Chapter 18. Using Ajax

The term “Ajax” was first coined in 2005. It stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, which, in simple terms, means using a set of methods built into JavaScript to transfer data between the browser and a server in the background. An excellent example of this technology is Google Maps (see Figure 18-1), in which new sections of a map are downloaded from the server when needed, without requiring a page refresh.

Figure 18-1. Google Maps is an excellent example of Ajax in action