An In-Depth Look at XMLHttpRequest

The XHR (XMLHttpRequest) object is the core of the Ajax engine. It is the object that enables a page to get data from (using the GET method) or post data to (using the POST method) the server as a background request, which means that it does not refresh the browser during this process. As we covered in Chapter 1, “Introduction to Ajax,” the hype surrounding Ajax has been based on this object and the fact that the interaction model it creates is more intuitive than a standard HTTP (Hypertext Transport Protocol) request. This is because changes happen on demand when the user makes them, and allow web applications to feel more like desktop applications. The XHR eliminates the need to wait on the server to respond ...

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