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50 JavaScript & AJAX Interview Questions

This document contains 49 questions about JavaScript and AJAX. It covers topics like the differences between JavaScript and Java, client-side vs server-side JavaScript, JavaScript syntax, variables, functions, objects, events, and more. The questions are multiple choice designed to test knowledge of JavaScript programming concepts and capabilities.

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saurabhmaghar
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12K views

50 JavaScript & AJAX Interview Questions

This document contains 49 questions about JavaScript and AJAX. It covers topics like the differences between JavaScript and Java, client-side vs server-side JavaScript, JavaScript syntax, variables, functions, objects, events, and more. The questions are multiple choice designed to test knowledge of JavaScript programming concepts and capabilities.

Uploaded by

saurabhmaghar
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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50 JavaScript & AJAX interview

questions
By admin | January 10, 2007
1. Why so JavaScript and Java have similar name?
A. JavaScript is a stripped-down version of Java
B. JavaScript's syntax is loosely based on Java's
C. They both originated on the island of Java
D. None of the above

2. When a user views a page containing a JavaScript program, which machine actually
executes the script?
A. The User's machine running a Web browser
B. The Web server
C. A central machine deep within Netscape's corporate offices
D. None of the above

3. ______ JavaScript is also called client-side JavaScript.


A. Microsoft
B. Navigator
C. LiveWire
D. Native

4. __________ JavaScript is also called server-side JavaScript.


A. Microsoft
B. Navigator
C. LiveWire
D. Native

5. What are variables used for in JavaScript Programs?


A. Storing numbers, dates, or other values
B. Varying randomly
C. Causing high-school algebra flashbacks
D. None of the above

6. _____ JavaScript statements embedded in an HTML page can respond to user events
such as mouse-clicks, form input, and page navigation.
A. Client-side
B. Server-side
C. Local
D. Native

7. What should appear at the very end of your JavaScript?


The <script LANGUAGE="JavaScript">tag
A. The </script>
B. The <script>
C. The END statement
D. None of the above

8. Which of the following can't be done with client-side JavaScript?


A. Validating a form
B. Sending a form's contents by email
C. Storing the form's contents to a database file on the server
D. None of the above

9. Which of the following are capabilities of functions in JavaScript?


A. Return a value
B. Accept parameters and Return a value
C. Accept parameters
D. None of the above

10. Which of the following is not a valid JavaScript variable name?


A. 2names
B. _first_and_last_names
C. FirstAndLast
D. None of the above

11. ______ tag is an extension to HTML that can enclose any number of JavaScript
statements.
A. <SCRIPT>
B. <BODY>
C. <HEAD>
D. <TITLE>

12. How does JavaScript store dates in a date object?


A. The number of milliseconds since January 1st, 1970
B. The number of days since January 1st, 1900
C. The number of seconds since Netscape's public stock offering.
D. None of the above

13. Which of the following attribute can hold the JavaScript version?
A. LANGUAGE
B. SCRIPT
C. VERSION
D. None of the above
14. What is the correct JavaScript syntax to write "Hello World"?
A. System.out.println("Hello World")
B. println ("Hello World")
C. document.write("Hello World")
D. response.write("Hello World")

15. Which of the following way can be used to indicate the LANGUAGE attribute?
A. <LANGUAGE="JavaScriptVersion">
B. <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScriptVersion">
C. <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScriptVersion"> JavaScript
statements…</SCRIPT>
D. <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScriptVersion"!> JavaScript statements…
</SCRIPT>

16. Inside which HTML element do we put the JavaScript?


A. <js>
B. <scripting>
C. <script>
D. <javascript>

17. What is the correct syntax for referring to an external script called " abc.js"?
A. <script href=" abc.js">
B. <script name=" abc.js">
C. <script src=" abc.js">
D. None of the above

18. Which types of image maps can be used with JavaScript?


A. Server-side image maps
B. Client-side image maps
C. Server-side image maps and Client-side image maps
D. None of the above

19. Which of the following navigator object properties is the same in both Netscape and
IE?
A. navigator.appCodeName
B. navigator.appName
C. navigator.appVersion
D. None of the above

20. Which is the correct way to write a JavaScript array?


A. var txt = new Array(1:"tim",2:"kim",3:"jim")
B. var txt = new Array:1=("tim")2=("kim")3=("jim")
C. var txt = new Array("tim","kim","jim")
D. var txt = new Array="tim","kim","jim"

21. What does the <noscript> tag do?


A. Enclose text to be displayed by non-JavaScript browsers.
B. Prevents scripts on the page from executing.
C. Describes certain low-budget movies.
D. None of the above

22. If para1 is the DOM object for a paragraph, what is the correct syntax to change the
text within the paragraph?
A. "New Text"?
B. para1.value="New Text";
C. para1.firstChild.nodeValue= "New Text";
D. para1.nodeValue="New Text";

23. JavaScript entities start with _______ and end with _________.
A. Semicolon, colon
B. Semicolon, Ampersand
C. Ampersand, colon
D. Ampersand, semicolon

24. Which of the following best describes JavaScript?


A. a low-level programming language.
B. a scripting language precompiled in the browser.
C. a compiled scripting language.
D. an object-oriented scripting language.

