Course Description:

AJAX for Java Developers

Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a browser based technology for creating highly interactive Web applications by updating parts of a Web page with new data without reloading the whole page. This results in a more responsive and interactive interface, and is the technology powering websites like Google Maps and Google Mail.

There is no formal definition of Ajax, but using XMLHttpRequest/JavaScript has become the dominant Ajax technology. The course starts with an introduction to using XMLHttpRequest and a somewhat brief introduction to JavaScript fundamentals. It includes in-depth coverage of programming with Ajax to send/retrieve data to/from a server, updating a Web page with JavaScript, and using CSS to modify the look of a Web page.

The course includes detailed coverage of how to handle Ajax requests using Servlets/JSP and Java Web applications. This includes generation of HTML, XML and JSON from Java, as well as the use of various other server-side Ajax techniques.

The course also provides extensive coverage on using frameworks - both client side JavaScript and server side Java - to support the complex programming that Ajax requires. These frameworks can reduce the sometimes complex and tedious programming that Ajax can require.

Client side frameworks can relieve you from dealing with the low level complexities of Ajax, or provide preexisting widgets like a textbox with Ajax-powered completions. We also cover frameworks like Direct Web Remoting (DWR) to invoke server side Java from JavaScript, and Google Web Toolkit (GWT) to develop Ajax applications completely in Java, and have GWT generate the JavaScript.

This course is hands on with labs to reinforce all the important concepts. It will enable you to build working Ajax applications, and give you an understanding of the important concepts and technology in a very short time.

Course Information

Duration: 4 days

Hands-on: 50% hands-on, 50% lecture

Supported Platforms: Tomcat; JBoss AS, IBM WebSphere/RAD; Eclipse/MyEclipse

Skills Gained:

Understand the principles of interactive Web applications and how Ajax is used to create them
Understand how XMLHttpRequest works, and use it with JavaScript to update a Web page
Use JavaScript and DOM with Ajax to manipulate the structure of a Web page
Use Servlets/JSP to handle Ajax requests
Be familiar with Ajax technologies and frameworks such as Prototype, script.aculo.us, Dojo, JSON libraries, DWR (Direct Web Remoting) and GWT (Google Web Toolkit)
Understand the basics of CSS and use it with Ajax to dynamically change the Web page look
Understand and use JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
Be familiar with using Ajax with XML
Use Ajax with HTML, JSON or XML on both the client-side and server-side (Java)
Use DWR (Direct Web Remoting) to invoke server side Java from the browser
Use Ajax with JSF
Understand issues with using Ajax technology, including design and security issues

Course Details:

Overview of Ajax

What are Rich Internet Applications?
What is Ajax?
Ajax, JavaScript, and DHTML
How Ajax Works
Overview of Ajax Technologies

Basics of JavaScript for Browsers

JavaScript and DHTML Overview
Using JavaScript in an HTML Page
Basic JavaScript Programming
Functions in JavaScript
Debugging JavaScript
Accessing HTML Elements and Modifying with innerHTML

XMLHttpRequest

The XMLHttpRequest Object
Using XMLHttpRequest
Working with Browser Differences
Your First Ajax Application
Using Ajax Data to Modify the Page

Ajax Server Side Java Programming Basics

Servlet/JSP Overview
Handling Ajax Requests
Returning Data to Ajax Requests
Using JSP pages to generate Ajax data

More JavaScript for Ajax

Browser Events
Using Ajax with Browser Events
Using Built-in Objects
Creating Objects in JavaScript
Objects as Function Arguments
Accessing Page Elements With DOM

Client-Side Ajax Frameworks

Overview - Prototype, Dojo, script.aculo.us and others
Prototype Overview
Using Prototype ($(), Ajax.Request)
script.aculo.us Overview
Using script.aculo.us Ajax autocompleter
Servlet/JSP (server-side) Generation of Data
Dojo Toolkit Overview
Google Maps and Google Ajax Search API Overview

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

CSS Overview
Using CSS to Customize Autocomplete Display

JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)

Overview
JSON Data Structure
Objects and Arrays
Working with JSON in the browser
Using JSON on the Server with Java
Other JSON Tools Overview

XML and Ajax

The x in Ajax
Why use XML, and why not
Working with XML on the browser
Generating XML on the server with Java
HTML vs XML vs JSON

Direct Web Remoting (DWR) - Invoking Java via Ajax

Overview
DWR Architecture
Invoking Java Functions From the Browser
Registering Callbacks
Additional Capabilities
Overview of other technologies (JSON-RPC, Google Web Toolkit - GWT)

Ajax and JavaServer Faces (JSF)

Overview
Ajax4sjf Overview
Using Ajax with Ajax4jsf
Ajax4jsf components
The RichFaces Component Library

Patterns and Best Practices

JavaScript Best Practices
State of Ajax
Ajax Design Patterns
Security Issues
Other Ajax Issues
Recap of Ajax Technologies and Their Uses
Future Directions