Supporting Highly-Interactive Web Applications with Server-Side Code

Associate Professor Michael Rees, Faculty of Information Technology, Bond University, Qld 4229, Australia. mrees@bond.edu.au

Keywords

XHTML, JavaScript, web applications, server-side code, ASP.NET

Abstract

A traditional method of implementing highly-interactive web applications employs Java applets or ActiveX controls which download executable components for a client-side run-time environment. This environment also may need to be downloaded, often to the annoyance of users. Another widely-used implementation method uses client-side JavaScript, the properties of dynamic HTML and minimal server-side scripting to implement the same type of highly-interactive web applications. This latter approach, now more usually referred to as the Ajax methodology, appears to be gaining ground in several commercial, high-profile web applications such as Google's Gmail.

The author has employed the Ajax approach extensively for constructing a number of shared in-page editing tools (collectively referred to as the DotSoft applications) reported in this conference series in the past. In contrast to Ajax server-side coding for web applications such as the ASP.NET environment is growing in popularity with commercial developers. It was decided to begin the re-implementation of some of the DotSoft tools using this apparently more productive server-side development environment. The tool chosen is a simple planning tool, originally called DotNotelets, which attempted to provide the simpler components of concept maps. The new tool is renamed DotPlan but provides essentially the same functionality with a few improvements to the user interface and extension of the plan/concept map structure to a true hierarchy.

This paper describes the development experience to date and compares the previous Ajax approach with an ASP.NET implementation. The experience highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the two approaches, and shows that at present the responsive user interface requirements still have to employ Ajax for acceptable performance. The discussion attempts to provide guidance for other developers by suggesting which parts of a highly-interactive web applications are best suited to the two technologies that can work together. Finally, some areas for further investigation are highlighted.