How to Make AJAX Read between the Lines
The method for getting information through an implicit request can be applied not only for technical dictionary. Have you ever wondered about the double underlined links in such projects as hotscripts.com and devarticles.com? This is context-dependent advertising based on IntelliTXT engine from Vibrant Media (www.vibrantmedia.com). When the mouse cursor points to such a link an advertisement window appears. This technology is referred to as in-text advertising. This method is also increasingly used on news portals. The main page contains only the news headings. Yet when the user puts a mouse cursor over the heading a short description appears. Thus the main page can hold a lot more news. The visitor sees the headings and all he/she has to do to get a short summary is to browse through the items with a mouse cursor. Let us now look into how contextual help can be implemented with AJAX.