Develop Reference

XMLHttpRequest() javascript

to resume my problem, i'm using many XMLHttpRequest() rockets, with a view to get the value (miniTable) returned by the TableRow() function. The problem is, with the alert() on the end of the TableRow() function, i'm have exactly the value that i want, but on TableContent2 variable i'm having an "Undefined" value. I don't know why!! here all the JS file that i'am using (don't care about variables and code calculating the variables). I really need your help, because i'm blocked since 3 days on that. Thank you again and good afternoon freinds.
(function() {
xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();
xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (xmlhttp.readyState == 4 && xmlhttp.status == 200) {
myFunction(xmlhttp);
}
};
xmlhttp.open("GET", "File1.xml", true);
xmlhttp.send();
})();
function ContentFunction(func) {
TableContent2 = TableRow();
alert(TableContent2);
}
function TableRow() {
xmlhttp3 = new XMLHttpRequest();
xmlhttp3.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (xmlhttp3.readyState == 4 && xmlhttp3.status == 200) {
texttest = myFunction2(xmlhttp3);
alert(miniTable);
return miniTable;
}
};
xmlhttp3.open("GET", "File2.xml", true);
xmlhttp3.send();
}
function myFunction2(xml) {
var xmlDoc2 = xml.responseXML;
var ObjectText;
var x = xmlDoc2.getElementsByTagName("Clip");
/*Calcule de ObjectText*/
alert(ObjectText);
return ObjectText;
}
function myFunction(xml) {
xmlhttp2 = new XMLHttpRequest();
var xmlDoc = xml.responseXML;
var x = xmlDoc.getElementsByTagName("Film");
xmlhttp2.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (xmlhttp2.readyState == 4 && xmlhttp2.status == 200) {
myFunction2(xmlhttp2);
}
};
xmlhttp2.open("GET", "File2.xml", true);
xmlhttp2.send();
}

TableRow returns nothing. The return statement at xmlhttp3.onreadystatechange isn't in the earlier scope. Besides that, your xmlhttp3 is set to be asynchronous, then you can't directly return any information of the AJAX. Synchronous requests, which are deprecated (that's why you shouldn't use them), can be directly read, since they act like a infinite loop that breaks when the request is done (for(;xhr.readyState!==4;);, doing this manually will pause the request and the script execution forever, this is why synchronous requests have been made before.).
Synchronous requests aren't a good idea, they break interaction with entire of the page, since they pause the page/script execution. For instance, if you've a animation, it'll be paused, including event listeners.
Also, it looks like miniTable haven't been declared in any part of your code.
Consider using callback functions, they'll be stored in the TableRow scope and can be called later, with extra arguments.
This is a base:
function ContentFunction(func) {
TableRow(function(TableContent2) {
alert(TableContent2);
});
}
function TableRow(doneFnc) {
var xmlhttp3 = new XMLHttpRequest;
xmlhttp3.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (xmlhttp3.readyState === 4 && xmlhttp3.status === 200) {
var texttest = myFunction2(xmlhttp3);
/* success callback */
doneFnc(texttest);
}
};
xmlhttp3.open("GET", "File2.xml", true);
xmlhttp3.send();
}

Simultaneous ajax calls

I'm trying to make 2 (or more) ajax calls simultaneously. I don't want to use jQuery, only pure JavaScript.
Most of the time, it works. data1 will output data from sample.com/ajax1 and data2 will output data from sample.com/ajax2, but sometimes (1 from 10) the second AJAX call will display result from the first one.
Why is this happening? Both AJAX requests are requesting data from the same domain, but from different URLs. Is there any way how to prevent this behavior?
Here is the script:
// First AJAX
var xmlhttp1;
// Second AJAX
var xmlhttp2;
if (window.XMLHttpRequest) {
xmlhttp1 = new XMLHttpRequest();
} else {
xmlhttp1 = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
}
xmlhttp1.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (xmlhttp1.readyState == 4 && xmlhttp1.status == 200) {
data = JSON.parse(xmlhttp1.responseText);
console.log('data1: ' + data);
}
}
xmlhttp1.open("GET", "http://sample.com/ajax1", true);
xmlhttp1.send();
if (window.XMLHttpRequest) {
xmlhttp2 = new XMLHttpRequest();
} else {
xmlhttp2 = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
}
xmlhttp2.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (xmlhttp2.readyState == 4 && xmlhttp2.status == 200) {
data = JSON.parse(xmlhttp2.responseText);
console.log('data2: ' + data);
}
}
xmlhttp2.open("GET", "http://sample.com/ajax2", true);
xmlhttp2.send();

