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Encyclopedia > Adobe ColdFusion
Adobe ColdFusion
Image:ColdFusion 8 Logo.png
Developer: Adobe Systems
Initial release: 1995
Latest release: 8 / July 30, 2007
OS: Windows, Linux, UNIX, Macintosh
Available language(s): English
Genre: Application server
License: Proprietary
Website: Official website

ColdFusion is an application server and software development framework used for the development of computer software in general, and dynamic web sites in particular. In this regard, ColdFusion is a similar product to Microsoft ASP.NET or Java Enterprise Edition. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Software development is the translation of a user need or marketing goal into a software product. ... Adobe Systems (pronounced a-DOE-bee IPA: ) (NASDAQ: ADBE) (LSE: ABS) is an American computer software company headquartered in San Jose, California, USA. Adobe was founded in December 1982[1] by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, who established the company after leaving Xerox PARC in order to develop and sell... A software release is the distribution, whether public or private, of an initial or new and upgraded version of a computer software product. ... It has been suggested that Maintenance OS be merged into this article or section. ... Computer software can be organized into categories based on common function, type, or field of use. ... An application server is a software engine that delivers applications to client computers or devices. ... A software license is a legal agreement which may take the form of a proprietary or gratuitous license as well as a memorandum of contract between a producer and a user of computer software. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... An application server is a software engine that delivers applications to client computers or devices. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... ASP.NET is a web application framework marketed by Microsoft. ... Java Platform, Enterprise Edition or Java EE (formerly known as Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition or J2EE up to version 1. ...


The primary feature of ColdFusion is its associated scripting language, ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML), which compares to JSP, C#, or PHP and resembles HTML in syntax. "ColdFusion" is often used synonymously with "CFML", but it should be noted that there are additional CFML application servers besides ColdFusion, and that ColdFusion supports programming languages other than CFML, such as server-side Actionscript and embedded scripts that can be written in a JavaScript-like language, known as CFScript. CFML is the name of the scripting language used by ColdFusion, Blue Dragon, and other web development platforms. ... JavaServer Pages (JSP) is a Java technology that allows software developers to dynamically generate HTML, XML or other types of documents in response to a Web client request. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... PHP is a reflective programming language originally designed for producing dynamic web pages. ... HTML, short for Hypertext Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for the creation of web pages. ... ActionScript is a scripting language based on ECMAScript, used primarily for the development of websites and software using the Adobe Flash Player platform (in the form of SWF files embedded into Web pages). ... It has been suggested that Client-side JavaScript be merged into this article or section. ... CFScript is an extension of CFML on the ColdFusion platform. ...


Originally a product of Allaire, and released in July 1995 - ColdFusion was originally developed by brothers JJ and Jeremy Allaire. In 2001 Allaire was acquired by Macromedia, which was in turn acquired by Adobe Systems in 2005. Allaire Corporation, founded by Jeremy and JJ Allaire, released the first version of the ColdFusion server in 1995, the first database-driven web-content server. ... Allaire Corporation, founded by Jeremy and JJ Allaire, released the first version of the ColdFusion server in 1995, the first database-driven web-content server. ... Macromedia was an American graphics and web development software house headquartered in San Francisco, California producing such products as Macromedia Flash. ... Adobe Systems (pronounced a-DOE-bee IPA: ) (NASDAQ: ADBE) (LSE: ABS) is an American computer software company headquartered in San Jose, California, USA. Adobe was founded in December 1982[1] by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, who established the company after leaving Xerox PARC in order to develop and sell...


ColdFusion is most often used for data-driven web sites or intranets, but can also be used to generate remote services such as SOAP web services or Flash remoting. A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... An intranet is a private computer network that uses Internet protocols, network connectivity, and possibly the public telecommunication system to securely share part of an organizations information or operations with its employees. ... SOAP (see below for name and origins) is a protocol for exchanging XML-based messages over computer networks, normally using HTTP/HTTPS. SOAP forms the foundation layer of the Web services stack, providing a basic messaging framework that more abstract layers can build on. ... The W3C defines a Web service (many sources also capitalize the second word, as in Web Services) as a software system designed to support interoperable Machine to Machine interaction over a network. ... Adobe Flash, or simply Flash, refers to both the Adobe Flash Player, and to the Adobe Flash Professional multimedia authoring program. ...


