Comments on: AJAX Annoyances to Avoid http://davidwalsh.name/ajax-tips Legendary scribbles about JavaScript, HTML5, AJAX, PHP, CSS, and ∞. Mon, 21 May 2012 07:46:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Bryanhttp://davidwalsh.name/ajax-tips#comment-18029 Bryan Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:36:02 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/?p=4973#comment-18029 When I select some next, and some 'helpful' image/ form/ modal appears offering to search with that text or similar... kind of like on this blog actually. When I select some next, and some ‘helpful’ image/ form/ modal appears offering to search with that text or similar… kind of like on this blog actually.

]]> By: Sunny Singhhttp://davidwalsh.name/ajax-tips#comment-18026 Sunny Singh Sat, 05 Jun 2010 22:30:33 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/?p=4973#comment-18026 Agreed, I really hate it when a site is fully AJAX and nothing happens when I press the back button. It still offers a lot of possibilities that weren't possible before or simply misused other technologies like framesets. So now a site that plays music as its core functionality can keep that music playing while users browse their site, pretty ingenious if done right. Agreed, I really hate it when a site is fully AJAX and nothing happens when I press the back button. It still offers a lot of possibilities that weren’t possible before or simply misused other technologies like framesets. So now a site that plays music as its core functionality can keep that music playing while users browse their site, pretty ingenious if done right.

]]> By: Manmohanjit Singhhttp://davidwalsh.name/ajax-tips#comment-18024 Manmohanjit Singh Sat, 05 Jun 2010 20:00:41 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/?p=4973#comment-18024 @ctult: Oh yes, I agree. Most of the animations that I used for my site works without Javascript, just the special effects are missing.The only part of my blog where Ajax is used is in the comments and the contact form. @ctult: Oh yes, I agree. Most of the animations that I used for my site works without Javascript, just the special effects are missing.

The only part of my blog where Ajax is used is in the comments and the contact form.

]]> By: Constantinehttp://davidwalsh.name/ajax-tips#comment-18001 Constantine Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:41:32 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/?p=4973#comment-18001 You should also add: - Using AJAX Because Everyone Else Does - Using AJAX Because Client Wants It - Using XHR+html instead of simply toggling display: value for respective divsand most of all: - Not wishing to learn JS, and still code numerous sites with it. You should also add:
- Using AJAX Because Everyone Else Does
- Using AJAX Because Client Wants It
- Using XHR+html instead of simply toggling display: value for respective divs

and most of all:
- Not wishing to learn JS, and still code numerous sites with it.

]]> By: ctulthttp://davidwalsh.name/ajax-tips#comment-17934 ctult Sat, 29 May 2010 21:42:46 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/?p=4973#comment-17934 It doesn't just affect your page rank, it destroys it. Another bad thing about ajax is that many developers now days don't care about browsers without Javascript. While we keep this trend up, we will just go nowhere fast. It doesn’t just affect your page rank, it destroys it. Another bad thing about ajax is that many developers now days don’t care about browsers without Javascript. While we keep this trend up, we will just go nowhere fast.

]]> By: Manmohanjit Singhhttp://davidwalsh.name/ajax-tips#comment-17923 Manmohanjit Singh Fri, 28 May 2010 16:13:25 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/?p=4973#comment-17923 I used to have Ajax site wide on my blog, I thought it would be cool but not really. And Ajax affects your page rank. I used to have Ajax site wide on my blog, I thought it would be cool but not really. And Ajax affects your page rank.

