jQuery for absolute beginners

I came across some jQuery video tutorials which explain how to use it very clearly from a beginners perspective. The tutorials are split up over around 15 days, so you don’t feel overwhelmed with using jQuery.

A big thanks goes to Jeffrey Way from ThemeForest.net, for creating an excellent set of tutorials.

Below are the links to the individual tutorials:

jQuery Topic	Snippet	Tutorial-link
Day 1: Downloading the library	Where to download jQuery from…	Link
Day 2: Fade, Slide, and Show Methods	Looks at the “fadeIn”, “slideDown”, and “show” methods, and jQuery’s “css” abilities	Link
Day 3: The Animate Method	Learn how to shift any element across the screens	Link
Day 4: Advanced Selectors	How to individually select an item and also using X-Path	Link
Day 5: Creating and Removing Elements	How to dynamically create and remove elements	Link
Day 6: The toggle() and toggleClass() Methods	Turn “off and on” elements or classes	Link
Day 7: The hover() Methods	When a user mouses on and off the elements in a wrapped set	Link
Day 8: User Request – Image Slides.	Image manipulation	Link
Day 9: Resizing Text.	How to resize text every time an associated anchor tag is clicked	Link
Day 10: Intro to AJAX: Using the Load Method.	Store information on one page, and then load that specific information from another page	Link
Day 11: Fun Image Hovering.	Image pop-up on mouse hover	Link
Day 12: Advanced Tooltips: Part 1.	Drawing information from a database to create an advanced tooltip + PHP	Link
Day 13: Submitting Information to a Database Asynchronously.	Submit information to a database asynchronously – using PHP and jQuery	Link
Day 14: Implementing Your First Plugin	Implement a jQuery plugin into your applications: s3Slider plugin	Link
Day 15: Building a jQuery Style-Switcher: Part 1	Creating a jQuery style-switcher that will allow the user to switch between CSS files	Link
Day 15: Building a jQuery Style-Switcher: Part 2	PHP side of a CSS style-switcher	Link

Other screen-casts by Jeffrey Way.

Requesting a file using C#, ASP.net and the Microsoft Ajax Toolkit

In this post I will describe how to request a small text file from the server and display its content inside a ASPX page, using server side logic along with the Microsoft Ajax toolkit to provide a more interactive experience for the user. Please see my earlier post on the toolkit for more information.

Requesting a file using Firefox, XMLHttpRequest object and ASP.net

Here is a short sample of Javascript code using the XMLHttpRequest object to request a file from a ASP.net server.

Continued after the jump.

Microsoft AJAX Control Toolkit

In an earlier post I outlined the XMLHttpRequest object and showed you Java-Script code to implement the API released by the W3C. However, there are other ways to incorporate Ajax into a web-page or a web-application.

This post will concentrate on the Microsoft Ajax Toolkit, a free toolkit released by the Microsoft team making Ajax a plug and play process.

After the jump I will describe the many components available in the toolkit.

Synchronous vs. Asynchronous communication

Two figures which illustrate clearly the difference between the two communication techniques.
The following figures taken from an essay written by Jesse James Garrett (2005), available from http://www.adaptivepath.com/ideas/essays/archives/000385.php illustrates both web application models using synchronous and asynchronous communication sequences.

Figure 1: Synchronous interaction

Figure 2: Asynchronous interaction

XmlHttpRequest object

Practically how do we incorporate Ajax into a web-page or web application.

After the jump you’ll find some examples using Javascript (those of who don’t like Javascript look away and head to the post on the Microsoft Ajax Toolkit) which show the XmlHttpRequest object in use.

Asynchronous Javascript and XML aka Ajax

We’ve all come across Ajax across the internet, Google uses it pretty much everywhere. But what is it, and how does it work?

After the jump I will try to clarify these questions.

Postgraduate university projects

Dissertation as part of postgraduate MSc in Advanced Computer Science.

Language used: C# and ASP.net with the Microsoft Ajax Toolkit, CSS, Javascript and XHTML Application:

Web based Ajax RSS reader similar to the Google Readerapplication but with added functionality. With added Podcast streaming and saving and Blogger editing integration and creation of RSS feeds from any web page.