Book excerpt: Ajax has revolutionized the way users interact with web pages today.Gone are frustrating page refreshes, lost scroll positions andintermittent interaction with a web site. Instead, we have a newgeneration of fast, rich, and more intuitive web applications. TheASP.NET AJAX framework puts the power of Ajax into the hands of webdevelopers. ASP.NET AJAX, formerly called Atlas, is a new free frameworkfrom Microsoft designed to easily add Ajax features to ASP.NETapplications. With this technology, ASP.NET developers can easily buildmore interactive and highly-personalized web applications that workacross all most popular browsers. ASP.NET AJAX in Action is a fast-paced, example-rich tutorial designedfor ASP.NET web developers and written by ASP.NET AJAX expertsAlessandro "Garbin" Gallo, David Barkol, and Rama Krishna Vavilala. Thisbook introduces you to Ajax applications and to the ASP.NET AJAXtechnology. Beginners will appreciate the clear explanations of keyideas and terminology. Intermediate and advanced ASP.NET developers willfind a no-nonsense learning source and well-organized reference. ASP.NET AJAX in Action offers a rich set of examples and meticulousexplanations. The extensive code samples are accompanied by accurate andrigorous explanations of the concepts behind development with ASP.NETAJAX. In this book, you will discover how to use Microsoft Ajax Library Partial rendering with UpdatePanels Advanced client and server techniques Ajax Control Toolkit If you are a web developer looking to bring your web pages to life andto enhance the user experience, this book is for you. ASP.NET AJAX in Action will give you with the knowledge and tools youneed to more easily craft the next generation of Ajax applications. Withthe help of the Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX framework, Ajax development hasnever been easier and more instinctive for both client-script developersand ASP.NET developers alike. Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.