Sams Teach Yourself Ajax, JavaScript, and PHP All in One
Published on 17. July 2008
Book
Mixed media product
384 pages
978-0-672-32965-4 (ISBN)
Description
In just a short time, you can learn how to use Ajax, JavaScript, and PHP to create interactive interfaces to your web applications by combining these powerful technologies.
No previous Ajax programming experience is required. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson in this book builds on the previous ones, enabling you to learn the essentials of Ajax programming with JavaScript, PHP, and related technologies from the ground up.
Regardless of whether you run Linux, Windows, or Mac OS X, the enclosed CD includes a complete Ajax programming starter kit that gives you all the programming tools, reference information, JavaScript libraries, and server software you need to set up a stable environment for learning, testing, and production.
Learn how to...
Build better, more interactive interfaces for your web applications
Make JavaScript, HTML, XML, and PHP work together to create Ajax effects
Compile an Ajax application
Create and consume web services with SOAP and REST
Avoid common errors and troubleshoot programs
Use popular Ajax libraries to speed up and improve common programming tasks
On the CD
XAMPP for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux-an easy-to-install package to set up a PHP- and MySQL-enabled Apache server on your computer
The jEdit programming editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux
Prototype, Scriptaculous, Rico, and XOAD-popular JavaScript libraries for creating Ajax applications and effects
A complete Ajax, HTML, XML, and PHP tutorial reference library in searchable PDF format
Source code for the examples in the book
Phil Ballard is a software engineering consultant and developer specializing in website and intranet design and development for an international portfolio of clients. He has an honors degree from the University of Leeds, England, and has worked for several years in commercial and managerial roles in the high technology sector.
Michael Moncur is a freelance webmaster and author. He runs a network of websites and has written several bestselling books about web development, networking, certification programs, and databases.
Category: Web Development
Covers: Ajax, JavaScript and PHP
User Level: Beginning-Intermediate
No previous Ajax programming experience is required. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson in this book builds on the previous ones, enabling you to learn the essentials of Ajax programming with JavaScript, PHP, and related technologies from the ground up.
Regardless of whether you run Linux, Windows, or Mac OS X, the enclosed CD includes a complete Ajax programming starter kit that gives you all the programming tools, reference information, JavaScript libraries, and server software you need to set up a stable environment for learning, testing, and production.
Learn how to...
Build better, more interactive interfaces for your web applications
Make JavaScript, HTML, XML, and PHP work together to create Ajax effects
Compile an Ajax application
Create and consume web services with SOAP and REST
Avoid common errors and troubleshoot programs
Use popular Ajax libraries to speed up and improve common programming tasks
On the CD
XAMPP for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux-an easy-to-install package to set up a PHP- and MySQL-enabled Apache server on your computer
The jEdit programming editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux
Prototype, Scriptaculous, Rico, and XOAD-popular JavaScript libraries for creating Ajax applications and effects
A complete Ajax, HTML, XML, and PHP tutorial reference library in searchable PDF format
Source code for the examples in the book
Phil Ballard is a software engineering consultant and developer specializing in website and intranet design and development for an international portfolio of clients. He has an honors degree from the University of Leeds, England, and has worked for several years in commercial and managerial roles in the high technology sector.
Michael Moncur is a freelance webmaster and author. He runs a network of websites and has written several bestselling books about web development, networking, certification programs, and databases.
Category: Web Development
Covers: Ajax, JavaScript and PHP
User Level: Beginning-Intermediate
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Indianapolis
United States
Publishing group
Pearson Education (US)
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 230 mm
Width: 176 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
736 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-672-32965-4 (9780672329654)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Phil Ballard, the author of Sams Teach Yourself Ajax in 10 Minutes, graduated in 1980 with an honors degree in electronics from the University of Leeds, England. Following an early career as a research scientist with a major multinational, he spent a few years in commercial and managerial roles within the high technology sector, later working full time as a software engineering consultant. Operating as "The Mouse Whisperer" (http://www.mousewhisperer.co.uk), Ballard has spent recent years involved solely in website and intranet design and development for an international portfolio of clients.