ColdFusion can also handle asynchronous events such as SMS and instant messaging via its gateway interface, available in ColdFusion MX 7 Enterprise Edition. This article describes the technical methods for providing the text messaging service. ... Instant messaging (IM) is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. ...


ColdFusion provides a number of value-added services out of the box. Among them:

  • conversion from HTML to PDF and FlashPaper
  • client-side code generation, especially for form widgets and validation
  • platform-independent database querying via ODBC or JDBC
  • data retrieval from common enterprise systems such as Active Directory, LDAP, POP, HTTP, FTP, Microsoft Exchange Server
  • client and server cache management
  • session, client, and application management
  • file indexing and searching service based on Verity K2
  • XML parsing, querying, and validation
  • Server clustering
  • GUI administration
  • Task scheduling

Other implementations of CFML offer similar or enhanced functionality, such as running in a .NET environment or image manipulation. In computing, HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is a markup language designed for the creation of web pages and other information viewable in a browser. ... The Portable Document Format (PDF) is the file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 for document exchange. ... Macromedia FlashPaper 2 is a software application supplied by Macromedia. ... A widget (or control) is an interface component that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box. ... In computing, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) provides a standard software API method for using database management systems (DBMS). ... JDBC is an API for the Java programming language that defines how a client may access a database. ... Typically Active Directory is managed using the graphical Microsoft Management Console. ... The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, or LDAP (IPA: ), is an application protocol for querying and modifying directory services running over TCP/IP.[1] A directory is a set of information with similar attributes organized in a logical and hierarchical manner. ... In computing, local e-mail clients use the Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3), an application-layer Internet standard protocol, to retrieve e-mail from a remote server over a TCP/IP connection. ... Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a communications protocol used to transfer or convey information on the World Wide Web. ... “FTP” redirects here. ... See also Microsoft Exchange Client Microsoft Exchange Server is a messaging and collaborative software product developed by Microsoft. ... It has been suggested that Bitmap index be merged into this article or section. ... The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a general-purpose markup language. ... The Microsoft . ...

Contents

History

Early versions

The first version of ColdFusion (then called Cold Fusion) was released on July 10, 1995. This first version was written almost entirely by one person, JJ Allaire. Primitive by modern standards, early versions of ColdFusion did little more than database access.[1] In 1995 Joseph J. (JJ) Allaire co-founded Allaire Corporation with his brother Jeremy Allaire, creating the web development tool Cold Fusion. ...


All versions of ColdFusion prior to 6.0 were written using Microsoft Visual C++. This meant that ColdFusion was largely limited to running on Microsoft Windows, although Allaire did successfully port ColdFusion to Sun Solaris starting with version 3.1. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... Sun Microsystems, Inc. ... Solaris is a computer operating system developed by Sun Microsystems. ...


Releases

1995 Allaire Cold Fusion version 1.0
1996 Allaire Cold Fusion version 1.5
1997, Jun Allaire Cold Fusion version 3.0
1998, Jan Allaire Cold Fusion version 3.1
1998, Nov Allaire ColdFusion version 4.0 (space eliminated between Cold and Fusion to make it ColdFusion)
1999, Nov Allaire ColdFusion version 4.5
2001, Jun Macromedia ColdFusion version 5.0
2002, May Macromedia ColdFusion MX version 6.0
2003, Oct Macromedia ColdFusion MX version 6.1
2005 Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7
2007, July 30 Adobe ColdFusion 8


ColdFusion MX

Prior to 2000, Allaire began a project codenamed "Neo", that would rewrite the basis of ColdFusion using Java, which would allow for greater portability among different platforms. The Java platform is the name for a bundle of related programs, or platform, from Sun Microsystems which allow for developing and running programs written in the Java programming language. ...


