Client side library or AJAX Control toolkit? - ASP.NET

Question

For a slick UI, I am deciding between using a client side library (JQuery or ExtJS) or go with the AJAX Control toolkit. I understand that the widgets supported by ExtJS rich library does not match what's there in the toolkit.

What are the pros of cons of using one over the other?

Answer 1

I'd choose AJAX Control Tool Kit + PageMethods (avoid UpdatePanel, it's easy to use at the beginning but it can be a real nightmare ) + JQuery to parse/display the result of the page methods.

PageMethods are really easy to use.

But do not use ajax control toolkit 's controls, it's easy to do the basic stuff , but when you want to be more specific, you're fighting against the toolkit (sometime you have bug with IE but not with FF it's really fun).

Answer 2

I am a asp.net developer and php+joomla developer. With due respect to microsoft, i am completely fed up with ASP.net AJAX. Working with Asp.net Ajax sucks(pardon my french).

1. You dont have complete control of your html code, because it generates freaky divs.

2. Asp.net Ajax carries a dead weight of code and javascripts with it, thus consumes the lot of bandwith which affect on your page load response time.

3. If you go with asp.net AJAX, you will be limited to it.

4. Jquery is very fast and can be implemented within no time.

5. Jquery has thousands of plugins developed by community developers and for free.

6. If you have any javsacript error with asp.net AJAX, it takes hell lot of time to get solved, or you have to change the code to different concept. I mean its complicated to debug asp.net ajax code.

After, trying hardly to use asp.net ajax, i finally landed to jquery and very happy to use it. One thing to be clear i am here, by not any means, not promoting jquery.

But using jquery is far more easier, flexible and performance oriented than ASP.NET AJAX.

Answer 3

From my perspective, vendor specific frameworks like the AJAX control toolkits only benefit from the ecosystems and examples published by that specific vender (and 3rd party devs). In this case, only Microsoft and ASP.NET developers.

In the case of a vendor agnostic toolkit like jquery, you gain the benefit from every type of web developer that's out there publishing blogs and articles: ruby, python, coldfusion, asp.net, etc.

So my vote is usually for jQuery unless there is a very specific reason (ie. specific control) that I absolutely have to use from the ajax control toolkit. And even in those cases, chances are that someone has a jquery plugin that'll be equivalent.