First of all, I recomment wrapping your xmlHttpRequest generation/handling in a function, so you don't duplicate code that much.
The problem you have there is that the data variable is global, so both ajax callbacks are using the same variable. You can fix it using the var keyword in both calls.
xmlhttp2.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (xmlhttp2.readyState == 4 && xmlhttp2.status == 200) {
var data = JSON.parse(xmlhttp2.responseText);
console.log('data2: ' + data);
}
}

Because you're not properly encapsulating data. The way you have it written, data is a global object, so it's available to be modified by either ajax call. Since ajax calls are asynchronous, this will lead to unpredictable values for data.

The problem is probably because you forgot to define data inside your function
anyway with this function you can create multiple requests and have more control over them..
var req={};
function ajax(a){
var i=Date.now()+((Math.random()*1000)>>0);
req[i]=new XMLHttpRequest;
req[i].i=i;
req[i].open('GET',a);
req[i].onload=LOG;
req[i].send();
}
function LOG(){
console.log(this.i,this.response);
delete req[this.i];//clear
}
window.onload=function(){
ajax('1.html');
ajax('2.html');
ajax('3.html');
}
uses xhr2... you need to modify the code to make it work with older browsers.

ajax - request data from multiple files on one page?

I am trying to run multiple Ajax functions on load in a single page which will get data from two different php pages. Both the Ajax functions will then print the retrieved data onto the page from which the ajax function was called. The problem I encountered was that the last function call which I make from the Ajax overrides the first function call, and so only the second function result is showed.
The code for one of the Ajax function (since both of the are very similar to each other):
function favorite_track_request(str){
switch(str){
case 'next_track':
var feed = 'require_fav_track_info';
var offset = track_currentOffset + 5;
if(offset > max_track_range){
offset -= 5;
}
break;
case 'prev_track':
var feed = 'require_fav_track_info';
var offset = track_currentOffset - 5;
if(offset < 0){
offset = 0;
}
break;
default:
var feed = 'require_fav_track_info';
var offset = 0;
}
request = new ajaxRequest()
request.open("GET", "scripts/"+feed+".php?offset="+offset, true)
request.onreadystatechange = function(){
if(this.readyState == 4){
if(this.status == 200){
if(this.responseText != null){
if(request.responseText){
document.getElementById('fav_tracks').innerHTML = request.responseText;
}
}else alert("No data recieved");
}else {
alert("Ajax error: "+this.statusText);
}
}
}
request.send(null);
track_currentOffset = offset;
}
This ajax would then print to <div id="fav_tracks"></div>, however this gets overridden because another call (similar to the Ajax above) is made and that overrides the previous one. Is there any way to stop this?

