AJAX is used to create more interactive applications.
AJAX PHP Example
The following example will demonstrate how a web page can communicate with a web server while a user type characters in an input field:
Example
Start typing a name in the input field below:
Suggestions:
Example Explained
In the example above, when a user types a character in the input field, a function called "showHint[]" is executed.
The function is triggered by the onkeyup event.
Here is the HTML code:
Example
function showHint[str] {
if [str.length == 0] {
document.getElementById["txtHint"].innerHTML = "";
return;
} else {
var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest[];
xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function[] {
if [this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200] {
document.getElementById["txtHint"].innerHTML = this.responseText;
}
};
xmlhttp.open["GET", "gethint.php?q=" + str, true];
xmlhttp.send[];
}
}
Start typing a name in the input field below:
First name:
Suggestions:
Run example »
Code explanation:
First, check if the input field is empty [str.length == 0]. If it is, clear the content of the txtHint placeholder and exit the function.
However, if the input field is not empty, do the following:
- Create an XMLHttpRequest object
- Create the function to be executed when the server response is ready
- Send the request off to a PHP file [gethint.php] on the server
- Notice that q parameter is added to the url [gethint.php?q="+str]
- And the str variable holds the content of the input field
The PHP File - "gethint.php"
The PHP file checks an array of names, and returns the corresponding name[s] to the browser:
AJAX can be used for interactive communication with a database.
AJAX Database Example
The following example will demonstrate how a web page can fetch information from a database with AJAX:
Example
Person info will be listed here...
Example Explained - The MySQL Database
The database table we use in the example above looks like this:
1 | Peter | Griffin | 41 | Quahog | Brewery |
2 | Lois | Griffin | 40 | Newport | Piano Teacher |
3 | Joseph | Swanson | 39 | Quahog | Police Officer |
4 | Glenn | Quagmire | 41 | Quahog | Pilot |
Example Explained
In the example above, when a user selects a person in the dropdown list above, a function called "showUser[]" is executed.
The function is triggered by the onchange event.
Here is the HTML code:
Example
function showUser[str] {
if [str == ""] {
document.getElementById["txtHint"].innerHTML = "";
return;
} else {
var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest[];
xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function[] {
if [this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200] {
document.getElementById["txtHint"].innerHTML = this.responseText;
}
};
xmlhttp.open["GET","getuser.php?q="+str,true];
xmlhttp.send[];
}
}
Select a person:
Peter Griffin
Lois Griffin
Joseph Swanson
Glenn Quagmire
Run example »
Code explanation:
First, check if person is selected. If no person is selected [str == ""], clear the content of txtHint and exit the function. If a person is selected, do the following:
- Create an XMLHttpRequest object
- Create the function to be executed when the server response is ready
- Send the request off to a file on the server
- Notice that a parameter [q] is added to the URL [with the content of the dropdown list]
The PHP File
The page on the server called by the JavaScript above is a PHP file called "getuser.php".
The source code in "getuser.php" runs a query against a MySQL database, and returns the result in an HTML table:
table {
width: 100%;
border-collapse: collapse;
}
table, td, th {
border: 1px solid black;
padding: 5px;
}
th {text-align: left;}
Explanation: When the query is sent from the JavaScript to the PHP file, the following happens:
- PHP opens a connection to a MySQL server
- The correct person is found
- An HTML table is created, filled with data, and sent back to the "txtHint" placeholder