Michael Moncur is a freelance webmaster and author. He runs a network of websites, including the Web's oldest site about famous quotations, online since 1994. He wrote Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours and has also written several bestselling books about networking, certification programs, and databases. He lives with his wife in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Michael Moncur is a freelance webmaster and author. He runs a network of websites, including the Web's oldest site about famous quotations, online since 1994. He wrote Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours and has also written several bestselling books about networking, certification programs, and databases. He lives with his wife in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Content
Introduction
Part I: Web Basics Refresher 7
Chapter 1: Workings of the Web 9
A Short History of the Internet........................................................... 9
The World Wide Web..................................................................... 10
Introducing HTTP............................................................................ 14
The HTTP Request and Response................................................... 15
HTML Forms.................................................................................. 17
Summary......................................................................................... 20
chapter 2: Writing and Styling Pages in HTML and CSS 21
Introducing HTML.......................................................................... 21
Elements of an HTML Page............................................................. 23
A More Advanced HTML Page...................................................... 27
Some Useful HTML Tags................................................................ 29
Adding Your Own Style.................................................................. 30
Defining the Rules............................................................................ 31
Add a Little class............................................................................. 31
Applying Styles................................................................................ 33
Formatting Text with Styles.............................................................. 35
Adding Lines................................................................................... 39
Summary......................................................................................... 40
Chapter 3: Anatomy of an Ajax Application 41
The Need for Ajax.......................................................................... 41
Introducing Ajax.............................................................................. 43
The Constituent Parts of Ajax.......................................................... 45
Putting It All Together...................................................................... 47
Summary......................................................................................... 49
Part II: Introducing Web Scripting with JavaScript 51
chapter 4: Creating Simple Scripts in JavaScript 53
Tools for Scripting........................................................................... 53
Displaying Time with JavaScript....................................................... 54
Beginning the Script......................................................................... 55
Adding JavaScript Statements.......................................................... 55
Creating Output............................................................................... 56
Adding the Script to a Web Page..................................................... 57
Testing the Script............................................................................. 58
JavaScript Syntax Rules................................................................... 65
Using Comments............................................................................. 66
Best Practices for JavaScript............................................................ 67
Summary......................................................................................... 69
chapter 5: Working with the Document Object Model (DOM) 71
Understanding Objects.................................................................... 71
Understanding the Document Object Model (DOM)........................ 72
Working with Web Documents........................................................ 74
Accessing Browser History.............................................................. 77
Working with the location Object..................................................... 78
Summary......................................................................................... 80
chapter 6: Using Variables, Strings, and Arrays 81
Using Variables............................................................................... 81
Understanding Expressions and Operators....................................... 85
Data Types in JavaScript................................................................. 86
Converting Between Data Types...................................................... 88
Using String Objects........................................................................ 89
Working with Substrings.................................................................. 92
Using Numeric Arrays..................................................................... 94
Using String Arrays.......................................................................... 96
Sorting a Numeric Array.................................................................. 98
Summary....................................................................................... 101
chapter 7: Using Functions and Objects 103
Using Functions............................................................................. 103
Introducing Objects....................................................................... 108
Using Objects to Simplify Scripting................................................ 109
Extending Built-in Objects.............................................................. 112
Summary....................................................................................... 115
chapter 8: Controlling Flow with Conditions and Loops 117
The if Statement............................................................................. 118
Using Shorthand Conditional Expressions....................................... 121
Testing Multiple Conditions with if and else..................................... 122
Using Multiple Conditions with switch............................................ 124
Using for Loops............................................................................. 125
Using while Loops......................................................................... 128
Using do...while Loops................................................................. 128
Working with Loops...................................................................... 129
Looping Through Object Properties............................................... 131
Summary....................................................................................... 134
chapter 9: Using Built-In Functions and Libraries 135
Using the Math Object................................................................... 135
Working with Math Functions........................................................ 137
Using the with Keyword................................................................ 139
Working with Dates....................................................................... 140
Using Third-Party Libraries............................................................ 143
Other Libraries.............................................................................. 144
Summary....................................................................................... 145
Part III: Introducing Ajax 147
chapter 10: The Heart of Ajax-the XMLHTTPRequest Object 149
Introducing XMLHTTPRequest..................................................... 149
Creating the XMLHTTPRequest Object........................................ 150
Summary....................................................................................... 156
chapter 11: Talking with the Server 157
Sending the Server Request........................................................... 157
Monitoring Server Status............................................................... 162
The Callback Function................................................................... 163
