Professional, JavaScript® for Web Developers, Second Edition

Chapter 17. Ajax and JSON

In 2005, Jesse James Garrett penned an online article entitled, "Ajax: A New Approach to Web Applications" (http://www.adaptivepath.com/ideas/essays/archives/000385.php). This article outlined a technique that he referred to as Ajax, short for Asynchronous JavaScript + XML. The technique consisted of making server requests for additional data without unloading the web page, resulting in a better user experience. Garrett explained how this technique could be used to change the traditional click-and- paradigm that the Web had been stuck in since its inception.

The key technology pushing Ajax forward was the XMLHttpRequest (XHR) object, first invented by Microsoft and then duplicated by other browser vendors. Prior to the introduction of XHR, Ajax-style communication had to be accomplished through a number of hacks, mostly using hidden frames or iframes. XHR introduced a streamlined interface for making server requests and evaluating the responses. This allowed for asynchronous retrieval of additional information from the server, meaning that a user click didn't have to refresh the page to retrieve more data. Instead, an XHR object could be used to retrieve the data and then the data could be inserted into the page using the DOM. And despite the mention of XML in the name, Ajax communication is format-agnostic; the technique is about retrieving data from the server without refreshing a page, not necessarily about XML.

The technique that Garrett referred to as ...