Dictionary - AJAX powered - Test please

[MichaelG]

Citizens,

I am toying around with AJAX - Just created an online dictionary with real-time word suggestion - give it a go at http://www.creotec.com/dictionary

It's only search through 115k+ words at the mo.

To techies - what do you think of AJAX? and how would you use it?

[Jayne]

lol...Thought you were bringing back an old cleaning product my Gran used to clean the sink out with :lol:

What is it?

Jayne

[MichaelG]

Jayne - you are funny ;)

Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AJAX

Another new toy for developers ;)

[Richard Conyard]

It's a buzz thing at the moment, and we all know the technologies have been around for ages.

That said it does mean that some truly funky stuff can be done.

I would only use it if:
The code was unobtrusive
The scripted degraded nicely
If wouldn't exhibit a behaviour that would render a site completely inaccessible

[MichaelG]

Ditto Richard.

I see more and more applications using AJAX - brings web-based applications closer to desktop apps - can only be a good thing for web apps.

[Dread]

I actually decided to learn it a few days ago, not looked into it any firther yet, its most definately a big part of the web 2.0 and im looking forward to some stuff.

How did ya start learning it? What were your references?

I got some really good ideas for when i start playing with it.

As for your dictionary, i think you should limit the amount of querys it returns on search and only search once a query has been fully entered.

Good Luck.

[Jayne]

Thanks for the link Michael, I read it and it flew by, by, over my head :lol:

I leave you techies to chat techiness, now I've discovered the power of Ajax and not just around the sink :lol: !

Jayne :D

[MichaelG]

Dread - to make thing faster, I might move the word data to a text file and leave the description in the database.

The point of using AJAX for the dictionary is that it queries the database on the fly as you type. You can type in a word and hit the "enter" key to search for the word.

As for ref: Start on Google and work your way down.

Jayne: I believe AJAX is still selling - I don't think its good for non-stick pans though.

[Enigma121]

I don't like your example, it seems to hang rather than coming up with a suggestion. This indicates either it's taking too long to get an answer or I'm typing words that aren't listed.

I've used AJAX related technologies, it's damn useful for dynamically populated lists and filtering large data sets. Adds functions to multiple item selects and tree structures that have been required for a long time.

The best example I've seen to date of AJAX technology to date is Google maps:

http://maps.google.co.uk/

[tommy]

I have to say I love this new technology and so do all the clients that we have integrated it with.

It is extremely useful when you want to retrieve multiple lots of data from one drop down list then it is using arrays.

[MichaelG]

I don't like your example, it seems to hang rather than coming up with a suggestion. This indicates either it's taking too long to get an answer or I'm typing words that aren't listed.


Thanks Enigma121 - its a bit slow indeed - its doing real-time queries as you type - I will see what I can do to make things faster.

I was messing around last night and created a RSS Reader - give it a go

http://www.creotec.com/rss_ajax/

[Enigma121]

Tried the RSS reader with the UKBF links feed. It seems to work fine.

What's the implementation technology at the server side? PHP? JSP? ASP?

[MichaelG]

PHP & MySQL. Uploaded a new version try it - now you can bookmark links ;)

I am currently playing with the drag and drop library.

[Dread]

Ajax works great.

Might wanna make your designs work with firefox...

[Dread]

I have to say I love this new technology and so do all the clients that we have integrated it with.

I just want to point out that its not new, its been around for a good 5 years, microsoft invented it and was even enabled in IE5. Thing is, its only just been noticed because of google playing around with it and also the new browsers just starting to support it.

[MichaelG]

Ajax works great.

Might wanna make your designs work with firefox...

Use IE don't fight it ;)

[Dread]

haha, surely your not serious?