HTML5 and CSS3 All-in-One For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Chapter 1

AJAX Essentials

In This Chapter

Understanding AJAX

Using JavaScript to manage HTTP requests

Creating an XMLHttpRequest object

Building a synchronous AJAX request

Retrieving data from an AJAX request

Managing asynchronous AJAX requests

If you've been following web trends, you've no doubt heard of AJAX. This technology has generated a lot of interest. In this chapter, I show you what AJAX really is, how to use it, and how to use a particular AJAX library to supercharge your web pages.

The first thing is to figure out exactly what AJAX is and what it isn't. It isn't

• A programming language: It isn't one more language to learn along with the many others you encounter.
• New: Most of the technology used in AJAX isn't really all that new; it's the way the technology is being used that's different.
• Remarkably different: For the most part, AJAX is about the same things you'll see ...