Work Moves On

Work:
Today, I got to play around with some really cool stuff. I got to work with AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML). I have been wanting to get my hands on AJAX for quite a while now and work gave me an excellent opportunity to use it. Admittedly it was for a small task, but nonetheless, I find the use of it just astounding.

In our Homeowners Quoting application, we had the need to update a drop down with new values based on an entry the user made a few questions aboves. Instead of posting the page, I wanted to provide a seamless HTTP request to retrieve the new values of the select box so the user could only pick valid data. Using AJAX made this task easy as can be and it works wonderfully.

At first I had a few issues with defaulting the value or changing the selectedIndex, but it soon got worked out after I let my mind wander and relax from the problem at hand. I plan to do a lot more with AJAX over time to improve the seamless abilities of checking report statuses, ordering reports, retrieving agent names, etc all while the user continues to work on the page. This way they see no lag and they do not have to wait on the page to submit and to load the next form.

At Home:
At home, I have been working on developing a UI for “rdesktop” (Remote Desktop) for Linux users. Sure, we have the console application, but wouldn’t it be cool if we had a GUI like there is for VNC? I think it would be. I have made a really basic one in GTK, but I would like to write out a fully detailed version in C++ using KDevDesigner and KDevelop. Both of these require a slight learning curve for me, as I have never used them, but I am sure I can grasp it in a short amount of time.

Future projects for the Linux Desktop (for me at least), will be a Checkbook utility that suits my needs and my future wife’s needs. I also plan to setup a Picture Organizer with Tagging and a variety of other sorts so my wife can easily find the pictures she would like to print and print them at the push of a button. I realize some of these programs may already exist, but lets face it, it is much more fun to write them yourself as you gain the appreciation and satisfaction of knowing you accomplished a goal.

Concluding Thoughts:
Everyone should own the “AJAX in Action” book, even though it does have a TON of typos especially in the code segments where they left out closing braces and brackets. They also have a few grammar issues and spelling issues, but these can easily be looked over by the simplicity of the wording and explanations. With that said, I give the book roughly a 3.7 out of 5 stars, as it had an exact example of what I needed to do at work. Enjoy.