I built a data handler "class" to manage just such a thing. You are right, the one overrides the other. I haven't investigated it, but it's probabably because your are re-assigning the onEvent that AJAX uses.
Below is the class I built (I know, it's not JQuery... it works). What it does is uses timeouts to "know" when to fire the second and third async request. There probably is a JQuery function that does the same thing.
You would call this by using the below for each AJAX call (giving each call a unique var name):
dataHandler = new DataHandler("[name of datafile to call]");
dataHandler.query['[myQueryName]'] = 'myValue' //this is an Object used to build a query string, if needed, so use as many data pairs as you need
dataHandler.asynchronous(myOnReadyStateChangeFN);//put the fn you want to use for readystatechange as a reference... do not includ the ()
Here's the "class":
function DataHandler(dataFile){
this.dataFile = dataFile;
dataInProgress = false;
this.query = new Object();
this.asynchronous = function(fn){
var thisFunction = this.asynchronous
var rand = Math.floor(Math.random()*100001);
var query, timeOutFunctionString;
if(this.dataInProgress){
timeOutFunctionString = callingObjectName+".asynchronous("+fn+")";
this.thisTimeout = setTimeout(timeOutFunctionString,500);
}else{
dataInProgress = true;
this.assignRequestObject.xmlHttp.onreadystatechange = function () {
fn();
dataInProgress = false;
return;
};
}
query = this.dataFile + '?r=' + rand;
for (var key in this.query) query = query + '&' + key + '=' + this.query[key];
//console.info("DataHandler.asynchronous\nquery = "+query+'\nthis.dataFile = ' + this.dataFile);
this.assignRequestObject.xmlHttp.open('GET', query, true);
this.assignRequestObject.xmlHttp.send(null);
};
this.AssignRequestObject = function() {
try { this.xmlHttp = new XMLHttpRequest() } catch (e) {
try { this.xmlHttp = new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP") } catch (e) {
try { this.xmlHttp = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP") } catch (e) {
alert("Your browser does not support AJAX!");
return false
}
}
}
};
this.assignRequestObject = new this.AssignRequestObject();
};

Form submit using Ajax

I need to submit the a form using Ajax with POST method.The code is as follows,
function persistPage(divID,url,method){
var scriptId = "inlineScript_" + divID;
var xmlRequest = getXMLHttpRequest();
xmlRequest.open("POST",url,true);
xmlRequest.onreadystatechange = function(){
alert(xmlRequest.readyState + " :" + xmlRequest.status);
if (xmlRequest.readyState ==4 || xmlRequest.status == 200)
document.getElementById(divID).innerHTML=xmlRequest.responseText;
};
xmlRequest.open("POST", url, false);
alert(xmlRequest.readyState);
xmlRequest.send(null);
}
but the form is not submitting(request is not executed or no data posted).How to submit the form using Ajax.
Thanks

