Basically, is AJAX similar to JavaScript in syntax and semantics?
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4The first sentence of the Wikipedia article could have told you that. Virtual -1user395760– user3957602011-01-12 22:05:55 +00:00Commented Jan 12, 2011 at 22:05
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4 Answers
AJAX isn't a language. It's a methodology, using JavaScript and XML (and I guess JSON fits in there as well), for a web client to asynchronously communicate with a server resource without requiring user-enacted browser events (such as page navigation).
3 Comments
dave
thats what I meant, is it a separate language, or its a strategy(like DOM) and languages like Javascript can implement the strategy. thanks.
Quentin
DOM isn't a strategy, it is an API.
dave
CORRECTION, there IS a DOM api for javacript, but DOM alone is a strategy specified by w3c
AJAX stands for Asynchronus Javascript and XML: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajax_%28programming%29
Ajax is a javascript methodology to get data from a server in real time. It's syntax (particularly when used in things like jQuery) is just javascript... Today you can simply use one function to make an ajax call (using jQuery):
$.ajax({ url: "test.html", success: function(){/*do stuff here*/}});
Old school ajax (as mentioned below, late 90's early 00's) looks more like this: http://www.w3schools.com/ajax/tryit.asp?filename=tryajax_first
function loadXMLDoc()
{
if (window.XMLHttpRequest)
{// code for IE7+, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari
xmlhttp=new XMLHttpRequest();
}
else
{// code for IE6, IE5
xmlhttp=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
}
xmlhttp.onreadystatechange=function()
{
if (xmlhttp.readyState==4 && xmlhttp.status==200)
{
document.getElementById("myDiv").innerHTML=xmlhttp.responseText;
}
}
xmlhttp.open("GET","ajax_info.txt",true);
xmlhttp.send();
}
2 Comments
Quentin
Globals?! Is this 1997? Oh, W3Schools, it is 1997.
Damien-Wright
ahaha, thats why i said old school ajax :P i still remember using that for the first time in high school early 00's :S
Actually, "AJAX" is short for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. It is merely an asynchronous method of downloading data using Javascript.
1 Comment
dave
thats what I meant, is it a separate language, or its a strategy(like DOM) and languages like Javascript can implement the strategy. thanks.
Neither. It refers to the task of making (using JavaScript) an HTTP request (and handling the response to it) without the user leaving the current page (e.g. by following a link or submitting a form).
There are several ways to do this (XMLHttpRequest, generating <script> elements, using a hidden iframe, etc) and many libraries (YUI, Mootools, Prototype, jQuery, Glow, etc) that implement helper methods to make it easier.
So it isn't a language, an API, a library or a framework. It is just a thing that can be done (in various different ways).
(It has also been used as a term to replace "DHTML", but its usage for such as since been replaced by "HTML 5" — marketeers need a new buzzword to describe "Doing any kind of fancy stuff on the web" every few years)