25. Choose the server-side JavaScript object?


A. FileUpLoad
B. Function
C. File
D. Date

26. Choose the client-side JavaScript object?


A. Database
B. Cursor
C. Client
D. FileUpLoad

27. Which of the following is not considered a JavaScript operator?


A. new
B. this
C. delete
D. typeof

28. ______method evaluates a string of JavaScript code in the context of the specified
object.
A. Eval
B. ParseInt
C. ParseFloat
D. Efloat

29. Which of the following event fires when the form element loses the focus: <button>,
<input>, <label>, <select>, <textarea>?
A. onfocus
B. onblur
C. onclick
D. ondblclick

30. The syntax of Eval is ________________


A. [objectName.]eval(numeric)
B. [objectName.]eval(string)
C. [EvalName.]eval(string)
D. [EvalName.]eval(numeric)

31. JavaScript is interpreted by _________


A. Client
B. Server
C. Object
D. None of the above

32. Using _______ statement is how you test for a specific condition.
A. Select
B. If
C. Switch
D. For

33. Which of the following is the structure of an if statement?


A. if (conditional expression is true) thenexecute this codeend if
B. if (conditional expression is true)execute this codeend if
C. if (conditional expression is true) {then execute this code>->}
D. if (conditional expression is true) then {execute this code}

34. How to create a Date object in JavaScript?


A. dateObjectName = new Date([parameters])
B. dateObjectName.new Date([parameters])
C. dateObjectName := new Date([parameters])
D. dateObjectName Date([parameters])

35. The _______ method of an Array object adds and/or removes elements from an
array.
A. Reverse
B. Shift
C. Slice
D. Splice
36. To set up the window to capture all Click events, we use which of the following
statement?
A. window.captureEvents(Event.CLICK);
B. window.handleEvents (Event.CLICK);
C. window.routeEvents(Event.CLICK );
D. window.raiseEvents(Event.CLICK );

37. Which tag(s) can handle mouse events in Netscape?


A. <IMG>
B. <A>
C. <BR>
D. None of the above

38. ____________ is the tainted property of a window object.


A. Pathname
B. Protocol
C. Defaultstatus
D. Host

39. To enable data tainting, the end user sets the _________ environment variable.
A. ENABLE_TAINT
B. MS_ENABLE_TAINT
C. NS_ENABLE_TAINT
D. ENABLE_TAINT_NS

40. In JavaScript, _________ is an object of the target language data type that encloses
an object of the source language.
A. a wrapper
B. a link
C. a cursor
D. a form

41. When a JavaScript object is sent to Java, the runtime engine creates a Java wrapper
of type ___________
A. ScriptObject
B. JSObject
C. JavaObject
D. Jobject

42. _______ class provides an interface for invoking JavaScript methods and examining
JavaScript properties.
A. ScriptObject
B. JSObject
C. JavaObject
D. Jobject

43. _________ is a wrapped Java array, accessed from within JavaScript code.
A. JavaArray
B. JavaClass
C. JavaObject
D. JavaPackage

44. A ________ object is a reference to one of the classes in a Java package, such as
netscape.javascript .
A. JavaArray
B. JavaClass
C. JavaObject
D. JavaPackage

45. The JavaScript exception is available to the Java code as an instance of __________
A. netscape.javascript.JSObject
B. netscape.javascript.JSException
C. netscape.plugin.JSException
D. None of the above

46. To automatically open the console when a JavaScript error occurs which of the
following is added to prefs.js?
A. user_pref(" javascript.console.open_on_error", false);
B. user_pref("javascript.console.open_error ", true);
C. user_pref("javascript.console.open_error ", false);
D. user_pref("javascript.console.open_on_error", true);

47. To open a dialog box each time an error occurs, which of the following is added to
prefs.js?
A. user_pref("javascript.classic.error_alerts", true);
B. user_pref("javascript.classic.error_alerts ", false);
C. user_pref("javascript.console.open_on_error ", true);
D. user_pref("javascript.console.open_on_error ", false);

48. The syntax of a blur method in a button object is ______________


A. Blur()
B. Blur(contrast)
C. Blur(value)
D. Blur(depth)

49. The syntax of capture events method for document object is ______________
A. captureEvents()
B. captureEvents(args eventType)
C. captureEvents(eventType)
D. captureEvents(eventVal)

