Spry framework for Ajax

Follow these steps to get started with Spry:

1. Go to the Spry home page.  Here you will find the latest information and downloads for Spry.
2. Check out the Spry demos and samples sections to see some of the things you can accomplish with Spry
3. Download the latest version of Spry.  Current version is 1.6.1.
4. Ask questions and share your feedback using the Spry forums.

There are many ways to participate in the Spry community including the Online Forums, Developers Center and LiveDocs.  You can access these items and additional references such as the Spry Blog on the Spry Home Page.

• FAQ
• System Requirements
• Release Notes

FAQ

What is the Spry framework?

The Spry framework for Ajax is a JavaScript library for web designers that provides functionality that allows designers to build pages that provide a richer experience for their users. It is designed to bring Ajax to the web design community who can benefit from Ajax, but are not well served by other frameworks.  The first release of the Spry framework is a preview of the data capabilities that enable designers to incorporate XML data into their HTML documents using HTML, CSS, and a minimal amount of JavaScript, without the need for refreshing the entire page. The Spry framework is HTML-centric, and easy to implement for users with basic knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript.  The framework was designed such that the markup is simple and the JavaScript is minimal.

Why did Adobe create a new Ajax framework?

In talking with web designers, we realized that while many were interested in creating rich interfaces, they weren't sure how to get started with Ajax.  As we looked at the landscape of Ajax frameworks, we realized that many of them were more oriented to the skills of a programmer and were focused on application development.  Based on the needs of the design community, we wanted to put forth an approach that is very “HTML-centric” to help them add basic interactivity to their page designs. In other words we've deliberately avoided inventing a whole new tag set or imposing a full programming model because we believe doing so would result in a much steeper learning curve for web designers. With Spry, you can simply infuse your HTML with dynamic data. We intend to integrate authoring support in future versions of our tools to further improve the experience for web designers and developers.

We haven't ruled out extending an existing framework somewhere down the road. We just think the best way to quickly evolve our unique approach is to iterate on it separately first. As things progress, we will have to evaluate if it makes sense to donate Spry to an existing framework or continue releasing it as a separate project.

What is Ajax?

Ajax is an acronym for “Asynchronous JavaScript and XML.” It is a concept for how Web developers can use various techniques to update web pages without requiring visible refreshes and without the need for browser add-on technologies. Ajax is not a product, company, or trademark. 

• See answers to more frequently asked questions in the wiki ›

System Requirements

You can use any text editor to make use of Spry. Dreamweaver's CSS features and code coloring will help in visualizing the code and layout.

The framework will work in all modern browsers. The framework uses the XMLHttpRequest function and most browsers support this function. Older browsers may not work correctly in all situations.

Release Notes

• See more information on the Spry framework in the Readme ›
• See the list of changes made between prerelease 1 and prerelease 1.6.1 of Spry ›