Course Prerequisites

• Experience creating HTML pages and forms
• Basic knowledge of CSS
• At least 3 months experience writing JavaScript
• Basic knowledge of XML
• Familiarity with the browser document object model (DOM)
  

Course Objectives

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Cache structured content in a web browser using complex JavaScript data structures
• Dynamically rewrite areas of a web page without performing a page reload using the JavaScript innerHTML() method
• Perform hidden server transactions using hidden <iframe>
• Make background data requests to a ColdFusion server using  XMLHttpRequest()
• Use the Adobe Spry framework to create web applications that are easily maintainable
• Implement Google Maps as part of your application
• Use the ColdFusion 8 AJAX framework to easily pass data between the browser and server
• Use jQuery to create a web 2.0 application
  

Course Outline

Unit 1: Introducing the course

• Course Format
• What is AJAX?
• Examples of AJAX
• Benefits of AJAX
• Limitations with AJAX
• AJAX vs. Flash

Unit 2: Advanced JavaScript

• Working with complex data types - Arrays and Objects
• The JavaScript document object model (DOM)
• Referencing form fields and values
• Working with <iframe>
• Binding JavaScript methods to data objects (prototyping)

Unit 3: Using Scripting to Dynamically Change Page Contents

• Generating JavaScript with ColdFusion
• Using JSString Format() to escape bad characters
• Representing complex ColdFusion data types in JavaScript
• Using the innerHTML method to modify content on a page
• Bining JavaScript Methods to Data Objects

Unit 4: Interacting with the Server

• Passing information from the browser's DOM to ColdFusion
• Making background server requests using <iframe>
• Trasmitting Complex Data Types to the Server
• Using the XMLHttpPRequest Object

Unit 5: Using Adobe Spry

• Spry Overview
• Installing Spry
• Retreating Data with Spry
• Working with Data
• Working with JSON
• Debugging Spry
• Spry Widgets
• UI Widgets
• Loading Data into Spry Firleds
• Posting Form Data from Spry

Unit 6: Google Mashups

• Introductions to Mashups
• Getting Started with Google Maps
• Google Map Basics
• Programatically Geocoding addresses
• Making Background Server Requests to CF8
• Defining Map Markers
• Responding to User Events
  

Unit 7: The ColdFusion 8 AJAX Framework

• ColdFusion 8 AJAX Features
• Debugging ColdFusion AJAX Applications
• UI Tags
• Using <cflayout>
• AutoSuggest
• FckEditor
• Fetching data using <cfsprydataset>
• Invoking server-side methods with <cfajaxproxy>
• Field Binding
• Using AJAX enabled form elements
• Using <cfgrid>

Unit 8: Developing Applications with jQuery

• Introduction to jQuery
• Deploying jQuery
• Locating objects with selectors
• Dynamically Changing Object Attributes
• Changing page content without a page reload
• Modifying CSS
• Binding functions to events
• jQuery Effects
• Working with datasets / background data requests
• Working with the UI library - Interactions and Widgets
• Using and Creating jQuery plugins