Is Ajax a new technology, or the same old stuff web developers have been using for years? Both, actually. This book demonstrates not only how tried-and-true web standards make Ajax possible, but how these older technologies allow you to give sites a decidedly modern Web 2.0 feel. Ajax: The Definitive Guide explains how to use standards like JavaScript, XML, CSS, and XHTML, along with the XMLHttpRequest object, to build browser-based web applications that function like desktop programs. You get a complete background on what goes into today's web sites and applications, and learn to leverage these tools along with Ajax for advanced browser searching, web services, mashups, and more. You discover how to turn a web browser and web site into a true application, and why developing with Ajax is faster, easier and cheaper.The book also explains:How to connect server-side backend components to user interfaces in the browserLoading and manipulating XML documents, and how to replace XML with JSONManipulating the Document Object Model (DOM)Designing Ajax interfaces for usability, functionality, visualization, and accessibilitySite navigation layout, including issues with Ajax and the browser's back buttonAdding life to tables & lists, navigation boxes and windowsAnimation creation, interactive forms, and data validationSearch, web services and mash-upsApplying Ajax to business communications, and creating Internet games without plug-insThe advantages of modular coding, ways to optimize Ajax applications, and moreThis book also provides references to XML and XSLT, popular JavaScript Frameworks, Libraries, and Toolkits, and various Web Service APIs. By offering web developers a much broader set of tools and options, Ajax gives developers a new way to create content on the Web, while throwing off the constraints of the past. Ajax: The Definitive Guide describes the contents of this unique toolbox in exhaustive detail, and explains how to get the most out of it. Read Less