There's a few reasons why your code doesn't work. Allow me to break it down and go over the issues one by one. I'll start of with the last (but biggest) problem:
xmlRequest.send(null);
My guess is, you've based your code on a GET example, where the send method is called with null, or even undefined as a parameter (xhr.send()). This is because the url contains the data in a GET request (.php?param1=val1&param2=val2...). When using post, you're going to have to pass the data to the send method.
But Let's not get ahead of ourselves:
function persistPage(divID,url,method)
{
var scriptId = "inlineScript_" + divID;
var xmlRequest = getXMLHttpRequest();//be advised, older IE's don't support this
xmlRequest.open("POST",url,true);
//Set additional headers:
xmlRequest.setRequestHeader('X-Requested-With', 'XMLHttpRequest');//marks ajax request
xmlRequest.setRequestHeader('Content-type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencode');//sending form
The first of the two headers is not always a necessity, but it's better to be safe than sorry, IMO. Now, onward:
xmlRequest.onreadystatechange = function()
{
alert(xmlRequest.readyState + " :" + xmlRequest.status);
if (xmlRequest.readyState ==4 || xmlRequest.status == 200)
document.getElementById(divID).innerHTML=xmlRequest.responseText;
};
This code has a number of issues. You're assigning a method to an object, so there's no need to refer to your object using xmlRequest, though technically valid here, this will break once you move the callback function outside the persistPage function. The xmlRequest variable is local to the function's scope, and cannot be accessed outside it. Besides, as I said before, it's a method: this points to the object directlyYour if statement is a bit weird, too: the readystate must be 4, and status == 200, not or. So:
xmlRequest.onreadystatechange = function()
{
alert(this.readyState + " :" + this.status);
if (this.readyState === 4 && this.status === 200)
{
document.getElementById(divID).innerHTML=this.responseText;
}
};
xmlRequest.open("POST", url, false);
alert(xmlRequest.readyState);//pointless --> ajax is async, so it will alert 0, I think
xmlRequest.send(data);//<-- data goes here
}
How you fill the data is up to you, but make sure the format matches the header: in this case 'content type','x-www-form-urlencode'. Here's a full example of just such a request, it's not exactly a world beater, since I was in the process of ditching jQ in favour of pure JS at the time, but it's serviceable and you might pick up a thing or two. Especially take a closer look at function ajax() definition. In it you'll see a X-browser way to create an xhr-object, and there's a function in there to stringify forms, too
POINTLESS UPDATE:
Just for completeness sake, I'll add a full example:
function getXhr()
{
try
{
return XMLHttpRequest();
}
catch (error)
{
try
{
return new ActiveXObject('Msxml2.XMLHTTP');
}
catch(error)
{
try
{
return new ActiveXObject('Microsoft.XMLHTTP');
}
catch(error)
{
//throw new Error('no Ajax support?');
alert('You have a hopelessly outdated browser');
location.href = 'http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/';
}
}
}
}
function formalizeObject(form)
{//we'll use this to create our send-data
recursion = recursion || false;
if (typeof form !== 'object')
{
throw new Error('no object provided');
}
var ret = '';
form = form.elements || form;//double check for elements node-list
for (var i=0;i<form.length;i++)
{
if (form[i].type === 'checkbox' || form[i].type === 'radio')
{
if (form[i].checked)
{
ret += (ret.length ? '&' : '') + form[i].name + '=' + form[i].value;
}
continue;
}
ret += (ret.length ? '&' : '') + form[i].name +'='+ form[i].value;
}
return encodeURI(ret);
}
function persistPage(divID,url,method)
{
var scriptId = "inlineScript_" + divID;
var xmlRequest = getXhr();
xmlRequest.open("POST",url,true);
xmlRequest.setRequestHeader('X-Requested-With', 'XMLHttpRequest');
xmlRequest.setRequestHeader('Content-type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencode');
xmlRequest.onreadystatechange = function()
{
alert(this.readyState + " :" + this.status);
if (this.readyState === 4 && this.status === 200)
{
document.getElementById(divID).innerHTML=this.responseText;
}
};
xmlRequest.open("POST", url, false);
alert(xmlRequest.readyState);
xmlRequest.send(formalizeObject(document.getElementById('formId').elements));
}
Just for fun: this code, untested, but should work allright. Though, on each request the persistPage will create a new function object and assign it to the onreadystate event of xmlRequest. You could write this code so that you'll only need to create 1 function. I'm not going into my beloved closures right now (I think you have enough on your plate with this), but it's important to know that functions are objects, and have properties, just like everything else:Replace:
xmlRequest.onreadystatechange = function()
{
alert(this.readyState + " :" + this.status);
if (this.readyState === 4 && this.status === 200)
{
document.getElementById(divID).innerHTML=this.responseText;
}
};
With this:
//inside persistPage function:
xmlRequest.onreadystatechange = formSubmitSuccess;
formSubmitSuccess.divID = divID;//<== assign property to function
//global scope
function formSubmitSuccess()
{
if (this.readyState === 4 && this.status === 200)
{
console.log(this.responseText);
document.getElementById(formSubmitSuccess.divID).innerHTML = this.responseText;
//^^ uses property, set in persistPAge function
}
}
Don't use this though, as async calls could still be running while you're reassigning the property, causing mayhem. If the id is always going to be the same, you can, though (but closures would be even better, then).
Ok, I'll leave it at that