50. The syntax of close method for document object is ______________


A. Close(doc)
B. Close(object)
C. Close(val)
D. Close()

What is Ajax?
The term Ajax was coined by Jesse James Garrett and is a short form for
"Asynchronous Javascript and XML". Ajax represents a set of commonly used
techniques, like HTML/XHTML, CSS, Document Object Model(DOM), XML/XSLT,
Javascript and the XMLHttpRequest object, to create RIA's (Rich Internet
Applications).
Ajax gives the user, the ability to dynamically and asynchronously interact with a
web server, without using a plug-in or without compromising on the user’s ability to
interact with the page. This is possible due to an object found in browsers called the
XMLHttpRequest object.
What is ASP.NET AJAX?
‘ASP.NET AJAX’ is a terminology coined by Microsoft for ‘their’ implementation of
AJAX, which is a set of extensions to ASP.NET. These components allow you to build
rich AJAX enabled web applications, which consists of both server side and client side
libraries.
Which is the current version of ASP.NET AJAX Control
Toolkit?
As of this writing, the toolkit version is Version 1.0.20229 (if you are targeting
Framework 2.0, ASP.NET AJAX 1.0 and Visual Studio 2005) and Version 3.0.20229
(if targeting .NET Framework 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008).
What role does the ScriptManager play?
The ScriptManager manages all ASP.NET AJAX resources on a page and renders the
links for the ASP.NET AJAX client libraries, which lets you use AJAX functionality like
PageMethods, UpdatePanels etc. It creates the PageRequestManager and Application
objects, which are prominent in raising events during the client life cycle of an
ASP.NET AJAX Web page. It also helps you create proxies to call web services
asynchronously.
Can we use multiple ScriptManager on a page?
No. You can use only one ScriptManager on a page.
What is the role of a ScriptManagerProxy?
A page can contain only one ScriptManager control. If you have a Master-Content
page scenario in your application and the MasterPage contains a ScriptManager
control, then you can use the ScriptManagerProxy control to add scripts to content
pages.
Also, if you come across a scenario where only a few pages in your application need
to register to a script or a web service, then its best to remove them from the
ScriptManager control and add them to individual pages, by using the
ScriptManagerProxy control. That is because if you added the scripts using the
ScriptManager on the Master Page, then these items will be downloaded on each
page that derives from the MasterPage, even if they are not needed, which would
lead to a waste of resources.
What are the requirements to run ASP.NET AJAX
applications on a server?
You would need to install ‘ASP.NET AJAX Extensions’ on your server. If you are using
the ASP.NET AJAX Control toolkit, then you would also need to add the
AjaxControlToolkit.dll in the /Bin folder.
Note: ASP.NET AJAX 1.0 was available as a separate downloadable add-on for
ASP.NET 2.0. With ASP.NET 3.5, the AJAX components have been integrated into
ASP.NET.
Explain the UpdatePanel?
The UpdatePanel enables you to add AJAX functionality to existing ASP.NET
applications. It can be used to update content in a page by using Partial-page
rendering. By using Partial-page rendering, you can refresh only a selected part of
the page instead of refreshing the whole page with a postback.
Can I use ASP.NET AJAX with any other technology apart
from ASP.NET?
To answer this question, check out this example of using ASP.NET AJAX with PHP, to
demonstrate running ASP.NET AJAX outside of ASP.NET. Client-Side ASP.NET AJAX
framework can be used with PHP and Coldfusion.
How can you cancel an Asynchronous postback?
Yes you can. Read my article over here.
Difference between Server-Side AJAX framework and
Client-side AJAX framework?
ASP.NET AJAX contains both a server-side Ajax framework and a client-side Ajax
framework. The server-side framework provides developers with an easy way to
implement Ajax functionality, without having to possess much knowledge of
JavaScript. The framework includes server controls and components and the drag
and drop functionality. This framework is usually preferred when you need to quickly
ajaxify an asp.net application. The disadvantage is that you still need a round trip to
the server to perform a client-side action.
The Client-Side Framework allows you to build web applications with rich user-
interactivity as that of a desktop application. It contains a set of JavaScript libraries,
which is independent from ASP.NET. The library is getting rich in functionality with
every new build released.
How can you debug ASP.NET AJAX applications?
Explain about two tools useful for debugging: Fiddler for IE and Firebug for Mozilla.
Can we call Server-Side code (C# or VB.NET code) from
javascript?
Yes. You can do so using PageMethods in ASP.NET AJAX or using webservices.
Can you nest UpdatePanel within each other?
Yes, you can do that. You would want to nest update panels to basically have more
control over the Page Refresh.
How can you to add JavaScript to a page when
performing an asynchronous postback?
Use the ScriptManager class. This class contains several methods like the
RegisterStartupScript(), RegisterClientScriptBlock(), RegisterClientScriptInclude(),
RegisterArrayDeclaration(),RegisterClientScriptResource(),
RegisterExpandoAttribute(), RegisterOnSubmitStatement() which helps to add
javascript while performing an asynchronous postback.
Explain differences between the page execution
lifecycle of an ASP.NET page and an ASP.NET AJAX
page?
In an asynchronous model, all the server side events occur, as they do in a
synchronous model. The Microsoft AJAX Library also raises client side events.
However when the page is rendered, asynchronous postback renders only the
contents of the update panel, where as in a synchronous postback, the entire page is
recreated and sent back to the browser.
Explain the AJAX Client life-cycle events
Here’s a good article about the same.
Is the ASP.NET AJAX Control
Toolkit(AjaxControlToolkit.dll) installed in the Global
Assembly Cache?
No. You must copy the AjaxControlToolkit.dll assembly to the /Bin folder in your
application.

