Customer Reviews

Pragmatic Ajax: A Web 2.0 Primer

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The only way to really learn Ajax (and the wider "Web 2.0") is write the code yourself, read sites like ajaxian.com, and understand Javascript. The writers behind this book know this because they have not infused a lot of overly complicated examples (as in "Ajax in Action"), but have instead given a wide survey of how Web 2.0 technologies work.

The book starts out with a very readable overview of Ajax and follows that up with the best chapter in the book: a fascinating deconstruction of Google Maps. In subsequent chapters, they dive deeper into the XMLHTTPRequest and the mechanics of making asynchronous calls with Javascript. Since most people don't roll their own anymore, they cover client-side frameworks like prototype/scriptaculous and dojo. They cover server-side frameworks like DWR (Java), Rails (Ruby), and Sajax (PHP). They also cover alternate payload formats such as JSON.

One thing to note here: AJAX used to refer to "Asynchronous Javascript and XML", but now that the suits have caught on to the term, it has become synonymous with richer web applications. Therefore, I think for the broader audience, AJAX === Web 2.0. Even this book blurs the distinction. For example, they cover some of scriptaculous' effects, which have nothing to do with Ajax.

I did not find the chapter on debugging to be too great. For example, no mention of GreaseMonkey is made in the debugging section. I use this all the time to debug and inject stuff into my scripts.

None of the chapters in this book is what I'd call comprehensive. It is a primer. The authors of this book have written a very concise, well-written introduction to the world of web 2.0.

This is the second Pragmatic Programmers book I've read to have been published as a "beta book." That means that early versions of the text and code were reviewed by lots of readers, and their feedback incorporated into the final version. It shows: this is a very current book which addresses most of the pressing issues around Ajax design and development in language-agnostic ways. There's a chapter that covers some of the current code libraries (like Dojo and Prototype) without playing favorites. The writers write reasonably well. There are some *very* clunky sentences and paragraphs, especially in the last chapter, which feels pretty rushed. And strange continuity mistakes show up in several places, such as references to upcoming material that was actually covered several chapters back. The two consecutive chapters titled "Ajax UI part I" and "Ajax UI part II" feel poorly organized. It's usually a sign an author can't quite figure out how to group material when you get chapters with such vague titles.

It is very much a "primer" like the title says: it's an overview and introduction, not a complete guide to all the complexities of Ajax development (see the book "Ajax in Action" for that). It helpfully covers debugging techniques and degradable design. The Ajax support of server-side web frameworks are compared briefly. The good thing is that it's one of those tech books that you can get a lot out of by reading; you don't need to type in a lot of code to understand these concepts. Just don't expect this to be the only book on your Ajax shelf.

The only section that's really out of place is, oddly, the first chapter. In it, the authors build a lightweight version of Google Maps, the application they rightly point to as generating a lot of initial interest in Ajax. But what they actually build is a very superficial version of Google Maps: theirs has no server-side component other than a set of images in a directory, and much of the time is spent handling the Javascript to allow the user to drag-scroll the map.

It's cute, but that's not sufficient to serve as an example of Ajax. Their map application does not present data from a database, does not use any asynchronous behavior, and does not use the XMLHttpRequest object (or other remoting approach). Even by the authors' own definition of "Ajax" later in the book, this map project ain't it. On its own merits as a DHTML project it's not bad, but it's really out of place. (In fact, the table of contents listed on the publisher's own site suggests it used to be chapter four.) Following it, a short chapter on the basics of Javascript DOM manipulation is also useful, but probably not worth putting at the front of the book (it's also misleadingly titled "Ajax Explained"). If these two chapters were presented as a "DHTML case study Appendix", they'd be just as useful, but less distracting.

This book is so much more than a technical reference for Ajaxian techniques. It will help you understand how the whole Ajax revolution came about, and where it's going. After providing a foundation of Ajax background, the authors quickly jump in to the mother of all Ajax applications: Google Maps. Not only do they describe what made Google Maps so important, they discuss in detail how the UI side can be implemented. And the most exciting thing? After reading it, you'll feel like you could go out and create that kind of UI. It's very empowering!

After the initial excitement of understanding the techniques used in Google Maps, the authors show you a very simple customer entry form and walk you through the process of implementing an Ajax lookup to populate city and state based on zipcode. Then, after teaching the reader how to write the Ajax code from scratch, they discussed Ajax frameworks and walked the reader through implementing the same functionality using the Dojo framework. I thought this progression was very effective. It really showed off the value of learning these frameworks rather than handcoding everything.

There was plenty of great discussions of UI possibilities, validation techniques, and other things Ajax can help us with. Not only did the Authors do a great job of teaching the reader what to do, they also invested significant time helping the reader avoid common pitfalls.

The book covers so much more: debugging, graceful degradation. JSON, server-side frameworks and Ajax with various server platforms. It finishes with a nice discussion of the future of Ajax. I plan to re-read this book and share it with my colleagues. The authors really did a great job putting this book together. Not only is this a valuable reference, it's also a great cover-to-cover read.

