New AJAX and Microsoft Solutions

If you have participated in network development, it is not surprising that you can use remote scripting to call and use AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML) to develop the latest trend of application software. After all, this technology has appeared many years ago, but it is not compatible with browsers. Microsoft has always declared ActiveX as a solution, but this situation has changed as AJAX technology continues to increase. Now let's explore the AJAX revolution and Microsoft's participation and solutions in depth.

What Is AJAX?

Defining AJAX is not as simple as pointing to a W3C Web page because it is a combination of several technologies. It includes the following technologies:

* Standard representation of XHTML and CSS;
* The Document Object Model DOM (DOM) is used for Dynamic Display and user interaction;
* Use XML, XSLT, and XMLHttpRequest for data exchange and operations;
* Use JavaScript to bind all technologies together.

The biggest difference between AJAX and traditional network development lies in the adoption of remote script calling technology. Remote Call technology allows the user's JavaScript language to send data requests to the server without refreshing the webpage. This task is implemented through the JavaScript language and XMLHttpRequest object. A remote script call transfers a part of the processing process to the client (browser), which greatly reduces the number of requests sent to the network server.

For the first time, Microsoft applied the XMLHttpRequest object as an ActiveX Object in Windows ie5. Outlook Web Access was first developed with this ActiveX component. Engineers who developed the Mozilla program launched the compatible local version of Mozilla 1.0 (and Netscape 7). Apple also added this support in their Safari 1.2. Similar features are included in a proposed W3C standard. At the same time, XMLHttpRequest objects have actually become technical standards.

Intermediary"

Traditional network application software first triggers a user behavior or request Call request to the HTTP server. In turn, the server executes some tasks and returns an HTML page to the user who sends the request. This is an inconsistent user experience. When the server processes requests, the user is waiting for most of the time.

AJAX is different. By introducing an intermediate media between the user and the server, it eliminates the disadvantages of processing-waiting-processing-waiting during network interaction. Your browser loads the AJAX engine when executing tasks. The AJAX engine is written in JavaScript language and is usually hidden in a hidden framework. It compiles the user interface and interacts with the server. The AJAX engine allows Asynchronous interaction between users and applications, independent of communication between users and network servers.

AJAX is booming

AJAX is gaining attention from large companies like Google and Amazon. Google has widely used AJAX in its developed network applications such as Gmail, Google Suggest, and Google Maps. (Indeed, Google has invested a lot of money in AJAX among all the major products developed or improved recently .) Amazon also launched the A9 search engine that uses AJAX technology. Many similar examples emerge every day.

Microsoft's AJAX

Of course, Microsoft is also developing more sophisticated AJAX. It is about to launch the AJAX Tool named Atlas. Atlas functions go beyond AJAX itself, including debugging functions integrated with Visual Studio. In addition, the new ASP. NET control makes it easier to bind the client control with the server code. The Atlas client Script Framework also facilitates interaction with webpages and related projects. However, Visual Studio 2005 does not include this function.

Microsoft recently announced that the Atlas client script framework will contain the following content (for details, visit the Atlas plan website ):

* An extensible core framework with JavaScript features, such as lifecycle management, inheritance management, multi-point transfer processor, and interface management.
* A basic class library for common functions, including string processing, timers, and running tasks.
* Adds dynamic behavior to HTML.
* A group of network stacks used to simplify server connectivity and network access.
* A rich set of user interface development controls, such as automatically completed text boxes, animations, and drag-and-drop.
* Browser compatibility level for handling differences in browser script behavior.

The above content is just a preliminary framework. Before the product is released, the content may change. If you can't wait for Microsoft products, try the free Microsoft. NET Framework Ajax. NET Library first.

Disadvantages of AJAX

AJAX requires your browser to support the JavaScript language. Although this is not the main problem, we should also consider it. Similarly, these applications must undergo rigorous tests to adapt to different browsers and platforms. However, this situation only applies to browser-based applications, and does not include the LAN that can be controlled by the target browser.

Users' complaints about AJAX mainly focus on the invalidation of the browser's back-end function, because under AJAX, dynamic page updates are not considered by the browser as another webpage. However, a common IFRAME method can solve this problem.

Another criticism facing AJAX makes me very interesting. Some people think that AJAX is just a new term introduced to promote old technologies. This may be true, but at least the technologies it contains are mature and tested.

Old bottled new wine

AJAX technology is not novel in the network development field, but in general, its extensive support for all mainstream browsers makes it easier to accept and apply it to the network development field. The technologies used by AJAX are mature and stable. With it, you can develop a wide range of application software to reduce the server response time, so that the user wait time is also reduced accordingly.