ability to queue ajax requests on the client and send them as a single ajax request every N ms to the server

a) instead of a single request like: new egw_json_request(menuaction, params).sendRequest(true, callback, context); 
b) you call: egw.jsonq(menuaction,params,callback,context)
The server callback is identical for both kinds of requests. All egw_json_response methods can be used and the callback is optional.

json.php

@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ if (isset($_GET['menuaction']))
 	{
 		throw new egw_exception_assertion_failed("JSON Data contains script tags. Aborting...");
 	}
-	$json->parseRequest($_GET['menuaction'], (array)$_POST['json_data']);
+	$json->parseRequest($_GET['menuaction'], $_POST['json_data']);
 	egw_json_response::get();
 	common::egw_exit();
 }

phpgwapi/inc/class.egw_json.inc.php

@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ class egw_json_request
 	 * Parses the raw input data supplied with the input_data parameter and calls the menuaction
 	 * passing all parameters supplied in the request to it.
 	 *
+	 * Also handle queued requests (menuaction == 'home.queue') containing multiple requests
+	 *
 	 * @param string menuaction to call
 	 * @param string $input_data is the RAW input data as it was received from the client
 	 */
@@ -35,36 +37,34 @@ class egw_json_request
 		// Remember that we currently are in a JSON request - e.g. used in the redirect code
 		self::$_hadJSONRequest = true;
 
-		if (empty($input_data))
+		if (get_magic_quotes_gpc()) $input_data = stripslashes($input_data);
+
+		$json_data = json_decode($input_data,true);
+		if (is_array($json_data) && isset($json_data['request']) && isset($json_data['request']['parameters']))
 		{
-			$this->handleRequest($menuaction, array());
+			$parameters =& $json_data['request']['parameters'];
- 		}
+		}
 		else
 		{
-			if (get_magic_quotes_gpc())
+			$parameters = array();
+		}
+		// do we have a single request or an array of queued requests
+		if ($menuaction == 'home.queue')
+		{
+			$responses = array();
+			$response = egw_json_response::get();
+			foreach($parameters as $uid => $data)
 			{
-				$input_data[0] = stripslashes($input_data[0]);
+				//error_log("$uid: menuaction=$data[menuaction], parameters=".array2string($data['parameters']));
-			}
+				$this->handleRequest($data['menuaction'], $data['parameters']);
-
+				$responses[$uid] = $response->initResponseArray();
-			//Decode the JSON input data into associative arrays
+				//error_log("responses[$uid]=".array2string($responses[$uid]));
-			if (($json = json_decode($input_data[0], true)) !== false)
-			{
-				$parameters = array();
-
-				//Get the request array
-				if (isset($json['request']))
-				{
-					$request = $json['request'];
-
-					//Check whether any parameters were supplied along with the request
-					if (isset($request['parameters']))
-					{
-						$parameters = $request['parameters'];
-					}
-				}
-				//Call the supplied callback function along with the menuaction and the passed parameters
-				$this->handleRequest($menuaction, $parameters);
 			}
+			$response->data($responses);	// send all responses as data
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			$this->handleRequest($menuaction, $parameters);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -246,6 +246,20 @@ class egw_json_response
 		);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Init responseArray
+	 *
+	 * @param array $arr
+	 * @return array previous content
+	 */
+	public function initResponseArray()
+	{
+		$return = $this->responseArray;
+		$this->responseArray = array();
+		$this->hasData = false;
+		return $return;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Adds a "data" response to the json response.
 	 *
@@ -309,9 +323,56 @@ class egw_json_response
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Allows to add a global javascript function with giben parameters
+	 * Allows to call a global javascript function with given parameters: window[$func].apply(window, $parameters)
 	 *
-	 * @param string $script the script code which should be executed upon receiving
+	 * @param string $func name of the global (window) javascript function to call
+	 * @param array $parameters=array()
+	 */
+	public function apply($function,array $parameters=array())
+	{
+		if (is_string($function))
+		{
+			$this->addGeneric('apply', array(
+				'func'  => $function,
+				'parms' => $parameters,
+			));
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			throw new Exception("Invalid parameters supplied.");
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Allows to call a global javascript function with given parameters: window[$func].call(window[, $param1[, ...]])
+	 *
+	 * @param string $func name of the global (window) javascript function to call
+	 * @param mixed $parameters variable number of parameters
+	 */
+	public function call($function)
+	{
+		$parameters = func_get_args();
+		array_shift($parameters);	// shift off $function
+
+		if (is_string($function))
+		{
+			$this->addGeneric('apply', array(
+				'func'  => $function,
+				'parms' => $parameters,
+			));
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			throw new Exception("Invalid parameters supplied.");
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Allows to call a jquery function on a selector with given parameters: $j($selector).$func($parmeters)
+	 *
+	 * @param string $selector jquery selector
+	 * @param string $method name of the jquery to call
+	 * @param array $parameters=array()
 	 */
 	public function jquery($selector,$method,array $parameters=array())
 	{
@@ -498,7 +559,7 @@ class xajaxResponse extends egw_json_response
 		$args = func_get_args();
 		$func = array_shift($args);
 
