Links Ajax

Ajax resources

Ajax was the buzzword for the year 2005. It stands for ‘Asynchronous JavaScript + XML’.
The term ‘ajax’ was introduced in an essay by JJ Garret, founder of Adaptive Path (cfr Jeffrey Veen) in February ’05.
Ajax isn’t a technology in itself, but a combination of several standards based web technologies — JavaScript, DOM, CSS. It allows for responsive web interfaces, where data is updated or retrieved behind the scenes without constantly updating the complete page. Think of GMail, Google Maps, Google Suggest, Amazon A9, MS Live, BackPack, Netvibes, Snap and others to get the idea.

Although the term Ajax is new, the technologies involved have been around for years.
But as browsers have matured, the technologies are available to a lot more people then was the case a few years ago.

This page is a resource to different articles and blogs explaining some uses of the technologies involved in Ajax. Some of the articles may be 3 years old (or even older), but most of them are still applicable today, or are even better applicable now then they were years ago, because of better browser support. I hope this list offers you all you need to know to get you into developing Ajax applications.

• O’Reilly/Adaptive Path Ajax summit
• Ajax summit: Ajaxed out
• Ajax summit: wrap up
• Ajax on Wikipedia

Practical

• Clientside JavaScript errors and Ajax
  ›› Log JavaScript errors to the server using ajax
• Crouching JavaScript, Hidden PHP
• MozDev: Ajax:Getting Started
• JavaRSS – Ajax in action
  ›› Ajax and JSP example
• Ajax using XMLHttpRequest and Struts
• Struts Flow with JSON ajax implementation
• Java BluePrints Solutions Catalog: Ajax or here
  ›› Java and Ajax blueprint models in J2EE
• JavaScript to Java remote communication
• Ajax Tag Library JSP tags
• A Simpler Ajax Path
  ›› O’Reilly article
• Ajax Redux: Progressive enhancement
• Ajax Patterns and Ajax frameworks overview
• Ajax on Rails
• Ajax and JSP Primer
• Dynamic Ajax tables with PHP
• Generalized Ajax Response Handling for XML Content
• Usable Interactivity with Remote Scripting
• XML.com Remote scriptiong with ajax part 1, part 2
• Build Ajax-Based Web Maps Using ka-Map
• Using the XML HTTP Request object
  ›› Ajax examples using HEAD requests, JSON and Google’s SOAP API.
• .NET Invocation guide for AJAX clients
• A Fresh Look at Web Development
  ›› a tutorial on e-mail message previewing
• Jetty6 with Continuations for scalable Ajax apps.
• JSF Avatar vs. MS Atlas
• Fixing the Back Button and Enabling Bookmarking for Ajax Apps
• OnJava: Ajax – How to Handle Bookmarks and Back Buttons
  ›› using the Really Simple History framework
• Bookmarks and the back button in Backbase Ajax applications
• Apple: Dynamic HTML and XML: the XMLHttpRequest object
• W3C DOM Level 3 Load and Save Specification
• MSDN: Life Without Refresh
• Ajax and weblogs
• Ajax & PHP without using the XmlHttpRequest Object
• JDJ: Intelligent Web Applications with AJAX
• Fixing Ajax: XMLHttpRequest Considered Harmful
  ›› Use a proxy to bypass the XMLHttpRequest security restriction for cross-domain requests.
• Easy Ajax with Prototype
• Call SOAP Web services with Ajax
• Using Closures To Support Object-Oriented Ajax
• Edit-in-place Ajax tutorial
• Integrating Maps into Your Java Web Application with Google Maps and Ajax
• Ajax loading indicators
• SUN: ‘Ajax made easy’ video
• How to use Ajax patterns
• JavaScript Object Notation for Ajax Web services
• Accessible Ajax, A Basic Hijax Example
• Tutorial on RSS ticker in php
• Integration of Spry and PHP/MySQL
• Introduction to Developing Web Applications with Ajax
• Creating Your First Google Maps Mashup
• Create Your Own Custom Ajax-Enabled Accordion Component
• Improve Your Search Engine Ranking with Ajax
• RSS and AJAX: A Simple News Reader
• AjaxRain

