Ajax|web ext: Ajax for weblogs
The asynchronous JavaScript + XML (AJaX) solution is one this can bring happiness and bliss to Web designers and Web devel Opers alike. However, as with many Whiz-bang solutions caution is advised. Google uses it to great effect but personally I do they take it a bit too far. If a page change so much as it context changes then it have switched to a new URI. People often bookmark specific content that ' s within a specific context. As soon as this is no longer true it maybe a clue so you ' ve gone to far.
The "I thing I notice that the solutions are aimed at the heavier Web applications. Not surprising. Web applications suffer from constraints, Web clients impose on them. This solution gives them a way to check for dynamic content without reloading the current page.
So what does it does?
The IT ' s very simple. It uses Javascript to get data in a remote source and then loads that into a specified target. Whatever content you are like "to wherever" on the page. Jesse James Garrett of Adaptive Path has written a essay that covers the basics and provides more information on AJaX.
But lets get this sucker running, that ' s the fun bit. And it ' s pretty easy.
Step 1
Check If your Web client can actually handle the HTTP requests. We'll need to the use a javascipt to doing this.
var ajax=false;/* @cc_on @*//* @if (@_jscript_version >= 5) try {ajax = new ActiveXObject ("msxml2.xmlhttp"); catch (E) {try {ajax = new ActiveXObject ("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");} catch (E) {Ajax = false;}} @end @*/if (!ajax && typeof xmlhttprequest!= ' undefined ') {ajax = new XMLHttpRequest ();}
Step 2
Add the script that would pick up your data. In the I ' m not picking up XML data. But the weblog of your choice and in me case it's ExpressionEngine'll return the XHTML Which in turn would be inserted VI A The JavaScript InnerHTML Methode.
function getmyhtml (serverpage, ObjID) {if ((Serverpage.indexof ("http://www.yourdomain.com/")!=0)) return; var obj = document.getElementById (ObjID); Ajax.open ("Get", serverpage); Ajax.onreadystatechange = function () {if (ajax.readystate = 4 && ajax.status =) {obj.innerhtml = Ajax.resp Onsetext; } ajax.send (null);}
Step 3
The page that would display the dynamic content would need a placeholder element (tag) with a unique ID. The ID is used in the second script as a reference point to allow for insertion of the new dynamic content.
This URI in the "onload" is the one which would generate the content.
Step 4
The dynamic bit is parsed by the engine of your choice like; Moveable Type, Expression Engine, Word press etc. Of course can use any of the collecting content form a database.
In Expression Engine I ' m calling a template this collects the data for my calendar. The whole calendar is outputted as HTML and inserted via the script.
Lets say the URI is ' Http://www.yourdomain.com/tempate/pageid/', could in fact to be a PHP file or no other serverside s Cript solution. The page only needs to return HTML. This is a example in PHP.
<?php Echo ' <p>this is a php echo text</p> ';?>
And that ' s about it. It's all pretty old school but there you have it.
