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PHP & AJAX Presentation Online
the.admin.man writes "There's been quite a bit of buzz around using PHP as a backend to AJAX-based web applications (the same development methodology on which some Google applications), lately, particularly after the release of JPSpan, a framework that helps building XML-based interfaces between Javascript and PHP apps. Just yesterday, Joshua Eichorn gave a presentation to the Arizona PHP Group on developing AJAX applications for PHP--he's posted the slides online, and will give his presentation again through a free webcast hosted by php|architect."
...latter. Ajax, though neat, isn't going to change the world, but it will make a lot of websites a lot easier to use.
Generally, all Ajax does is replace the constant "page jumping" that occurs with past server-client web pages. For example, when you are looking for something, and you have to jump across a hundred pages to find it, or when you're filling out a form, it doesn't jump to a new page for "confirmation".
I'm sure there will be a lot of other great uses for it as well. Does anyone remember games like "Stellar Crisis"? I'm sure it'd stand to gain a LOT from Ajax.
"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." G.W.Bush
Well... Funny thing, I was researching AJAX earlier today. It certainly looks cool, particualry if you read this article: http://www.adaptivepath.com/publications/essays/ar chives/000385.php
that's linked in the Wikipedia article and look at the cool stuff that Google's been doing with it. But I'm not convinced that it's far enough along for companies that don't have a ton Phds on staff to jump into... Has anyone here implemeted AJAX?
I have, on private sites, and I use xmlrpc rather than xml+xslt, but otherwise the same. I use virtual cowboys js lib for that. on the client, in ASP, i use the lib I worked over from Carter-Todd. In php, i don't, and I use Python's xmlrpclib to test the client-side stuff. I do database updates, retrieve values, settings, and html blocks (escape/unscape is your friend, since xmlrpc can't pass xml docs)
Should also say that it's not easy, but it's doable. Use firefox + webdeveloper toobar by Chris Pederick to get info on the page, and check that javascript console for error messages.
Finally, writing down on old fashioned paper what the beast will look like is invaluable.
"Piter, too, is dead."
Check the Python web framework from www.nevow.org (requires Twisted. It makes much more sense to implement Nevow's LivePage (which is basically the same thing as so-called AJAX approach) with Twisted Python webapps -- Twisted webapp is created once and then, runs non-stop at the server side. PHP scripts are executed on each request (so, objects are created every time you click anywhere), this gives you less possibilities of exploiting "live web page" approach.
Or, in other words: if you want your web pages to be live, make sure your webapp is also running in realtime (and is not just a script, executed on each request).
You can do "ajax" with any server-side technology, the key to ajax is doing HTTP calls via javascript instead of whenever the user clicks a link, so who cares what's on the other side?
;-)
Of course I have to plug Ruby on Rails here.. adding dynamic stuff to your app is just 1 or 2 lines of code. This is how it should be!
PHP is fine too, if you bill by the hour.
It's called Prototype, and it's available right here.
It's very well written, gets a lot of maintenance, and even has some eye candy as a bonus.
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