Sending a JSON to server and retrieving a JSON in return, without JQuery

Jérôme Verstrynge picture Jérôme Verstrynge · Jun 28, 2014 · Viewed 236k times · Source

I need to send a JSON (which I can stringify) to the server and to retrieve the resulting JSON on the user side, without using JQuery.

If I should use a GET, how do I pass the JSON as a parameter? Is there a risk it would be too long?

If I should use a POST, how do I set the equivalent of an onload function in GET?

Or should I use a different method?

REMARK

This question is not about sending a simple AJAX. It should not be closed as duplicate.

Answer

hex494D49 picture hex494D49 · Jun 28, 2014

Sending and receiving data in JSON format using POST method

// Sending and receiving data in JSON format using POST method
//
var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
var url = "url";
xhr.open("POST", url, true);
xhr.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");
xhr.onreadystatechange = function () {
    if (xhr.readyState === 4 && xhr.status === 200) {
        var json = JSON.parse(xhr.responseText);
        console.log(json.email + ", " + json.password);
    }
};
var data = JSON.stringify({"email": "[email protected]", "password": "101010"});
xhr.send(data);

Sending and receiving data in JSON format using GET method

// Sending a receiving data in JSON format using GET method
//      
var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
var url = "url?data=" + encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify({"email": "[email protected]", "password": "101010"}));
xhr.open("GET", url, true);
xhr.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");
xhr.onreadystatechange = function () {
    if (xhr.readyState === 4 && xhr.status === 200) {
        var json = JSON.parse(xhr.responseText);
        console.log(json.email + ", " + json.password);
    }
};
xhr.send();

Handling data in JSON format on the server-side using PHP

<?php
// Handling data in JSON format on the server-side using PHP
//
header("Content-Type: application/json");
// build a PHP variable from JSON sent using POST method
$v = json_decode(stripslashes(file_get_contents("php://input")));
// build a PHP variable from JSON sent using GET method
$v = json_decode(stripslashes($_GET["data"]));
// encode the PHP variable to JSON and send it back on client-side
echo json_encode($v);
?>

The limit of the length of an HTTP Get request is dependent on both the server and the client (browser) used, from 2kB - 8kB. The server should return 414 (Request-URI Too Long) status if an URI is longer than the server can handle.

Note Someone said that I could use state names instead of state values; in other words I could use xhr.readyState === xhr.DONE instead of xhr.readyState === 4 The problem is that Internet Explorer uses different state names so it's better to use state values.