ISBN:0132216353/p>
Reviews From AMAZON.COM
a very thorough guide
This is a great book for someone with a good understanding of HTML and an intermediate understanding of JavaScript. Some of the examples are set up to run on a PHP server as well. Joshua talks about some common pitfalls of AJAX development as well as methods of avoiding them and considerations of real-world applications. He breaks down some of the more complicated concepts very well, and gives straight forward explanations of browser compatibility. A great reference and guide to an exciting technology.
In Depth AJAX
Understanding AJAX is a very in-depth look at some of the technologies used in modern web design. In reading this book, you will come to understand the pros and cons of using AJAX in a web site and exactly what happens between the browser and the web server.
You will get a sense of what can and can't be done using AJAX and how to get around the problems caused by the many web browser clients in use at this time. You will also come to understand how to make the user's browser do much of the work that your server used to do. Understanding AJAX also dives into the usage of many open source script libraries to make coding a modern website much easier. From adding DHTML effects to using a single page for your entire site, you will get a feel for what is possible.
This book is not for the beginner. You should have at least a moderate knowledge of HTML and Javascript, and at least a beginning understanding of a server side web scripting language (PHP is the primary language used in the book). This is not a cookbook, but does contain many code examples later in the book, including a login system and an ajax trouble ticket system.
I have been using Joshua's HTML_AJAX php/ajax library for over half a year, but was still able to learn quite a bit from this book.
I would recommend this book to any web developer who wants a thorough understanding of AJAX and how it can be used.