Is there any issue with this brief declaration of XMLHttpRequest?

After exploring various AJAX libraries, I have noticed that XMLHttpRequest typically involves a lengthy declaration with testing or try/catch statements.

I am trying to fetch XML through a SOAP GET request and found success in testing the following declaration across IE7+, Firefox, and Chrome:

var xhr=new XMLHttpRequest()||new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");

Is there something crucial that I may be overlooking? Are there any edge cases that could potentially cause my declaration to fail?

Edit

It appears that the second part of the declaration is never executed. Does this mean that for IE7+/Firefox/Chrome, all I really need is:

var xhr=new XMLHttpRequest();

Answer №1

If you're worried about compatibility with Internet Explorer versions older than 7, consider the following:

new ActiveXObject("MSXML2.XMLHTTP");

Instead of directly calling this method, it might be more efficient to create a generic function like createRequest() that automatically selects the appropriate object based on the browser being used. This approach can also include error handling using try/catch blocks for better reliability.

Answer №2

The precedence of new is important here, meaning that new XMLHttpRequest() will be executed first and the return value checked. However, if XMLHttpRequest is not defined, an error will already occur during this execution. To avoid this, it's better to check if XMLHttpRequest is defined before using new, like so:

var xhr = typeof XMLHttpRequest === "undefined"
            ? new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP")
            : new XMLHttpRequest; // you can omit the parentheses when there are no arguments

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

Encountering an undeclared variable in Javascript post loop

I am facing an issue with my countdown script that redirects to a file. The variable becomes undefined after running the loop once. Is there a way to ensure that the url variable retains its value? <a id="" onClick="doTimer('http://www.d ...

Display different form fields depending on the radio button selected by the user

As a beginner in JavaScript, I am facing a small issue. I have 4 entries, and another entry should open for each. It works fine for a and b inputs, but the problem arises with c and d inputs when there are more than 2 entries. I tried to solve it, but unfo ...

Invite your friends to join my innovative categorization platform with a user-friendly layout similar

I am currently developing a categorization service and I would like it to function similar to Facebook's invite/tagging feature. Has anyone here had experience implementing this type of functionality before? This includes: Auto-completion based on ...

Exploring the structured hierarchy of subdocuments within nested arrays in MongoDB

I'm currently working on a query that needs to meet two criteria: matching a specific userID and also matching a range of IDs. Here's an example of what a document might look like: https://i.sstatic.net/sIF3K.png My approach involved using the ...

Refreshing the page to dynamically alter background and text hues

I'm currently dealing with a website that generates a random background color for a div every time it is refreshed. I have a code that successfully accomplishes this: var colorList = ['#FFFFFF', '#000000', '#298ACC', &ap ...

Create node panels using GoJS and apply paint to them to enhance

Hey there! I'm looking to style my node similar to the one on the right using GOjs. Any suggestions on how I can achieve that? The left node is what I currently have, but I really want to paint it like the right node. It seems like some parts are mi ...

Trouble with clearTimeout function

//Account Creation - Register Button Event $('#registerCreateAccount').on('click', function() { var username = $('#registerUsername').val(); var email = $('#registerEmail').val(); var age = $('#regis ...

Error encountered in Webdriver JS: Extension could not be loaded due to a missing or unreadable manifest file

I've been trying to load an extension into Chrome using WebDriver JS. I have the .CRX file, Unpacked, and Zip all in the specified path, but it doesn't seem to work. All files are located in the same directory. After attempting to load the exten ...

Tips on implementing href within HTML span tags while utilizing TSX syntax

Having recently started with Typescript and React, I am encountering an issue that I hope someone can help me with. In my code, there is a line that used to work perfectly fine when it was written in Javascript/React: <p><span href="#" id="nsTool ...

innovative jquery table creator

I have created a basic dynamic HTML table generator using jQuery, see below... <button id="addcolumn">Add Column</button> <button id="addrow">Add Row</button> <table width="100%" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> ...

Retrieve service status using Javascript

Currently, I am working on a web application that receives user updates from a different domain's web service. My goal is to retrieve these updates every 10 seconds. To initiate the service call for the first time, I implement a script insertion dyna ...

Differences in characteristics of Javascript and Python

As I tackle an exam question involving the calculation of delta for put and call options using the Black and Scholes formula, I stumbled upon a helpful website . Upon inspecting their code, I discovered this specific function: getDelta: function(spot, str ...

Utilizing TypeORM to selectively choose data in OneToMany relationships

I am looking to create a TypeORM query that pulls data from the database. Specifically, I want to retrieve all clients who have made a purchase but have not initiated a return. Here is the structure of the database: Clients: Id (Int, primary column) Purc ...

Working with Node.js and Redis: Managing multiple queries across various Redis databases using a single client connection

I'm new to Node.js and its asynchronous operations. My goal is to fetch data from different Redis databases. Here's a simple function I've created to retrieve a key from a Redis database: function get_key(client, key, db, callback) { i ...

Refresh the current page with jQuery Mobile when it is clicked

I have a multi page template in jQuery Mobile. How can I refresh the current page when clicking on a hyperlink or button? I am using JQM version 1.4.5 Despite trying the code suggested in how to refresh(reload) page when click button in jQuery Mobile, it ...

Error in Mathquill: Unable to access the 'prototype' property because it is undefined

I'm currently in the process of integrating MathQuill into a project I'm developing. After installing the package through NPM (npm install mathquill), I included the following <script> tags in the <head>: <script src="../node_ ...

Exploring the concept of Promises through the lens of recursion

I am dealing with a MongoDB collection that looks like this [ { "classId": "1", "name": "Input", "definition": [ { "property": [ { "classId": "12", "name": "One" }, { ...

What is the best way to expand a div in a downward direction exclusively?

My task involves a parent div containing a centered child div. My goal is to have the child div grow downwards only upon clicking it, not in both directions. Initial state of the two divs: https://i.sstatic.net/cWYyV.png Outcome after clicking on div 2: ...

Show additional information upon clicking on a table row

I am currently working on a table that pulls data from a JSON file. My goal is to implement a functionality where double-clicking on any row will trigger a pop-up window displaying specific information related to the clicked row. Below is a snippet of my c ...

Using React JavaScript to access an Axios API and retrieve a surf object array in JSON format

When using Axios to call an example API in React, my goal was to render a specific field from the array. For instance, I wanted to display only the company name of the first person in the output - "person[0].company.name". However, instead of getting "Roma ...