Ajax through ADF Faces

Ajax without the Works through ADF Faces

Developing an Ajax based application is a challenge. Even with the help of a framework, there are lots of considerations the developer has to think about to ensure that the application will be able to perform as planned. The complexity of JavaScript and combining these functions with HTML and XML is a lot in actual development than in simple writing.

That is why an Ajax based application without the complexity of JavaScript is a sign that building an Ajax based application could be a lot easier. However, an Ajax application NEEDS to have JavaScript or else it will never work. But Ajax has a very loose definition, so loose that the definition might even be mistaken for a Web 2.0 application.

But instead of debating on a definition, let’s take a look at the possibility of developing an application with the same behavior of Ajax without the JavaScript. Instead of developing an application with JavaScript, developers have opted to build an application around ADF Faces.

ADF Faces is the JavaScript alternative offered by IBM and Oracle. To put it simply as a JavaScript replacement or option is a little bit unfair for its developers since it offers a different experience compared to JavaScript. However, it can be used to replace JavaScript to build an Ajax application because it enables a relationship with the client side that almost the same with Ajax and more.

The “more” of ADF Faces is what makes it better compared to JavaScript. The “more” of ADF Faces is the ability to implement partial page refresh or PPR. It is a very simple component in ADF Faces but a very difficult coding task for Ajax developers who wanted to use JavaScript. Through partial page refresh, developers can simply point out which part or function of the webpage should refresh and fetch information.

There are three simple components that ADF Faces have that makes PPR a lot easier:

• autoSubmit – while the user interacts with the application. The server anticipates the information needed and prepares that information. This is practically a listener attribute in JavaScript.

• partialTriggers – this function focuses on specific functions of the Ajax based application for execution. It has the ability to focus on a single function because of ID tagging.

• partialSubmit – as the user continues its interaction with the online application, the data is sent to the server. This can even trigger another function based on the anticipated need of the user.

Another advantage of ADF Faces is relationship with the server. JavaScript still has to go through XHR to be able to fetch data from the server and implement them in the client side. ADF Faces on the other hand fetches data directly to the server. Since ADF Faces is located in the server, it can react with the server and transmit information as needed.

ADF Faces of Oracle is a very simple programming language that could easily replace JavaScript because of its simplicity. It has simplified partial page refresh which is very essential in an Ajax based applications.