Javascript application - Loading data

Question

I have a javascript application and i dont know what is a better practice for loading data. For example, i have a contact table with my contact informations (FirstName, LastName, Addresses, PhoneNumbers, Website etc.). So now i will show these informations and i make two "lists". In the first list, i will show all my contacts but only with the attributes "FirstName" and "LastName" and if i click on a contact, i will show all informations (FirstName, LastName, Addresses, PhoneNumbers, Websites etc.).

Is it better to load the whole informations at a time or load the "detail" informations only if i click on a contact?

How many? and why are you storing everything in javascript?

Shoban
– Shoban

2012-04-17 13:26:16 +00:00
Commented Apr 17, 2012 at 13:26 — Shoban
– Shoban, Commented Apr 17, 2012 at 13:26
> 200, i use KnockoutJS to store the data in viewModels

Kaffee Bohne
– Kaffee Bohne

2012-04-17 13:27:13 +00:00
Commented Apr 17, 2012 at 13:27 — Kaffee Bohne
– Kaffee Bohne, Commented Apr 17, 2012 at 13:27

Alex Moore · Accepted Answer · 2012-04-17 13:41:15Z

2

Depends on the usage and the network, here are some pros and cons of either way.

Load everything at once into JSON, show what is needed/selected:

Pros

If data doesn't change much, can be easily cachable
No AJAX, very simple
After the first load, everything happens "instantly"

Cons

Could hurt you if the data slug is large enough

Get Individual Info via AJAX:

Pros

Good if data is constantly changing
Good if each Contact's data is large enough to warrant a separate ajax call
Good if network latency isn't too horrible

Cons

Overkill for small datasets
Adds Complexity

So if your dataset isn't all that huge, I would go with the simple route. If it is a large or constantly changing dataset, I would go with the AJAX version.

answered Apr 17, 2012 at 13:41

Alex Moore

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1 Comment

primavera133 Over a year ago

If you really want to reduce waiting you could load the rest asyncronously after the page has been initially loaded. This way you will display basic info fast and catch up on the rest before visitor clicks to expand.

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