Ajax and Web 2.0 Overview for Managers Course

This course is designed to provide an overview of the changes occurring in the rich client design of applications.  It explores the new paradigm in client-side technologies to include Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) solutions.  The course examines the use of proper semantic markup by illustrating modern techniques that incorporate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.  It discusses the rise in importance of JavaScript, and begins to look at how AJAX can create new and exciting interactions within applications.  Attendees will learn how this new front-end approach will affect existing designs on the server-side, and how to incorporate solutions by minimizing the impact on existing applications.
 
The session begins with a short discussion of browser standards and capabilities of current generation browsers in processing JavaScript and CSS.  Examples will illustrate why strict HTML should become the preferred markup for creating layered architectures, and how it fits in with both CSS and JavaScript.  AJAX will be explored by examining how asynchronous requests can fit into this new architecture. Examples of how AJAX works and its capabilities will be explored.  Advantages/disadvantages of requests and responses that use plain text, XML, and JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) are discussed.  Examples of each will be provided.  Frameworks for incorporating AJAX into the client and middle tiers will be examined.  The session ends with a discussion of how AJAX should be integrated into the server (middle-tier), how this will affect existing solutions, and how it will begin to impact application designs and development processes in the future.

This course is designed for managers and non-developers interested in a high-level discussion of how these new technologies will affect their organization, applications, and personnel.   

Upon completion of this course, the participant will be able to:
> Recognize the new architectures using CSS, JavaScript, and semantic HTML
> See how AJAX can be incorporated to provide a better experience for clients
> Identify the impact on existing solutions and how applications will need to be redesigned to incorporate XML or JSON formatted responses
> Recognize tools for development, and how to modify existing processes to incorporate the new front-end technologies

Web Standards and Introduction
Browser Support For CSS, JavaScript, and AJAX
“Quirky” Browsers
DTDs and Browser DOCTYPE Switching
Guides for Selecting DOCTYPEs
Development Tools: FireFox, Firebug
JavaScript Console
DOM Inspector
Venkmann JavaScript Debugger
Microsoft Script Debugger
Layered Semantic Markup
Presentational HTML
Semantic HTML
Working with New and Old Browsers
Why CSS? Is it necessary?
Creating Solutions for All Browsers
General CSS Rule Layouts
IE and CSS incompatibilities
The CSS Box Model
IE vs. W3C Differences
IE Hacks

JavaScript
How Does JavaScript Fit In?
JavaScript: The Old Way
Modern JavaScript Techniques
What is the DOM?
Accessing Nodes
Manipulating Styles
Events and DHTML
W3C Event Model
IE Event Model

Object-Oriented JavaScript
What are JavaScript Objects?
OO On the Front End
OO Best Practices
Utility Libraries
Implementing an Front-End Enterprise Architecture

Asynchronous JavaScript and XML
What is AJAX?
Incorporating AJAX Solutions into Applications
Introducing the XMLHttpRequest Object
Creating the XHR for any Browser
Sending Requests
Asynchronous Operations
XML as a response
AJAX Frameworks
Introducing JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)
XML vs. JSON
Architecture in the Solution
Model View Controller Solutions on the Front End
Examples Using AJAX
Browser Memory Leaks
JavaScript Performance
Integrating AJAX and J2EE

Course Coverage:
This course spends approximately 90 minutes examining modern front-end architectures and 90 minutes discussing AJAX and its implications on current architectures.  Due to the short time frame and setup involved, lab exercises will not be performed.

A basic understanding of HTML and/or XML is helpful.