I am about to start a project and would like to include AJAX functionality. The question I have is, how do I go about getting variables to AJAX/Java from PHP/SQL. For example, I want to use the yahoo widget/toolset to dynamically call sql queries to populate lists. I havent read into this much, but my initial thoughts were it would take a bunch of steps

1. call a GET from an external PHP script (which will return hidden variables - values to put in the table)
2. after that is returned, load the variables into the java array that is associated with the table
3. update table


Would that be the correct way of going about doing this, or is there something simpler? Would I want to use PHP to do the SQL stuff?

Any insight into a basic workflow of doing dynamic SQL queries using PHP and getting those results back into an AJAX based list would be helpful. I feel like im missing a main/key idea. Thanks in advance.

Are you talking about Java or JavaScript? Do you think of Java applet as an alternative to AJAX ? As for the AJAX - it's simple, it let's you do the HTTP requests from JavaScript so you don't need to reload the entire page - you can do in "in the background". You need to create HTTP interface script in PHP, that will receive HTTP requests from your AJAX. After processing in PHP (based on parameters from the request) you can return (echo out) the result in desired format. Then it will be received by your JS response handler function. The preferred format for the result is XML but you can use the plain text too. Then you need to parse it in JS. So the steps would be :

1. Create JS function that makes AJAX request to the server, with given parameters.
2. Create the "response handler" function that processes the result from the AJAX request.
3. Create PHP script that receives HTTP requests with the parameters transported over GET, executes action and prints out the response.
4. Call your request function and wait for response.

Best,
Chris

for plugins/toolkits like google and yahoo, do you just need to create the request function and php script, and as long as the return is in the correct format, it will update the table/whatever widget your using?