XForms Tutorial

XForms is the next generation of HTML forms.

In our XForms tutorial you will learn how to start using XForms in your applications.

What You Should Already Know

Before you continue you should have a basic understanding of the following:

* HTML
* HTML Forms
* XHTML
* XML
What Is XForms?

* XForms is the next generation of HTML forms
* XForms is richer and more flexible than HTML forms
* XForms will be the forms standard in XHTML 2.0
* XForms is platform and device independent
* XForms separates data and logic from presentation
* XForms uses XML to define form data
* XForms stores and transports data in XML documents
* XForms contains features like calculations and validations of forms
* XForms reduces or eliminates the need for scripting
* XForms is a W3C Recommendation

XForms Is The Successors Of HTML Forms

Forms are an important part of many web applications today. An HTML form makes it possible for web applications to accept input from a user.

Today, ten years after HTML forms became a part of the HTML standard, web users do complex transactions that are starting to exceed the limitations of standard HTML forms.

XForms provides a richer, more secure, and device independent way of handling web input. We should expect future web solutions to demand the use of XForms-enabled browsers (All future browsers should support XForms).
XForms Separate Data From Presentation

XForms uses XML for data definition and HTML or XHTML for data display. XForms separates the data logic of a form from its presentation. This way the XForms data can be defined independent of how the end-user will interact with the application.
XForms Uses XML To Define Form Data

With XForms, the rules for describing and validating data are expressed in XML.
XForms Uses XML To Store And Transport Data

With XForms, the data displayed in a form are stored in an XML document, and the data submitted from the form, are transported over the internet using XML.

The data content is coded in, and transported as Unicode bytes.
XForms Is Device Independent

Separating data from presentation makes XForms device independent, because the data model can be used for all devices. The presentation can be customized for different user interfaces, like mobile phones, handheld devices, and Braille readers for the blind.

Since XForms is device independent and based on XML, it is also possible to add XForms elements directly into other XML applications like VoiceXML (speaking web data), WML (Wireless Markup Language), and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics).

SOAP Summary

SOAP Summary

This tutorial has taught you how to use SOAP to exchange information between applications over HTTP.

You have learned about the different elements and attributes in a SOAP message.

You have also learned how use SOAP as a protocol for accessing a web service.
Now You Know SOAP, What's Next?

The next step is to learn about WSDL and Web Services.

WSDL

WSDL is an XML-based language for describing Web services and how to access them.

WSDL describes a web service, along with the message format and protocol details for the web service.

If you want to learn more about WSDL, please visit our WSDL tutorial.

SOAP Tutorial

SOAP is a simple XML-based protocol to let applications exchange information over HTTP.

In our SOAP tutorial, you will learn what SOAP is, and how it uses XML to exchange information between applications.

What is SOAP?

* SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol
* SOAP is a communication protocol
* SOAP is for communication between applications
* SOAP is a format for sending messages
* SOAP is designed to communicate via Internet
* SOAP is platform independent
* SOAP is language independent
* SOAP is based on XML
* SOAP is simple and extensible
* SOAP allows you to get around firewalls
* SOAP will be developed as a W3C standard

Why SOAP?

It is important for application development to allow Internet communication between programs.

Today's applications communicate using Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) between objects like DCOM and CORBA, but HTTP was not designed for this. RPC represents a compatibility and security problem; firewalls and proxy servers will normally block this kind of traffic.

A better way to communicate between applications is over HTTP, because HTTP is supported by all Internet browsers and servers. SOAP was created to accomplish this.

SOAP provides a way to communicate between applications running on different operating systems, with different technologies and programming languages.
Microsoft and SOAP

SOAP is a key element of Microsoft's .NET architecture for future Internet application development.
SOAP 1.1 was Proposed to W3C

UserLand, Ariba, Commerce One, Compaq, Developmentor, HP, IBM, IONA, Lotus, Microsoft, and SAP proposed to W3C, in May 2000, the SOAP Internet protocol that they hope will revolutionize application development by connecting graphic user interface desktop applications to powerful Internet servers using the standards of the Internet: HTTP and XML.

