AjaxCoded

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Bloglines has been the top RSS Reader for a couple of years now . Probably not so much for how great it is, as much as there was nothing else that even came close.
I tried Google Reader a long time ago and could not get the feel for it. It was nice looking, AJAX driven, but very clunky. That has changed.
Google Reader is now a first class RSS reader. I have been using it for about a week and I am already […]

XML.com has a good article on building a simple RSS News Reader using AJAX.
The article steps through each aspect of building a reader with in depth explanations and also has the source code available to be downloaded.
Why are we using Ajax to parse our RSS? By using Ajax, we are passing over the work of processing the RSS XML file to the web browser, thus reducing server load. Also, Ajax allows the user to have a more seamless web experience, because we are able to fetch the entire RSS XML file from the server without having to refresh the page. […]

Ajax in Action is an excellent book by Dave Crane, Eric Pascarello, Darren James

I first approached Manning about writing this book before the term ‘Ajax’ was coined, having spent several years battling through JavaScript and web-based projects and wishing that someone had written down the lessons that I was learning the hard way. I hope the book can help to smooth your introduction to programming using Ajax.
SOURCE : Dave Crane
Obviously Dave has a lot of background to offer us in JavaScript, even before Jesse James Garrett coined the term Ajax in February 2005. This is still one of […]

Now this is the way it should be. Google has released a Google AJAX Search API - Issue Tracking web page.
Not only do they give us a forum with developers present to discuss the API we can now see all the progress on bugs and feature request. If you find a problem or have a request you still report them at the Google AJAX Search API Groups Discussion.
It also helps us know what they consider a real issue. Read the official post.
Thanks Google!

Yahoo has released their new Ajax oriented home page, July 17th, 2006.
It is a major improvement over the past design with a format that is aesthetically appealing and more inline with the current offerings of most major Search and Portal sites.
The site appears to be more Portal and less Search these days and that may just be the route Yahoo has decided to take in the future.
Has everyone conceded the searching to Google, especially since google is now a verb ?
You can keep up to date with Yahoo and their changes at the Yahoo! Search blog

ClearNova has probably the best single page of AJAX examples available with downloadable source.
The downloadable samples include full JavaScript & Java Source, a sample database for any SQL database, and a PowerPoint presentation.Source : ClearNova : Basic AJAX Examples
Examples include:
Ping!
Track Changes
Drop Downs & Form Handling
Get Customers By State (Parse Plain Text)
Get Customers By State (Parses XML)
Google Suggest Hack
Activity Log

Newsmap is a very different type of Ajax application. It is a treemap based on the Google News aggregator. It takes a little getting used to, but it is very easy to see the biggest news stories (pun intended). Clicking on a story will open up the news source in a new window.
Categories are color coded included World, Business, Technology, Sports, Entertainment and Health. A legend allows the user to turn on and off their preferred categories.
There is also an excellent time based legend allowing you to select a timeframe over the last week available in Newsmap.

Google has already updated the Google AJAX Search API based on feedback they have received from the Google Groups discussions. The New Feature: Site Restricted Search was posted yesterday. Now developers can add additional sources to the system and create custom labels to utilize site restrictions and limit the scope of the searches to specific sites. Keep up with the API at the Google AJAX Search API Blog.
For all searchers, you now have the ability to set a user defined label for a specific searcher. This lets you replace the current system defined label of “Web”, “Blog”, etc., […]

Google has released a new Ajax Search API. This new API allows you to build custom search pages that utilizes Ajax to display results from several Google sources without reloading the page.
The API is very powerful and allows several options to customize not only the sources that are searched, but how the results are displayed and used. Results can be returned in linear or tabbed displays. Local, Web, Video and Blog searches are supported.
Check out the Google AJAX Search API and make sure to subscribe to the Google AJAX Search API Blog to keep up to date with all new […]

It’s always interesting to watch how new technologies get incorporated to major sites. The Amazon Online reader looks like an excellent implementation of Ajax and Web 2.0.
Just look for the Search Inside graphic attached to any item. Once activated, the search inside Ajax system allows you to see different parts of the book. Each item is a little different and can include the covers, table of contents and excerpts.
This type system would be very helpful on intranets allowing company employees to browse through documentation and files.
Click on the graphic to launch the reader and see for yourself.

