title: Reducing a large single page AJAX application (jQuery, ASP.net)
body: <p>I'm currently building a single page AJAX application. It's a large "sign-up form" that's been built as a multi-step wizard with multiple branches and different verbiage based on what choices the user makes. At the end of the form is an editable review page. Once the user submits the form, it sends a rather large email to us, and a small email to them. It's sort of like a very boring choose your own adventure book. </p>
  
  <p>Feature creep has pushed the size of this app beyond the abilities of the current architecture, and it's too slow to work in any slower computers (not good for a web app), especially those using Internet Explorer. It currently has 64 individual steps, 5400 DOM elements and the .aspx file alone weighs in at 300kb (4206 LOC). Loading the app takes anywhere from 1.5 seconds on a fast machine running FireFox 3, to 20 seconds on a slower machine running IE7. Moving between steps takes about the same amount of time.</p>
  
  <p>So let's recap the features:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Multi-Step, multi-path wizard style
  form (64 steps)</li>
  <li>Current step is shown in a fashion similar to this: <a href="http://codylindley.com/CSS/325/css-step-menu" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://codylindley.com/CSS/325/css-step-menu</a></li>
  <li>Multiple validated fields</li>
  <li>Changing verbiage based on user
  choices</li>
  <li>Final, editable review page</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>I'm using jQuery 1.3.2 and the following plugins:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>jQuery Form Wizard Plugin</li>
  <li>jQuery clueTip plugin</li>
  <li>jQuery sexycombo</li>
  <li>jQuery meioMask plugin</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>As well as some custom script for loading the verbiage from an XML file, running the review page and some aesthetic accoutrements.</p>
  
  <p>I don't have this posted anywhere public, but I'm mostly looking for some tips on how to approach this sort of project and make it light weight and extensible. If anyone has any ideas as far as tools, tutorials or technologies, that's what I'm looking for. I'm a pretty novice programmer (I'm mostly a CSS/xHTML/Design guy), so speak gently. I just need a good plan of attack to make this app faster. Any ideas?</p>