Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 318 views

    AJAX XML HTTP Request

    Uploaded by

    ranapdp
    The document discusses AJAX and the XMLHttpRequest object. It explains that the XMLHttpRequest object is used to exchange data with a server asynchronously without reloading the page. It provides examples of how to create an XMLHttpRequest object, send GET and POST requests, handle responses, and more. Key points covered include using open() and send() methods to make requests, setting async to true or false, and handling responses with onreadystatechange.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    AJAX XML HTTP Request

    Uploaded by

    ranapdp
    318 views6 pages
    The document discusses AJAX and the XMLHttpRequest object. It explains that the XMLHttpRequest object is used to exchange data with a server asynchronously without reloading the page. It provides examples of how to create an XMLHttpRequest object, send GET and POST requests, handle responses, and more. Key points covered include using open() and send() methods to make requests, setting async to true or false, and handling responses with onreadystatechange.

    Original Title

    AJAX XML Http Request

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document discusses AJAX and the XMLHttpRequest object. It explains that the XMLHttpRequest object is used to exchange data with a server asynchronously without reloading the page. It provides examples of how to create an XMLHttpRequest object, send GET and POST requests, handle responses, and more. Key points covered include using open() and send() methods to make requests, setting async to true or false, and handling responses with onreadystatechange.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    318 views6 pages

    AJAX XML HTTP Request

    Uploaded by

    ranapdp
    The document discusses AJAX and the XMLHttpRequest object. It explains that the XMLHttpRequest object is used to exchange data with a server asynchronously without reloading the page. It provides examples of how to create an XMLHttpRequest object, send GET and POST requests, handle responses, and more. Key points covered include using open() and send() methods to make requests, setting async to true or false, and handling responses with onreadystatechange.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 6

    AJAX XMLHttpRequest

    AJAX Examples
    AJAX Examples

    AJAX - Create an XMLHttpRequest Object

    The keystone of AJAX is the XMLHttpRequest object.

    The XMLHttpRequest Object


    All modern browsers support the XMLHttpRequest object (IE5 and IE6 uses an ActiveXObject).

    The XMLHttpRequest object is used to exchange data with a server behind the scenes. This means
    that it is possible to update parts of a web page, without reloading the whole page.

    Create an XMLHttpRequest Object


    All modern browsers (IE7+, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera) have a built-in XMLHttpRequest
    object.

    Syntax for creating an XMLHttpRequest object:

    xmlhttp=new XMLHttpRequest();

    Old versions of Internet Explorer (IE5 and IE6) uses an ActiveX Object:

    xmlhttp=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");

    To handle all modern browsers, including IE5 and IE6, check if the browser supports the
    XMLHttpRequest object. If it does, create an XMLHttpRequest object, if not, create an
    ActiveXObject:

    Example
    if (window.XMLHttpRequest)
      {// code for IE7+, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari
      xmlhttp=new XMLHttpRequest();
     }
    else
      {// code for IE6, IE5
      xmlhttp=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
     }

    AJAX - Send a Request To a Server

    The XMLHttpRequest object is used to exchange data with a server.

    Send a Request To a Server


    To send a request to a server, we use the open() and send() methods of the
    XMLHttpRequest object:

    xmlhttp.open("GET","ajax_info.txt",true);
    xmlhttp.send();

    Method Description
    Specifies the type of request, the URL, and if the request
    should be handled asynchronously or not.
    open(method,url,async)
    method: the type of request: GET or POST
    url: the location of the file on the server
    async: true (asynchronous) or false (synchronous)
    Sends the request off to the server.
    send(string)
    string: Only used for POST requests

    GET or POST?
    GET is simpler and faster than POST, and can be used in most cases.

    However, always use POST requests when:


     A cached file is not an option (update a file or database on the server)
     Sending a large amount of data to the server (POST has no size limitations)
     Sending user input (which can contain unknown characters), POST is more robust
    and secure than GET

    GET Requests
    A simple GET request:

    Example
    xmlhttp.open("GET","demo_get.asp",true);
    xmlhttp.send();

    Try it yourself »

    In the example above, you may get a cached result.

    To avoid this, add a unique ID to the URL:

    Example
    xmlhttp.open("GET","demo_get.asp?t=" + Math.random(),true);
    xmlhttp.send();

    Try it yourself »

    If you want to send information with the GET method, add the information to the URL:

    Example
    xmlhttp.open("GET","demo_get2.asp?fname=Henry&lname=Ford",true);
    xmlhttp.send();

    Try it yourself »

    POST Requests
    A simple POST request:
    Example
    xmlhttp.open("POST","demo_post.asp",true);
    xmlhttp.send();

    Try it yourself »

    To POST data like an HTML form, add an HTTP header with setRequestHeader().
    Specify the data you want to send in the send() method:

    Example
    xmlhttp.open("POST","ajax_test.asp",true);
    xmlhttp.setRequestHeader("Content-type","application/x-www-form-urlencoded");
    xmlhttp.send("fname=Henry&lname=Ford");

    Try it yourself »

    Method Description
    Adds HTTP headers to the request.
    setRequestHeader(header,value)
    header: specifies the header name
    value: specifies the header value

    The url - A File On a Server


    The url parameter of the open() method, is an address to a file on a server:

    xmlhttp.open("GET","ajax_test.asp",true);

    The file can be any kind of file, like .txt and .xml, or server scripting files like .asp and
    .php (which can perform actions on the server before sending the response back).

    Asynchronous - True or False?


    AJAX stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, and for the XMLHttpRequest
    object to behave as AJAX, the async parameter of the open() method has to be set to true:

    xmlhttp.open("GET","ajax_test.asp",true);
    Sending asynchronously requests is a huge improvement for web developers. Many of
    the tasks performed on the server are very time consuming. Before AJAX, this operation
    could cause the application to hang or stop.

    With AJAX, the JavaScript does not have to wait for the server response, but can instead:

     execute other scripts while waiting for server response


     deal with the response when the response ready

    Async=true
    When using async=true, specify a function to execute when the response is ready in the
    onreadystatechange event:

    Example
    xmlhttp.onreadystatechange=function()
     {
      if (xmlhttp.readyState==4 && xmlhttp.status==200)
        {
        document.getElementById("myDiv").innerHTML=xmlhttp.responseText;
        }
     }
    xmlhttp.open("GET","ajax_info.txt",true);
    xmlhttp.send();

    Try it yourself »

    You will learn more about onreadystatechange in a later chapter.

    Async=false
    To use async=false, change the third parameter in the open() method to false:

    xmlhttp.open("GET","ajax_info.txt",false);

    Using async=false is not recommended, but for a few small requests this can be ok.

    Remember that the JavaScript will NOT continue to execute, until the server response is
    ready. If the server is busy or slow, the application will hang or stop.
    Note: When you use async=false, do NOT write an onreadystatechange function - just
    put the code after the send() statement:

    Example
    xmlhttp.open("GET","ajax_info.txt",false);
    xmlhttp.send();
    document.getElementById("myDiv").innerHTML=xmlhttp.responseText;

    Try it yourself »

    You might also like