The WSCraft website boasts the ability to develop powerful internet and intranet solutions with just HTML familiarity. Tools like this are essential to today’s development climate. For the individual or smaller group developers it is hard to stay up to date with all the tools and keep a good creative development mentality at the same time. WSCraft licenses run from $35 to $659. The requirements for installation include PHP 4.2 or above, # mySQL 4.0 or above and Zend Optimizer installed.
As a development platform, WSCraft enables Web designers who are familiar with HTML to create/deploy powerful dynamic sites without […]

Have you ever wanted to harness some of the Google power ?
Now you can. Google has released their GWT (Google Web Toolkit) to help develop Ajax applications using Java. They also supply a lot of sample code to help jump start your efforts. Google continues to show that they are not only willing to keep developing killer apps, but also to help the Internet community learn how to leverage the power of the Internet.
The Getting Started Guide is excellent and will have you creating Ajax applications in a hurry.

AJAX has the power to make your site more compelling and […]

Here is an excellent example of a simple yet functional Ajax application. The Instant Domain Check let’s you start typing in a domain name and begins checking the results immediately. Although it is a simple and fun exercise, it is also very helpful. Using a base word to try and find an available domain is a snap.

“This easy tool will allow you to check the availability of domains instantly. There is no page load, you simply type your domain and the system will automatically query your input. Start your domain searching today!” Source : Instant Domain Check

The new Lightbox has been published at Huddle Together. The installation only takes a couple of minutes and is worth the effort. We used the same images that were used in the previous gallery test.
An advantage of the Lightbox by Lokesh Dhakar would be the easy adaptability to connect to a database. If you wanted to pull the graphics or photos from a db and automatically set them up for the Lightbox it would only require the extra lightbox tag in the output string.
Lightbox JS is a simple, unobtrusive script used to overlay images on the current page. It’s […]

AgileGallery does something that really sets it apart from a lot of the Ajax code we review and discuss. Instead of running code on a third party server you actually install the code on your own site. The only downside is you can not install the gallery on a site where you do not have access, such as a blog on BlogSpot.
For our test we used some drawings from my desktop and followed the instructions. The entire process only took a few minutes and we had a photo gallery up and running.
To see the results, click here.
Visit AgileGallery to get […]

24Eyes is a RSS Dashboard aggregator. Unlike Bloglines and most other aggregators it allows users to place RSS feeds from specific sites together in a very user friendly format.
Is it a better format? That would depend on how you want your information formatted.
The downside is the user is limited to pre determined feeds, or OPML feeds and to read a article reguires a new window to open.
Overall very nice looking site, it is just up to your personal taste as to the usability of this aggregator.
Link : 24eyes - The Premium RSS Dashboard on the Internet

ajaxXLS was just released. There could be some real benefits to an Ajax app like this. Excel is a rather expensive solution and it would be nice to load up a spreadsheet from anywhere. So that is exactly what I tried to do.
I went to the site and followed the simple instructions. For this test I used a very small spreadsheet I have to balance a checkbook. It is one page, 5 columns x 27 rows. The first image is the original XLS file.

Now, here is the file as it loaded into ajaxXLS.

As you can see the formatting is not […]

Here is a nice little tutorial on using Ajax to create drop down menu boxes. Adam does a good job of walking through the easy development of this and supplies us with samples and source code.
In our example, we’ll use a pair of dropdown menu boxes (SELECT tags in HTML). A selection in the first box affects our list of choices in the second box. It’s not exactly cutting edge (Thau did something similar using JavaScript), but it’s a proof of concept.
Link : Nitty Gritty Ajax: by Adam DuVander 12 Apr 2006

Although there are a lot of tutorials that have the same basic syntax and characteristics it is educational to look through as much as you can.
Every programmer has their own unique way of writing and documenting (or not) code and sometimes one particular style or structure may strike you differently and open up something that was not apparent before.
With that said, here are a few more tutorials to check out.
Link : DP- AJAX Tutorials

“As AJAX technology advances at an exponential pace, it has become increasingly difficult for hard working ajax developers, industry professionals and dedicated technology fanatics alike to keep up with AJAX on a daily basis.”
Very nice designed site. The blog was a good resource of information and the site appears to be a good move to put a wealth of Ajax information at your fingertips in one place.
Link : AjaxImpact

We are starting to see where the “rubber meets the road” with Ajax Applications. These applications need to be very user friendly to reach the non-technical masses. ajaxWrite looks pretty good. Loads in a reasonable time, easy to use.
“The look, feel, and functionality of Microsoft Word, in a completely web-based AJAX platform. Try ajaxWrite today, and experience first-hand how AJAX applications are changing the way the web works, and redefining the software industry.”

