HTML form

[hans.schmidt1]

I am trying to implement a shopping cart. When the user clicks the
checkout button, 2 things need to be done. 1)Saving the user's data
and 2) open the checkout webpage (3rd party).
the checkout webpage requires a HTTP POST, so I cannot load my page
first, then redirect.
But maybe I can do this in a Google way. When I write an e-mail in
gmail, it saves the draft automatically. how is it done? I guess it
silently submits a form in the background. anyone has more information?

 

[Andy Dingley]

When I write an e-mail in
gmail, it saves the draft automatically. how is it done?

Research "AJAX"

It's not (usually) background form submission, it's background use of
a XmlHttpRequest object to send and receive XML.

Useful techniques, but make sure there's some usable fallback for non-
JS customers.

 

[Adrienne Boswell]

Gazing into my crystal ball I observed Andy Dingley

Research "AJAX"

It's not (usually) background form submission, it's background use of
a XmlHttpRequest object to send and receive XML.

Useful techniques, but make sure there's some usable fallback for non-
JS customers.

I'm beginning to really hate AJAX. I don't mind a trip back to the
server, but I do mind the screen graying out, and then not coming back
correctly. Evite is a good example of that - it fails miserably in
Opera, and I have even had problems with IE. Firefox seems to be the only
one that works correctly with it.

To the OP, please consider how you do this - before AJAX was the
technique du jour, people were used to a trip to the server. If a form
is designed well, an extra trip is hardly noticable.

 

[Roy A.]

I am trying to implement a shopping cart. When the user clicks the
checkout button, 2 things need to be done. 1)Saving the user's data
and 2) open the checkout webpage (3rd party).
the checkout webpage requires a HTTP POST, so I cannot load my page
first, then redirect.
But maybe I can do this in a Google way. When I write an e-mail in
gmail, it saves the draft automatically. how is it done? I guess it
silently submits a form in the background. anyone has more information?

Can't you submit the user data and make the 3rd party HTTP POST from
the server?