Ajax and REST Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach (Paperback)

by Christian Gross (Author)
Key Phrases: object notation, test add, slow data sets, Done Figure, Internet Explorer, Get State (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Ajax and REST Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach will serve all of your Ajax needs, by providing adaptable solutions for common tasks you'll want to implement on web sites using the next generation of Ajax and REST techniques. As a JavaScript developer, your time is precious, so you'll want to solve problems that present themselves in your work as quickly as possible. You can pick up the code provided in this book, adapt it, or plug it straight into your own applications.

The book mainly focuses on illustrating and explaining how to build applications that use JavaScript, Ajax, and REST Web Services, along with some user interface issues. Specifically, the following topics are covered: implementing JavaScript unit tests; explaining the intent of Dynamic Languages, Web Services and SOA; defining and implementing contracts using REST; understanding why JavaScript Functions have state; implementing JavaScript "Generics", which are a mixture between real Generics and a replacement algorithm; using code blocks; using functions to make decisions; understanding the difference of JavaScript code that behaves like a value type or a reference type; implementing proxies, delegates, mixins, and overloaded functions; implementing a complete Ajax and Web Service architecture; defining a Web Service using REST; handling large or slow or real-time data sets; implementing shopping cart type architectures; and solving the back button problem using Ajax.

Having read this book you will learn how to modularize your web application by decoupling the client from the server. The decoupling allows a client developer to focus on writing the best JavaScript and Ajax code, and a server developer to write the best business and data objects.

About the Author
Christian Gross is a consultant with vast experience in the client/server world. He has consulted for Microsoft on DNA solutions, and he has held consulting positions with Daimler Benz, Microsoft, NatWest, and other major corporations. Gross was a contributor to Professional Active Server Pages, Professional SQL Server 6.5 Administration, Professional NT Internet Information Server Administration, and Programming Microsoft Windows 2000 Unleashed. He is the author of A Programmer's Introduction to Windows DNA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Apress (December 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590597346
• ISBN-13: 978-1590597347
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #432,454 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A problem-problem approach, March 10, 2007

By	Luis Villa del Campo (Oviedo, Spain) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book thinking I'd have a practical approach on building web applications using REST and Ajax.

From the start, this book almost does not explain what is REST. The book starts verbosely talking about AJAX, DHTML and Web Services with no clear insight. The first steps are testing REST hadn't developed anything yet, it shows code snippets with neither explanation nor context and awful graphics. Two hours after starting reading the book, I feel very dissapointed: no practical advice, no way to build a sample application, a demo, anything like "My First REST Webapp" to have a gratification.

I'm an Appress fan, but this book, from my humble point of view, is horrible.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Yuck., July 8, 2008

By	E. Welker (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My title says it all. Hard to read, difficult and poorly chosen examples, bad editing (mistakes all over the place... in code, there's a big difference between a ',' and ';'), have NO IDEA why in a book with this subject, the author discusses table-based layouts (for a NUMBER of pages), the "javascript recipes" section which is just a bad javascript tutorial where the author actually recommends using eval()... I could keep going on, but save yourself the .49c I spent on this book, really, it isn't even worth that. Too bad Amazon requires at least one star.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Perfect, But Certainly Worth the Price of Admission., September 26, 2007

By	J. Kueser "professional web developer" (Webb City, MO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I cam really close to not buying this book based on the single review that was available. But, poking around the web, reading other reviews, and looking through the table of contents, it appeared to be exactly what I needed to help me complete my current project. When I got the book, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it will indeed fit the bill.

I do agree with the other review that the diagrams are pretty horrible, but they do get the point across.

This book goes a lot more in depth than most "recipe" books, with deeper explanations of solutions, and why the solution was chosen. So there's more learning than simple cut-n-paste solutions.

Please also note that the user level for this book is "intermediate-advanced". If you are just learning about RESTful Web Services, check out RESTful Web Services. Ajax and REST Recipes is more for folks that already have a pretty good handle on REST and want to learn how to put that knowledge to work.