]]> By: Levhttp://davidwalsh.name/ajax-tips#comment-17922 Lev Fri, 28 May 2010 14:58:18 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/?p=4973#comment-17922 Yeah, the ones you have mentioned are really annoying. In fact, I had a project once for a client where he wanted to me "fix" what he referred to as a "major bug" in his site. He had hired a developer to build him a custom site, and when the developer put it together they had overly used AJAX for every single thing you can basically imagine. If you click "contact" it would load that over what you were viewing, if you clicked basically anything on the site it would load up the content on the same page through AJAX. The "bug" he referred to was how you the back button was rendered useless on his site "in all browsers" as he put it. hahaha, Little did he realize this actually wasn't a bug per se, but was the way the whole system he had developed was coded. So basically when I came on, I didn't use a single bit of the old code and instead just reverse engineered the whole site from scratch and only used AJAX when I felt it was relevant and helpful.People really definitely do overuse it, and often use it in the wrong way. It's use should be intuitive at all times, and it should really only be used in the context of 1) when reducing the load is important, or 2) when you're building a web application. Using it for every link on your site is just plain stupid (not to mention really poor if you care about SEO).A few other mistakes I frequently see (which are kinda just variants of what you've already described) is when content can be loaded over content in a DIV or element, without allowing you to restore the previous state of the element, when it may be desirable in some situations (basically the same as making all your links AJAX driven).Another one I've started to see more often (though perhaps not necessarily just AJAX related, but JavaScript related) is when clicking something opens an overlay in which the only way to get rid of the overlay is by filling out the whole form or reloading the page. I've seen lots of new and trendy sites do this sort of thing with login menus for example - you click some login button or link to open a login menu overlay, and the overlay doesn't contain any "close" or "x" allowing you to get rid of it in case you changed your mind or clicked it by accident. Sadly this is becoming pretty common, and when the big guys are doing it to, it's only a matter of time before it spreads like wildfire (since we all know most web developers today have no creativity and just rip off the big name sites of the day)./rant Yeah, the ones you have mentioned are really annoying. In fact, I had a project once for a client where he wanted to me “fix” what he referred to as a “major bug” in his site. He had hired a developer to build him a custom site, and when the developer put it together they had overly used AJAX for every single thing you can basically imagine. If you click “contact” it would load that over what you were viewing, if you clicked basically anything on the site it would load up the content on the same page through AJAX. The “bug” he referred to was how you the back button was rendered useless on his site “in all browsers” as he put it. hahaha, Little did he realize this actually wasn’t a bug per se, but was the way the whole system he had developed was coded. So basically when I came on, I didn’t use a single bit of the old code and instead just reverse engineered the whole site from scratch and only used AJAX when I felt it was relevant and helpful.

People really definitely do overuse it, and often use it in the wrong way. It’s use should be intuitive at all times, and it should really only be used in the context of 1) when reducing the load is important, or 2) when you’re building a web application. Using it for every link on your site is just plain stupid (not to mention really poor if you care about SEO).

A few other mistakes I frequently see (which are kinda just variants of what you’ve already described) is when content can be loaded over content in a DIV or element, without allowing you to restore the previous state of the element, when it may be desirable in some situations (basically the same as making all your links AJAX driven).

Another one I’ve started to see more often (though perhaps not necessarily just AJAX related, but JavaScript related) is when clicking something opens an overlay in which the only way to get rid of the overlay is by filling out the whole form or reloading the page. I’ve seen lots of new and trendy sites do this sort of thing with login menus for example – you click some login button or link to open a login menu overlay, and the overlay doesn’t contain any “close” or “x” allowing you to get rid of it in case you changed your mind or clicked it by accident. Sadly this is becoming pretty common, and when the big guys are doing it to, it’s only a matter of time before it spreads like wildfire (since we all know most web developers today have no creativity and just rip off the big name sites of the day).

/rant

]]> By: panaghiahttp://davidwalsh.name/ajax-tips#comment-17921 panaghia Fri, 28 May 2010 14:50:56 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/?p=4973#comment-17921 Totally agree about the abuse of this kind of technology, i wrote some lines a few weeks ago at [http://www.panaghia.it/en/2010/03/16/sfatiamo-il-mito-ajax/] talking specially about some usability problems.keep going with your great job!Sergio Totally agree about the abuse of this kind of technology, i wrote some lines a few weeks ago at [http://www.panaghia.it/en/2010/03/16/sfatiamo-il-mito-ajax/] talking specially about some usability problems.

keep going with your great job!

Sergio

]]> By: Mike Hendersonhttp://davidwalsh.name/ajax-tips#comment-17919 Mike Henderson Fri, 28 May 2010 14:31:55 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/?p=4973#comment-17919 Facebook is a big abuser of the "Forgetting Scroll Position/Paging" Facebook is a big abuser of the “Forgetting Scroll Position/Paging”

]]> By: David Walshhttp://davidwalsh.name/ajax-tips#comment-17918 David Walsh Fri, 28 May 2010 14:22:50 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/?p=4973#comment-17918 From a developer perspective, I should mention that not canceling requests is annoying. From a developer perspective, I should mention that not canceling requests is annoying.

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