What is AJAX?
AJAX = Asynchronous JavaScript And XML.
AJAX is not a programming language.
AJAX just uses a combination of:
● A browser built-in XMLHttpRequest object (to request data from a web
server)
● JavaScript and HTML DOM (to display or use the data)
AJAX is a misleading name. AJAX applications might use XML to transport data,
but it is equally common to transport data as plain text or JSON text.
AJAX allows web pages to be updated asynchronously by exchanging data with
a web server behind the scenes. This means that it is possible to update parts of
a web page, without reloading the whole page.
How AJAX Works
● 1. An event occurs in a web page (the page is loaded, a button is clicked)
● 2. An XMLHttpRequest object is created by JavaScript
● 3. The XMLHttpRequest object sends a request to a web server
● 4. The server processes the request
● 5. The server sends a response back to the web page
● 6. The response is read by JavaScript
● 7. Proper action (like page update) is performed by JavaScript
<html>
<head></head>
<body>
<div id="result"> hello world</div>
<button onclick="fetchData()">Fetch data</button>
<script>
function fetchData()
{
const xhttp=new XMLHttpRequest();
xhttp.onload=function()
{
document.getElementById('result').innerHTML=this.responseText;
}
xhttp.open('get',file.txt,true);
xhttp.send();
}
}
</script>
</body>
</html>
or
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<div id="demo">
<h1>The XMLHttpRequest Object</h1>
<button type="button" onclick="loadDoc()">Change Content</button>
</div>
<script>
function loadDoc() {
var xhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();
xhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200) {
document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML =
this.responseText;
}};
xhttp.open("GET", "file.txt", true);
xhttp.send();
}</script>
</body>
</html>
The XMLHttpRequest Object
All modern browsers support the XMLHttpRequest object.
The XMLHttpRequest object can be used to exchange data with a server behind
the scenes. This means that it is possible to update parts of a web page,
without reloading the whole page.
Create an XMLHttpRequest Object
All modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, IE7+, Edge, Safari Opera) have a built-in
XMLHttpRequest object.
Syntax for creating an XMLHttpRequest object:
variable = new XMLHttpRequest();
Example
var xhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();
XMLHttpRequest Object Methods
Method Description
new XMLHttpRequest() Creates a new XMLHttpRequest object
abort() Cancels the current request
getAllResponseHeaders() Returns header information
getResponseHeader() Returns specific header information
open(method,url,async,user,psw Specifies the request
)
method: the request type GET or POST
url: the file location
async: true (asynchronous) or false
(synchronous)
user: optional user name
psw: optional password
send() Sends the request to the server
Used for GET requests
send(string) Sends the request to the server.
Used for POST requests
setRequestHeader() Adds a label/value pair to the header to be
sent
XMLHttpRequest Object Properties
Property Description
onreadystatechange Defines a function to be called when the readyState
property changes
readyState Holds the status of the XMLHttpRequest.
0: request not initialized
1: server connection established
2: request received
3: processing request
4: request finished and response is ready
responseText Returns the response data as a string
responseXML Returns the response data as XML data
status Returns the status-number of a request
200: "OK"
403: "Forbidden"
404: "Not Found"
For a complete list go to the Http Messages
Reference
statusText Returns the status-text (e.g. "OK" or "Not Found")
