Pull Request

• I read the Generative AI policy (https://developer.joomla.org/generative-ai-policy.html) and my contribution is either not created with the help of AI or is compatible with the policy and GNU/GPL 2 or later.

Summary of Changes

This PR adds JSON response support to ArticlesController::featured() when format=json is requested, enabling smoother AJAX interactions.

The existing redirect flow for non-JSON requests is left unchanged to ensure backward compatibility.
It also introduces AJAX handling for toggling the featured (star) state directly from the articles list view.

After a successful toggle, the star icon and tooltip are updated instantly in the UI.
If the AJAX request fails for any reason, the system falls back to the default Joomla.listItemTask behavior.

Testing Instructions

1. Go to Administrator --> Content --> Articles.
2. Click the featured (star) icon for any article.
3. Verify that the featured state updates immediately without a full page reload.
4. Check that a success message is displayed.
5. Disable JavaScript (or simulate a failed request) and click the star again.
6. Confirm that the default form submission still works as expected.

Actual result BEFORE applying this Pull Request

1. Toggling the featured state causes a full page reload.
2. Visual feedback is only visible after the page refresh.

Expected result AFTER applying this Pull Request

1. The featured/unfeatured toggle works instantly via AJAX without reloading the page.
2. The star icon and tooltip update immediately to reflect the new state.
3. A success or error message is displayed based on the response.
4. The standard non-AJAX behavior continues to work as a fallback.

Link to documentations

Please select:

• Documentation link for guide.joomla.org:

• No documentation changes for guide.joomla.org needed

• Pull Request link for manual.joomla.org:

• No documentation changes for manual.joomla.org needed