What's AJAX ?
AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a newly coined term for two powerful
browser features that have been around for years, but were overlooked by many
web developers until recently when applications such as Gmail, Google Suggest,
and Google Maps hit the streets.

Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, or Ajax (pronounced "Aye-Jacks"), is a web


development technique for creating interactive web applications using a
combination of XHTML (or HTML) and CSS for marking up and styling
information. (XML is commonly used, although any format will work, including
preformatted HTML, plain text, JSON and even EBML).
The Document Object Model manipulated through JavaScript to dynamically
display and interact with the information presented
The XMLHttpRequest object to exchange data asynchronously with the web
server. In some Ajax frameworks and in some situations, an IFrame object is used
instead of the XMLHttpRequest object to exchange data with the web server.
Like DHTML, LAMP, or SPA, Ajax is not a technology in itself, but a term that
refers to the use of a group of technologies together. In fact,
derivative/composite technologies based substantially upon Ajax, such as AFLAX,
are already appearing.
Ajax applications are mostly executed on the user's computer; they can perform
a number of tasks without their performance being limited by the network. This
permits the development of interactive applications, in particular reactive and
rich graphic user interfaces.
Ajax applications target a well-documented platform, implemented by all major
browsers on most existing platforms. While it is uncertain that this compatibility
will resist the advent of the next generations of browsers (in particular, Firefox),
at the moment, Ajax applications are effectively cross-platform.
While the Ajax platform is more restricted than the Java platform, current Ajax
applications effectively fill part of the one-time niche of Java applets: extending
the browser with portable, lightweight mini-applications.

Ajax isn’t a technology. It’s really several technologies, each flourishing in its own
right, coming together in powerful new ways. Ajax incorporates:
* standards-based presentation using XHTML and CSS;
* dynamic display and interaction using the Document Object Model;
* data interchange and manipulation using XML and XSLT; * asynchronous data
retrieval using XMLHttpRequest;
* and JavaScript binding everything together.

Who’s Using Ajax ?


Google is making a huge investment in developing the Ajax approach. All of the
major products Google has introduced over the last year — Orkut, Gmail, the
latest beta version of Google Groups, Google Suggest, and Google Maps — are
Ajax applications. (For more on the technical nuts and bolts of these Ajax
implementations, check out these excellent analyses of Gmail, Google Suggest,
and Google Maps.) Others are following suit: many of the features that people
love in Flickr depend on Ajax, and Amazon’s A9.com search engine applies
similar techniques.
These projects demonstrate that Ajax is not only technically sound, but also
practical for real-world applications. This isn’t another technology that only works
in a laboratory. And Ajax applications can be any size, from the very simple,
single-function Google Suggest to the very complex and sophisticated Google
Maps.

At Adaptive Path, we’ve been doing our own work with Ajax over the last several
months, and we’re realizing we’ve only scratched the surface of the rich
interaction and responsiveness that Ajax applications can provide. Ajax is an
important development for Web applications, and its importance is only going to
grow. And because there are so many developers out there who already know
how to use these technologies, we expect to see many more organizations
following Google’s lead in reaping the competitive advantage Ajax provides.
Moving Forward

The biggest challenges in creating Ajax applications are not technical. The core
Ajax technologies are mature, stable, and well understood. Instead, the
challenges are for the designers of these applications: to forget what we think we
know about the limitations of the Web, and begin to imagine a wider, richer
range of possibilities

Should I consider AJAX?


AJAX definitely has the buzz right now, but it might not be the right thing for you.
AJAX is limited to the latest browsers, exposes browser compatibility issues, and
requires new skill-sets for many. There is a good blog entry by Alex Bosworth on
AJAX Mistakes which is a good read before you jump full force into AJAX.
On the other hand you can achieve highly interactive rich web applications that
are responsive and appear really fast. While it is debatable as to whether an AJAX
based application is really faster, the user feels a sense of immediacy because
they are given active feedback while data is exchanged in the background. If you
are an early adopter and can handle the browser compatibility issues, and are
willing to learn some more skills, then AJAX is for you. It may be prudent to start
off AJAX-ifying a small portion or component of your application first. We all love
technology, but just remember the purpose of AJAX is to enhance your user's
experience and not hinder it.

Does AJAX work with Java?


