Uninterruptable ajax request

Question

Sometimes I have to AJAX a huge JSON payload (~20MB). During this process it seems like the browser window is constantly loading (latest Chrome, Windows 8.1). The user can click on things, like links, but the browser won't actually go to those links until the AJAX request completes. This can be a problem because if you go to a page that requires such an AJAX call, it is difficult to navigate away. Unfortunately at this time I cannot reduce the size of the payload much (I am loading graphs, and sometimes the graphs are hundreds of thousands of nodes and edges).

Any idea why the browser won't navigate away (even though the browser is responsive)? And, if possible, any potential solutions? Thanks!

Answer 1

I would suggest using the an HTML5 Web Worker. The browser support is not great, especially for IE.

Web workers are non-blocking, meaning you can run two scripts concurrently. This should free up your DOM while you are making the AJAX call in the background.

Here is one article I could find on using web workers with an AJAX call.

Answer 2

I don't know how to address the exact technical problem you are facing. However this can still be useful. Consider Google or Facebook where you can download your full profile as an archive with the all your history and photos. Take a note on how they do it (not through AJAX calls). I believe they chose this way because of the very same problems you have. Just somthing to think about.