How to handle ajax in a back office module controller

[sttaq]

I am trying to make a ajax calls to my back office module controller.

 

So far I have been able to make an ajax call to a ajax.php file situated in my module's root folder and from here I call a static method in my controller. I was looking at some PrestaShop code and found that ajax calls to a admin controller are made like below in one of the back office pages:

...            
$('#someid').autocomplete("ajax-tab.php", {
                delay: 100,
                minChars: 3,
                autoFill: true,
                max: 100,
                matchContains: true,
                mustMatch: false,
                scroll: false,
                cacheLength: 0,
                dataType: 'json',
                extraParams: {
                    id_supplier: '1',
                    id_currency: '1',
                    ajax: '1',
                    controller: 'AdminSupplyOrders',
                    token: "{$token}",
                    action: 'searchProduct'
                },....

Here ajax-tab.php is PrestaShops internal php file. The call to searchProduct resolves to a method having name ajaxSearchProduct and this method is not static. Now, when I try to do the same in module's controller I get an exception that module cannot be found. I would like to know if making ajax requests in this way is possible and if it is then what should I do to make it work?

 

Alternately, I can use the AdminSupplyOrders but because this javascript is called from a different tab the token is not set to that needed by AdminSupplyOrders and if I try with it I get a security exception. So if I know how to get a token for a AdminSupplyOrders other than the current one then that can help as well.

 

Thanks

Edited May 14, 2014 by sttaq (see edit history)