How To : Use AJAX With jQuery [Tutorial]
What is AJAX and Why Its Important ? AJAX stands for asynchronous JavaScript and XML. If you see another term XHR, which is shorthand for XML HTTP request, it’s the same thing. Don’t be afraid of this jargon; AJAX is not rocket science. In Gmail, switch from inbox to draft. Part of the page is changed, but the page is not refreshed. You remain on the same page. Url has not changed (except for the #draft at the end of the url, but that’s still the same webpage). In Google Reader, select a feed. The content changes, but you are not redirected to another url. In Google Maps, zoom in or zoom out. The map has changed, but you remain on the same page. The key to AJAX’s concept is “asynchronous”. This means something happens to the page after it’s loaded. Traditionally, when a page is loaded, the content remains the same until the user leaves the page. With AJAX, JavaScript grabs new content from the server and makes changes to the current page. This all happena within the ...