Adding Ajax

Rico

Rico is another Ajax library built on Prototype. Like script.aculo.us, Rico includes several packaged effects, including fade, and like all Ajax frameworks, it includes functions to simplify Ajax service calls. Rico can be downloaded from http://openrico.org. Rico also has a nicely implemented round corner effect that can be added to page elements. However, whether you want the overhead for this is debatable. I have a feeling that rounded corners will begin to lose some of their popularity—at least until they're available in most browsers as CSS.

Rico has an interesting LiveGrid, which connects to a data source through an Ajax request and serves up new data as the page reader scrolls down the data table. This effect is also known as Ajax pagination or live scrolling.

Ajax Pagination

Ajax pagination is a mixed bag. When implemented properly, it's a terrific way to pull in external data without your readers even being aware that it is happening. Google uses this approach when it brings in a seemingly never-ending map with the Google Maps web services.

However, done incorrectly, pagination can be a nightmare. Recently, Yahoo! reworked its Yahoo! TV web site to include several Ajax effects, including Ajax pagination. The performance and "busyness" of the site due to the pagination change in particular raised howls of protest from current users. The pagination added an overall burden to page load times, and the effect wasn't implemented with any form of caching to create a smooth "endless ...