Topical

• Top 10 Ajax Applications, part 2:
  ›› An overview of some 20+ top web applications (and more honorable mentions)
• Sys-Con Ajax Webinar webcast:
  ›› webcast about the ThinkCAP Ajax framework for Java, using Struts, Hibernate, Log4J, Rico,…
• Ajax: a new approach to web applications:
  ›› the article which started it all (well, the hype that is).
• XMLHttpRequest Usability Guidelines
• Ajax & Interface Design
  ›› Article on conventions on interface integration with Ajax
• 37Signals: XMLHttpRequest, Ajax, and the customer experience
  ›› Ajax article by 37Signals
• Best Practices: Implementing javascript for rich internet applications
  ›› About separating content, presentation & behaviour (unobtrusive JavaScript)
• Quirksmode: Ajax, promise or hype?
  ›› Ajax overview
• Ajax 99% bad
  ›› Is it?
• Ajax Considered Harmful
• Ajax mistakes / wiki
  ›› It’s not all roses; some common mistakes with implementing Ajax
• Ajax and Accessibility
• Ajax won’t cook you breakfast
• Usable XMLHttpRequest in Practice
• JavaScript RIAs come of age
• Veen: Designing for the subtlety of Ajax
• Meyer: Increasing the Strength of Ajax
• Life after Ajax
• 10 Places You Must Use Ajax
• Scott Isaacs’ SiteExpert: Why Ajax is so 1999, part 2
• Lickr: Combination of Flickr, Greasemonkey, and Ajax
• Microsoft Atlas framework for Ajax projects (more)(more2)
  ›› Microsoft’s use of Ajax technologies in upcomming projects
• State of Ajax: Progress, Challenges, and Implications for SOAs
• Ajax is ActiveX (on IE)
• Wired: You Say You Want a Web Revolution
• Flash vs Ajax
• What Every Webmaster and Web Developer MUST Know About Ruby on Rails and Ajax
• UIE: Using Ajax for Creating Web Applications
• Ajax and JavaScript – Because You Should, Not Because You Can
• Does JSF + Ajax really make sense?
• Ajax workshop at Web 2.0 conference
• Ajax and the Microsoft approach
• WSJournal: 5 earthshattering things you should know about Ajax
• "JSON and the Golden Fleece"
• Listen kids, Ajax is not cool
• What Every Software Project Needs to Know About Ajax
• IBM: Considering Ajax, Part 1: Cut through the hype
• Ajax for SEO Considered Harmful
• 4 Layers of Separation
• Ajax Tips
• Ajax spurs Web rebirth for desktop apps
• Slashdot: The Ajax effect on Server Load
• Ajax and Zope: Azax
• Ahax: Asynchronous Handling + XMLHTTPRequest
• Forbes: Cleaning Up On The Web With Ajax
• JavaScript Refactoring For Safer Faster Better Ajax
• Ajax ‘desktops’ comparison
• Ajax’s Disruptive Influences
• Ajax for Mobile Devices Will Be the Hallmark of “Mobile Web 2.0”
• COMET with Apache and Jetty
• Testing Ajax Applications with Selenium
• Declarative Ajax Components and XML Namespaces
• AjaxTopics
• AjaxMatters: Ajax Tutorials
• Free Ajax Computer Books, Tutorials & Lecture Notes
• W3C XMLHttpRequest object (draft)
• Ajax for the iPhone
• The story of XMLHTTP
• PHP XmlHttpRequest free chat
• XHTML Live chat with XmlHttpRequest
• Google’s Bosworth: Why AJAX Failed (Then Succeeded)
• Boost Ajax performance using local storage
• JavaScript Object Notation ( JSON ) for Ajax Web services
• Open Says Me
• Endless Pageless
• Opera: Enabling Ajax applications on mobile phones
• How to choose an Ajax Framework?
• Get Google and Ajax to Play Nice

API’s/Toolkits/Frameworks/Libraries

• Direct Web Remoting (DWR)
  ›› easy ajax for java
• Dojo Browser toolkit
• Neuromancer javascript remoting
• Prototype,
  ›› the most popular Ajax framework across Java, .NET, & Rails communities according to this Ajaxian survey.
• Rico
• Dojo Toolkit in Practice (pdf)
• Rialto – Rich Internet Application Toolkit
• MochiKit
• Adobe Spry
• AJFORM: simple unobtrusive form submission
• SACK: Simple AJAX Code-Kit for PHP
• Toxic(for PHP)
• Sajax, Simple Ajax toolkit
• Zimbra AjaxTK
• Bindows
• Google Web Toolkit
• Write AJAX applications in the Java language with Google Web Toolkit
• Using Google Web Toolkit
• MagicAjax .Net
• PAjax – Remote (a)synchronous PHP objects in JavaScript
• Projax: Prototype+Ajax for PHP
• XOAD – PHP/JSON OO framework
• CPAINT Cross-Platform Asynchronous INterface Toolkit
• Opera: Enabling Ajax applications on mobile phones
• TIBET
• 15 Things you can do with Yahoo! UI
• Using Ajax with Prototype
• JsHttpRequest
• Ajax for IBM WebSphere
• Fork JavaScript
• mojax – Mobile Ajax Application Frameworks
• Microsoft’s Asp.net Ajax
• SimpleJS
• GVAScript
• Base2 – Yet Another JavaScript Library Without Documentation

