12 June 2006

AjaxPro.NET Tests

Over the last weekend, I've completed 80% of a new project using AjaxPro.NET ajax data access library and comparing to Atlas, it features 80% of what Atlas has to offer without being so intrusive.

The general idea is that you create your backend data acess as you'd do normally, all you have to do is register your class in Page_Load and decorate [AjaxPro.AjaxMethod] to the mothods that you would like to be accessible from javascript.

What's more important is that AjaxPro.NET works in IE even if you have ActiveX/XmlHttp object disabled (why is it important? Here at work, they disable anything that depends on ActiveX)  This is something that MOST OF OTHER ajax frameworks lacks. Dojo, scripaculous, Atlas.

Advantage over Atlas

  • No webservices layer
  • Works without ActiveX (use iframe proxy)
  • Easier to learn, unobtrusive
  • Easier to integrate with 3rd party UI libraries.
  • Works in both .net 1.1 and .net 2.0
  • Clearn javascript in places where you want it to be (in <head> section for example. Atlas could be all over the place)

Disadvantage over Atlas(not really disadvantages maybe beacause it wasnt' designed for it)

  • No build-in UI componets like Checkbox, HyperLink, Image, Inpu, Label, Select, Textbox nor repeater types of UI like Listview and what not (though you could return these as string from server-side, but then you loose your viewstate information)
  • No behaviors defined. Things like drag and drop, effects and what not. They were simply not what AjaxPro was designed for.
  • Doesn't integrate well with currents sets of ASP.NET GUI Componets. Fro example, if I have a bunch of textbox with validators, upon submit, I want to use the current backend logic to render the default error messages. If you are using AjaxPro, you need to recode these in your javascript where Atlas you simply use UpdatePanel or use the declarative synatax and specific your validators.

That's all I can think of for now. In my opinion at this learning stage, I would use

  • AjaxPro if the UI need is simple. No sorting, no paging, no need for complicated gridview functionlities.
  • Atlas if the UI need is somewhat complicated. For example, it involves tons of validations and server side componets like calendar, webparts, etc
  • If the UI is really complicated, I will be back use AjaxPro PLUS other UI libraries like Yahoo UI, Scripaculous and/or Dojo.

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