Summary....................................................................................... 166
chapter 12: Using the Returned Data 167
The responseText and responseXML Properties............................ 167
Parsing responseXML................................................................... 171
Providing User Feedback.............................................................. 172
Summary....................................................................................... 174
Chapter 13: Our First Ajax Application 175
Constructing the Ajax Application.................................................. 175
The HTML Document................................................................... 176
Adding JavaScript......................................................................... 177
Putting It All Together.................................................................... 180
Summary....................................................................................... 184
Part IV: Server-side Scripting with PHP 185
Chapter 14: Getting to Know PHP 187
PHP Basics................................................................................... 187
Your First PHP Script................................................................... 190
Summary....................................................................................... 194
chapter 15: Variables 195
Understanding Variables................................................................ 195
Data Types.................................................................................... 197
Working with Numbers.................................................................. 198
Numeric Data Types...................................................................... 200
Numeric Functions......................................................................... 200
Working with Strings..................................................................... 202
Formatting Strings.......................................................................... 203
String Functions............................................................................. 205
Working with Arrays..................................................................... 206
Array Functions............................................................................. 208
Date Formats................................................................................ 209
Working with Timestamps.............................................................. 210
Summary....................................................................................... 213
Chapter 16: Flow Control 215
Conditional Statements.................................................................. 215
Loops........................................................................................... 220
Summary....................................................................................... 222
Chapter 17: Functions 223
Using Functions............................................................................. 223
Arguments and Return Values........................................................ 225
Using Library Files......................................................................... 229
Summary....................................................................................... 229
Chapter 18: Using Classes 231
Object-Oriented PHP.................................................................... 231
What Is a Class?........................................................................... 232
Creating and Using Objects........................................................... 233
Summary....................................................................................... 236
Part V: More Complex Ajax Technologies 237
Chapter 19: Returning Data as Text 239
Getting More from the responseText Property................................ 239
Summary....................................................................................... 245
Chapter 20: AHAH-Asynchronous HTML and HTTP 247
Introducing AHAH........................................................................ 247
Creating a Small Library for AHAH............................................... 248
Using myAHAHlib.js..................................................................... 250
Summary....................................................................................... 255
Chapter 21: Returning Data as XML 257
Adding the "x" to Ajax................................................................... 257
The responseXML Property.......................................................... 258
Project-An RSS Headline Reader............................................... 262
Summary....................................................................................... 269
chapter 22: Web Services and the REST and SOAP Protocols 271
Introduction to Web Services......................................................... 271
REST-Representational State Transfer......................................... 272
Using REST in Practice.................................................................. 274
Web Services Using SOAP........................................................... 278
The SOAP Protocol...................................................................... 279
Using Ajax and SOAP................................................................... 282
Reviewing SOAP and REST.......................................................... 283
Summary....................................................................................... 284
chapter 23: A JavaScript Library for Ajax 285
An Ajax Library............................................................................ 285
Reviewing myAHAHlib.js.............................................................. 286
Implementing Our Library.............................................................. 287
Using the Library........................................................................... 290
Summary....................................................................................... 293
chapter 24: Ajax Gotchas 295
Common Ajax Errors.................................................................... 295
The Back Button........................................................................... 296
Bookmarking and Links................................................................. 297
Telling the User That Something Is Happening................................ 297
Making Ajax Degrade Elegantly..................................................... 297
Dealing with Search Engine Spiders................................................ 298
Pointing Out Active Page Elements................................................. 299
Don't Use Ajax Where It's Inappropriate...................................... 299
Security......................................................................................... 300
Test Code Across Multiple Platforms............................................. 300
Ajax Won't Cure a Bad Design..................................................... 301
Some Programming Gotchas.......................................................... 301
Summary....................................................................................... 302
Part VI: Ajax Tools and Resources 303
Chapter 25: The prototype.js Toolkit 305
Introducing prototype.js................................................................. 305
Wrapping XMLHTTPRequest-the Ajax Object........................... 308
Example Project-Stock Price Reader.......................................... 311
Summary....................................................................................... 313
chapter 26: Using Rico 315
Introducing Rico............................................................................ 315
Rico's Other Interface Tools.......................................................... 320
Summary....................................................................................... 324
Chapter 27: Using Script.aculo.us 325
Downloading the Library................................................................ 325
Including the Files.......................................................................... 326
Using Effects................................................................................. 326
Building the Script.......................................................................... 327
Summary....................................................................................... 329
Chapter 28: Using XOAD 331