This code can let you understand. The function SendRequest send the request and build the xmlRequest through the GetXMLHttpRequest function
function SendRequest() {
var xmlRequest = GetXMLHttpRequest(),
if(xmlRequest) {
xmlRequest.open("POST", '/urlToPost', true)
xmlRequest.setRequestHeader("connection", "close");
xmlRequest.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (xmlRequest.status == 200) {
// Success
}
else {
// Some errors occured
}
};
xmlRequest.send(null);
}
}
function GetXMLHttpRequest() {
if (navigator.userAgent.indexOf("MSIE") != (-1)) {
var theClass = "Msxml2.XMLHTTP";
if (navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE 5.5") != (-1)) {
theClass = "Microsoft.XMLHTTP";
}
try {
objectXMLHTTP = new ActivexObject(theClass);
return objectXMLHTTP;
}
catch (e) {
alert("Errore: the Activex will not be executed!");
}
}
else if (navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Mozilla") != (-1)) {
objectXMLHTTP = new XMLHttpRequest();
return objectXMLHTTP;
}
else {
alert("!Browser not supported!");
}
}

take a look at this page. In this line: req.send(postData); post data is an array with values that should be posted to server. You have null there. so nothing is posted. You just call request and send no data. In your case you must collect all values from your form, as XMLHTTPRequest is not something that can simply submit form. You must pass all values with JS:
var postData = {};
postData.value1 = document.getElementById("value1id").value;
...
xmlRequest.send(postData);
Where value1 will be available on server like $_POST['value'] (in PHP)
Also there might be a problem with URL or how you are calling persistPage. persistPage code looks ok to me, but maybe I'm missing something. Also you can take a look if you have no errors in console. Press F12 in any browser and find console tab. In FF you may need to install Firebug extention. Also there you will have Network tab with all requests. Open Firebug/Web Inspector(Chrome)/Developer Toolbar(IE) and check if new request is registered in its network tab after you call persistPage.

I found you've invoked the
xmlRequest.open()
method twice, one with async param as true and the other as false. What exactly do you intend to do?
xmlRequest.open("POST", url, true);
...
xmlRequest.open("POST", url, false);
If you want to send asynchronous request, pls pass the param as true.
And also, to use 'POST' method, you'd better send the request header as suggested by Elias,
xmlRequest.setRequestHeader('Content-type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencode');
Otherwise, you may still get unexpected issues.
If you want a synchronous request, actually you may handle the response directly right after you send the request, just like:
xmlRequest.open("POST", url, false);
xmlRequest.send(postData);
// handle response here
document.getElementById(scriptId).innerHTML = xmlRequest.responseText;
Hope this helps.

