
Contents > Developing ColdFusion MX Applications > Introduction to ColdFusion MX > ColdFusion features described in this book

ColdFusion features described in this book

ColdFusion provides a comprehensive set of features for developing and managing Internet applications. These features enhance speed and ease-of-development, and let you dynamically deploy your applications, integrate new and legacy technologies, and build secure applications.

The following table describes the primary ColdFusion features that are discussed in this book, and lists the chapters that describe them. This table is only a summary of major CFML features; this book also includes information about other features. Also, this table does not include features that are described in other books.

Feature

Description

Chapters

CFML

CFML is a fully featured tag-oriented Internet application language. It includes a wide range of tags, functions, variables, and expressions.

2-5

CFScript

CFScript is a server-side scripting language that provides a subset of ColdFusion functionality in script syntax.

6

Regular expressions

ColdFusion provides several functions that use regular expressions for string manipulation. It also lets you use regular expressions in text input tags.

7, 25

Reusable elements

ColdFusion lets you create several types of elements, such as user-defined functions and ColdFusion components, that you write once and can use many times.

8-12

Custom CFML tags

You can create custom ColdFusion tags using CFML. These tags can have bodies and can call other custom tags.

9

User-defined functions
(UDFs)

You can use CFScript or the cffunction tag to create your own functions. These functions can incorporate all of the built-in ColdFusion tags and functions, plus other extensions.

10

ColdFusion components

ColdFusion components encapsulate multiple functions and related data in a single logical unit. ColdFusion components can have many uses, and are particularly useful in creating web services and Flash interfaces for your application.

11

ColdFusion extension (CFX) tags

You can create custom tags in Java or C++. These tags can use features that are only available when using programming languages. However, CFX tags cannot have tag bodies.

12

ColdFusion application structure

ColdFusion supports many ways of building an application, and includes specific features, such as the Application.cfm page, built-in security features, and shared scopes, that help you optimize your application structure.

13-17

Error handling mechanisms

ColdFusion provides several mechanisms for handling data, including custom error pages and exception-handling tags and functions, such as cftry and cfcatch.

14

Shared and persistent variable scopes

Using shared and persistent scopes, you can make data available to a single user over one or many browser sessions, or to multiple users of an application or server.

15

Code locking

You lock sections of code that access in-memory shared scopes or use external resources that are not safe for multiple simultaneous access.

15

Application security

ColdFusion provides mechanisms, including the cflogin tag, for authenticating users and authorizing them to access specific sections of your application. You can also use resource security, which secures access to ColdFusion resources based on the ColdFusion page location.

16

Application globalization

ColdFusion supports global applications that use different character sets and locales, and provides tags and functions designed to support globalizing your applications.

17

Debugging tools

Using debugging output, the cftrace tag, logging features, and the Code Analyzer, you can locate and fix coding errors.

18

Database access and management

ColdFusion can access SQL databases to retrieve, add, and modify data. This feature is one of the core functions of many dynamic applications.

19-21

Queries of Queries

You can use a subset of standard SQL within ColdFusion to manipulate any data that is represented as a record set, including database query results, LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) directory information, and other data.

22

LDAP directory access and management

ColdFusion applications can access and manipulate data in LDAP directory services. These directories are often used for security validation data and other directory-like information.

23

Indexing and searching data

ColdFusion applications can provide full-text search capabilities for documents and data sources using the Verity search engine.

24-25

Dynamic forms

With ColdFusion, you can use HTML and forms to control the data displayed by a dynamic web page. You can also use the cfform tag to enrich your forms with sophisticated graphical controls, and perform input data validation.

26-27

Data graphing

You can use the cfchart tag to display your data graphically.

28

Macromedia Flash integration

You can use native Flash connectivity built into ColdFusion MX to help build dynamic Flash user interfaces for ColdFusion applications.

29

Server-side ActionScript

Macromedia Flash Remoting lets Macromedia Flash MX developers create server-side ActionScript. ActionScript files can directly access Macromedia ColdFusion MX query and HTTP features through two functions: CF.query and CF.http.

30

XML document processing and creation

ColdFusion applications can create, use, and manipulate XML (Extensible Markup Language) documents. ColdFusion also provides tools to use WDDX (Web Distributed Data Exchange), an XML dialect for transmitting structured data.

31

Web services

ColdFusion applications can use available SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)-based web services, including Microsoft .NET services. ColdFusion applications can also use ColdFusion components to provide web services to other applications over the Internet.

32

Java and J2EE integration

You can integrate J2EE elements, including JSP (JavaServer Pages) pages, JSP tag libraries, and Java objects, including EJBs (Enterprise JavaBeans), into your ColdFusion application.

33

COM and CORBA objects

The cfobject tag lets you use COM (Component Object Model) or DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) and CORBA (Common Object Request Broker) objects in your ColdFusion applications.

34

E-mail messages

You can add interactive e-mail features to your ColdFusion applications using the cfmail and cfpop tags.

