The Google Maps API is a showcase example of the Web 2.0 development paradigm, designed to be invitingly simple for developers to incorporate dynamic mapping services into Web applications. Beginning Google Maps Applications with Rails and Ajax takes a developer’s perspective, showing how to integrate mapping features into their Rails-driven Web applications. The book shows how to draw on data sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau’s TIGER/Line data and Google's own geocoding feature to build comprehensive geocoding services. The book includes guided examples demonstrating how to encourage user interaction such as pinpointing map locations, adding comments, and building community-driven maps.

DOM Scripting is a vital technique for web developers and designers to learn and master in order to add such dynamic web applications as animations, maps, drag and drop, and more. This book offers comprehensive coverage of advanced DOM Scripting techniques and reads like a wish list of must have dynamic web application features, including visual effects using JavaScript libraries, Ajax, Mashups using APIs, and much more. It follows in the footsteps of Jeremy Keith's acclaimed book, DOM Scripting (friends of ED: 1590595335, 2005), helping you master the next level with countless real world tutorials.

Standing out from other Rails references, this book meets the needs of designers who are not advanced programmers: sophisticated users who may find reams of code intimidating. Rails Solutions gives readers the tools to assemble dynamic sites quickly and easily. After a gentle introduction, the book walks the reader through setting up the development environment and the basics of Ruby syntax. Next, the book details the construction of real-world applications including a message posting system with data authentication, a file uploader, Ajax enhancements, and more. Coverage includes as customizing views, Rails helpers, add-ons and plugins, and Rails deployment tips.

The Rails framework empowers developers with unprecedented levels of productivity by embracing principles such as “convention over configuration” and “don’t repeat yourself”. This paradigm is even apparent at the community level, where developers regularly share their custom framework extensions by way of Rails’ plugins feature. Plugins offer a way for developers to extend the core Rails framework with their own custom features, allowing for rapid integration of features such as authentication, user ratings, and search. Practical Rails Plugins shows you how to capitalize upon the wide variety of plugins at your disposal by guiding you through their integration into a number of interesting projects. You’ll learn how to rapidly augment projects involving asynchronous video transcoding, geocoding and mapping, content management, community ratings, and PDF generation. You’ll also learn how to create and distribute your own plugins. The ultimate guide to building powerful web sites faster using Rails plugins Demonstrates how to use popular plugins within a number of practical (and fully functional) projects and mini–applications Shows you how to create and distribute your own plugins

The Google Maps API remains one of the showcase examples of the Web 2.0 development paradigm. In fact, interest in the Google service is so strong that it arguably sparked the mashup phenomenon. This is the first book to comprehensively introduce the service from a developer perspective, showing readers how they can integrate mapping features into their Web applications. Proceeding far beyond creating a simplistic map display, readers are shown how to draw upon a variety of data sources such as geocode.us and the U.S. Census Bureau’s TIGER/Line data to build comprehensive geocoding services for mapping any location in North America.

Using proven examples and explaining concepts step by step, this book shows you how building Ajax-enabled sites and applications allows more interactive user interfaces than ever before. You’ll learn about the differences in capabilities between client-side and server-side development techniques, as well as how Ajax crosses this boundary. You’ll also discover how Ajax techniques can be summed up by patterns (which are development models that you’ll use repeatedly). With a mastery of these techniques, you’ll be able to breathe new life into your Web sites.

* Ajax is one of the hottest topics in the developer community right now! and this will be the first Ajax book that offers detailed explanation of how Ajax works and how to use it to best effect. Theory and practice covered immediately in one volume. * Ajax works across many platforms and different groups of developers – this book is designed to be suitable for all those developers across all those platforms, who are interested in the hot new topic of Ajax. * Demand for Ajax knowledge will be strong. Leading technology companies like Google, Yahoo, Adaptive Path, and Amazon are adopting Ajax techniques, and many other companies are doing the same in order to compete with Ajax. This book connect the developer community to the new Ajax functionality.