Blogs

• Ajaxian
  ›› Ajax related blog
• Ajax and RSS for Headlines
  ›› Weblog article on using Ajax parsing RSS feeds
• Ajax and secure web communications
  ›› Weblog entry on combining Ajax with encryption, ala Hushmail
• Ajax: The Next Generation of Web Interfaces
• A Whole Lotta Nothing
• Ajax, Microsoft, Macromedia and Religion.
• Paul Graham on Web 2.0 and Ajax
• Agile Ajax
• Ajax Girl

Other resources

• AjaxMatters
  ›› Ajax resource site
• CrackAjax
• fiftyfoureleven XMLHttpRequest & Ajax Working Examples
• Yahoo Group on Ajax and RIA’s
• PHPMagazine’s AjaxMagazine
• Fiaminga
• MiniAjax
• AjaxLines

Older resources

• JSON-RPC (2004)
• Apple: remote scripping with iFrame
• On GMail and DHTML architecture again (2004)
• Sarissa project (2003)
• XML Parsing and Loading from JavaScript (2002)
• Remote scripting with iframe (2002)
• Hidden frames facilitate client-side caching (2002)
• Remote scripting with JavaScript and DOM (2002)
• Cross-Browser DOM Document Wrapper (2002)
• Using XML Data Islands in Mozilla
• Codenotes for Web-Based UI (2001)
• XML-RPC JavaScript Message Builder (2001)
• vcXMLRPC (2001)
• MSDN: Exchanging Data Over the Internet Using XML (2000)
• Creating a more responsive user interface in JavaScript (1998)
  ›› Not Ajax, but interesting historically none the less.

Security

• Firefox/Greasemonkey exploit: Mozdev thread
• More on Greasemonkey (v0.3) exploits, including use of XmlHTTPRequest
• Security in an Ajax world
• Proof of Concept: Browser-Based Field Encryption With Blowfish Via Ajax
• Using the XMLHttpRequest Object and Ajax to Spy On You
• Exploiting the XmlHttpRequest object in IE – Referrer spoofing
• MySpace XSS worm and XmlHttpRequest snippet, and a complete writedown
• Analysis of Webapplication worms and viruses – Blackhat presentation (pdf).
• Builder: The security risk in Web 2.0
• Restricting Access to your AJAX Services
• Google Search API Worms
• Andrew Van der Stock (OWASP): “New chapter and verse on Ajax security”, “Helping Ajax developers stay ahead of the bad guys”
• Top 10 Web 2.0 Attack Vectors
• Billy Hoffman (SPI Dynamics): Billy Hoffman on Ajax security : Ajax Security Dangers (pdf)
• aSSL Ajax Secure Service Layer
• Open door to Web 2.0 dangers
• Subverting Ajax
• Top 10 Ajax Security Holes and Driving Factors
• Danger, Danger, Danger : PDF and XmlHttpRequests
• Crawling Ajax-driven Web 2.0 Applications
• Ajax Security Basics
• Scanning Ajax for XSS Entry Points (pdf)
• Ajax: Is your application secure enough?
• Firefox Popup Blocker Allows Reading Arbitrary Local Files
• JSON is not as safe as people think it is
• Securing your JSON
• Fortify Software Security Research Group: JavaScript Hijacking (pdf)
• IBM: Overcome security threats for Ajax applications

More

• Ultimate Guide to JSON
• Very Dynamic Web Interfaces
• AHAH: Asychronous HTML and HTTP
• SOA: Refactoring Mainframe Applications into Dynamic Web Applications
• Ajax.NET – A free library for the Microsoft .NET Framework (blog)
• mozillaZine: Basic usage of XMLHttpRequest
• Ajax DHTML+XMLHTTP
• xmlhttprequest:behaviour
• Combining XMLHttpRequest and Rails to Produce More Efficient UI
• Francis Shanahan’s Amazon Zuggest
• XML in the Browser: Submitting forms using Ajax
• Google Maps Standalone Mode
• Baby Steps Guide to Using XMLHttpRequest
• Ajax Debugging with Greasemonkey
• Jabber web chat with ajax
• PaperMountain XMLHttpRequest Demo
• JSON, JavaScript Object Notation Douglas Crockford
• AFLAX (Asynchro Flash and Xml) – Ajax comparison
• Can Ajax be the running partner of Web services?
• Looking up php functions using Ajax
• Ajax-S, an Ajax slideshow
• W3C Roadmap for Accessible Rich Internet Applications
• IETF JSON RFC4627