well sharad singh Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a method of building interactive applications for the Web that process user requests immediately. Ajax combines several programming tools including JavaScript, dynamic HTML (DHTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), cascading style sheets (CSS), the Document Object Model (DOM), and the Microsoft object, XMLHttpRequest. Ajax allows content on Web pages to update immediately when a user performs an action, unlike an HTTP request, during which users must wait for a whole new page to load. For example, a weather forecasting site could display local conditions on one side of the page without delay after a user types in a zip code.
Google Maps is one well-known application that uses Ajax. The interface allows the user to change views and manipulate the map in real time. Ajax applications do not require installation of a plug-in, but work directly with a Web browser. Because of the technique's reliance on XMLHttpRequest, early applications worked only with Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, but most other browsers now support Ajax.

Applications created with Ajax use an engine that acts as an intermediary between a user's browser and the server from which it is requesting information. Instead of loading a traditional Web page, the user's browser loads the Ajax engine, which displays the page the user sees. The engine continues to run in the background, using JavaScript to communicate with the Web browser. User input or clicking on the page sends a JavaScript call to the Ajax engine, which can respond instantly in many cases. If the engine needs additional data, it requests it from the server, usually using XML, while it is simultaneously updating the page.

Ajax is not a proprietary technology or a packaged product. Web developers have been using JavaScript and XML in combination for several years. Jesse James Garrett of the consultancy firm Adaptive Path is credited with coining the name "Ajax" as a shorthand way to refer to the specific technologies involved in a current approach.

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Answered by sanjay , an ibibo Guru, at 4:44 PM on May 27, 2008

Ajax (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a group of inter-related web development techniques used for creating interactive web applications. A primary characteristic is the increased responsiveness and interactivity of web pages achieved by exchanging small amounts of data with the server "behind the scenes" so that entire web pages do not have to be reloaded each time there is a need to fetch data from the server.

Answered by Om Prakash , an ibibo Master, at 7:21 PM on May 23, 2008

Ajax, or AJAX, (Asynchronous Javascript And XML) is a web development technique used for creating interactive web applications. The intent is to make web pages feel more responsive by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes, so that the entire web page does not have to be reloaded each time the user requests a change. This is intended to increase the web page's interactivity, speed, functionality, and usability.

Answered by Nishu's , an ibibo Master, at 3:40 PM on May 23, 2008

well Sharad
Ajax is stands for "Asynchronous JavaScript and XML" which is a way of developing Web applications that combines:

* XHTML and CSS standards based presentation
* Interaction with the page through the DOM
* Data interchange with XML and XSLT
* Asynchronous data retrieval with XMLHttpRequest
* JavaScript to tie it all together

The Ajax engine works within the Web browser (through JavaScript and the DOM) to render the Web application and handle any requests that the customer might have of the Web server. The beauty of it is that because the Ajax engine is handling the requests, it can hold most information in the engine itself, while allowing the interaction with the application and the customer to happen asynchronously and independently of any interaction with the server.

Answered by jaivir , an ibibo Master, at 5:29 PM on May 22, 2008

hi sharad Ajax (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a group of inter-related web development techniques used for creating interactive web applications. A primary characteristic is the increased responsiveness and interactivity of web pages achieved by exchanging small amounts of data with the server "behind the scenes" so that entire web pages do not have to be reloaded each time there is a need to fetch data from the server. This is intended to increase the web page's interactivity, speed, functionality and usability.

Ajax is asynchronous, in that extra data is requested from the server and loaded in the background without interfering with the display and behavior of the existing page. JavaScript is the scripting language in which Ajax function calls are usually made.[1] Data is retrieved using the XMLHttpRequest object that is available to scripting languages run in modern browsers, or, alternatively, through the use of Remote Scripting in browsers that do not support XMLHttpRequest. In any case, it is not required that the asynchronous content be formatted in XML.

