XMLHttpRequest

Summary

Represents an XML request using HTTP.

Syntax

Note: This property is read-only.

var xhr = window.XMLHttpRequest;

Return Value

Returns an object of type DOM NodeDOM Node

An XMLHttpRequest instance object.

Examples

The following script demonstrates how to create and use the XMLHttpRequest object:

if (window.XMLHttpRequest)
{
  var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
  xhr.open("GET", "http://localhost/test.xml", true);
  xhr.onreadystatechange =
    function () {
      if (xhr.readyState === 4) {
        console.log(xhr.statusText);
     }
    };
   xhr.send();
}

Usage

 It provides an easy way to retrieve data from a URL without having to do a full page refresh. A Web page can update just a part of the page without disrupting what the user is doing.  XMLHttpRequest is used heavily in AJAX programming.

Related specifications

XMLHttpRequest: Working Draft

Attributions

Mozilla Developer Network : [XMLHttpRequest Article]
Microsoft Developer Network: [XMLHttpRequest Object Article]