Seven Ajax Frameworks / Toolkits to watch out for
Ajax was easily the most talked about technology at JavaOne 2006. Java developers it seemed wanted to get into Ajax by any means possible. So there were 100s lined up for every session that had “Ajax” in its title. It does make sense for developers to try and pick up Ajax soon, as the Ajax hype will move beyond the tech community and you would soon see managers and customers demanding that their applications be Ajaxed. Irrespective of what you think of Ajax, you now have to be able to develop Ajax apps.
Understanding Ajax is one part of the issue however the more complex part is that of actually implementing it. As no real Java developer can develop an application without using a framework, it was only a matter of time before hundreds of Ajax frameworks sprang up. With frameworks, there’s always the concern that you will lock your applications into the framework or even worse adopt a framework that isn’t suited to your needs.
You also need to watch out for frameworks that claim Ajax enabled solely because they have included a popular Ajax Javascript framework in their distribution. Using readymade Ajax enabled JSF components is also a good option that needs to be considered.
Here I have listed a handful of frameworks that I thought will serve us well over the long run. The primary factors I relied on were 1) already established 2) promoted by a major player.
If you feel any other framework should have been on this list, do add a comment.
1) Google Web Toolkit – Build AJAX apps in the Java language: Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is a Java software development framework that makes writing AJAX applications like Google Maps and Gmail easy for developers who don’t speak browser quirks as a second language.
http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/
2) Dojo: Dojo is an Open Source DHTML toolkit written in JavaScript. Dojo aims to solve some long-standing historical problems with DHTML which prevented mass adoption of dynamic web application development.
http://dojotoolkit.org/
3) Yahoo! User Interface Library: The Yahoo! User Interface (YUI) Library is a set of utilities and controls, written in JavaScript, for building richly interactive web applications using techniques such as DOM scripting, DHTML and AJAX.
http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/
4) Direct Web Remoting: DWR allows Javascript in a browser to interact with Java on a server and helps you manipulate web pages with the results.
http://getahead.ltd.uk/dwr/
5) Spry framework for Ajax:
The Spry framework for Ajax is a JavaScript library for web designers that provides functionality that allows designers to build pages that provide a richer experience for their users. It is designed to bring Ajax to the web design community who can benefit from Ajax, but are not well served by other frameworks.
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/spry/
6) Mochikit: MochiKit is a free lightweight JavaScript library.
http://mochikit.com/
7) Script.aculo.us: Provides you with easy-to-use, compatible and, ultimately, totally cool JavaScript libraries to
make your web sites and web applications fly, Web 2.0 style.
http://script.aculo.us/
With Ajax, there’s a difference between Javascript based client side frameworks and Java based server side frameworks. So you will also find several serverside frameworks that include one of the client side frameworks mentioned above.
It’s time developers start getting their hands dirty trying out these frameworks and being Ajax ready!
Related:
>> Is AJAX worth adopting?
>> Ajax technologies aren’t particularly new or sexy
>> Rails has a huge lead on integrated Ajax development
>> New RAD platform to fill the J2EE-AJAX void
>> Webwork integrates with Dojo
[URL=http://www.ajaxlines.com]Ajaxlines[/URL] will help you to find more toolkits
[URL=http://www.ajaxlines.com]Ajaxlines[/URL] will help you to find more toolkits
Have you tried [URL=http://ajaxwidgets.com]http://ajaxwidgets.com[/URL]
Have you tried [URL=http://ajaxwidgets.com]http://ajaxwidgets.com[/URL]
Hi,
missing Open-jACOB
seen on http://www.openjacob.org
The MS-Access replacement for web applications
Hi,
missing Open-jACOB
seen on http://www.openjacob.org
The MS-Access replacement for web applications
Hello Can any body tell how GWt can be used with Struts framework ?
If i want to call Action class from GWT , How can i do tht ?
Hello Can any body tell how GWt can be used with Struts framework ?
If i want to call Action class from GWT , How can i do tht ?
