Resources

ASP.NET AJAX framework

The ASP.NET AJAX site contains the latest information about the current status of the framework as well as upcoming news and changes. The forums are also a valuable resource for discussions and solutions to complex problems:

• Documentation— http://ajax.asp.net/docs/.
• Forums— http://forums.asp.net/default.aspx?GroupID=34.
• Homepage— http://ajax.asp.net.
• “How do I”— A collection of webcasts titled “How do I” with ASP.NET AJAX is available at http://www.asp.net/learn/videos/default.aspx?tabid=63#ajax. Many of the videos are dedicated to extenders shipped with the Ajax Control Toolkit.
• Patterns— An exhaustive and frequently updated list of Ajax patterns and links to implementations is available at the AjaxPatterns.org website, http://ajaxpatterns.org.
• ScriptManager— For a complete reference to the ScriptManager control’s properties, methods, and events, as well as the other server controls in the ASP.NET AJAX framework, visit the Server Reference section of the online documentation at http://ajax.asp.net/docs/mref/R_Project.aspx.

Ajax miscellany

• The term AJAX— The original post from Jesse James Garret of Adaptive Path that coined the term AJAX is located here: http://www.adaptivepath.com/publications/essays/archives/000385.php.
• Ajax Control Toolkit— http://www.codeplex.com/AtlasControlToolkit. From the home page, you can download the binaries and the source code for the latest release. You’ll find also the official bug tracker for the project and useful information about becoming a contributor.
• Animations— A reference for all the animations defined in the animation framework is available in the Toolkit’s sample website, which is also hosted online at: http://ajax.asp.net/ajaxtoolkit/Walkthrough/AnimationReference.aspx.
• PHP— Steve Marx, a Microsoft Ajax evangelist, has started a project called PHP for Microsoft Ajax Library aimed at providing support for using the Microsoft Ajax Library with PHP. The project is located on the CodePlex website, at http://codeplex.com/phpmsajax.
• web.config— For a more detailed reference on the customErrors section in the web.config file, see http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/h0hfz6fc(vs.80.aspx.
• Widgets— Omar Al Zabir, one of the creators of the PageFlakes website (http://www.pageflakes.com) wrote an article that explains how to create a user interface that supports widgets in ASP.NET AJAX. The article can be found at: http://www.codeproject.com/Ajax/Making-GoogleIG.asp.

Tools

• Firebug— An essential tool for debugging JavaScript applications in Firefox, available at http://www.getfirebug.com/.
• Web Development Helper— For IE users, a tool developed by Nikhil Kothari (http://www.nikhilk.net) that you can use to debug HTTP traffic, log debug messages, and inspect scripts. It also includes an HTTP request/response viewer with support for partial rendering.

XMLHttpRequest

The ASP.NET AJAX framework abstracts away any use of the XMLHttpRequest object; however, you should have a basic understanding of how it works under the hood. These URLs offer more insight into the protocol and use of the control:

• Wikipedia— http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XMLHttpRequest
• W3C Working Draft— http://www.w3.org/TR/XMLHttpRequest/

Other items of interest

• HTTP protocol specification— http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2616.txt.
• IntelliSense— IntelliSense in JavaScript files is a feature of the next version of Visual Studio, codename Orcas. The Web Development Tools Team has a post with the details in its official blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/webdevtools/archive/2007/03/02/jscript-intellisense-in-orcas.aspx.
• MSN Virtual Earth mapping engine online SDK— http://dev.live.com/virtualearth/sdk/.
• YAHOO! Geocode service and other YAHOO APIs— http://developer.yahoo.com.
• Yahoo! Design Pattern Library— Describes and shows various visual patterns that can be implemented with the Toolkit’s animation framework. Check them at http://developer.yahoo.com/ypatterns/.