On January 16, 2001, Allaire announced that it would be merging with Macromedia. Shortly after the merger, Macromedia continued with the incremental release of ColdFusion 5.00 and in June 2002, Macromedia released Macromedia ColdFusion MX (6.0), extending the naming convention of Macromedia's line of products. ColdFusion MX was completely rebuilt from the ground up and was based on the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) platform. ColdFusion MX was also designed to integrate well with Macromedia Flash using Flash Remoting. is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Java Platform, Enterprise Edition or Java EE is a widely used platform for server programming in the Java programming language. ... Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition or J2EE is a Standard (albeit with no ISO or ECMA standard) for developing distributed Multi-tier architecture applications, based on modular components running on an application server. ... // == Macromedia Flash == ==]] Using Macromedia Flash 8 (bundled in Studio 8) in Windows XP. Maintainer: Adobe Systems (formerly Macromedia) Latest release: 8 / September 30th, 2005 OS: Windows (no native Windows XP Professional x64 Edition support), Mac OS X, Linux (i386 only, via wine [1]) Use: Multimedia Content Creator License: Proprietary Website...


Starting from the MX (6.0) release, ColdFusion is compiled to bytecode, like JSP and ASP.NET. The compiled .class files are readily accessible, and are cached until their source changes, like JSPs. A compiler is a computer program that translates a computer program written in one computer language (called the source language) into an equivalent program written in another computer language (called the output or the target language). ... Bytecode is a binary representation of an executable program designed to be executed by a virtual machine rather than by dedicated hardware. ... JavaServer Pages (JSP) is a Java technology that allows software developers to dynamically generate HTML, XML or other types of documents in response to a Web client request. ... ASP.NET is a web application framework marketed by Microsoft. ...


With the release of ColdFusion MX, the CFML language was also extended to support basic OOP. Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that uses objects to design applications and computer programs. ...


ColdFusion MX 7

With the release of ColdFusion 7.0, the naming convention was amended, rendering the product name "Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7". CFMX 7 added Flash-based, and XForms-based, web forms and a report builder that output in Adobe PDF as well as Flash Paper, RTF and Excel. The Adobe PDF output is also available as a wrapper to any HTML page, converting that page to a quality printable document. The enterprise edition also added Gateways. These provide interaction with non-HTTP request services such as IM Services, SMS, Directory Watchers, and an asynchronous execution. XML support was boosted in this version to include native schema checking. Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format developed by Adobe Systems for representing documents in a manner that is independent of the original application software, hardware, and operating system used to create those documents. ... See FlashPaper, a Macromedia Flash-based inline document viewer. ... The Rich Text Format (often abbreviated to RTF) is a proprietary document file format developed by Microsoft in 1987 for cross-platform document interchange. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Gateway (telecommunications). ...


ColdFusion MX 7.0.2, codenamed "Mystic" includes advanced features for working with Adobe Flex 2.


Current Version

On July 30, 2007, Adobe Systems released ColdFusion 8, dropping "MX" from its name. During beta testing the codename used was "Scorpio". More than 14,000 developers worldwide were active in the beta process - many more testers than the 5,000 Adobe Systems originally expected. The ColdFusion development team consisted of developers based in Newton, Massachusetts and Bangalore, India. Adobe Systems (pronounced a-DOE-bee IPA: ) (NASDAQ: ADBE) (LSE: ABS) is an American computer software company headquartered in San Jose, California, USA. Adobe was founded in December 1982[1] by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, who established the company after leaving Xerox PARC in order to develop and sell... Adobe Systems (pronounced a-DOE-bee IPA: ) (NASDAQ: ADBE) (LSE: ABS) is an American computer software company headquartered in San Jose, California, USA. Adobe was founded in December 1982[1] by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, who established the company after leaving Xerox PARC in order to develop and sell... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...


