Using Frameworks, CMS’s, and API’s: SPRY for AJAX

Using Frameworks, CMS’s, and API’s: SPRY for AJAX

Today I’d just like to talk about the word “support”. This is something that I thought I didn’t need earlier in my career when I first started studying web development. “I want to do it all” was my mantra. I was extremely stubborn and thought that I had to learn it all. Well, there are so many different paths and parts to web design and development. There’s Front end design which is when we use HTML, JavaScript and CSS to achieve structural and aesthetics to develop what the user visually experiences. Then there’s back end development, when we utilize languages like PHP, JavaScript, ASP, Perl, Python, Java, ColdFusion and other languages similar to these to add function to our front end work. You also have to take into consideration servers like Apache and DB’s (databases) like MySQL. There truly is an overwhelming amount of knowledge and concepts involved in executing a proper web site. To top it all off, the industry is constantly evolving. 

This brings me to the topic of the post. There’s an infinite amount of resources online that will help in your design and development projects. There’s one I use quite frequently called SPRY and it was developed by adobe labs. The SPRY framework for AJAX which is JavaScript, XML, HTML, JSON and CSS infused into a framework that enables an intermediate web designer to apply some pretty awesome module type of elements to their site’s. Here’s the formal description of SPRY brought to you by Adobe Labs:

About SPRY

“The Spry framework is a way to incorporate XML, JSON or HTML data into pages using HTML, CSS, and a minimal amount of JavaScript, without the need for refreshing the entire page. Spry also provides easy to build and style widgets, providing advanced page elements for end users. The Spry framework is HTML-centric, and easy to implement for users with basic knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The framework was designed such that the markup is simple and the JavaScript is minimal. The Spry framework can be used by anyone who is authoring for the web in their tool of choice.”
Definition By: Adobe Labs 

Adobe SPRY Framework Download (open source) 

Adobe is in my personal opinion the company leading the way for creative companies and individuals alike. They have created this non-proprietary framework for everyone to use. Open source means that it’s a framework that can be downloaded and used for free. Anyone with basic HTML, CSS and JavaScript knowledge will know enough to be dangerous. This framework comes integrated in Adobe’s Dreamweaver program and really makes life easier with amazing ease of use. I personally use Dreamweaver for all my web development projects. It’s a vital tool in my arsenal. The great thing about SPRY is Dreamweaver is not a requirement and you can download the framework from the link below. 

SPRY Framework

 What Can You do With SPRY

Now I’m sure you’re asking what’ so special about it? How do I use it? When do I use it? All of these questions will be answered by following the links provided in this post. There is plenty of tutorials, support, and more inside the actual download. I really enjoy using Sliding Panels, Auto Suggest, Tabbed Panels, and all of the amazing visual effects that can be applied to your page elements. Here is a list of tasks that can be achieved with SPRY:
Samples of SPRY 

Let me know what you think about this post. I’m thinking of starting a podcast and I need followers to ignite the creative flame. If I get enough support I will start audio and video tutorials to help beginners and professionals to achieve web development tasks.

Brandon M. Fowler

brandonfowler01@gmail.com
brandon@darkstardigitalpublishing.com