Question

How do I invoke a web request while hiding the progress?

Answer and Explanation

Invoking a web request while hiding the progress typically involves making an asynchronous request without displaying any loading indicators or progress bars to the user. This is often done for background tasks or when the user experience doesn't require immediate feedback on the request's status. Here's how you can achieve this using JavaScript:

1. Using the Fetch API:

The Fetch API is a modern way to make web requests. It's promise-based, which makes it easier to handle asynchronous operations. To hide progress, you simply don't display any loading indicators.

fetch('https://api.example.com/data', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ key: 'value' }),
})
.then(response => {
  if (!response.ok) {
    throw new Error('Network response was not ok');
  }
  return response.json();
})
.then(data => {
  console.log('Data received:', data);
  // Handle the data silently without showing progress
})
.catch(error => {
  console.error('There was a problem with the fetch operation:', error);
  // Handle errors silently
});

In this example, the request is made, and the response is handled without any visual feedback to the user. Errors are also handled silently.

2. Using XMLHttpRequest (XHR):

While Fetch is preferred, you can also use XMLHttpRequest for similar purposes. Again, the key is to avoid displaying any progress indicators.

const xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
xhr.open('POST', 'https://api.example.com/data', true);
xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
xhr.onload = function () {
  if (xhr.status === 200) {
    const data = JSON.parse(xhr.responseText);
    console.log('Data received:', data);
    // Handle the data silently
  } else {
    console.error('Request failed. Returned status of ' + xhr.status);
    // Handle errors silently
  }
};
xhr.onerror = function () {
  console.error('Request failed');
  // Handle errors silently
};
xhr.send(JSON.stringify({ key: 'value' }));

Here, the request is made, and the response is handled without any user-facing progress updates. Error handling is also done silently.

Key Considerations:

- Error Handling: Even when hiding progress, ensure you have robust error handling in place. Log errors to the console or use a monitoring service to track issues.

- User Experience: While hiding progress can be useful for background tasks, be mindful of the user experience. If a request takes a long time, it might be better to provide some feedback to the user, even if it's minimal.

- Background Tasks: This approach is ideal for tasks that don't require immediate user interaction, such as logging data, updating server-side information, or performing background calculations.

By using either the Fetch API or XMLHttpRequest without displaying progress indicators, you can effectively invoke web requests while keeping the user interface clean and uninterrupted.

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