Max Kiesler does us a big favor by compiling a list of some very useful and nice Ajax imaging component links on his site. Please also check out his site, he has a very classy touch to his design and content.
The list includes components that are downloadable and allow you to get your feet wet with Ajax and several types of applications such as Ajax Galleries, Ajax Lightboxes, Ajax Slides, and Ajax image manipulation.

I like the simplistic design, no bells and whistles just clear functionality.
A very quick and good example of AJAX. As you type the word the Dictionary begins matching the word. The live timing aspect is definitely something that catches the users eye.
The Bookmark feature for FireFox works well.
Dictionary.hm - Free Online Searchable Live Dictionary

Here is another cool Ajax site. Definitely in Beta mode, but worth a visit. I really like the layout although the earlier layout may have been a little more user friendly.
blabb works the way I would expect Ajax sites to work. You can search for tagged sites and then read the summary RSS or Expand it. You can also see a complete view of the site before visiting. In my mind this is one of the main reasons for RSS and Ajax.
A few more options and some instructions would be nice. It seems that once you select Yesterday or Today […]

Excellent tutorial on adding a live search on a WordPress Blog.
Steve Smith uses prototype and scriptaculous to make things as easy as possible to put together. He also does an excellent job of walking through the process for developers at any level. As he mentions this is Word Press specific but a conversion to other blogging platforms should reasonable.

A good calendar program seems to be a perfect fit for an AJAX application. Now we just need a perfect Calendaring system to show off AJAX. The 2 leaders so far appear to be 30 Boxes and spongecell. SpongeCell is built on the Ruby on Rails platform.

A plus for 30 Boxes is the full page entry screen. I have tried it on several computers at different resolutions and it is a well designed screen. Reading through other reviews a popular area in the system is the social options. Such as being able to setup buddies and share your calendar with […]

Pandora released their RSS feeds this week and several feeds are available for Top Rated stations, artists and tracks. At CybersMusic.com we wanted to dynamcially display the Top Tracks. Using Blogger limits the use of methods to accomplish this task. Enter AJAX.
First we created a PHP page to read the Pandora feed. Then we used an AJAX script from Dynamic Drive to read the PHP page into the sidebar. The output works exactly as needed, the only downside is that most (if not all) search engine crawlers will be able to include the content as it is javascript.

Here is another good example of AJAX in action. With a very detailed walk thru on creating an AJAX form using Zip Codes as a demonstration.
Bill Bercik does an excellent job of sharing each piece of the puzzle with his audience. As with all AJAX tutorials some basic PHP, MySQL and JavaScript experience is needed. If you just want a good understanding of how the XMLHttpRequest works you can work through the first 4 steps. However, if you are familiar with MySQL and PHP the remaining steps are very helpful in pulling the whole process together.
Link : Guide to Using […]

We wanted to show a good example of AJAX in use. The criteria was to find an exisiting example on the Internet and plug it in with little modification. Searches led to hundreds of examples, probably more like thousands.
The “Best Example” we could find comes from Dynamic Drive. Their site and examples are by far the best we found with clear explanations and simple installations.
On the left sidebar we have a Blogroll and Links area defined. Selecting these will expand the respective list without a page refresh. The installation and configuration took about 5 minutes.
The sample is a direct install […]

Although in some form AJAX applications have exisited for years, Jesse Garrett, co-founder of San Francisco consultancy Adaptive Path is credited with coining the term AJAX. As reported by CNET on March 22, 2005. AJAX: Web “shift” or business as usual?
AJAX: A new approach to web applications is the original essay by Jesse Garrett with a detailed outline of what AJAX is.
This essay is written with a clear and concise voice and is highly recommended for anyone interested in understanding the definition of AJAX.

AJAX = Asynchronous JavaScript And XML

XHTML (or HTML) and CSS for marking up and styling information.
The Document Object Model for dynamic display and interaction.
The XMLHttpRequest for asynchronously data exchange
Javascript for putting it all together