Book Description
Supercharge Your Sites with Ajax Right Now...No Scripting Expertise Needed!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
About the Author
Michael Morrison is a writer, developer, toy inventor, and author of a variety of books covering topics such as Java, Web scripting, game development, and mobile devices. Some of Michael's notable writing projects include JavaScript Bible, 6th Edition (Wiley, 2006), Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours, 7th Edition (Sams Publishing, 2005), Beginning Mobile Phone Game Programming (Sams Publishing, 2004), and Java Unleashed (Sams Publishing, 1997). Michael is the instructor of several Web-based courses, including DigitalThink's Introduction to Java 2 series, JavaBeans for Programmers series, and Win32 Programming series (www.digitalthink.com). In addition to his primary profession as a writer and technical consultant, Michael is the founder of Stalefish Labs (www.stalefishlabs.com), an entertainment company specializing in games, toys, and interactive media. When not glued to his computer, skateboarding, playing hockey, or watching movies with his wife, Masheed, Michael enjoys hanging out by his koi pond.
