MSDN Magazine - February 2008 - (Page 41) SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION is automatically displayed as the UpdatePanel starts the request, and is automatically hidden as the UpdatePanel partial-page update completes. The UpdateProgress control can also display UI elements for canceling updates that have not completed. File MicrosoftAjax.js Description Type system, base type extensions, networking classes, and other core infrastructure The Microsoft AJAX Library The Microsoft AJAX Library is the name given to the JavaScript library that makes up the client-side framework for ASP.NET AJAX. Written 100% in standards-based, crossbrowser JavaScript, the library adds many enhancements, including a JavaScript-type system, support for classes and other features of object-oriented programming (OOP), and an extensive library that makes JavaScript a more productive language for browser-based development. The AJAX Library works in all the most popular browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox and other Mozilla browsers, and Safari. The Microsoft AJAX Library does not rely on any specific Web application framework, and is beneficial even in non-ASP.NET scenarios. For example, developers can easily use PHP, ColdFusion, or any framework they choose to build pages that they can AJAX-enable using the Microsoft AJAX Library. The Microsoft AJAX Library consists of a small set of JavaScript files listed in Figure 6. The files are available in both debug and release versions. Release versions are stripped down to the bare essentials (even white space is removed) to minimize download size. The debug scripts are easy to read and step through while debugging, which allows developers to examine every line of code in the library. For ASP.NET developers, the ScriptManager control delivers the Microsoft AJAX Library to the client MicrosoftAjax.debug.js MicrosoftAjaxTimer.js MicrosoftAjaxTimer.debug.js MicrosoftAjaxWebForms.js Debug-friendly version of MicrosoftAjax.js Timer class implementation Debug-friendly version of MicrosoftAjaxTimer.js PageRequestManager implementation and other classes that support partial-page loading MicrosoftAjaxWebForms.debug.js Debug-friendly version of MicrosoftAjaxWebForms.js Figure 6: Core Microsoft AJAX Library JavaScript Files (browsers). Developers who want to use the Microsoft AJAX Library with other frameworks can easily use standard elements to load the Library in their pages. The Microsoft AJAX Library is factored into individual files for easy download. By default, MicrosoftAjax.js is the only file downloaded. The uncompressed size of the release version is 79K, and after compression, the size drops to 15K on the wire—the size of a graphic displaying a company logo. Pages that use UpdatePanel controls also download MicrosoftAjaxWebForms.js, which is 5K compressed. Since JavaScript files can also be cached locally in the client (browser), there is no delay when users repeatedly access pages built with the Microsoft AJAX Library. Your investment is safe and growing ASP.NET has been around for many years, and has a proven track record for Web sites large and small. Most development teams that have adopted ASP.NET have invested in a significant collection of application pages, controls, libraries and services that they are able to reuse across multiple projects. Fortunately ASP.NET AJAX builds on the same core framework and programming model as ASP.NET. All your investments are safe and can serve as the basis for creating new or enhancing existing sites with AJAX. For example, all .NET-based Web Services can easily be accessed from the client side using ASP.NET AJAX, simply by adding a few attributes and tag elements to your pages. Further, the server-side ASP.NET controls being used throughout your applications today are 100% compatible with ASP.NET AJAX. This means controls like GridView and DataGrid can be enhanced with AJAX merely by placing them within an UpdatePanel control. No JavaScript required. Enhancing your existing ASP.NET sites with AJAX can be performed in minutes, thanks to the ASP.NET AJAX Extensions. The Microsoft AJAX Library makes it easy to enhance your non-ASP.NET sites as well. As a client-centric Web framework, ASP.NET AJAX not only helps you take advantage of your existing server-side Web application investments, it also helps you derive additional value from those investments without rewriting tons of code.
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.