I've recently stumbled across a few blogs that say the ASP.NET Ajax Library is dead, in particular:
http://encosia.com/2010/10/04/understanding-jquerys-impact-on-microsoft-and-asp-net/
http://weblogs.asp.net/toddanglin/archive/2010/04/19/microsoft-ajax-client-library-is-dead-long-live-jquery.aspx
Is this generally true, technically and practically?
I've been to Microsoft talks on jQuery, and basically it sounded to me like they expected everyone to use jQuery for client-side-only DOM manipulation and ASP.NET Ajax was still used for it's Ajax components (like UpdatePanel) and as a basis for AJAX into .NET services made with WCF or just back to ASHX or other server code.
From being a component developer that targets ASP.NET, I can tell you that it's very much used by our customers, and we need to support it.
Yes, it is. Even for SharePoint developers (which uses ASP.net AJAX heavily) it's out of favor.
However, the SERVER SIDE ASP.net AJAX (UpdatePanel etc.) are alive and kicking. They have some shortcomings (UpdatePanel can send tons of viewstate back and forth).
But the Client Side Framework and ASP.net AJAX Library is dead.
Scalable comet ajax is more popular now. Try the samples of PokeIn library.
A technology can't die if it's customer base is so big!
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whenever I've used Ajax, I've used asp.net Ajax update panel and script manager provided in visual studio (and Ajax extensions if I needed them), but just recently I bought this (Pro Ajax and .Net 2.0 Platform and in this book the whole focus of Ajax has been XMLHTTPREQUEST, and there is no discussion of script manager, update panel or what so ever.
So, I wanted to know, is there any difference between these two or is this visual studio's update manager is just a wrapper around XMLHTTPREQUEST? Also, which one is better performance wise, or are they just the same? And finally, which one should I use?
Script Manager, Update Panel are Microsoft implementation of the AJAX framework. Internally it use XmlHttpRequest to make out-of-bound request.
Check out the below list of AJAX framework from wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ajax_frameworks
Microsoft AJAX implementation is type of full framework which provide rich programming model including server side controls, services and client side scripts. Eg. Update Panel server control lets you execute server-side code and return updated markup to the client browser with out-of-bound request.
But as for performance wise, it would be slower than service base/ajax because although out-of-bound request, UpdatePanel is really a post back to the server which will go through the full page life cycle.
I am dipping my feet into an app that uses both ASP.NET Ajax (ControlToolkit, etc.) as well as Jquery.
Are there any pros/cons to using the ASP.NET Ajax mechanics for calling JSON-serialized .NET web service methods ... vs. using JQuery .ajax()? (Or is it "6 and 1/2 dozen"?)
Thanks!
ASP.NET Ajax is deprecated and, I believe, no longer supported. It is pretty bulky too, as it tries to generate JavaScript objects instead of just using JSON. $.ajax is strongly recommended instead.
Here is a blog post that discusses the situation. It turns out ASP.NET Ajax is being moved into the Ajax Control Toolkit, which itself is shifting to a server-control focus. So if you're using ASP.NET WebForms and all the <asp:Whatever /> controls, Ajax Control Toolkit is OK... otherwise, e.g. if you're using ASP.NET MVC, definitely stick with jQuery.
Take a trip with me back in time about three years ago. I remember building web controls that were dynamically inserted into the HTML of a page via AJAX and then rendered in place. We used the Prototype JavaScript library and the XMLHTTP Request object. Microsoft ATLAS has just been released.
After about three years of non web development work in Java, Compact Framework, some iOS etc ... and I find myself in a whole new world. Microsoft AJAX, the AJAX Control Toolkit, and jQuery. I find myself with a new project that has utilized some aspects of ASP.NET AJAX but mostly just the update panel and some client-side UI updates that jQuery now seems to make trivial.
So here is the question .. Is there still value in studying and becoming familiar with ASP.NET AJAX? Is it still used going forward? What about the AJAX Control Toolkit? Has this been abandoned my Microsoft in favor of a jQuery based infrastructure? Is jQuery coupled with JSON and web services the way to retrieve data?