AJAX Tutorial

AJAX stands for Asynchronous JavaScript And XML.

AJAX is a type of programming made popular in 2005 by Google (with Google Suggest).

AJAX is not a new programming language, but a new way to use existing standards.

With AJAX you can create better, faster, and more user-friendly web applications.

AJAX = Asynchronous JavaScript and XML

AJAX is not a new programming language, but a technique for creating better, faster, and more interactive web applications.

With AJAX, your JavaScript can communicate directly with the server, using the JavaScript XMLHttpRequest object. With this object, your JavaScript can trade data with a web server, without reloading the page.

AJAX uses asynchronous data transfer (HTTP requests) between the browser and the web server, allowing web pages to request small bits of information from the server instead of whole pages.

The AJAX technique makes Internet applications smaller, faster and more user-friendly.

AJAX is a browser technology independent of web server software.

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AJAX is Based on Web Standards

AJAX is based on the following web standards:

• JavaScript
• XML
• HTML
• CSS

The web standards used in AJAX are well defined, and supported by all major browsers. AJAX applications are browser and platform independent.

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AJAX is About Better Internet Applications

Web applications have many benefits over desktop applications; they can reach a larger audience, they are easier to install and support, and easier to develop.

However, Internet applications are not always as "rich" and user-friendly as traditional desktop applications.

With AJAX, Internet applications can be made richer and more user-friendly.

AJAX can be used for interactive communication with a database.

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AJAX Database Example

In the AJAX example below we will demonstrate how a web page can fetch information from a database using AJAX

As you can see it is just a simple HTML form with a drop down box called "customers".

The paragraph below the form contains a div called "txtHint". The div is used as a placeholder for info retrieved from the web server.

When the user selects data, a function called "showCustomer()" is executed. The execution of the function is triggered by the "onchange" event. In other words: Each time the user change the value in the drop down box, the function showCustomer is called.

The Semantic Web

A Web with a meaning."If HTML and the Web made all the online documents look like one huge book, RDF, schema, and inference languages will make all the data in the world look like one huge database"

Tim Berners-Lee, Weaving the Web, 1999

What Is The Semantic Web?

The word semantic stands for the meaning of. The semantic of something is the meaning of something.

The Semantic Web is a web that is able to describe things in a way that computers can understand.

• The Beatles was a popular band from Liverpool.
• John Lennon was a member of the Beatles.
• The record "Hey Jude" was recorded by the Beatles.

Sentences like these can be understood by people. But how can they be understood by computers?

Statements are built with syntax rules. The syntax of a language defines the rules for building the language statements. But how can syntax become semantic?

This is what the Semantic Web is all about. Describing things in a way that computers applications can understand.

The Semantic Web is not about links between web pages.

The Semantic Web describes the relationships between things (like A is a part of B and Y is a member of Z) and the properties of things (like size, weight, age, and price)

ASP Tutorial

In our ASP tutorial you will learn about ASP, and how to execute scripts on your server.

You will see that ASP is a powerful tool for making dynamic and interactive Web pages.

An ASP file can contain text, HTML tags and scripts. Scripts in an ASP file are executed on the server

What you should already know

Before you continue you should have some basic understanding of the following:

• HTML / XHTML
• A scripting language like JavaScript or VBScript

What is ASP?

• ASP stands for Active Server Pages
• ASP is a program that runs inside IIS
• IIS stands for Internet Information Services
• IIS comes as a free component with Windows 2000
• IIS is also a part of the Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack
• The Option Pack can be downloaded from Microsoft
• PWS is a smaller - but fully functional - version of IIS
• PWS can be found on your Windows 95/98 CD

ASP Compatibility

• ASP is a Microsoft Technology
• To run IIS you must have Windows NT 4.0 or later
• To run PWS you must have Windows 95 or later
• ChiliASP is a technology that runs ASP without Windows OS
• InstantASP is another technology that runs ASP without Windows

What is an ASP File?