ThinWire is a pure Server-Side framework that you might want to add to your list. ItÂ’s open-source under the GPL and has been used to build huge financial applications. In any case, some of itÂ’s features are:
* Familiar event-driven GUI programming model
* Reconnects the flow of logic, no request / response
* Maintains state naturally via variables, not via session
* Develop exclusively in server-side language only
* Rich Set of Complex Widget Components
* ThinWire downloads once, just over 100K
* Zero footprint client, no applets, activeX controls or browser plug-ins of any kind!
* All Major Browsers Supported: Firefox 1, Opera 8, Safari 2, IE6
http://www.thinwire.com :eek
ThinWire is a pure Server-Side framework that you might want to add to your list. ItÂ’s open-source under the GPL and has been used to build huge financial applications. In any case, some of itÂ’s features are:
* Familiar event-driven GUI programming model
* Reconnects the flow of logic, no request / response
* Maintains state naturally via variables, not via session
* Develop exclusively in server-side language only
* Rich Set of Complex Widget Components
* ThinWire downloads once, just over 100K
* Zero footprint client, no applets, activeX controls or browser plug-ins of any kind!
* All Major Browsers Supported: Firefox 1, Opera 8, Safari 2, IE6
http://www.thinwire.com :eek
Ehy did u see backbase ajax frameework? http://www.backbase.com... very cool components but they cost too much!! :sigh
Demetrio
Ehy did u see backbase ajax frameework? http://www.backbase.com... very cool components but they cost too much!! :sigh
Demetrio
Qooxdoo is sure a framework to watch out for (and is missed out often in the countdowns).
Though the above mentioned frameworks are lightweight and provide ajax in their innovative moulds, Qooxdoo is an awesome javascript/DHTML framework for developing rich applications on the web, and in short words, can be described as
‘Visual Component Library (VCL) for Javascript’
Qooxdoo is sure a framework to watch out for (and is missed out often in the countdowns).
Though the above mentioned frameworks are lightweight and provide ajax in their innovative moulds, Qooxdoo is an awesome javascript/DHTML framework for developing rich applications on the web, and in short words, can be described as
‘Visual Component Library (VCL) for Javascript’
Check out this also: http://www.servletsuite.com/jsp.htm#ajax
Check out this also: http://www.servletsuite.com/jsp.htm#ajax
ajax, but there are no referring to zk1.
Nobody knows, Strenge, very much?!
ajax, but there are no referring to zk1.
Nobody knows, Strenge, very much?!
I use [URL=http://sardalya.pbwiki.com]sardalya[/URL] all the time. It speeds up your development once you get used to. The developer has recently added an Effect part.
One thing I like about the API is it is under constant development and each next release is far richer than the former. Even the most recent unstable version is quite stable imho.
It is not as detailed as YUI library or scriptaculous but it suits my needs even so.
I use [URL=http://sardalya.pbwiki.com]sardalya[/URL] all the time. It speeds up your development once you get used to. The developer has recently added an Effect part.
One thing I like about the API is it is under constant development and each next release is far richer than the former. Even the most recent unstable version is quite stable imho.
It is not as detailed as YUI library or scriptaculous but it suits my needs even so.
XDBC.js from [URL=http://www.challenger.se/]http://www.challenger.se/[/URL]
shows some real promise.
XML+XSL+Transform = innerHTML.
view Dev Docs > XDBC > Tutorials
XDBC.js from [URL=http://www.challenger.se/]http://www.challenger.se/[/URL]
shows some real promise.
XML+XSL+Transform = innerHTML.
view Dev Docs > XDBC > Tutorials
I hardly see the moo toolkit on these lists, but it usually gets mentioned in the comments. Not sure why it isn’t more well known. It’s a free lightweight framework that I’ve enjoyed working with.
I hardly see the moo toolkit on these lists, but it usually gets mentioned in the comments. Not sure why it isn’t more well known. It’s a free lightweight framework that I’ve enjoyed working with.
Try creating Google Map using GWT. Like is in between lines (oh ya ! it has to be in English). In theory you can create everything starting from machine laguage.