35

HTTP and FTP

The cfhttp and cfftp tags provide simple methods of using HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) communications in your application.

36

File and directory access

You can use the cffile, cfdirectory, and cfcontent tags to read, write, and manage files and directories on the server.

37

Feature	Description	Chapters
CFML	CFML is a fully featured tag-oriented Internet application language. It includes a wide range of tags, functions, variables, and expressions.	2-5
CFScript	CFScript is a server-side scripting language that provides a subset of ColdFusion functionality in script syntax.	6
Regular expressions	ColdFusion provides several functions that use regular expressions for string manipulation. It also lets you use regular expressions in text input tags.	7, 25
Reusable elements	ColdFusion lets you create several types of elements, such as user-defined functions and ColdFusion components, that you write once and can use many times.	8-12
Custom CFML tags	You can create custom ColdFusion tags using CFML. These tags can have bodies and can call other custom tags.	9
User-defined functions (UDFs)	You can use CFScript or the `cffunction` tag to create your own functions. These functions can incorporate all of the built-in ColdFusion tags and functions, plus other extensions.	10
ColdFusion components	ColdFusion components encapsulate multiple functions and related data in a single logical unit. ColdFusion components can have many uses, and are particularly useful in creating web services and Flash interfaces for your application.	11
ColdFusion extension (CFX) tags	You can create custom tags in Java or C++. These tags can use features that are only available when using programming languages. However, CFX tags cannot have tag bodies.	12
ColdFusion application structure	ColdFusion supports many ways of building an application, and includes specific features, such as the Application.cfm page, built-in security features, and shared scopes, that help you optimize your application structure.	13-17
Error handling mechanisms	ColdFusion provides several mechanisms for handling data, including custom error pages and exception-handling tags and functions, such as `cftry` and `cfcatch`.	14
Shared and persistent variable scopes	Using shared and persistent scopes, you can make data available to a single user over one or many browser sessions, or to multiple users of an application or server.	15
Code locking	You lock sections of code that access in-memory shared scopes or use external resources that are not safe for multiple simultaneous access.	15
Application security	ColdFusion provides mechanisms, including the `cflogin` tag, for authenticating users and authorizing them to access specific sections of your application. You can also use resource security, which secures access to ColdFusion resources based on the ColdFusion page location.	16
Application globalization	ColdFusion supports global applications that use different character sets and locales, and provides tags and functions designed to support globalizing your applications.	17
Debugging tools	Using debugging output, the `cftrace` tag, logging features, and the Code Analyzer, you can locate and fix coding errors.	18
Database access and management	ColdFusion can access SQL databases to retrieve, add, and modify data. This feature is one of the core functions of many dynamic applications.	19-21
Queries of Queries	You can use a subset of standard SQL within ColdFusion to manipulate any data that is represented as a record set, including database query results, LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) directory information, and other data.	22
LDAP directory access and management	ColdFusion applications can access and manipulate data in LDAP directory services. These directories are often used for security validation data and other directory-like information.	23
Indexing and searching data	ColdFusion applications can provide full-text search capabilities for documents and data sources using the Verity search engine.	24-25
Dynamic forms	With ColdFusion, you can use HTML and forms to control the data displayed by a dynamic web page. You can also use the `cfform` tag to enrich your forms with sophisticated graphical controls, and perform input data validation.	26-27
Data graphing	You can use the `cfchart` tag to display your data graphically.	28
Macromedia Flash integration	You can use native Flash connectivity built into ColdFusion MX to help build dynamic Flash user interfaces for ColdFusion applications.	29
Server-side ActionScript	Macromedia Flash Remoting lets Macromedia Flash MX developers create server-side ActionScript. ActionScript files can directly access Macromedia ColdFusion MX query and HTTP features through two functions: `CF.query` and `CF.http`.	30
XML document processing and creation	ColdFusion applications can create, use, and manipulate XML (Extensible Markup Language) documents. ColdFusion also provides tools to use WDDX (Web Distributed Data Exchange), an XML dialect for transmitting structured data.	31
Web services	ColdFusion applications can use available SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)-based web services, including Microsoft .NET services. ColdFusion applications can also use ColdFusion components to provide web services to other applications over the Internet.	32
Java and J2EE integration	You can integrate J2EE elements, including JSP (JavaServer Pages) pages, JSP tag libraries, and Java objects, including EJBs (Enterprise JavaBeans), into your ColdFusion application.	33
COM and CORBA objects	The `cfobject` tag lets you use COM (Component Object Model) or DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) and CORBA (Common Object Request Broker) objects in your ColdFusion applications.	34
E-mail messages	You can add interactive e-mail features to your ColdFusion applications using the `cfmail` and `cfpop` tags.	35
HTTP and FTP	The `cfhttp` and `cfftp` tags provide simple methods of using HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) communications in your application.	36
File and directory access	You can use the `cffile`, `cfdirectory`, and `cfcontent` tags to read, write, and manage files and directories on the server.	37


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