Over the past three days, I’ve focused on building a strong foundation in jQuery and AJAX, diving into both theory and practice. Here's a breakdown of the key concepts, how they work together, and how I used them in a hands-on project (a simple blog app).
jQuery: What It Is and Why It Matters
jQuery is a lightweight JavaScript library that simplifies DOM manipulation, event handling, and AJAX interactions. It allows developers to write less code while achieving more, especially in projects that rely heavily on dynamic content.
Core jQuery Concepts I Studied
• • Selectors: Easily target HTML elements:
• - $('#id') – selects an element by ID
• - $('.class') – selects elements by class
• - $('tag') – selects all elements of a given tag
• • DOM Manipulation:
• - .text(), .html(), .val(), .addClass(), .hide(), .show()
• • Event Handling:
• - .click(), .on(), .change()
jQuery Filters and Statements
jQuery statements use the $ function as a shorthand for jQuery. Filters help refine selections. Examples:
• $('li:first') // First list item
• $('input:checked') // Checked checkboxes
• $('div:visible') // All visible divs
AJAX: Asynchronous JavaScript and XML
AJAX allows web applications to communicate with a server without reloading the page. It’s essential for dynamic, real-time web apps.
What I Learned About AJAX
• • How it works: AJAX uses the XMLHttpRequest object.
• • Common methods: $.ajax(), $.get(), $.post()
• • Callbacks: success, error
XMLHttpRequest (XHR)
AJAX is built on the XMLHttpRequest object. Key methods include:
• - .open(method, URL)
• - .send()
Example:
let xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
xhr.open('GET', 'data.json', true);
xhr.send();
jQuery + AJAX: How They Work Together
jQuery simplifies the process of making AJAX calls by wrapping XMLHttpRequest in utility methods like $.ajax() or $.post().
Real-World Scenario: In a blog app:
• • I used jQuery to submit a blog form via AJAX
• • Data was sent to a PHP backend
• • On success, jQuery updated the DOM to show the new post—without refreshing the page
Practical Skills Gained
Select and update DOM elements using jQuery ✅
Use jQuery events like .click(), .on() ✅
Fetch and display JSON data using AJAX ✅
Send form data asynchronously ✅
Handle success and error callbacks ✅
Dynamically update DOM after AJAX responses ✅
Hands-On: Blog Post App
Built with HTML + CSS + jQuery + PHP + MySQL
• • Fetches blog posts from MySQL using PHP
• • Posts are displayed using jQuery and AJAX
• • Form data is submitted asynchronously
• • DOM is updated without full page reload
Backend: PHP + MySQL
Frontend: HTML, CSS, jQuery
Final Thoughts
Mastering jQuery and AJAX fundamentals helped me build dynamic, responsive apps quickly. While modern frameworks like React and Vue handle much of this today, understanding how jQuery and AJAX work gives me deeper insight into how modern front-end works under the hood.
What’s Next?
I’ll continue with AJAX CRUD operations, real-world API integrations, and build a mini project by the end of the week to fully consolidate what I’ve learned.
check out my portfolio here and let's get interactive: https://congodev.netlify.app
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