Absolutely. Java is a great fit for AJAX! You can use Java Enterprise Edition
servers to generate AJAX client pages and to serve incoming AJAX requests,
manage server side state for AJAX clients, and connect AJAX clients to your
enterprise resources. The JavaServer Faces component model is a great fit for
defining and using AJAX components.

Won't my server-side framework provide me with AJAX?


You may be benefiting from AJAX already. Many existing Java based frameworks
already have some level of AJAX interactions and new frameworks and
component libraries are being developed to provide better AJAX support. I won't
list all the Java frameworks that use AJAX here, out of fear of missing someone,
but you can find a good list at www.ajaxpatterns.org/Java_Ajax_Frameworks.
If you have not chosen a framework yet it is recommended you consider using
JavaServer Faces or a JavaServer Faces based framework. JavaServer Faces
components can be created and used to abstract many of the details of
generating JavaScript, AJAX interactions, and DHTML processing and thus enable
simple AJAX used by JSF application developer and as plug-ins in JSF compatible
IDE's, such as Sun Java Studio Creator.

Where should I start?


Assuming the framework you are using does not suffice your use cases and you
would like to develop your own AJAX components or functionality I suggest you
start with the article Asynchronous JavaScript Technology and XML (AJAX) With
Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition.
If you would like to see a very basic example that includes source code you can
check out the tech tip Using AJAX with Java Technology. For a more complete list
of AJAX resources the Blueprints AJAX home page.
Next, I would recommend spending some time investigating AJAX libraries and
frameworks. If you choose to write your own AJAX clients-side script you are
much better off not re-inventing the wheel.
AJAX in Action by Dave Crane and Eric Pascarello with Darren James is good
resource. This book is helpful for the Java developer in that in contains an
appendix for learning JavaScript for the Java developer.

Did Adaptive Path invent Ajax? Did Google? Did Adaptive Path help build
Google’s Ajax applications?
Neither Adaptive Path nor Google invented Ajax. Google’s recent products are
simply the highest-profile examples of Ajax applications. Adaptive Path was not
involved in the development of Google’s Ajax applications, but we have been
doing Ajax work for some of our other clients.
Is it possible to set session variables from javascript?
It's not possible to set any session variables directly from javascript as it is purely
a client side technology. You can use AJAX though to asyncronously...

Cannot parse XML generated by JSP I am generating an XML using JSP, when i run
the JSP in IE it shows the XML as per DOM, but when i try to parse it using
Javascript , the command xmldoc.documentElement...

This is working code I am using, it might help you. if (!isIE) xmldoc =


req.responseXML; else { //IE does not take the responseXML as...

What do I need to know to create my own AJAX functionality?


If you plan not to reuse and existing AJAX component here are some of the things
you will need to know.
Plan to learn Dynamic HTML (DHTML), the technology that is the foundation for
AJAX. DHTML enables browser-base real time interaction between a user and a
web page. DHTML is the combination of JavaScript, the Document Object Model
(DOM) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).
* JavaScript - JavaScript is a loosely typed object based scripting language
supported by all major browsers and essential for AJAX interactions. JavaScript in
a page is called when an event in a page occurs such as a page load, a mouse
click, or a key press in a form element.
* DOM - An API for accessing and manipulating structured documents. In most
cases DOM represent the structure of XML and HTML documents.
* CSS - Allows you to define the presentation of a page such as fonts, colors,
sizes, and positioning. CSS allow for a clear separation of the presentation from
the content and may be changed programmatically by JavaScript.
Understanding the basic request/response nature of HTTP is also important. Many
subtle bugs can result if you ignore the differences between the GET and OIst
methods when configuring an XMLHttpRequest and HTTP response codes when
processing callbacks.
JavaScript is the client-side glue, in a sense. JavaScript is used to create the
XMLHttpRequest Object and trigger the asynchronous call. JavaScript is used to
parse the returned content. JavaScript is used to analyze the returned data and
process returned messages. JavaScript is used to inject the new content into the
HTML using the DOM API and to modify the CSS.

Do I really need to learn JavaScript?


Basically yes if you plan to develop new AJAX functionality for your web
application.
On the other hand, JSF components and component libraries can abstract the
details of JavaScript, DOM and CSS. These components can generate the
necessary artifacts to make AJAX interactions possible. Visual tools such as Java
Studio Creator may also use AJAX enabled JSF components to create applications,
shielding the tool developer from many of the details of

AJAX. If you plan to develop your own JSF components or wire the events of
components together in a tool it is important that you have a basic
understanding of JavaScript. There are client-side JavaScript libraries (discussed
below) that you can call from your in page JavaScript that abstract browser
differences. Object Hierarchy and Inheritance in JavaScript is a great resource for
a Java developer to learn about JavaScript objects.

Do Ajax applications always deliver a better experience than traditional web


applications?
Not necessarily. Ajax gives interaction designers more flexibility. However, the
more power we have, the more caution we must use in exercising it. We must be
careful to use Ajax to enhance the user experience of our applications, not
degrade it.

What JavaScript libraries and frameworks are available?