-		$this->script("try{window['".$func."'].apply(window, ".json_encode($args).");} catch(e) {_egw_json_debug_log(e);}");
+		$this->apply($func, $args);
 	}
 
 	public function addIncludeCSS($url)

phpgwapi/js/egw_json.js

@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ function egw_json_request(_menuaction, _parameters, _context)
 	if (_menuaction.match(/json.php\?menuaction=[a-z_0-9]*\.[a-z_0-9]*\.[a-z_0-9]*/i))
 	{
 		// Menuaction is a full featured url
-		this.url = _menuaction
+		this.url = _menuaction;
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ egw_json_request.prototype.handleResponse = function(data, textStatus, XMLHttpRe
 						{
 							try
 							{
-								var func = function() {eval(res.data);};
+								var func = new Function(res.data);
 								func.call(window);
 							}
 							catch (e)
@@ -413,6 +413,22 @@ egw_json_request.prototype.handleResponse = function(data, textStatus, XMLHttpRe
 						} else
 							throw 'Invalid parameters';
 						break;
+					case 'apply':
+						if (typeof res.data.func == 'string' && typeof window[res.data.func] == 'function')
+						{
+							try
+							{
+								window[res.data.func].apply(window, res.data.parameters);
+							}
+							catch (e)
+							{
+								e.code = res.data.func;
+								_egw_json_debug_log(e);
+							}
+							hasResponse = true;
+						} else
+							throw 'Invalid parameters';
+						break;
 					case 'jquery':
 						if (typeof res.data.select == 'string' &&
 							typeof res.data.func == 'string')

phpgwapi/js/jsapi/egw.js

@@ -639,6 +639,117 @@ else
 				}
 			}
 			return query.length ? _url+'?'+query.join('&') : _url;
+		},
+		
+		/**
+		 * Queued json requests (objects with attributes menuaction, parameters, context, callback, sender and callbeforesend)
+		 * 
+		 * @access private, use jsonq method to queue requests
+		 */
+		jsonq_queue: {},
+		
+		/**
+		 * Next uid (index) in queue
+		 */
+		jsonq_uid: 0,
+		
+		/**
+		 * Running timer for next send of queued items
+		 */
+		jsonq_timer: null,
+		
+		/**
+		 * Send a queued JSON call to the server
+		 * 
+		 * @param string _menuaction the menuaction function which should be called and
+		 *   which handles the actual request. If the menuaction is a full featured
+		 *   url, this one will be used instead.
+		 * @param array _parameters which should be passed to the menuaction function.
+		 * @param _callback callback function which should be called upon a "data" response is received
+		 * @param _sender is the reference object the callback function should get
+		 * @param _callbeforesend optional callback function which can modify the parameters, eg. to do some own queuing
+		 */
+		jsonq: function(_menuaction, _parameters, _callback, _sender, _callbeforesend)
+		{
+			this.jsonq_queue['u'+(this.jsonq_uid++)] = {
+				menuaction: _menuaction,
+				parameters: _parameters,
+				callback: _callback,
+				sender: _sender,
+				callbeforesend: _callbeforesend
+			};
+			
+			if (this.jsonq_time == null)
+			{
+				// check / send queue every N ms
+				var self = this;
+				this.jsonq_timer = window.setInterval(function(){ self.jsonq_send();}, 100);
+			}
+		},
+		
+		/**
+		 * Send the whole job-queue to the server in a single json request with menuaction=queue
+		 */
+		jsonq_send: function()
+		{
+			if (this.jsonq_uid > 0 && typeof this.jsonq_queue['u'+(this.jsonq_uid-1)] == 'object')
+			{
+				var jobs_to_send = {};
+				var something_to_send = false;
+				for(var uid in this.jsonq_queue)
+				{
+					var job = this.jsonq_queue[uid];
+
+					if (job.menuaction == 'send') continue;	// already send to server
+
+					// if job has a callbeforesend callback, call it to allow it to modify pararmeters
+					if (typeof job.callbeforesend == 'function')
+					{
+						job.callbeforesend.apply(job.context, job.parameters);
+					}
+					jobs_to_send[uid] = {
+						menuaction: job.menuaction,
+						parameters: job.parameters
+					};
+					job.menuaction = 'send';
+					job.parameters = null;
+					something_to_send = true;
+				}
+				if (something_to_send)
+				{
+					new egw_json_request('home.queue', jobs_to_send, this).sendRequest(true, this.jsonq_callback, this);
+				}
+			}
+		},
+		
+		/**
+		 * Dispatch responses received
+		 * 
+		 * @param object _data uid => response pairs
+		 */
+		jsonq_callback: function(_data)
+		{
+			if (typeof _data != 'object') throw "jsonq_callback called with NO object as parameter!";
+
+			var json = new egw_json_request('none');
+			for(var uid in _data)
+			{
+				if (typeof this.jsonq_queue[uid] == 'undefined')
+				{
+					console.log("jsonq_callback received response for not existing queue uid="+uid+"!");
+					console.log(_data[uid]);
+					continue;
+				}
+				var job = this.jsonq_queue[uid];
+				var response = _data[uid];
+				
+				// fake egw_json_request object, to call it with the current response
+				json.callback = job.callback;
+				json.sender = job.sender;
+				json.handleResponse({response: response});
+
+				delete this.jsonq_queue[uid];
+			}
 		}
 	};
 }