Keeping A "Persistent" XML Document In Memory

[DartmanX]

I have an application that uses the Google Maps API to display
customized maps via a generated XML file. The XML is generated via a
"Wizard" system to determine what the XML holds.

I am looking for a way to keep the XML file "persistent" across the
pages via Javascript. The way the Maps API works is that the Client
feeds the items to be mapped to google, which generates the maps.
Storing the XML file on the server would mean I would have to download
the (possibly large) XML file each time the next wizard page displayed.
If the XML file was persistent on the client side (stored as a string
or document object), the display time would be cut, and my bandwidth
limits from my webhost would not be in danger of being hit.

I'd rather not have to access the wizard system session variables if I
can avoid it. Any ideas/references to code?

Jason

[Martin Honnen]

DartmanX wrote:

Storing the XML file on the server would mean I would have to download
the (possibly large) XML file each time the next wizard page displayed.
Why, if that is a resource on the server and the server sends the proper
headers indicating the resource can be cached a browser will probably
cache the XML the same way it caches images or HTML or script served
from a server.
If the XML file was persistent on the client side (stored as a string
or document object), the display time would be cut, and my bandwidth
limits from my webhost would not be in danger of being hit.

Unless you use frameset/frames where you could store stuff in the
frameset window and hope that visitors only navigate in the frames there
is not much you can do to store larger data.

--

Martin Honnen
http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

[DartmanX]

Unfortunately, the wizard allows users to make changes to the XML,
which will constantly be changing until the user clicks the Finish
button.

The idea is that the user will decide to change something on a map, so
the XML has to be regenerated, then reprocessed, then sent to Google,
_each time_.

I'm on the verge of doing AJAX server calls anyways, since I haven't
found any other methods that fit the bill.

Jason