributing to corporate interface guidelines, and has consulted on a variety of web-based applications within his organization. A longtime member of the Association for Computing Machinery's Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group, and a Sun Certified Web Component Developer, Nathaniel believes if the user can't figure out your application, you've done something wrong. Along with his user interface work, he has contributed to two corporate Java frameworks, developed training material, and lead several study groups. During the brief moments of warm weather found in his home state of Minnesota, he spends as much time on the golf course as his wife will tolerate. He's currently exploring Ruby, Rails, and after recently making the switch, Mac OS X.

Ryan Asleson is a software developer who lives and works in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. He holds a degree in chemistry from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Ryan has been building Web applications since 1998 and has extensive experience with JavaScript and Web development tools. He helped transition his organization from servlet-based content creation to JavaServer Pages (JSP) and has also maintained a corporate Web application framework based on Java Enterprise Edition. Ryan's interests include performance tuning and standards based development. When not working, Ryan enjoys spending time with his family and doing outdoor activities like fishing, hunting, and water sports.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Apress (July 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590596773
• ISBN-13: 978-1590596777
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #541,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > Ajax

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent intro for building Ajax-based web apps, October 7, 2006

By 

paulsm (Cypress, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pro Ajax and Java Frameworks (Paperback)

"Ajax" is simple ... but if you want to use Ajax, then you need to write JavaScript. Quite probably lots of client-side JavaScript.

And that's where "Pro Ajax and Java Frameworks" comes in. It does a good job of explaining Ajax, what it is, and how your web app will benefit from using it. So do all the other Ajax books on the shelf.

But that's just Chapter 1. The REST of the book discusses tools and techniques for writing and debugging JavaScript. And then introduces some great, full-featured Javascript libraries to save you the tedium of having to "roll your own".

This information is enough to help you successfully launch your first Ajax-based web app. It doesn't matter if you're using Apache or IIS; if your backend is J2EE, .Net or simple HTML: the book will pay for itself on your first project.

But all of that's only the FIRST half of the book! The most valuable information is covered in the second half, which goes into great detail on how to effectively use Ajax with frameworks like Struts, Tapestry, Spring and, lastly, with JSF.

A great book: highly recommended for any web developer who wants to understand Ajax ... and how to use it effectively.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for those interested in Aax techniques, September 5, 2006

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pro Ajax and Java Frameworks (Paperback)

As users demand a richer website experience and developers try to create sites that don't require additional client-side add-ons many are turning to the combination of Ajax and Java. Of course Ajax does not require Java as it will work with ActiveX as well but the point is that the client does not need to add anything that is not already included in any modern browser.

In this book the authors take the reader through the basic functions of using the Ajax techniques. For each technique they do a good job of explaining what they are doing, the purpose of the program, work through an example of the program, and explaining each step. However, I don't know that I would consider this book up to the typical level of other books in the Pro series by the publisher. It is a good introductory text and brings the reader up to speed with the average programmer using Ajax but not the superior level that the Pro series usually works up to. On the other hand, this is one of the better introductory to intermediate level texts. Pro Ajax and Java Frameworks is highly recommended to the programmer new to Ajax techniques and recommended to those already involved with Ajax.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars About time!, November 14, 2006

By 

Rich Rosen "web application architect, author... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pro Ajax and Java Frameworks (Paperback)

In researching AJAX-specific books, I found they all covered the raw core stuff (what XMLHttpRequest is, what it does, and how to use it) but most of them gave only passing coverage to the frameworks/toolkits available for AJAX and DHTML processing. (e.g., "XYZ is a very nice new toolkit for building AJAX-based web applications. Go to the XYZ web site and read the documentation that isn't there yet to see non-existent examples and learn how to use it.") "AJAX Hacks" came pretty close with some good examples, but without enough breadth and depth. (It is, after all, a "hacks" book.)

Just the presence of good examples and good coverage of Prototype, script.aculo.us, and DOJO in this book is enough to make it worthy of note. But the focus of the book is using AJAX with Java frameworks like Struts, Spring, and JSF, and in that regard it also does not disappoint. So you get not only some nice coverage of the client-side toolkits/frameworks that make Ajaxian things happen in the browser, you get a solid grounding in how to connect them to server-side applications using these Java frameworks.

Some deeper coverage on things like JSON and REST would have been nice, though.