Pragmatic Ajax is organized into three acts, as identified by the authors. The first act, starting with Chapter 1, covers the history of AJAX as a technology and as architecture. Then, in Chapter 2, the book takes a deep-dive into code and dissects the killer-app that set the original standard for an AJAX website, Google Maps. The authors demonstrate the key components that make Google Maps successful and then give you the code for you to implement your own version of "Ajaxian Maps." Experienced developers will appreciate the quick exposure to the code, while those with less experience (such as myself), can still follow along and glean the concepts.

The heart of the book happens in the second act, chapters 3 through 15, when the authors explain the fundamentals behind how AJAX works and how you, the reader, can begin to use AJAX immediately on your site. The act moves up a level of abstraction in chapter 5, and explains how frameworks, toolkits, and libraries can do much of the heavy-lifting for you. Act 2 also covers AJAX UI creation and best practices, how to debug an AJAX application with DOM and JavaScript tools, and how to make sure your new web 2.0 website can fail safely to web 1.0. Finally, the authors wrap up by dissecting AJAX frameworks and porting their example application to each framework. The technology frameworks covered include PHP, Ruby on Rails, Java, and ASP.NET.

As with most plays, the final act is the shortest and the liveliest. Chapter 16 is the authors stab at showing more advanced techniques with data and UI manipulation and set to the tone for things to come in the future. The key idea being that AJAX will become widely adopted and disappear entirely behind-the-scenes, in which the developers perform these things seamlessly.

Although I understood that this act served as a broad guide to using AJAX, I still felt compelled to dig deeper as I worked on some of the examples. However, the technology itself is still in its growing stages and the best resource for learning more continues to be the web. I really liked how the book stuck with its purpose as being an easy-to-read guide to understanding AJAX, and I felt that it has armed with those concepts I can use to work on my future web projects. I also liked how it took some time to explain good practices using DOM and Javascript, especially for AJAX use. I feel that this book is best suited for experienced web developers as the book assumes a base level of knowledge.

The Pragmatic Programmers publishing group does a great job coming up with books that cut right to the real-world aspects of technology. Pragmatic Ajax: A Web 2.0 Primer by Justin Gehtland, Ben Galbraith, and Dion Almaer is another title that follows in that tradition...

Contents: Building Rich Internet Applications with Ajax; Creating Google Maps; Ajax in Action; Ajax Explained; Ajax Frameworks; Ajax UI - Part 1; Ajax UI - Part 2; Debugging Ajax Applications; Degradable Ajax; JSON and JSON-RPC; Server-side Framework Integration; Ajax with PHP; Ajax with Rails; Proxy-Based Ajax with DWR; ASP.NET and Atlas; Ajax in the Future and Beyond; Index

Rather than start you out with a simple Hello World example of an Ajax application, they dive right into a application they call Ajaxian Maps (a play on Google Maps). While you don't get all the hand-holding instruction of what each Ajax component is along the way, you quickly get a sense of what power can be unleashed with these techniques. Once you've seen it all in action (complete with code), then you start to get the nitty-gritty of what and how it all works. That's more the tutorial section you're used to seeing in other books on the subject. I really appreciate how they then go to the different Ajax frameworks that are out there, and that you can use to hide some of the plumbing that is part and parcel of every Ajax application. While a number are mentioned, they spend most of their time on Dojo and Prototype. And I also appreciated the chapter on debugging your Ajax application. Web apps can be a bit tricky to debug, but the information in here gives you a solid foundation to move forward in that area.

Overall, one of the best "practical" books on Ajax that I've had the pleasure to review. Everything is rooted in and tied back to real examples in use today, so it's not one of these "I took the tutorial, now what can I use it for?" books... Very much recommended...

Personally, I don't really use this book too much. It is a very general primer to web 2.0 with AJAX. It covers the Dojo toolkit and Prototype / Scriptaculous JavaScript libraries, but doesn't show you the true power of JS and really leaves you wanting more.

However, if you are lost or new to the web development world, this book will give you a good foundation. I would recommend picking up the O'Reilly definitive Javascript book and Prototype / Scriptaculous "bungee" book by Pragrmatic Programmers immediately after.

'Pragmatic Ajax: A Web 2.0 Primer' by Justin Gehtland is a very nice, solid Ajax book for any and all web developers using/learning the new way to develop web sites for the next generation. Rounding out around 300 pages, this has the brevity that I desire and the content to match! Discussing the origins of Ajax, what Ajax is and how it can be used, the author provides solid examples, writing, and shows off his solid teaching abilities in this nice book, another nice hit from this publishing house.

There are a bunch of Ajax books out on the market and no doubt a lot more to come, but this goes near the top of my list for desirables in the genre. Not bloated at all, a nice layout, solid writing all makes for a wonderful text to have on your desk by your side while you used the coolest web technology to ever be born!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This book is everything one can want form such a book. Before I read this book, I knew nothing about AJAX, although I read few articles on the internet, I couldn't find such nice explanations and examples. Now I use AJAX wherever I can, and I can't immagine my life without it. Buy this book and you won't be sorry.

Well written and excellent, great info in the first 50 pages. Much better than the Ajax on Java for the nutshell which seems to worm around. This book tells it like it is. Just my opinion. I think anyone who is being inundated with Ajax boasting should read this and see what its all about.

I liked the book, its simple language and detailed encouraged me to learn and work with Ajax. I'm grateful for the authors!