AJAX is the ability to exchange data with a server, and then update parts of a web page without reloading the entire page – only the updated data reloads.

The following are some common AJAX methods. A complete list of AJAX methods can be found here along with more detailed descriptions of their intended use and syntax.

The .ajax() method is used to perform an AJAX (asynchronous HTTP) request, and is mostly used for requests where the other methods cannot be used.

// on button click get some info and if successful place it in the HTML element
$('button').click(function() {
    $.ajax({url: 'test.txt', success: function(result) {
        $('#my_output').html(result);
    }});
});

The .ajaxSetup() method sets default values for future AJAX requests.

// on button click get some info and if successful place it in the HTML element
$('button').click(function() {
    $.ajaxSetup({
        url: 'test.txt',
        success: function(result) {
            $('#my_output').html(result);
        }
    });
    $.ajax();
});

The .get() method loads data from the server using an HTTP GET request.

// on button click get some info and create an alert
$('button').click(function() {
    $.get('test.asp', function(data, status) {
        alert('Data: ' + data + '\nStatus: ' + status);
    });
});

The .post() method loads data from the server using an HTTP POST request.

// on button click get some info and create an alert
$('button').click(function() {
    $.post('test.asp',
    {
        name: 'Johnny Shay',
        state: 'California'
    },
    function(data,status) {
        alert('Data: ' + data + '\nStatus: ' + status);
    });
});

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