Some of the new features are the CFPDFFORM tag, which enables integration with Adobe Acrobat forms, some image manipulation functions, Microsoft .Net integration, and the CFPRESENTATION tag, which to allows the creation of dynamic presentations using Macromedia Breeze - now called Adobe Acrobat Connect technology. Also the ColdFusion Administrator for the Enterprise version ships with built-in server monitoring. ColdFusion 8 is available on several operating systems including Linux, Mac OS X and Windows Vista. How in the world are you ppl so fast. ... Microsoft . ... Macromedia Breeze is software used with Microsoft PowerPoint to create powerful marketing, information and general presentations, learning modules and more. ... Adobe Acrobat Connect, formerly Macromedia Breeze, is software used with Microsoft PowerPoint to create information and general presentations, online training materials, web conferencing, and learning modules. ... In computing, an operating system (OS) is the system software responsible for the direct control and management of hardware and basic system operations. ... Linux (IPA pronunciation: ) is a Unix-like computer operating system. ... Mac OS X (official IPA pronunciation: ) is a line of proprietary, graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. ... Windows Vista is a line of graphical operating systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, Tablet PCs, and media centers. ...


Other additions to ColdFusion 8 are built-in Ajax widgets, file archive manipulation (CFZIP), Microsoft Exchange server integration (CFEXCHANGE), image manipulation including automatic captcha generation (CFIMAGE), multi-threading, per-application settings, Atom and RSS feeds, reporting enhancements, stronger encryption libraries, array and structure improvements, improved database interaction, extensive performance improvements, PDF manipulation and merging capabilities (CFPDF), interactive debugging, embedded database support with Apache Derby, and a more ECMA compliant CFSCRIPT. Microsoft Exchange can mean: Microsoft Exchange Server Microsoft Exchange Client: the native and bundled client of Exchange server up to version 5. ... Properties In chemistry and physics, an atom (Greek ἄτομος or átomos meaning indivisible) is the smallest particle still characterizing a chemical element. ... For RSS feeds from Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Syndication. ... Apache Derby is a Java-based Relational Database Management System that can be embedded in Java programs and used for online transaction processing (OLTP). ... ECMA is short for European Computer Manufacturers Association (Name of Ecma International until 1994) East Coast Music Awards European Carton Makers Association[1] ECMAScript This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...


For development of ColdFusion applications several tools are available - Adobe Dreamweaver CS3, Macromedia HomeSite+ (nee ColdFusion Studio) and Eclipse. "Tag updates" are available for these applications to update their support for the new ColdFusion 8 features. This article is about the web development program. ... HomeSite is an HTML editor owned by Adobe Systems (formerly owned by Macromedia). ... “Total eclipse” redirects here. ...


Rich forms

ColdFusion Server includes a subset of its Macromedia Flex 1.5 technology. Its stated purpose is to allow for rich forms in HTML pages using CFML to generate Flash movies. These Flash forms can actually be used to implement rich internet applications, but with limited efficacy due to the ActionScript restrictions in place on Flash forms by Macromedia. Macromedia Flex is an umbrella term for a group of technologies initially released in March of 2004 by Macromedia to support the development and deployment of rich internet applications based on their proprietary Macromedia flash platform. ...


Flash forms also provide additional widgets for data input, such as date pickers and data grids.


In previous versions of ColdFusion, some form validation and additional widgets were available using a combination of Java applets and JavaScript. This option persists for those who do not wish to use Flash, however not all features are supported.


An example:

 <cfform format="flash" method="post" width="400" height="400"> <cfinput type="text" name="username" label="Username" required="yes" > <cfinput type="password" name="password" label="Password" required="yes" > <cfinput type="submit" name="submit" value="Sign In" > </cfform> 

ColdFusion also includes some XForms capability, and the ability to "skin" forms using XSLT. XForms is two things: 1. ... ...


