Opinions on implementing JavaScript.

unreal128

I am thinking about implementing Sajax (Ajax PHP implementation using Javascript) since it will give my site a more interactive and less static feel. My one concern though is the pitfalls I hear related to Javascript; that it can be abused for client side bypassing of security and that in alot of instances it is turned off. As web developers, what are your guys' opinions of this and should I make the jump? I always try to stick to basic technologies to get the widest audience but on the other hand I can be pretty paranoid too even if the technology will mean any overall improvement for the feel of my website.

BTW, here is a great tutorial on using Sajax. There is an intial signup at the IBM website but it is well worth it and entirely free. The site has alot of great tutorial and certification sections you can take advantage of.

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/edu/os-dw-os-phpajax-i.html

tony_l

This all depends on the purpose of the site. I categorize websites in 3 different ways - 1. Personal, 2. Informational, and 3. Commercial. Here are my thoughts on Javascript -

Category 1 - Personal Websites
You can pretty much do what you want. Experiment, play around with applets, Use Javascript to do neat navigational things, play sound, and you can even put flash on there. The reason? It's personal, and if you have accesibility problems, they can go somewhere else without losing out on too much.

Category 2 - Informational Websites
Javascript is ok for NON-CONTENT items. In other words, do not use javascript too heavily, and don't make navigation with javascript, unless you have an alternative content along with it. Stay away from flash (plugins can potentially drive some users away). You need to think about accessibility here as well, but I would not stress over it - uless you are building the site for a company or organization.

Category 3 - Commercial Websites
Javascript should absolutely NOT be used. The only exception to this is to hide email addresses using the old standby to avoid bots from swallowing up email addys. Eventhough some company's think that flash is awesome and the best thing on earth - this is where webmasters (serious ones) should put their foot down and explain why the flashy stuff is just that - flashy stuff, and it could actually steer people away from their site.

Now with all that said, remember that PHP is a POWERFUL server-side scripting language. It can do so much more than javascript can - and it is more secure. I cannot honestly see anything that javascript has over PHP. People will always throw the "form validation is so much faster and easier with javascript". I have to disagree LOUDLY with that. NEVER trust anything that comes from a client - even form data! You could open yourself up to sql-injection attacks and so much more.

Now - as for making your site not "look" static. What exactly are you talking about? If this is a personal site, a good way to drive traffic to your site is using a blog. My personal site is being re-vamped right now, so it looks kinda blah at the moment, but I use site update boxes, quote of the day, most recent picture uploaded and things like that to make the content dynamic and ever-changing.

Well Now that I have written a book here, I will let you gnaw on that awhile.

-Tony

unreal128

Thanks for the well thought out reply. The site I am building is for music reviews and will have advertising/commercial offerings on it eventually. Using Sajax would enable me to update information on the page without reloading it. This will be useful for the news and information tickers I am putting on it. As far as validation and authentication goes, I only use PHP.

tony_l

OK, I can see how that would be useful. reloading a page should not bea problem for your users, unless it is image-heavy (Which I am assuming it will be). Just remember that people do indeed turn javascript off - and for good reason. Just allow them an alternative. I know that making 2 sites is a pain and is not reccommended. Just don't make your site dependent on it.

Example -

You use Javascript to run a news ticker - that is acceptable because if someone has javascript turned off, they are just losing the ticker - not the whole page. I have seen sites where the whole thing depends on cookies and document.write() functions - people who have javascript turned off lose out on the whole bloody site.

-Good luck on the site man!