There are many libraries/frameworks out there (and many more emerging) that
will help abstract such things as all the nasty browser differences. Three good
libraries are The Dojo Toolkit, Prototype, and DWR.

* The Dojo Toolkit contains APIs and widgets to support the development of rich
web applications. Dojo contains an intelligent packaging system, UI effects, drag
and drop APIs, widget APIs, event abstraction, client storage APIs, and AJAX
interaction APIs. Dojo solves common usability issues such as support for dealing
with the navigation such as the ability to detect the browser back button, the
ability to support changes to the URL in the URL bar for bookmarking, and the
ability to gracefully degrade when AJAX/JavaScript is not fully support on the
client. Dojo is the Swiss Army Knife of JavaScript libraries. It provides the widest
range of options in a single library and it does a very good job supporting new
and older browsers.
* Prototype focuses on AJAX interactions including a JavaScript AJAX object that
contains a few objects to do basic tasks such as make a request, update a
portion of a document, insert content into a document, and update a portion of a
document periodically. Prototype JavaScript library contains a set of JavaScript
objects for representing AJAX requests and contains utility functions for accessing
in page components and DOM manipulations. Script.aculo.us and Rico are built
on top of Prototype and provide UI effects, support for drag and drop, and include
common JavaScript centric widgets. If you are just looking to support AJAX
interactions and a few basic tasks Prototype is great. If you are looking for UI
effects Rico and Script.aculo.us are good options.
* Yahoo UI Library is a utility library and set of widgets using the APIs to support
rich clients. The utility library includes support for cross-browser AJAX
interactions, animation, DOM scriptging support, drag and drop, and cross
browser event support. The Yahoo UI Library is well documnented and contains
many examples.
* DWR (Dynamic Web Remoting) is a client-side and server-side framework that
focuses on allowing a developer to do RPC calls from client-side JavaScript to
plain old Java objects in a Java Enterprise Edition web container. On the server
side DWR uses a Servlet to interact with the Java objects and returns object
representations of the Java objects or XML documents. DWR will be easy to get
up and running and plays well with other Java technologies. If you are looking for
a client-side and server-side framework that integrates well use DWR.
* Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is client/server framework provided by Google that
allows a developer to write an AJAX application in pure Java. The GWT takes care
of the details of generating all the client-side code using a Java-to-JavaScript
compiler. One of the key benefits of the GWT Software Developer Kit (SDK) is
that it allows you to debug your applications in what is known as GWT hosted
mode using an embedded browser (IE on Windows and Mozilla/Gecko on Linux)
that is tied to the toolkit. In GWT hosted mode you setup through the code and
debug it as it is running on both the client and server. The GWT contains a
default set of widgets and widget containers. An application is built by coding a
set of widgets and containers together much like would be done in a Swing
application. The GWT Software Developer Kit (SDK) is limited to Linux and
Windows XP/2000 though the web applications it generates are compatible with
the latest generation of the mainstream browsers.

There are many new and emerging libraries for JavaScript and this list only
reviews some of the more common libraries. When making a choice choose the
library which suites your needs the best. While it might be better to choose one,
there is nothing stopping you from using more than one framework. For a more
extensive list of client-side frameworks see: Survey of AJAX/JavaScript Libraries.

What is the difference between proxied and proxyless calls?


Proxied calls are made through stub objects that mimic your PHP classes on the
JavaScript side. E.g., the helloworld class from the Hello World example.
Proxyless calls are made using utility javascript functions like
HTML_AJAX.replace() and HTML_AJAX.append().

Should I use XML or text, JavaScript, or HTML as a return type?


It depends. Clearly the 'X' in AJAX stands for XML, but several AJAX proponents
are quick to point out that nothing in AJAX, per se, precludes using other types of
payload, such as, JavaScript, HTML, or plain text.

* XML - Web Services and AJAX seem made for one another. You can use client-
side API's for downloading and parsing the XML content from RESTful Web
Services. (However be mindful with some SOAP based Web Services
architectures the payloads can get quite large and complex, and therefore may
be inappropriate with AJAX techniqes.)
* Plain Text - In this case server-generated text may be injected into a document
or evaluated by client-side logic.
* JavaScript - This is an extension to the plain text case with the exception that a
server-side component passes a fragment of JavaScript including JavaScript
object declarations. Using the JavaScript eval() function you can then create the
objects on the client. JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), which is a JavaScript
object based data exchange specification, relies on this technique.
* HTML - Injecting server-generated HTML fragments directly into a document is
generally a very effective AJAX technique. However, it can be complicated
keeping the server-side component in sync with what is displayed on the client.

Mashup is a popular term for creating a completely new web application by


combining the content from disparate Web Services and other online API's. A
good example of a mashup is housingmaps.com which graphically combines
housing want-ads from craiglist.org and maps from maps.google.com.

How do I handle concurrent AJAX requests?


