ASP.net AJAX

AJAX stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. AJAX is a free framework which helps us to quickly create a new generation of more efficient, more interactive and highly – personalized web applications that works across all popular browsers.

One of the most significant advantages of using the AJAX framework is that Web pages designed using these technologies do not require to be refreshed to update the information on it. Instead, the Ajax application simply updates parts of the page at any given instance of time, giving users an instantaneous response to their inputs and queries. With its integrated, multi-browser support, uniform client programming model and powerful server controls, incorporating AJAX functionality into Web sites, big or small, is now more simpler than ever before.

Some uses of AJAX technology:

Refreshing Data : Web pages often require data from a server for displaying up –to – date details like for example live updates on application specific data. Using AJAX techniques, a client may fetch a set of the current data with out having to reload the whole page.

Form Data Validation

Form data validation is made simpler using AJAX techniques by ensuring that data entry of fields like User IDs, serial numbers, postal codes are entered only in the correct format by pre-empting the need for server side validation before the user submits the form.

Auto-filling

Certain fields of data such as an email address, name, or city name can be made to automatically populate their respective fields within the form.

Load on Demand

As this technology allows the HTML page to fetch more data in the background, there is a remarkable decrease in the time required to load a particular page.

User interface controls and effects

Certain controls like menus, data tables, rich text editors, calendars allow better user interaction with HTML pages, generally without requiring the user to reload the page.

AJAX coupled with support of Visual Studio 2005 which allows the user to take the ASP.NET 2.0 site to the next level with the option of creating next generation interfaces using re-usable AJAX components making it a very attractive proposition to use this free frame work.