What is this course about?

In this course, you gain the knowledge and skills to develop interactive and dynamic Ajax-powered Web sites. Through an immersive and evolving case study used throughout the course, you learn to design accessible interfaces which offer enhanced user productivity across the majority of browsers. The course delivers a solid understanding of Ajax technologies and the client-side libraries used to deliver powerful visual effects. Ajax security techniques are used to protect sites from attack.

What background do I need?

Course 489, JavaScript for Web Development: Hands-On, or equivalent experience with JavaScript, is required. It is also assumed that you have experience developing Web pages with HTML. Specifically, you should be able to create a basic HTML document that includes the use of anchors, images, tables, frames, and forms. An understanding of basic programming concepts is also helpful.

Who will benefit from this course?

This course benefits Web developers, designers, programmers, system architects and those involved in developing and managing Web applications.

What is Ajax?

Ajax, which stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, is a powerful Web development technique that creates interactive Web applications that respond to a user in the same familiar way as desktop applications. Ajax does this by exchanging information with the server "behind the scenes" so that an entire Web page does not have to be reloaded every time a user clicks on a page element. Whether an organisation deploys Ajax for use in their internal or external Web pages, the end result is a more fluid user experience which increases interactivity, speed, usability and customer satisfaction.

Will I need experience with a server-side programming language to take this course?

No. There is no requirement to have server-side programming experience to take this course, although any programming experience is helpful. The focus of the course is on building the client-side of Ajax applications. Examples in the course work with any server-side technology and specific examples are shown .NET, Java and PHP back-ends. Interactive demonstrations provide you with examples of how these server-side programming languages need to be converted to work with Ajax client-side code.

My organisation only runs an internal Web site. Would Ajax be beneficial to us?

Absolutely! Ajax-powered Web sites can benefit all users, whether they are potential customers or employees. By injecting Ajax elements into an organisation's intranet site, such as drop-down menus, autosuggest and autocomplete, and intuitive form validation, the user experience is enhanced in ways that can benefit work flow. The dynamic page elements of Ajax translate into less time spent waiting for pages to refresh.

What systems and software are used on the course?

During this course you use Intel Core-2 Duo PCs running Windows 7 as the operating system. The latest versions of Microsoft, Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari are loaded into each PC. Exercises utilize the Notepad++ editor and will work with any other text editor. Server-side support is implemented using .Net, PHP and Java environments.

What JavaScript client-side libraries does the course use (jQuery, Prototype, etc.)?

The course explains in detail how to use two common client-side JavaScript libraries: jQuery and Prototype. The course also covers the "OO" (Object-Oriented) principles behind these and other libraries and how they make use of advanced JavaScript. The course covers criteria used in choosing a library and also how to combine multiple libraries.

How much time is spent on each topic?

What kinds of hands-on exercises does this course include?

Approximately 40 percent of the course consists of hands-on exercises during which you gain practical skills writing and debugging Ajax-enabled programs to add interactivity and a desktop-application feel to a Web site.

This course is built around an evolving case study where a fully functional Web site is transformed through Ajax enhancements. Exercises include:

• Adding Ajax functionality to an existing website
• Creating intuitive user interfaces with drag and drop functionality
• Plotting and mapping using third-party geolocation APIs
• Expanding your site search with autosuggest
• Controlling browser back button behavior with the RSH framework
• Displaying a live news feed with RSS

How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses?

The following courses provide essential skills in the area of Web development:

• 470, Developing a Web Site: Hands-On provides the requisite knowledge and skills developing Web pages using HTML needed for Course 986
• 522, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) for Web Page Development: Hands-On delivers the skills required to design and rapidly develop cross-platform Web pages using CSS and HTML
• 542, XML: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction , provides experience developing XML-based solutions and integrating XML with existing applications
• 471, Java Programming: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction offers extensive experience with Java and its object-oriented features to create both console and GUI applications
• 512, ASP.NET WebForms: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction provides the skills needed to develop and deploy Web applications with ASP.NET 2.0
• 519, Introduction to PHP for Web Development: Hands-On , provides a solid foundation in the PHP Web scripting language