Head Rush Ajax

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Chapter 6

XML can denitely help Katie out with her online

report. So far, you’ve used plain text to send

responses back to the web browser... but that’s just

because you’ve only had to return a single piece

of data, like an address, or the number of minutes

until a pizza will show up.

When you need to get more than just a single piece

of information from the server, though, things get

a little trickier. You’ve seen that using proprietary

data formats just isn’t the answer:

OK, look... I’m loving this cute little

story, but I’ve got it, OK? The stupid

server needs to use XML, right? That’s

the answer to the Boards problem?

But do you understand why?

1710;315;85

1710,315,85

1710|315|85

There are three numbers in this

response, but both the server

and the browser have to know

what the semicolon means...

...and in this case, it’s unclear

what purpose the comma serves.

Does it separate different

numbers? Is this all one number?

Boy, better hope nobody ever changes

the order of these sales totals... that

would be bad, bad, bad!

Here are some examples of the

server sending back data using

a “made up” data format.

the value of xml

Even worse: what happens if the

order of the data returned

changes? Everything breaks!