With JavaScript you can have more than one AJAX request processing at a single
time. In order to insure the proper post processing of code it is recommended
that you use JavaScript Closures. The example below shows an XMLHttpRequest
object abstracted by a JavaScript object called AJAXInteraction. As arguments you
pass in the URL to call and the function to call when the processing is done.
function AJAXInteraction(url, callback) {

var req = init();


req.onreadystatechange = processRequest;

function init() {
if (window.XMLHttpRequest) {
return new XMLHttpRequest();
} else if (window.ActiveXObject) {
return new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
}
}

function processRequest () {
if (req.readyState == 4) {
if (req.status == 200) {
if (callback) callback(req.responseXML);
}
}
}

this.doGet = function() {
req.open("GET", url, true);
req.send(null);
}

this.doPost = function(body) {
req.open("POST", url, true);
req.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "
application/x-www-form-urlencoded");
req.send(body);
}
}

function makeRequest() {
var ai = new AJAXInteraction("processme",
function() { alert("Doing Post Process");});
ai.doGet();
}

The function makeRequest() in the example above creates an AJAXInteraction


with a URL to of "processme" and an inline function that will show an alert dialog
with the message "Doing Post Process". When ai.doGet() is called the AJAX
interaction is initiated and when server-side component mapped to the URL
"processme" returns a document which is passed to the callback function that
was specified when the AJAXInteraction was created.
Using this closures insures that the proper callback function associated with a
specific AJAX interaction is called. Caution should still be taken when creating
multiple closure objects in that make XmlHttpRequests as to there is a limited
number of sockets that are used to make requests at any given time. Because
there are limited number of requests that can be made concurrently. Internet
Explorer for example only allows for two concurrent AJAX requests at any given
time. Other browsers may allow more but it is generally between three and five
requests. You may choose to use pool of AJAXInteraction objects.
One thing to note when making multiple AJAX calls from the client is that the
calls are not guaranteed to return in any given order. Having closures within the
callback of a closure object can be used to ensure dependencies are processed
correctly.
There is a discussion titled Ajaxian Fire and Forget Pattern that is helpful.

What do I do on the server to interact with an AJAX client?


The "Content-Type" header needs to be set to"text/xml". In servlets this may be
done using the HttpServletResponse.setContentType()should be set to "text/xml"
when the return type is XML. Many XMLHttpRequest implementations will result
in an error if the "Content-Type" header is set The code below shows how to set
the "Content-Type".

response.setContentType("text/xml");
response.getWriter().write("<response>invalid</response>");

You may also want to set whether or not to set the caches header for cases such
as autocomplete where you may want to notify proxy servers/and browsers not
to cache the results.

response.setContentType("text/xml");
response.setHeader("Cache-Control", "no-cache");
response.getWriter().write("<response>invalid</response>");

Note to the developer: Internet Explorer will automatically use a cached result of
any AJAX response from a HTTP GET if this header is not set which can make
things difficult for a developer. During development mode you may want set this
header. Where do I store state with an AJAX client

As with other browser based web applications you have a few options which
include:
* On the client in cookies - The size is limited (generally around 4KB X 20 cookies
per domain so a total of 80KB) and the content may not be secure unless
encrypted which is difficult but not impossible using JavaScript.
* On the client in the page - This can be done securely but can be problematic
and difficult to work with. See my blog entry on Storing State on the Client for
more details on this topic.
* On the client file system - This can be done if the client grants access to the
browser to write to the local file system. Depending on your uses cases this may
be necessary but caution is advised.
* On the Server - This is closer to the traditional model where the client view is of
the state on the server. Keeping the data in sync can be a bit problematic and
thus we have a solution Refreshing Data on this. As more information processing
and control moves to the client where state is stored will need to be re-
evaluated.
Whats with the -alpha in the install instructions?
HTML_AJAX hasn't had a stable release yet and the pear installer doesn't install
non stable packages by default unless you specify a version.

How do I submit a form or a part of a form without a page refresh?


When creating a form make sure that the "form" element "onSubmit" attribute is
set to a JavaScript function that returns false.
<form onSubmit="doAJAXSubmit();return false;" >
<input type="text" id="tf1" />
<input type="submit" id="submit1" value="Update"/>
</>

You can also submit data by associating a function with a form button in a similar
way.

<form onSubmit="doAJAXSubmit();return false;" >


<input type="text" id="tf1" />
<input type="button" id="button1" onClick="doAJAXSubmit()"
value="Update"/>
</>

Note that the form "onSubmit" attribute is still set. If the user hits the enter key
in the text field the form will be submitted so you still need to handle that case.
When updating the page it is recommend you wait to make sure that the AJAX
update of the form data was successful before updating the data in the page.
Otherwise, the data may not properly update and the user may not know. I like to
provide an informative message when doing a partial update and upon a
successful AJAX interaction I will then update the page.

How do I test my AJAX code?


There is a port of JUnit for client-side JavaScript called JsUnit

What exactly is the W3C DOM?