PDF and FlashPaper generation

ColdFusion can generate PDF or FlashPaper documents using standard HTML (i.e. no additional coding is needed to generate documents for print). CFML authors simply place HTML and CSS within a pair of cfdocument tags and specify the desired format (FlashPaper or PDF). The generated document can then either be saved to disk or sent to the client's browser. ColdFusion 8 has now introduced the cfpdf tag which allows for unprecedented control over PDF documents including PDF forms, and merging of PDFs. PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ... Macromedia FlashPaper 2 is a software application supplied by Macromedia. ...


ColdFusion Components (Objects)

ColdFusion was originally not an object-oriented programming language, and even today lacks some OO features. ColdFusion falls into the category of OO languages that do not support multiple inheritance (along with Java, Smalltalk etc.). With the MX release (6+), ColdFusion introduced the component language construct which resembles classes in OO languages. Each component may contain any number of properties and methods. One component may also extend another (Inheritance). Components only support single inheritance. With the release of ColdFusion 8 , Java-style interfaces are supported. ColdFusion components use the file extension cfc to differentiate them from ColdFusion templates (.cfm). An object-oriented programming language (also called an OO language) is one that allows or encourages, to some degree, object-oriented programming techniques such as encapsulation, inheritance, interfaces, and polymorphism. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...


ColdFusion 8 introduced interfaces as a language construct. An interface is a specification that exists between software components that specifies a selected means of interaction, by means of properties of other software modules, which abstract and encapsulate their data. ...


Remoting

Component methods may be made available as web services with no additional coding and configuration. All that is required is for a method's access to be declared 'remote'. ColdFusion automatically generates a WSDL at the URL for the component thusly: http://path/to/components/Component.cfc?wsdl. Aside from SOAP, the services are offered in Flash Remoting binary format. The Web Services Description Language (WSDL, pronounced wiz-dull or spelled out, W-S-D-L) is an XML-based language that provides a model for describing Web services. ...


Methods which are declared remote may also be invoked via a HTTP GET or POST request. Consider the GET request as shown.

 http://path/to/components/Component.cfc?method=search&query=your+query&mode=strict 

This will invoke the component's search function, passing "your query" and "strict" as arguments.


This type of invocation is well-suited for AJAX-enabled applications. ColdFusion 8 introduced the ability to serialize ColdFusion data structures to JSON for consumption on the client. // Ajax (mythology), also known as Telamonian Ajax or Ajax the Great, a Greek hero and legendary king of Salamis who plays an important role in Homers Iliad Ajax the Lesser, or Oilean Ajax, a Greek hero and legendary king of Locris who appears in Homers Iliad Ajax (Sophocles... JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight computer data interchange format. ...


The ColdFusion server will automatically generate documentation for a component if you navigate to its URL and insert the appropriate code within the component's declarations. This is an application of component introspection, available to developers of ColdFusion components. Access to a component's documentation requires a password. A developer can view the documentation for all components known to the ColdFusion server by navigating to the ColdFusion URL. This interface resembles the Javadoc HTML documentation for Java classes. Javadoc is a computer software tool from Sun Microsystems for generating API documentation into HTML format from Java source code. ...


ColdFusion and Java

The standard ColdFusion installation allows the deployment of ColdFusion as a WAR or EAR file for deployment to standalone application servers, such as Macromedia JRun, and IBM WebSphere. ColdFusion can also be deployed to servlet containers such as Apache Tomcat and Mortbay Jetty, but because these platforms do not officially support ColdFusion, they leave many of its features inaccessible. JRun is an Macromedias J2EE application server. ... WebSphere refers to a brand of proprietary IBM software products, although the term also popularly refers to one specific product: WebSphere Application Server (WAS). ... Apache Tomcat is a web container developed at the Apache Software Foundation (ASF). ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...


Because ColdFusion is a Java EE application, ColdFusion code can be mixed with Java classes to create a variety of applications and utilize existing Java libraries. ColdFusion has access to all underlying Java classes, supports JSP custom tag libraries, and can access JSP functions after retrieving the JSP page context (GetPageContext()).