• An ASP file is just the same as an HTML file
• An ASP file can contain text, HTML, XML, and scripts
• Scripts in an ASP file are executed on the server
• An ASP file has the file extension ".asp"

How Does ASP Differ from HTML?

• When a browser requests an HTML file, the server returns the file
• When a browser requests an ASP file, IIS passes the request to the ASP engine. The ASP engine reads the ASP file, line by line, and executes the scripts in the file. Finally, the ASP file is returned to the browser as plain HTML

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What can ASP do for you?

• Dynamically edit, change or add any content of a Web page
• Respond to user queries or data submitted from HTML forms
• Access any data or databases and return the results to a browser
• Customize a Web page to make it more useful for individual users
• The advantages of using ASP instead of CGI and Perl, are those of simplicity and speed
• Provide security since your ASP code can not be viewed from the browser
• Clever ASP programming can minimize the network traffic

AJAX Tutorial

AJAX stands for Asynchronous JavaScript And XML.

AJAX is a type of programming made popular in 2005 by Google (with Google Suggest).

AJAX is not a new programming language, but a new way to use existing standards.

With AJAX you can create better, faster, and more user-friendly web applications.

AJAX is based on JavaScript and HTTP requests.

AJAX stands for Asynchronous JavaScript And XML.

What You Should Already Know

Before you continue you should have a basic understanding of the following:

• HTML / XHTML
• JavaScript

AJAX = Asynchronous JavaScript and XML

AJAX is not a new programming language, but a technique for creating better, faster, and more interactive web applications.

With AJAX, your JavaScript can communicate directly with the server, using the JavaScript XMLHttpRequest object. With this object, your JavaScript can trade data with a web server, without reloading the page.

AJAX uses asynchronous data transfer (HTTP requests) between the browser and the web server, allowing web pages to request small bits of information from the server instead of whole pages.

The AJAX technique makes Internet applications smaller, faster and more user-friendly.

AJAX is a browser technology independent of web server software.

---

AJAX is Based on Web Standards

AJAX is based on the following web standards:

• JavaScript
• XML
• HTML
• CSS

The web standards used in AJAX are well defined, and supported by all major browsers. AJAX applications are browser and platform independent.

---

AJAX is About Better Internet Applications

Web applications have many benefits over desktop applications; they can reach a larger audience, they are easier to install and support, and easier to develop.

However, Internet applications are not always as "rich" and user-friendly as traditional desktop applications.

With AJAX, Internet applications can be made richer and more user-friendly.

AJAX stands for Asynchronous JavaScript And XML.

---

What You Should Already Know

Before you continue you should have a basic understanding of the following:

• HTML / XHTML
• JavaScript

If you want to study these subjects first, find the tutorials on our Home page.

---

AJAX = Asynchronous JavaScript and XML

AJAX is not a new programming language, but a technique for creating better, faster, and more interactive web applications.

With AJAX, your JavaScript can communicate directly with the server, using the JavaScript XMLHttpRequest object. With this object, your JavaScript can trade data with a web server, without reloading the page.

AJAX uses asynchronous data transfer (HTTP requests) between the browser and the web server, allowing web pages to request small bits of information from the server instead of whole pages.

The AJAX technique makes Internet applications smaller, faster and more user-friendly.

AJAX is a browser technology independent of web server software.

---

AJAX is Based on Web Standards

AJAX is based on the following web standards:

• JavaScript
• XML
• HTML
• CSS

The web standards used in AJAX are well defined, and supported by all major browsers. AJAX applications are browser and platform independent.

---

AJAX is About Better Internet Applications

Web applications have many benefits over desktop applications; they can reach a larger audience, they are easier to install and support, and easier to develop.

However, Internet applications are not always as "rich" and user-friendly as traditional desktop applications.

With AJAX, Internet applications can be made richer and more user-friendly.