Chapter 11. ASP.NET AJAX Framework

Visual Studio 2010 includes a new version of the ASP.NET AJAX Framework that can be used in any web application. When working with the ASP.NET AJAX Framework, many developers believe that it consists of little more than the UpdatePanel, which is a shame because it offers so much more. Many developers also believe that the framework can be utilized only in ASP.NET applications. They would be wrong; the ASP.NET AJAX Framework is (mostly) just plain ol' JavaScript files and can be utilized in any web application—ASP.NET, PHP, Ruby, or anything else you can think of. Although some functionality doesn't make much sense outside the ASP.NET platform, it's a tiny part of the libraries.

This release introduces a new mechanism for loading scripts, offers easy-to-use client-side data binding, and offers integration with jQuery. Existing users also benefit from refactoring and performance enhancements. The libraries will soon be put to the test on the upcoming NASA community web site and in the MSN Messenger web toolkit.

This chapter was written with the beta version of the Microsoft AJAX Framework, so some functionality might differ come the final release. You have been warned.