This site is mobile accessible. Press the "Tap Here" button to use a different font-size.


Smartphone icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

10.1 AJAX Intro

  • AJAX is about updating parts of a web page, without reloading the whole page.

    What is AJAX?

    • AJAX = Asynchronous JavaScript and XML.
    • AJAX is a technique for creating fast and dynamic web pages.
    • AJAX allows web pages to be updated asynchronously by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes. This means that it is possible to update parts of a web page, without reloading the whole page.
    • Classic web pages, (which do not use AJAX) must reload the entire page if the content should change.
    • Examples of applications using AJAX: Google Maps, Gmail, Youtube, and Facebook tabs.

    How AJAX Works

    AJAX operational chart

    Image courtesy of W3Schools.com

    AJAX is Based on Internet Standards

    • AJAX is based on internet standards, and uses a combination of:
      • XMLHttpRequest object (to exchange data asynchronously with a server)
      • JavaScript/DOM (to display/interact with the information)
      • CSS (to style the data)
      • XML (often used as the format for transferring data)
    • AJAX applications are browser- and platform-independent!

    Google Suggest

    Start Using AJAX Today

    In our PHP tutorial, we will demonstrate how AJAX can update parts of a web page, without reloading the whole page. The server script will be written in PHP.

    Navigate this module

    Eventually the navigation links, above, will be replaced by these << (previous) and >> (next) buttons below.



    Animated PHP icons used in the buttons provided by ICONS8.COM. Smartphone icons created by Freepik - Flaticon