Ajax Basics Tutorial (3)-3.3 Summary

This chapter describes the various ways in which the XMLHttpRequest object communicates with the server. The XMLHttpRequest object can send a request using an HTTP GET or POST method, and the request data can be sent as a query string, XML, or JSON data. After the request is processed, the server typically sends simple text, XML data, and even JSON data as a response. Each format has its own most suitable occasion.

If the content of the page is not dynamically updated based on the results of the request, Ajax is not much use. The current browser provides the content of a Web page as an object model that adheres to the standard of the consortium DOM. Based on this object model, you can use scripting languages such as JavaScript to add, update, and delete content on the page without having to establish a roundtrip communication with the server. Although there are some specific areas, but if the Web page is written according to the standard of the world, and use standard JavaScript modification, then in all standard-compatible browsers, most of these pages have the same performance. Today's browsers also support non-standard innerHTML properties that can be used to update elements on a Web page.

You are now familiar with the XMLHttpRequest object and understand how to communicate seamlessly with the server using the XMLHttpRequest object. You also know how to dynamically update the content of a Web page. What are you going to learn next?

The potential of Ajax is endless, and the 4th chapter will talk about it briefly. Knowing how to use Ajax is on the other hand, how to apply it in the right environment. The next chapter describes some of the common scenarios in which Web applications are ideal for Ajax technology.

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