AJAX session from back in the day when it was AJAX

1. VFP & AJAX
Mike Feltman
F1 Technologies

2. Agenda
• What is AJAX • AJAX in 5 Minutes
• AJAX Technologies • Talking AJAX to VFP
• Putting it Altogether • AJAX Resources
• AJAX vs. Classic Web
Apps

3. What is AJAX
• AJAX is not a technology, it’s an acronym for a
collection of technologies.
• AJAX is a development technique that allows web
apps to provide a desktop app like user experience
• AJAX = Asynchronous JavaScript + XML
• Also Referred to as Web 2.0 and RIA (Rich Internet
Applications)

4. AJAX Technologies
• HTML & XHTML
• CSS
• DOM
• XML & XSLT
• XMLHTTP
• JavaScript

5. HTML
• lingua franca of the web
• HyperText Markup Language
• The “Content Layer” of a well designed
website

6. XHTML
• eXtensible HyperText Markup Language
• HTML coded as well-formed XML
• Emerging, modernized HTML standard
supported by most browsers

7. CSS
• Cascading Style Sheets
• Mechanism for adding style (fonts, colors,
formatting, etc.) to web documents.

8. DOM
• Document Object Model
• Object model for
documents, not specific
to HTML, but rarely used
outside of that context
• Supported by modern
browsers

9. XML
• eXtensible Markup Language
• “Standard” data transport format for the web

10. XSLT
• Extensible Stylesheet Language
Transformations
• Stylesheet Language for XML
• Formatting Language for XML data/documents

11. XMLHTTP
• Object that allows (asynchronous)
communication with the server
• Native Object in Mozzila Browsers
• COM Object in Internet Exploder

12. JavaScript
• Client Side Scripting Language
• Supported by modern browsers
• Dynamically Typed
• Case Sensitive

13. Putting it altogether
• HTML/XHTML – Content
• CSS – Formatting
• DOM & JavaScript – Client Side Code
• XML – Data

14. The Missing Links
• Server Programming • XML Enabled DBMS
Language (SPL) – VFP
– AFP, WebConnection, etc. – SQL Server
– PHP – MySQL
– XUL – Oracle
– RUBY – DB2
– Java
– Classic ASP
– ASP.NET

15. AJAX Technologies Redux
• HTML & XHTML • Server Programming
• CSS Language
• DOM • DBMS
• XML & XSTL
• XMLHTTP
• JavaScript

16. Classic Web Application Model

17. Synchronous Web Application Model

18. AJAX Web Application Model

19. Asynchronous Web Application Model

20. Talking AJAX to VFP
• AFP (Active FoxPro Pages), Web Connection or
any other VFP server-side scripting
technology will suffice
• Can use classic ASP or ASP.NET but both go
through COM with no benefit

21. VFP is the Ideal AJAX Server Language
• Fast
• Great Text Handling
• Native DBMS
• Great Connectivity
• Royalty Free Deployment

22. AJAX in 5 Minutes
1. Attach a JavaScript function call to an event
on an HTML object
2. Get XMLHttp Request Object
3. Start an AJAX request
4. Respond to the request on completion
5. Update the web page

23. Talking AJAX to VFP
1. Retrieving Data & Updating the page
a. From a command button
b. From a textbox
c. Using XML
2. Putting it all together with VFP business
objects

24. Real World Ajax
• Glfc.net
• Airset.com
• http://script.aculo.us/
• http://openrico.org/
• http://dojotoolkit.org/
• http://prototype.conio.net/

25. Conclusion
• AJAX can be used to provide desktop like user
experiences
• AJAX is actually old technology, but its uses
and usability are evolving rapidly
• VFP is well-suited for use in AJAX development

26. Resources
• Blogs/Websites • Frameworks & Toolkits
– adaptivepath.com – maxkiesler.com
– blogs.pathf.com/agileajax – dojotoolkit.org
– ajax.phpmagazine.net – prototype.conio.net
– ajaxpatterns.com – script.aculo.us
• Books – zk1.sourceforge.net
– The JavaScript Anthology – rubyonrails.org
– Pragmatic AJAX

27. Thank You
• Please remember to fill out your evals