[Javascript] Ajax question

[mdougherty at pbp.com (Mike Dougherty)]

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 15:27:56 -0500
  tedd <tedd@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I see and have considered the timing difference. I should have said "I want to use ajax to send 
>a variable and then refresh the current page, or a redirect to any other page."
> 
> I don't want to use the form http://example.com/testpage.html?ajax=rock  I have no problem 
>receiving the variable I want so there's no need for me to include that variable in the url.
> 
> I want to use ajax in the manner of:
> 
> <a href="javascript:sndReq('rock');" >Rock </a>
> 
> You see, I can send "rock" that way via ajax with no problems.
> 
> What I can't do is via a single click refresh this page, or direct the browser to another page, 
>via a href or whatever.
> 
> I know this is hard to understand, but just simply consider this -- if the user clicks (The 
>CLICK) this anchor --
> 
> <a href="javascript:sndReq('rock');" >Rock </a>
> 
> -- everything works. Now, how do I redirect the browser to another page from the same user click 
>(The CLICK)?


I don't understand why you think you need ajax.  If the page does a post submission back to the 
old-school server-side form handler, you can set whatever session variables you want then refresh 
the page.

Now if the idea is that you have a really archaic FrontPage-style website that you want to put 
some kind of click tracking in, then you have a different problem.  In the case of a bunch of 
static .html files (no chance to do server-side form handling) then using ajax in an included 
header (updating an existing site-wide include file) you can report behavior to your webservice 
without needing to change the structure of the site.

So now I wonder what you do with <a href="javascript:sndReq('rock');">Rock</a> if there is no 
javascript available?  What about doing this:

<a href="a_valid_URL_to_go_to.php?what=rock" onclick="return sndReq('rock');">Rock</a>

If sndReq() returns false, the href will not be followed by the click - perhaps it could do 
window.location=pagerefresh_whatever.html - or it could simply return true and allow the normal 
function of the <a> tag to work.  Arguably better would be:

<a id='Rock' href="a_valid_URL_to_go_to.php?what=rock" >Rock</a>

...then use some form of unobtrusive javascript to register the click event on the "Rock" object 
to the sndReq() function given an argument of "Rock"

since you have a completely unusuable link given the href="javascript:whatever()" notation, it 
seems  that this use-case is not what I described above, so if you have control of the page(s) why 
not eliminate ajax completely?  Given that you want a page refresh after each change of state, you 
might as well use well proven technologies the way they were meant to be used.