NYCPHP Meetup

[Peter Sawczynec]

It is worth noting that Flash (and similarly PDFs, video files, 
typically any streaming media) have all suffered from this 
lack of deep linking right from the get go -- 
and all of these 'alternative to XHTML' products have prospered 
and their web penetration is so significant that it is 
these 'hampered' alternative web presentation vehicles that 
are muscling the Internet up to the next level of 
profound usage.

Personally, I have already completely adapted to any web sites 
with powerful "on-demand" page(s)/section(s) that don't bookmark. 

The connection is so fast and the web application interfaces so 
finely tooled and responsive that I barely notice that I need to 
"run the interface again". Indeed all the sites I use that need 
me to "run the interface again" provide me only the most current, 
Critically accurate results and I desire that more than I want 
handy dandy bookmarks.

I feel that this URL issue that AJAX raises is important and 
timely. The inability to deep link an AJAXed page is 
telling the developer something. It is saying that this 
data/content/page is too time-sensitive to bookmark and the 
AJAX usage may need to be rejiggered.

I believe as Chris notes further down in the thread that if 
you are experiencing an AJAX deep linking issue then you 
may not be putting AJAX (or Flash) to the best use.

Use AJAX to update portions of pages with critical dynamic changeable 
content segments that likely should not be bookmarked.

Tell your client that AJAX interfaces when properly used on their 
site project an impression of powerful "on-demand" data return 
and presentation output. And this is more valuable to the power user 
than linking convenience.

Warmest regards, 
 
Peter Sawczynec 
Technology Dir.
Sun-code.com 
Web related services
646.316.3678 
ps at sun-code.com



-----Original Message-----
From: talk-bounces at lists.nyphp.org [mailto:talk-bounces at lists.nyphp.org] On
Behalf Of Stephen Musgrave
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 11:56 AM
To: talk at lists.nyphp.org
Subject: [nycphp-talk] Deep Linking with AJAX?


I have a designer who would like to have links on the subnav to NOT  
refresh the page.  This could be done with iFrames, but best if done  
with a DIV using AJAX.

However, from a usability perspective, I am concerned that the URL  
displayed on the Location string is not the page they are looking at  
after they have loaded an AJAX page.  If the user does a copy/paste  
into an email to send to somebody, they will not arrive at the  
intended page.

I have looked at Christian Cantrell's article <http:// 
weblogs.macromedia.com/cantrell/archives/2005/06/deep_linking_in.cfm>  
on the topic (though that's over a year old now) and the work-arounds  
were less than convincing.

Does anybody know of a better technique to do this or is the  
consensus that if I want the URL to reflect the actual page I am  
viewing, it should be the old fashion way with page refreshes?

Thanks!





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