It's still used in the WebForms world, however Microsoft has abandoned it in the MVC framework. So unless you're a diehard WebForms guy it doesn't make much sense. Especially considering you can use jQuery in WebForms projects as well.
This article gives a pretty good summary of the jQuery/Microsoft AJAX situation. Basically, jQuery is the way forward!
I think, from a career perspective, you'd be better off becoming familiar with jQuery (or a similar client-side JavaScript framework) and having that code interact with web services, WCF services (preferred, IMHO) or, if you're using ASP.NET MVC, JsonResults.
If you go to the Microsoft AJAX site (http://asp.net/ajax), they really don't mention their AJAX framework anymore, and the AJAX Control Toolkit is really there for people who don't want to work with JavaScript.
I started off, like you, using the AJAX Framework and the AJAX Control Toolkit and have made the transition to jQuery, JSON and other, more streamlined, ways of creating web applications. I'd recommend you'd follow the jQuery/JSON/services path instead of Microsoft AJAX.
Just my 2 cents.
I have a server with .Net 2.0 sp1 installed and have no ability to install the AJAX extensions on the server.
Is there anyway I could work around this to incorporate ASP.NET AJAX functionality?
You don't need to install the AJAX extensions into the server's GAC.
You can locally reference System.Web.Extensions.dll from your applications BIN folder....I've done it half a dozen times.
Copy that DLL to your projects local bin. Reference it from your project. Remember to deploy the DLL when you deploy, and you are set.
Theres always prototype and jQuery for AJAX calls.
Both of which are perfectly valid for making Ajax calls to the server, despite Jonathan Hollands persistence (and his down-voting of everyone else's response) to the contrary.
MS now packages jQuery with Visual Studio, so there is no interoperability problem.
Please remember that the server has no knowledge of controls created on the client side, and you will have to take the extra steps to persist any data (via ajax calls) to the server.
If you can't install AJAX extensions, you will have to manage the AJAX calls yourself. It's absolutely possible, since AJAX Extensions just wrap the meat of AJAX. Read up on XMLHttpRequest and you'll find many examples.
Here's a good site with examples.
http://www.fiftyfoureleven.com/resources/programming/xmlhttprequest/examples
Note that most of AJAX is done on the client side (in the browser) in Javascript.
While there are some server-side libraries to make responding to a AJAX query easier, for the most part they are unnecessary. Any server technology that can server a web page to a browser can handle an AJAX request just as well.
Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX is not the only way to implement AJAX Functionality. jQuery and Prototype are two popular javascript libraries for working with AJAX, regardless of server platform.
If you're tied 100% to Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX, then you may need to download it and install the DLL manually to your local project.
Your backend could be PHP or Python but you want to use the controls from the ASP.NET toolkit is there a successful way to do this?
I don't think that it is possible.
The ASP.NET AJAX Toolkit is based on ASP.NET technique (what a surprise) and needs ASP.NET.
It contains server-side controls, which are translated to HTML and Javascript by the ASP.NET engine. It is not working without the engine.
However you can check the code itself to see how it is working, what it generates on the browser side and get ideas and Javascript codes to build into your application or framework.
Edit: I've just found an interesting project, which is in alpha stage, check this out.
Why do you want to use the ASP.NET AJAX Toolkit with PHP / Python?
Have you considered other non ASP.NET specific AJAX libraries like jQuery, Dojo, MooTools, YUI?
ASP.NET AJAX and the ASP.NET AJAX Toolkit is ASP.NET centric, you'll gain more flexibility using other AJAX libraries with PHP / Python.
are you talking about the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit?
Have a look at this blogpost on Stephen Walther's blog:
ASP.NET MVC Tip #36 – Create a Popup Calendar Helper
In this post he shows how to use the 'script only' version of the AJAX Control Toolkit. This version of the AJAX Control Toolkit does not contain server-side controls or control extenders. It contains only the client-side files – JavaScript, CSS, images – required to use the client-side AJAX behaviors.
Stephen Walther is a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft who is responsible for ASP.NET MVC content and community (his job title is ASP.NET MVC Ninja).
I have found that much of the functionality in AJAX Control Toolkit can be accomplished via the javascript frameworks such as jQuery.