Ajax Construction Kit: Building Plug-and-Play Ajax Applications [Broché]

You�??ve heard how great Ajax is--how it can help make your Web sites more usable, more interactive, more responsive, more successful. Ajax Construction Kit lets you put Ajax to work right now, even if you�??ve never written a script! Just learn a few essentials, check out a few examples, then run the live CD and discover all the plug-and-play code you need to hit the ground running. Ajax Construction Kit�??s built-in applications work right out of the box. And with easy guidance from Michael Morrison, you�??ll gradually deepen your understanding--learn how to customize, extend, and reuse these applications---and even build skills for creating new ones. Walk away an expert.

Use Ajax Construction Kit�??s ten complete applications to

• Dynamically load Web data
• Dynamically populate lists
• Tap into RSS news feeds
• Use AutoComplete to reduce input errors
• Create more responsive GUIs with real-time validation
• Build a killer interface for viewing images
• Present information or advertising with slick pop-ups
• Provide an up-to-the-minute weather forecast
• Build an e-commerce product shipping calculator
• Add ratings tools to your site

And more...

CD-ROM Includes

• Your complete Ajax projects: Run the Ajax projects (HTML, JavaScript, and PHP source code) that are included on the CD from your Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux system.
• Your complete Ajax environment: Boot the CD as an Ubuntu Linux live CD to immediately begin working with the Ajax projects (no setup required).
• Ready-to-run tools on the CD include the XAMPP Web server, Firefox Web browser, and Bluefish HTML editor.

System Requirements:

• Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac (OS X or higher)
• Processor: Intel-based processor (Pentium or higher)
• Memory: 128 MB RAM or more
• Disk space: None required; USB thumb drive optional to store data
• Optical drive: CD reader

Negus Live Linux Series

Your Practical, Hands-On Guides to Getting Real Results with Free Software

Add the free software and examples from the book�??s CD to your Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux system to follow along with the projects described in the book. Or boot the CD directly to use a complete, prepackaged set of free software tools to play, display, and modify those projects. Start as a novice, by trying out examples...and finish with professional Ajax-enabled Web content!

SERIES EDITOR CHRISTOPHER NEGUS is the bestselling author of the Red Hat Linux Bible series, Linux Toys series, and this series�?? flagship title, Linux Live CDs.

You�??ve heard how great Ajax is--how it can help make your Web sites more usable, more interactive, more responsive, more successful. Ajax Construction Kit lets you put Ajax to work right now, even if you�??ve never written a script! Just learn a few essentials, check out a few examples, then run the live CD and discover all the plug-and-play code you need to hit the ground running. Ajax Construction Kit�??s built-in applications work right out of the box. And with easy guidance from Michael Morrison, you�??ll gradually deepen your understanding--learn how to customize, extend, and reuse these applications--and even build skills for creating new ones. Walk away an expert.

Use Ajax Construction Kit�??s ten complete applications to

• Dynamically load Web data
• Dynamically populate lists
• Tap into RSS news feeds
• Use AutoComplete to reduce input errors
• Create more responsive GUIs with real-time validation
• Build a killer interface for viewing images
• Present information or advertising with slick pop-ups
• Provide an up-to-the-minute weather forecast
• Build an e-commerce product shipping calculator
• Add ratings tools to your site

And more...

CD-ROM Includes

• Your complete Ajax projects: Run the Ajax projects (HTML, JavaScript, and PHP source code) that are included on the CD from your Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux system.
• Your complete Ajax environment: Boot the CD as an Ubuntu Linux live CD to immediately begin working with the Ajax projects (no setup required).
• Ready-to-run tools on the CD include the XAMPP Web server, Firefox Web browser, and Bluefish HTML editor.

System Requirements:

• Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac (OS X or higher)
• Processor: Intel-based processor (Pentium or higher)
• Memory: 128 MB RAM or more
• Disk space: None required; USB thumb drive optional to store data
• Optical drive: CD reader

Negus Live Linux Series

Your Practical, Hands-On Guides to Getting Real Results with Free Software

Add the free software and examples from the book�??s CD to your Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux system to follow along with the projects described in the book. Or boot the CD directly to use a complete, prepackaged set of free software tools to play, display, and modify those projects. Start as a novice, by trying out examples...and finish with professional Ajax-enabled Web content!

SERIES EDITOR CHRISTOPHER NEGUS is the bestselling author of the Red Hat Linux Bible series, Linux Toys series, and this series�??s flagship title, Linux Live CDs.

Introduction 1

Part I    Ajax Boot Camp

1          Ajax and a Brave New World Wide Web 9

2          Inside an Ajax Application 25

Part II    Building Real-World Ajax Applications

3          Dynamically Loading Web Data: An XML E-Book Viewer 49

4          Using Ajax to Dynamically Populate Lists: A Stock Picker 75

5          Tapping into RSS News Feeds 97

6          Reading the User's Mind with Auto-Complete 121

7          Creating Responsive GUIs with Real-Time Validation 139

8          A Killer Interface for Image Viewing 159

9          Presenting Information with Slick Popups 171

10         Forecasting the Weather with Ajax 189

11         Building an Ajax Shipping Calculator 205

12         Adding an Ajax-Powered Rating System to Your Site 231

Part III    Appendices

Appendix A      The Past, Present, and Future of Ajax 257

Appendix B      A Quick and Dirty XMLHttpRequest Reference 261

Appendix C     Using the Live Linux CD 271