The W3C Document Object Model (DOM) is defined by the W3C as the following:
The Document Object Model is a platform- and language-neutral interface...

When will HTML_AJAX have a stable release?


Once all the major features are complete and the API has been tested, the
roadmap gives an idea of whats left to be done.

What parts of the HTML_AJAX API are stable?


We don't have a list right now, but most of the API is stable as of 0.3.0. There
should be no major changes at this point, though there will be lots of new
additions.

What Browsers does HTML_AJAX work with?


As of 0.3.0, all the examples that ship with HTML_AJAX have been verified to
work with
* Firefox 1.0+
* Internet Explorer 5.5+ (5.0 should work but it hasn't been tested)
Most things work with
* Safari 2+
Is the server or the client in control?
It depends. With AJAX the answer is more in between. Control can be more
centralized in a server-side component or as a mix of client-side and server-side
controllers.

* Centralized server-side controller - When having a more centralized controller


the key is to make sure the data in client-side page is in sync with that of the
server. Some applications may keep all the state on the server and push all
updates to client DOM via a simple JavaScript controller.
* Client and server-side controllers - This architecture would use JavaScript to do
all presentation related control, event processing, page manipulation, and
rendering of model data on the client. The server-side would be responsible for
things such as business logic and pushing updated model data to the client. In
this case the server would not have intimate knowledge of the presentation short
of the initial page that would be sent to the client page request.

There are some use cases where an entire AJAX application can be written in a
single page. Keep in mind if you choose this type of architecture that navigation
and bookmarking should be considered.
Both methods are viable depending on what you are trying to accomplish. I tend
to prefer spreading the control across the client and server.

Is Ajax just another name for XMLHttpRequest?


No. XMLHttpRequest is only part of the Ajax equation. XMLHttpRequest is the
technical component that makes the asynchronous server communication
possible; Ajax is our name for the overall approach described in the article, which
relies not only on XMLHttpRequest, but on CSS, DOM, and other technologies.

How do I abort the current XMLHttpRequest?


Just call the abort() method on the request.

What is the minimum version of PHP that needs to be running in order to


use HTML_AJAX?
The oldest PHP version i've fully tested HTML_AJAX is 4.3.11, but it should run on
4.2.0 without any problems. (Testing reports from PHP versions older then 4.3.11
would be appreciated.)

Why does HTML_AJAX hang on some server installs


If you run into an HTML_AJAX problem only on some servers, chances are your
running into a problem with output compression. If the output compression is
handled in the PHP config we detect that and do the right thing, but if its done
from an apache extension we have no way of knowing its going to compress the
body. Some times setting HTML_AJAX::sendContentLength to false fixes the
problem, but in other cases you'll need to disabled the extension for the AJAX
pages.
I've also seen problems caused by debugging extensions like XDebug, disabling
the extension on the server page usually fixes that. Questions dealing with Using
HTML_AJAX, and general JavaScript development

How do I get the XMLHttpRequest object?


Depending upon the browser... if (window.ActiveXObject) { // Internet Explorer
http_request = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); } else if...
Are there any security issues with AJAX?
JavaScript is in plain view to the user with by selecting view source of the page.
JavaScript can not access the local filesystem without the user's permission. An
AJAX interaction can only be made with the servers-side component from which
the page was loaded. A proxy pattern could be used for AJAX interactions with
external services.
You need to be careful not to expose your application model in such as way that
your server-side components are at risk if a nefarious user to reverse engineer
your application. As with any other web application, consider using HTTPS to
secure the connection when confidential information is being exchanged.

What about applets and plugins ?


Don't be too quick to dump your plugin or applet based portions of your
application. While AJAX and DHTML can do drag and drop and other advanced
user interfaces there still limitations especially when it comes to browser support.
Plugins and applets have been around for a while and have been able to make
AJAX like requests for years. Applets provide a great set of UI components and
APIs that provide developers literally anything.
Many people disregard applets or plugins because there is a startup time to
initialize the plugin and there is no guarantee that the needed version of a plugin
of JVM is installed. Plugins and applets may not be as capable of manipulating the
page DOM. If you are in a uniform environment or can depend on a specific JVM
or plugin version being available (such as in a corporate environment) a plugin or
applet solution is great.
One thing to consider is a mix of AJAX and applets or plugins. Flickr uses a
combination of AJAX interactions/DHTML for labeling pictures and user interaction
and a plugin for manipulating photos and photo sets to provide a great user
experience. If you design your server-side components well they can talk to both
types of clients.

Why did you feel the need to give this a name?


I needed something shorter than “Asynchronous
JavaScript+CSS+DOM+XMLHttpRequest” to use when discussing this approach
with clients.

Is AJAX code cross browser compatible?


Not totally. Most browsers offer a native XMLHttpRequest JavaScript object, while
another one (Internet Explorer) require you to get it as an ActiveX object....

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