Ajax is a cross-platform technique usable on many different operating systems, computer architectures, and web browsers as it is based on open standards such as JavaScript and the DOM. There are free and open source implementations of suitable frameworks and libraries.

this is taken from source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AJAX

Answered by raj u , an ibibo Master, at 3:52 PM on May 22, 2008

hi sharad Ajax (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a group of inter-related web development techniques used for creating interactive web applications. A primary characteristic is the increased responsiveness and interactivity of web pages achieved by exchanging small amounts of data with the server "behind the scenes" so that entire web pages do not have to be reloaded each time there is a need to fetch data from the server. This is intended to increase the web page's interactivity, speed, functionality and usability.

Ajax is asynchronous, in that extra data is requested from the server and loaded in the background without interfering with the display and behavior of the existing page. JavaScript is the scripting language in which Ajax function calls are usually made.[1] Data is retrieved using the XMLHttpRequest object that is available to scripting languages run in modern browsers, or, alternatively, through the use of Remote Scripting in browsers that do not support XMLHttpRequest. In any case, it is not required that the asynchronous content be formatted in XML.

Ajax is a cross-platform technique usable on many different operating systems, computer architectures, and web browsers as it is based on open standards such as JavaScript and the DOM. There are free and open source implementations of suitable frameworks and libraries.

this is taken from source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AJAX

Answered by laks , an ibibo Master, at 1:41 PM on May 22, 2008

(Asynchronous JAvaScript and XML) Using an enhancement in JavaScript that allows Web pages to be more interactive and behave like local applications, which are also known as "rich client" applications. AJAX allows the Web page to retrieve small amounts of data from the server without reloading the entire page. Prior to AJAX, any retrieval of data from the server required that the entire Web page be refreshed in the user's computer. As a result, systems were often designed with less interaction; for example, to have the user submit a form only at the end, after all fields were filled in. In contrast, AJAX systems can validate one or two items at a time "behind the scenes" without making the session cumbersome, especially over slow connections. AJAX, also known as "remote scripting," allows Web-based applications to be designed like LAN-based applications.

Answered by Reeta K , an ibibo Master, at 12:46 AM on May 22, 2008

well Sharad, Microsoft invented Ajax in 1999. It just took the rest of the software world 6 years to catch up. I've developed a brief timeline at the end of this post.

The two key technologies for Ajax – the ability to modify HTML on the client side and the ability to initiate and capture an asynchronous HTTP request – were introduced in Internet Explorer in 1997 and 1999, respectively. Outlook Web Access was the first product that I know of to use both heavily. Ajax stands for "Asynchronous JavaScript and XML" which is a group of inter-related web development techniques used for creating interactive web applications.It uses the JavaScript XMLHttpRequest function to create a tunnel from the client's browser to the server and transmit information back and forth without having to refresh the page. The data travels in XML format because it transmits complex data types over clear text.

Answered by Uttam , an ibibo Master, at 8:52 PM on May 21, 2008

(Asynchronous JAvaScript and XML) Using an enhancement in JavaScript that allows Web pages to be more interactive and behave like local applications, which are also known as "rich client" applications. AJAX allows the Web page to retrieve small amounts of data from the server without reloading the entire page. Prior to AJAX, any retrieval of data from the server required that the entire Web page be refreshed in the user's computer. As a result, systems were often designed with less interaction; for example, to have the user submit a form only at the end, after all fields were filled in. In contrast, AJAX systems can validate one or two items at a time "behind the scenes" without making the session cumbersome, especially over slow connections. AJAX, also known as "remote scripting," allows Web-based applications to be designed like LAN-based applications.

Answered by shepherd , an ibibo Master, at 8:19 PM on May 21, 2008

Hi;
Ajax is not a technology in itself, but a term that refers to the use of a group of technologies together.

Traditional web applications essentially submit forms, completed by a user, to a web server. The web server responds by sending a new web page back. Because the server must submit a new page each time, applications run more slowly and awkwardly than their native counterparts.

pencil_by_eye biz.jpg
Photo credit: Jesper Noer

Ajax applications, on the other hand, can send requests to the web server to retrieve only the data that is needed, usually using SOAP or some other XML-based web services dialect.

On the client, JavaScript processes the web server response.

Answered by kishore , an ibibo Master, at 8:18 PM on May 21, 2008