A discussion on using AJAX instead of traditional binding to build datagrids prompted me to write this. AJAX, still considered new technology, is being tried out by many developers, but sadly in more wrong ways than one.
Since AJAX involves Javascript and XML, it can be used in most web-based projects, including Java (servlets), PHP, .Net, etc. AJAX allows creating a XMLHttpRequest using Javascript and call server-side functions and returning XML responses. The response can be used to update the GUI using DHTML without refreshing the whole page.
So far the most common example I’ve seen is free-text auto-completion, such as sending a web-based email. The user types a few letters and a combo-box like list appears below, allowing the user to select a completed email address retrieved from the user address book in the server.
Other valid uses I’ve seen is using AJAX to update RSS tickers (starbean forum), and using AJAX to update dependant combo-boxes (selecting category updates list of products). Generally I feel that use of AJAX should be for a updating information on a page that otherwise required a “postback” type of update in Web 1.0. (btw if you’re not sure about Web2.0 or Web1.0 go google it up)
Talking about all these good points, here comes the bads, and WHY I personally think it’s bad:
1. Using AJAX to emulate server-side include (eg separate menu.html and use AJAX to load menu.html on every page)
AJAX is aimed at updating the UI after it has been displayed. To use AJAX to load another page during onLoad is making the client-side browser make another server request, during the server request. The code required (at the moment) is also much more complicated and bug-prone. If the server software (such as IIS/Tomcat/Apache) supports server side includes (SSI), PLUS most of the time the page already requires generation by the server, why not use it? Using SSI causes the page to be created completely on the server side and sent to the client directly.
2. ELIMINATE page refresh by loading all links using AJAX (eg. all links and form submits are AJAX calls that rewrites the current page)
For what? Don’t like the “Loading …” in the status bar? Maybe you shouldn’t be using web then. This requires the entire site’s logic to be embedded in one single page. You get the idea.
3. Databinding using AJAX
This point is arguable, it depends on the implementation. If the purpose is to update the table after it is displayed, it may still be justifiable. But if the binding is done during onLoad, it violates the same purpose as point 1. BTW I don’t think it should be directly binded. Instead AJAX can be used to download updates of the table periodically.
4. Server-side client-side validation
OK this came from thedailywtf, but this guy really doesn’t know what he was doing. He somehow felt the client side date validation was so difficult, that he wrote his Javascript validation function to make an AJAX call to the server, which implemented a Web Service that accepts a String and returns whether the input was a valid date. This could have been accomplished by using CLIENT-SIDE javascript, and various FREE ready scripts are available for download. For one good thing, AJAX works well with web services as they communicate in the same language – XML, but one bad thing is enough to kill many other goods.
If you think otherwise, drop me a comment.