Book excerpt: The Definitive Guide to Ajax Web Application Development Evolve from the click-and-wait programming pattern to the latest Web 2.0 paradigm using this comprehensive guide to Ajax. Written by Web development expert Thomas Powell, the book lays out every feature of Ajax alongside detailed explanations and real-world code examples. Ajax: The Complete Reference explains how to create and test Ajax-enabled Web applications using the XMLHttpRequest object as well as alternative JavaScript-based communication mechanisms. You'll explore a variety of sample applications featuring emerging user-interface conventions and build applications that address real-world networking and security issues. A robust communication library is developed throughout the book that enables you to architect flexible Ajax applications. The latest technologies such as Web services, Flash-Ajax integration, client-side templates, Comet, and Offline Access are also covered. Discover the future of Web development today! Work with traditional JavaScript communication approaches like iframes Explore all the quirks and details in the XMLHttpRequest object Handle disparate data formats, including XML, JSON, CSV, YAML, and more Deal with networking issues, including timeouts, retries, response ordering, and a variety of server and content errors Simplify JavaScript programming using open-source Ajax libraries like YUI Secure Ajax applications using authentication, obfuscation, and encryption Implement common Ajax UI patterns such as auto suggest, click-to-edit, and drag-and-drop Solve troubling Ajax architecture problems, including back button, history, and bookmarking issues Learn Ajax's role in Web 2.0 and Web services Explore push style communication using Comet and Flash Discover the future of offline Web application access and operation