Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction

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Development Trends
ASP.NET Development

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Design Methodology
Problems ASP.NET Solves

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Advantages of Ajax
History of Ajax
Technologies That Make Up Ajax
Running Ajax Applications

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So, Whats the Problem?

Improving the User Experience
What Is Ajax?

Whos Using Ajax?

Problems Ajax Wont Solve
Summary

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Ajax on ASP.NET

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Chapter 2: Introduction to DHTML

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What JavaScript Is, and What It Isnt

General Rules of JavaScript
Writing Your First Block of JavaScript Code

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document.write()
Using document.write() in Nested for() Loops
window.status and Events

Getting Input from the User

Security Concerns When Getting Text Input
Canceling the Normal Outcome of an Event
Causing an Event Not to Bubble Up

Working with Images

Working with the image src Attribute
Using Functions
Programmatically Populating the Options in <select>
Using the innerHTML Property

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Manipulating the Style Sheet
Creating a Context Menu
Summary

Chapter 3: JavaScript and the Document Object Model

From Static to Dynamic A Brief History
Attempts at Standardization
Digging into Some More JavaScript Basics
Functions and Syntax
Event Handlers

Core Language
Variables
Comments
Datatypes
Operators and Expressions
Flow Control and Loops
More on Objects and Functions
Summary of Material So Far

The Document Object Model

Object Model Standardization (or Lack Thereof)
Working with the DOM
Manipulating Nodes
Properties of a Node
DOM Level 0 General Collections
The DOM, Styles, and CSS

Summary

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Chapter 4: The XMLHttpRequest Object

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Code Examples for This Chapter

What Is the XMLHttpRequest Object?

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A Little History
Synchronous Requests
Asynchronous Requests
Dealing with Response Data
Enhancing Usability
Passing Parameters to the Server
What about Web Services?

Summary

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Chapter 5: Data Communication: XML, XSLT, and JSON
XML
History of XML
XML Documents
Parsing XML
XML Summary

XSLT
How Processing Occurs
Built-In Functions
Processing with XSLT
Writing Functions in XSLT

X Path
Integrating XML and Ajax
JSON
Layout of JSON
JSON Example

Summary

Chapter 6: What Is Built into ASP.NET

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Out-of-the-Box Controls

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TreeView Control
GridView Control
DetailsView Control

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Browser Compatibility
The Framework

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ICallbackEventHandler Interface
Page.ClientScript System.Web.UI.ClientScriptManager

Making All the Moving Parts Work Together

Obtaining a Callback Reference
Implementing the ICallbackEventHandler Interface
Initiating the Asynchronous Process from the Browser
Handling the Result of Asynchronous Server-Side Call on the Client
Handling Errors in the Asynchronous Process

Dealing with Complex Data

Enabling the Page for Asynchronous Callbacks
Obtaining the Data Implementing the ICallbackEventHandler interface
Dealing with the Returned Data on the Client
Limitations on Returning Complex Data in XML
ICallbackContainer Interface

Summary

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Chapter 7: Ajax.NET Professional Library

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Acquiring Ajax.NET Pro Version 6.4.16.1

Preparing Your Application
Using the Ajax.NET Pro Library

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Registering Your Page for Ajax.NET Pro

Registering Your Methods for Ajax.NET Pro
Examining the Request Object
Executing Your Ajax on the Client
Digging into response.value
Returning Custom Objects
More Advanced Callbacks and Context
Ajax.NET Pro Request Events Keeping Your Users Updated
Errors, Errors, Errors. They Happen, You Trap em.

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Using the Ajax.NET Pro Library Looking under the Hood

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When Is the Proxy JavaScript Created?

What Does the JavaScript Do?
What Happens on the Server after the Proxy JavaScript Has Been Fired?
How Is the Method in the Code-Behind Actually Executed and
How Is the Page Actually Created?
What Is Really Being Sent Back to the Client

Summary

Chapter 8: Anatomy of Ajax.NET Pro Library

Getting the Ajax.NET Pro Code
What Do the Ajax.NET Pro Web.Config Settings Accomplish?
What Happens When You Register the Page Class?
What Role Does the Ajax.AjaxMethod() Attribute Play?
How Does the JavaScript Call Get to the Server and Back?
What Is an Ajax.NET Pro Converter?
Summary

Chapter 9: Other Ajax Frameworks for .NET

Client-Side Frameworks
Sarissa
HTMLHttpRequest
MochiKit

Server-Side Frameworks
Architectural Distinctions

Introduction to the Frameworks

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ComfortASP.NET
Setup
Using ComfortASP.NET
What You Have Learned

MagicAjax
Setup
Using MagicAjax
What You Have Learned

Anthem.NET
Setup
Using Anthem.NET
What You Have Learned

Summary

Chapter 10: Atlas Client Script

Introduction to Atlas
Major Components
Ajax Support
Asynchronous Communication Only

Adding Atlas Support with the ScriptManager Control

Communicating with Web Services
Generating the JavaScript Proxies
Calling Out to Web Services

Passing Types
Simple Data Types
Complex Data Types

Caching Web Services

Exposing Web Services from a Web Form
Atlas Extensions to JavaScript
Language Enhancements
Registering Namespaces and Classes in Atlas
Namespaces and Classes
Inheritance
Interfaces
Enumerations

Debugging
Debugging Using debug.dump
Debugging Using for() loop

Special Notes Concerning Atlas Client-Side Script

Resources Used
Summary

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Chapter 11: Atlas Controls
Controls
Buttons
Sys.UI.Data Controls
Server Controls

Data Binding
Declarative Data Binding
Programmatic Data Binding
Binding Directions
Binding Transformations
Validation
Behaviors

Resources Used
Summary

Chapter 12: Atlas Integration with ASP.NET Services

Examining ASP.NET Services
Authentication
Authorization/Roles
Membership
Profiles
Web Part Personalization

Using Atlas to Integrate with ASP.NET Services

Authentication
Authorization/Roles

Accessing Profiles via Atlas

Profile Property Names
Loading Profile Data
Save Profile Data
Avoiding Profile Service Gotchas

Implementing Drag and Drop via Atlas

Summary

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Chapter 13: Debugging

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Server-Side Debugging

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Enabling Debugging Support

Setting Breakpoints

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JavaScript and Client-Side Debugging
Tools and Techniques of the Trade
Other Ways of Invoking the Debugger
Other Ways of Inspecting the Value of Variables
Script Debugging So Far
Browser Debugging Tools
The Man in the Middle

Summary

Appendix A: XSLT Commands

Index

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