AJAX on ColdFusion 5 Server

You can use AJAX.  AJAX is just a method of calling back using javascript and xml.  It has nothing to do with what server languge you are using.

Now you most likely won't be able to use a pre-built tag, but simply write it yourself.

>>I need AJAX to make up for my lacking JavaScript skills
The J in AJAX stands for Javascript.  You can't expect AJAX to "make up" for lacking skills.  If the tags people have offered to share - more likely written using newer technologies like CF MX - don't work for you then you need to write it yourself, but it requires extensive javascript to do so.

The how might I run something like CFAJax on CF5?

Here's the JSMX .cfc file that I would need to be recoded for CF5...can you do that?

<CFCOMPONENT output="No">
<cfsetting enablecfoutputonly="Yes" showdebugoutput="No">

      <CFFUNCTION name="getList" access="remote" returntype="void">
            <cfquery name="qList" datasource="northwind">
                  SELECT employeeId, LastName+', '+firstName AS name
                  FROM employees
                  ORDER BY lastname,firstname
            </cfquery>
            <cfset LIs = ''>
            <cfloop query="qList">
                  <cfset LIs = LIs&"<li><a href='javascript:details_request(#employeeId#);'>#name#</a></li>">
            </cfloop>
      
      <!--- return object --->
      <cfwddx action="cfml2js" input="#LIs#" toplevelvariable="r">
      </CFFUNCTION>



      <CFFUNCTION name="getDetails" access="remote" returntype="void">
            <CFARGUMENT name="eid" type="numeric" reqDetailsired="Yes" default="0">      
                  <cfquery name="qDetails" datasource="northwind">
                        SELECT EmployeeId,Title,FirstName,LastName,HireDate,city,region,postalcode,Notes
                        FROM employees
                        WHERE employeeId = <cfqueryparam cfsqltype="CF_SQL_INTEGER" value="#val(arguments.eid)#">
                        <!--- security statement to ensure only correct user accesses --->
                  </cfquery>
                  <cfset xObj = structNew()>
                  <cfset xObj.EID = qDetails.EmployeeId>
                  <cfset xObj.title = qDetails.title>
                  <cfset xObj.firstName = qDetails.firstname>
                  <cfset xObj.lastName = qDetails.lastname>
                  <cfset xObj.hireDate = qDetails.hireDate>
                  <cfset xObj.city = qDetails.city>
                  <cfset xObj.state = qDetails.region>
                  <cfset xObj.zip = qDetails.postalcode>
                  <cfset xObj.notes = qDetails.notes>
      <!--- return object --->
      <cfwddx action="cfml2js" input="#xObj#" toplevelvariable="r">
      </CFFUNCTION>

      
      <CFFUNCTION name="putDetails" access="remote" returntype="void">
            <cftry>
                  <cfquery datasource="northwind">
                        UPDATE employees
                        SET       title = <cfqueryparam cfsqltype="CF_SQL_VARCHAR" value="#arguments.title#">,
                                    firstName = <cfqueryparam cfsqltype="CF_SQL_VARCHAR" value="#arguments.firstname#">,
                                    lastName= <cfqueryparam cfsqltype="CF_SQL_VARCHAR" value="#arguments.lastname#">,
                                    hireDate = <cfqueryparam cfsqltype="CF_SQL_DATE" value="#createODBCdate(arguments.hiredate)#">,
                                    notes = <cfqueryparam cfsqltype="CF_SQL_LONGVARCHAR" value="#arguments.notes#">
                        WHERE employeeId = <cfqueryparam cfsqltype="CF_SQL_INTEGER" value="#val(arguments.eid)#">
                        <!--- security statement to ensure only correct user accesses --->
                  </cfquery>
                  <cfset result = val(arguments.eid)>
            <cfcatch>
                  <cfset result = 0>
            </cfcatch></cftry>                  
      
      <!--- return object --->
      <cfwddx action="cfml2js" input="#result#" toplevelvariable="r">
      </CFFUNCTION>

      
      <!--- Read the NOTES of the readme.txt file included with this sample app before adding this functionality to your LIVE Web Applications. --->
      <CFFUNCTION name="getCityStateFromZip" access="remote" returntype="void">
            <cfargument name="zip" type="string" required="Yes" default="00000">
            <cfset result = structNew()>
            <cfset result.city = "">
            <cfset result.state = "">
            
            <cfhttp method="GET" url="http://www.webservicex.net//uszip.asmx/GetInfoByZIP?USZip=#arguments.zip#"/>
            <cftry>
                  <cfset addyObj = xmlParse(cfhttp.filecontent)>
                  <cfset result.city = trim(addyObj.newDataset.table.city.xmlText)>
                  <cfset result.state = trim(addyObj.newDataset.table.state.xmlText)>
            <cfcatch></cfcatch></cftry>
            
      <cfwddx action="cfml2js" input="#result#" toplevelvariable="r">
      </CFFUNCTION>
      
      
</CFCOMPONENT>

I understand that Javascript is a key here...and I work with JS well...just not good enough to write Ajax engines...

AJax isn't the problem nor is the JavaScript engines that run it...my problem is the use of the CFFUNCTION tag in every example that I can't run on CF5.

www.newatlanta.com

Get the Dragon!  We use and love BLueDragon!  Of course this is an outlay of $, but to use the newer technologies, it is a move that must be made at some point.

That looks a little overboard but thanks (o:

Maybe I should just host the pages that I need the AJax to run on a different server with CF7 on it and push it back to the main server once it is completed?

I do have another webserver crossed over (p2p networked) to the main application server.  How does that sound?

For your situation, that would probably work best.

What cha think mrichmon?

Thanks

Thanks guys...you've been a big help (o: