• View
• Edit
• History
• Print

AjaxSoftware

HTML pages that use Ajax techniques (i.e., the Javascript XMLHttpRequest object) must come from the same web server as the server-side program called by the HTML page. Thus, to write Ajax code, we need 1) a web server, 2) an HTML editor. The problem is the web server; we don't have one available for running server-side programs that you can host your HTML files on as well.

Our solution is to have each student purchase a hosting service (user account) from outside Penn that provides a Microsoft web server, and then use Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional (available free to Penn students) to create a website on the hosted web server. The website will contain server-side programs (which we will provide for you and show you how to install), and you will develop your HTML pages that contain Javascript on this hosted server.

• WARNING: If you access your domain beginning with "www.", you also need the "www." in your Ajaxed HTML pages, else they won't work. So please either use the "www." consistently, or don't use it.

Hosting service:

The cost to each student should be $45 for three months if purchased from the recommended hosting service, http://discountasp.net/ ($10 per month for the Base Hosting Plan, plus $15 for a new domain name). It will take you about one week to get your hosting account set up, and to get Visual Studio 2005 installed on your home machine. A credit card will be required. Please apply for your account immediately so it will be ready within the week.

To apply for web hosting, please browse to http://discountasp.net/. First, use the Domain Lookup web form to find an available domain name. After choosing an available domain name, click on "ASP/ASP.Net Web Hosting: Sign Up Now". Have your credit card ready, and write down (or print) everything you enter. The company (discountasp.net) will then be both the registrar for your domain name, and the hosting service for your web site using that domain name.

NOTE: You may need to add discountasp.net to your email whitelist so you will receive site communications. You may also need to check your bulk/junk email folder for the welcome email for your new account in the event that it ends up in there.

Here's the sample Ajax code for getting a random quote to test your hosting service with.

Discountasp.net tips (moved from the HomePage):

• VS.NET Update: If you have time, it's a good idea to install the latest service pack (bug fixes) for Visual Studio. Download them here (this is for the Professional version also even though it says "Team" version); the install is very slow and can take up to 30 minutes.
• WARNING: Never use ftp to access your discountasp.net hosting service. All file and folder changes should be made by the Microsoft server extensions by using Visual Studio.
• Discountasp.net hosting tip: If you can't build though everything seems right, try this workaround.
• Discountasp.net hosting signup: To get 3 months instead of one year, once you get past picking the domain, a form is shown in which there is a dropdown to pick annual or quarterly. If you don't select anything, it defaults to annual. The dropdown option is easy to miss.
• Visual Studio tip: If you did not select the C# environment the first time you launched Visual Studio, go to Tools, Import and Export Settings and select Reset all settings.
• If you're interested in the hosting service for a year and you enter the promotion code 2007special6, you receive 6 months free (or at least this was true as of Tuesday, July 11).
• For the hosting service, you might check your bulk/junk email folder for the welcome email for your new account.

Getting Visual Studio:

CETS at Penn will provide you with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional software (details to follow). Alternatively, you may be able to use a free version, Visual Studio Express/Web Developer; I don't recommend that, however, since its GUI may be a little different and so may not exactly match the documentation I will be giving you. Better to get it from Penn if you can.

Each registered student should have access to MSDNAA to download Visual Studio 2005 at http://msdn07.e-academy.com/upenn_eng/ . MSDNAA requires a special login; if you don't have it yet, you might need to request that first. You should already have received an mail with the login, with subject line "Welcome to MSDN Academic Alliance: Online Software System". If you have trouble downloading, or need a CD, please send the computing center an email to cets AT seas.

Mac users:

If you are using a Mac, you may need to do your Ajax projects from the lab at Penn. Alternatively, it is possible to run Visual Studio on a Mac using Virtual PC software, or by using an Intel Mac dual-booted with Windows using Parallels or Boot Camp. Dual-booting has a learning curve to it (and you may have to get a Windows XP license), so if you're not already doing it, please don't do it for this course--two Ajax projects aren't worth it.

This page last modified on July 19, 2007, at 07:11 PM