Introducing XOAD........................................................................ 331
XOAD HTML.............................................................................. 334
Advanced Programming with XOAD............................................. 337
Summary....................................................................................... 338
Appendix: JavaScript, PHP, and Ajax Websites 339
Glossary 343
TOC, 0672329654, 6/6/2008
Part I: Web Basics Refresher 7
Chapter 1: Workings of the Web 9
A Short History of the Internet........................................................... 9
The World Wide Web..................................................................... 10
Introducing HTTP............................................................................ 14
The HTTP Request and Response................................................... 15
HTML Forms.................................................................................. 17
Summary......................................................................................... 20
chapter 2: Writing and Styling Pages in HTML and CSS 21
Introducing HTML.......................................................................... 21
Elements of an HTML Page............................................................. 23
A More Advanced HTML Page...................................................... 27
Some Useful HTML Tags................................................................ 29
Adding Your Own Style.................................................................. 30
Defining the Rules............................................................................ 31
Add a Little class............................................................................. 31
Applying Styles................................................................................ 33
Formatting Text with Styles.............................................................. 35
Adding Lines................................................................................... 39
Summary......................................................................................... 40
Chapter 3: Anatomy of an Ajax Application 41
The Need for Ajax.......................................................................... 41
Introducing Ajax.............................................................................. 43
The Constituent Parts of Ajax.......................................................... 45
Putting It All Together...................................................................... 47
Summary......................................................................................... 49
Part II: Introducing Web Scripting with JavaScript 51
chapter 4: Creating Simple Scripts in JavaScript 53
Tools for Scripting........................................................................... 53
Displaying Time with JavaScript....................................................... 54
Beginning the Script......................................................................... 55
Adding JavaScript Statements.......................................................... 55
Creating Output............................................................................... 56
Adding the Script to a Web Page..................................................... 57
Testing the Script............................................................................. 58
JavaScript Syntax Rules................................................................... 65
Using Comments............................................................................. 66
Best Practices for JavaScript............................................................ 67
Summary......................................................................................... 69
chapter 5: Working with the Document Object Model (DOM) 71
Understanding Objects.................................................................... 71
Understanding the Document Object Model (DOM)........................ 72
Working with Web Documents........................................................ 74
Accessing Browser History.............................................................. 77
Working with the location Object..................................................... 78
Summary......................................................................................... 80
chapter 6: Using Variables, Strings, and Arrays 81
Using Variables............................................................................... 81
Understanding Expressions and Operators....................................... 85
Data Types in JavaScript................................................................. 86
Converting Between Data Types...................................................... 88
Using String Objects........................................................................ 89
Working with Substrings.................................................................. 92
Using Numeric Arrays..................................................................... 94
Using String Arrays.......................................................................... 96
Sorting a Numeric Array.................................................................. 98
Summary....................................................................................... 101
chapter 7: Using Functions and Objects 103
Using Functions............................................................................. 103
Introducing Objects....................................................................... 108
Using Objects to Simplify Scripting................................................ 109
Extending Built-in Objects.............................................................. 112
Summary....................................................................................... 115
chapter 8: Controlling Flow with Conditions and Loops 117
The if Statement............................................................................. 118
Using Shorthand Conditional Expressions....................................... 121
Testing Multiple Conditions with if and else..................................... 122
Using Multiple Conditions with switch............................................ 124
Using for Loops............................................................................. 125
Using while Loops......................................................................... 128
Using do...while Loops................................................................. 128
Working with Loops...................................................................... 129
Looping Through Object Properties............................................... 131
Summary....................................................................................... 134
chapter 9: Using Built-In Functions and Libraries 135
Using the Math Object................................................................... 135
Working with Math Functions........................................................ 137
Using the with Keyword................................................................ 139
Working with Dates....................................................................... 140
Using Third-Party Libraries............................................................ 143
Other Libraries.............................................................................. 144
Summary....................................................................................... 145
Part III: Introducing Ajax 147
chapter 10: The Heart of Ajax-the XMLHTTPRequest Object 149
Introducing XMLHTTPRequest..................................................... 149
Creating the XMLHTTPRequest Object........................................ 150
Summary....................................................................................... 156
chapter 11: Talking with the Server 157
Sending the Server Request........................................................... 157
Monitoring Server Status............................................................... 162
The Callback Function................................................................... 163
Summary....................................................................................... 166
chapter 12: Using the Returned Data 167
The responseText and responseXML Properties............................ 167
Parsing responseXML................................................................... 171
Providing User Feedback.............................................................. 172
Summary....................................................................................... 174
Chapter 13: Our First Ajax Application 175
Constructing the Ajax Application.................................................. 175
The HTML Document................................................................... 176
Adding JavaScript......................................................................... 177
Putting It All Together.................................................................... 180
Summary....................................................................................... 184
Part IV: Server-side Scripting with PHP 185
Chapter 14: Getting to Know PHP 187
PHP Basics................................................................................... 187
Your First PHP Script................................................................... 190
Summary....................................................................................... 194
chapter 15: Variables 195
Understanding Variables................................................................ 195
Data Types.................................................................................... 197
Working with Numbers.................................................................. 198
Numeric Data Types...................................................................... 200
Numeric Functions......................................................................... 200
Working with Strings..................................................................... 202
Formatting Strings.......................................................................... 203
String Functions............................................................................. 205
Working with Arrays..................................................................... 206
Array Functions............................................................................. 208
Date Formats................................................................................ 209
Working with Timestamps.............................................................. 210
Summary....................................................................................... 213
Chapter 16: Flow Control 215
Conditional Statements.................................................................. 215
Loops........................................................................................... 220
Summary....................................................................................... 222
Chapter 17: Functions 223
Using Functions............................................................................. 223
Arguments and Return Values........................................................ 225
Using Library Files......................................................................... 229
Summary....................................................................................... 229
Chapter 18: Using Classes 231
Object-Oriented PHP.................................................................... 231
What Is a Class?........................................................................... 232
Creating and Using Objects........................................................... 233
Summary....................................................................................... 236
Part V: More Complex Ajax Technologies 237
Chapter 19: Returning Data as Text 239
Getting More from the responseText Property................................ 239
Summary....................................................................................... 245
Chapter 20: AHAH-Asynchronous HTML and HTTP 247
Introducing AHAH........................................................................ 247
Creating a Small Library for AHAH............................................... 248
Using myAHAHlib.js..................................................................... 250
Summary....................................................................................... 255
Chapter 21: Returning Data as XML 257
Adding the "x" to Ajax................................................................... 257
The responseXML Property.......................................................... 258
Project-An RSS Headline Reader............................................... 262
Summary....................................................................................... 269
chapter 22: Web Services and the REST and SOAP Protocols 271
Introduction to Web Services......................................................... 271
REST-Representational State Transfer......................................... 272
Using REST in Practice.................................................................. 274
Web Services Using SOAP........................................................... 278
The SOAP Protocol...................................................................... 279
Using Ajax and SOAP................................................................... 282
Reviewing SOAP and REST.......................................................... 283
Summary....................................................................................... 284
chapter 23: A JavaScript Library for Ajax 285
An Ajax Library............................................................................ 285
Reviewing myAHAHlib.js.............................................................. 286
Implementing Our Library.............................................................. 287
Using the Library........................................................................... 290
Summary....................................................................................... 293
chapter 24: Ajax Gotchas 295
Common Ajax Errors.................................................................... 295
The Back Button........................................................................... 296
Bookmarking and Links................................................................. 297
Telling the User That Something Is Happening................................ 297
Making Ajax Degrade Elegantly..................................................... 297
Dealing with Search Engine Spiders................................................ 298
Pointing Out Active Page Elements................................................. 299
Don't Use Ajax Where It's Inappropriate...................................... 299
Security......................................................................................... 300
Test Code Across Multiple Platforms............................................. 300
Ajax Won't Cure a Bad Design..................................................... 301
Some Programming Gotchas.......................................................... 301
Summary....................................................................................... 302
Part VI: Ajax Tools and Resources 303
Chapter 25: The prototype.js Toolkit 305
Introducing prototype.js................................................................. 305
Wrapping XMLHTTPRequest-the Ajax Object........................... 308
Example Project-Stock Price Reader.......................................... 311
Summary....................................................................................... 313
chapter 26: Using Rico 315
Introducing Rico............................................................................ 315
Rico's Other Interface Tools.......................................................... 320
Summary....................................................................................... 324
Chapter 27: Using Script.aculo.us 325
Downloading the Library................................................................ 325
Including the Files.......................................................................... 326
Using Effects................................................................................. 326
Building the Script.......................................................................... 327
Summary....................................................................................... 329
Chapter 28: Using XOAD 331
Introducing XOAD........................................................................ 331
XOAD HTML.............................................................................. 334
Advanced Programming with XOAD............................................. 337
Summary....................................................................................... 338
Appendix: JavaScript, PHP, and Ajax Websites 339
Glossary 343
TOC, 0672329654, 6/6/2008