AJAX div not updating without alert call with error: b.data is undefined

First of all, any suggestions on rewriting my title?
Issue:
I have an AJAX updatable div, when my error checking alert calls are in, everything works perfect. But when I remove a specific one, the DIV never gets updated. I know it sounds confusing, but code is as follows, and then I will explain further.
AJAX SCRIPT
var xmlhttp
/*#cc_on #*/
/*#if (#_jscript_version >= 5)
try {
xmlhttp=new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP")
} catch (e) {
try {
xmlhttp=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP")
} catch (E) {
xmlhttp=false
}
}
#else
xmlhttp=false
#end #*/
if (!xmlhttp && typeof XMLHttpRequest!='undefined') {
try {
xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();
} catch (e) {
xmlhttp=false
}
}
function myXMLHttpRequest() {
var xmlhttplocal;
try {
xmlhttplocal= new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP")
} catch (e) {
try {
xmlhttplocal= new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP")
} catch (E) {
xmlhttplocal=false;
}
}
if (!xmlhttplocal && typeof XMLHttpRequest!='undefined') {
try {
var xmlhttplocal = new XMLHttpRequest();
} catch (e) {
var xmlhttplocal=false;
alert('couldn\'t create xmlhttp object');
}
}
return(xmlhttplocal);
}
function sndReq(page,key,includesDir,changeDiv,parameterString) {
var divToChange = document.getElementById(changeDiv); // the Div that the data will be put into
// Place loading image in container DIV
divToChange.innerHTML = '<div class="loading">Loading</div>';
if (includesDir == 1){
//Find Current Working Directory. Use to find path to call other files from
var myloc = window.location.href;
var locarray = myloc.split("/");
delete locarray[(locarray.length-1)];
var arraytext = locarray.join("/");
xmlhttp.open("POST","AJAXCaller.php",true);
xmlhttp.setRequestHeader("Content-type","application/x-www-form-urlencoded");
xmlhttp.send(parameterString);
} else {
}
xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = handleResponse(changeDiv);
xmlhttp.send(null);
}
function handleResponse(changeDiv) {
/* ======== If I remove the following line script halts ================*/
/* ======== If line stays here, script executes perfectly ==============*/
alert('to changetext 1\n'+xmlhttp.responseText);
/* =========End of line removal issue =================================*/
if(xmlhttp.readyState == 4){
if (xmlhttp.status == 200){
var response = xmlhttp.responseText;
var update = new Array();
if(response.indexOf('|') != -1) {
update = response.split('|');
changeText(update[0], update[1]);
} else {
changeText(changeDiv, response);
}
} //End IF xmlhttp.status == 200
}
}
function changeText( div2show, text ) {
// Detect Browser
var IE = (document.all) ? 1 : 0;
var DOM = 0;
if (parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >=5) {DOM=1};
// Grab the content from the requested "div" and show it in the "container"
if (DOM) {
var viewer = document.getElementById(div2show);
viewer.innerHTML = text;
} else if(IE) {
document.all[div2show].innerHTML = text;
}
}
When I check my Firefox error console, this error ONLY appears when I remove that alert as defined in the code:
Timestamp: 5/30/2012 5:07:55 PM
Error: b.data is undefined
Source File: http://cdn.sstatic.net/js/wmd.js?v=cfd2b283af83
Line: 92
I am an advanced PHP/mySQL developer, but have been trying hard to grasp AJAX/JavaScript. Doing tutorials like mad. So please be descriptive in comments/answers so I can use them as a reference for learning...
Why would displaying an alert box alter code execution (for the better!) in any way?
NEW ERRORS - Google Chrome and Firefox Console (sigh...)
Uncaught Error: INVALID_STATE_ERR: DOM Exception 11
sndReqAJAX.js:89
element.onclick
Line 89 is the following (verified by Google Chrome Console)
xmlhttp.send(null);
Everything I find on the web refers to extremely complex issue regarding DOM objects not existing... This wouldn't apply here, would it?

First, the problem. This is the line:
xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = handleResponse(changeDiv);
The reason this is wrong is that xmlhttp.onreadystatechange should be a function - you need to assign a function to the property, what you are doing is calling the function and assigning the return value to the property. This is not in itself a problem, as long as your function returns a function. Which it doesn't.
If you're used to working with PHP (especially if your used to working with PHP <5.3) you may not be used to this concept. Javascript has support for closures in a way that anyone who doesn't use them much will find confusing.
What the line needs to look like is this:
xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = handleResponse;
By appending (changeDiv) you are calling the function, whereas what you need to do is simply pass it, like you would any other value.
Now, where it gets complicated is that you want to pass an argument that is local to the scope of the calling function. There are a number of ways to handle this, but a cursory look at your code tells me that handleResponse() is not used anywhere else, so it would be better to define this as a closure and not litter the global scope with a named event handler. This also overcomes the variable scoping problem:
xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (xmlhttp.readyState == 4) {
if (xmlhttp.status == 200) {
var response = xmlhttp.responseText;
var update = []; // "new Array()" is baaaad
if (response.indexOf('|') != -1) {
update = response.split('|');
changeText(update[0], update[1]);
} else {
changeText(changeDiv, response);
}
} //End IF xmlhttp.status == 200
}
};
Replace the aforementioned offending line with that block of code, and remove the handleResponse() function definition, and that should solve the immediate problem. Now, as to why the alert() "fixes" your original code - this is a little hard to explain, but I shall have a go... give me a minute to inspect the code properly
Attempt at a full and comprehensible explanation abandoned. If anyone wants one, post a comment and I'll have another go at it when I've had some sleep...