Prior to ColdFusion 7.0.1, ColdFusion components could only be used by Java or .NET by declaring them as web services. However, beginning in ColdFusion MX 7.0.1, ColdFusion components can now be utilized directly within Java classes using the CFCProxy class.[2]


Recently, there has been much interest in Java development using scripting languages such as Groovy and JRuby. It should be noted that ColdFusion was one of the first scripting platforms to allow this style of Java development. There are, however, some limitations to ColdFusion's ability to offer Java scripting: Groovy is an object-oriented programming language for the Java Platform as an alternative to the Java programming language. ... JRuby is a Java implementation of the Ruby interpreter, being developed by the JRuby team. ...

  • lack of Bean Scripting Framework plugin support
  • one cannot extend Java classes in ColdFusion
  • ColdFusion MX 6.1 did not support usage of null value method parameters
  • ColdFusion components cannot be consumed in Java as regular classes (see the paragraph on CFCProxy above)

The Bean Scripting Framework is a method of allowing the use of scripting in Java code. ...

ColdFusion and .NET

ColdFusion 8 is the first version in which Adobe attempted to directly compete with its software rival, New Atlanta. Unlike some competing products which have native .NET support, ColdFusion 8 offers .NET access through a wrapper via its native Java platform. New Atlanta is a software company specializing in products to ease creation of Web Services. ...


Custom tags

ColdFusion provides several ways to implement custom tags, i.e. those not included in the core ColdFusion language. The traditional and most common way is using CFML. A standard CFML page can be interpreted as a tag, with the tag name corresponding to the file name prefixed with "cf_". For example, the file IMAP.cfm can be used as the tag "cf_imap". Attributes used within the tag are available in the ATTRIBUTES scope of the tag implementation page. CFML pages are accessible in the same directory as the calling page, via a special directory in the ColdFusion web application, or via a CFIMPORT tag in the calling page. The latter method does not necessarily require the "cf_" prefix for the tag name.


A second way is the development of CFX tags using Java or C++. CFX tags are prefixed with "cfx_", for example "cfx_imap". Tags are added to the ColdFusion runtime environment using the ColdFusion administrator, where JAR or DLL files are registered as custom tags.


Finally, ColdFusion supports JSP tag libraries from the JSP 2.0 language specification. JSP tags are included in CFML pages using the CFIMPORT tag.


Alternative server environments

ColdFusion originated as proprietary technology based on Web technology industry standards. However, it is becoming a less closed technology through the availability of competing products. Products include Railo, BlueDragon, IgniteFusion, SmithProject and Coral Web Builder. This article needs to be wikified. ... BlueDragon is an alternative CFML engine comparable to Macromedias ColdFusion. ... IgniteFusion is a freeware CFML script engine that runs cfm script files. ... SmithProject is a freeware CFML script engine that runs cfm script files. ... Coral Web Builder is a commercial CFML-compatible scripting engine, targeted at non-technical users and for standalone applications. ...


The argument can be made that ColdFusion is even less platform-bound than raw J2EE or .NET, simply because ColdFusion will run on top of a .NET app server (New Atlanta), or on top of any servlet container or J2EE application server (JRun, WebSphere, JBoss, Geronimo, Tomcat, Resin, Jetty, etc.). In theory, a ColdFusion application could be moved unchanged from a J2EE app server to a .NET app server. JRun is an Macromedias J2EE application server. ... JBoss (pronounced Jay Boss) is an open source Java EE-based application server implemented in Java. ... The Geronimo project is an open source application server developed by the Apache Software Foundation and distributed under the Apache license. ... Apache Tomcat is a web container developed at the Apache Software Foundation (ASF). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Alternate meanings: See Jetty (web server) Alternate meanings: See Jettying in buildings The term jetty, derived from the French jetie, and therefor signifying something thrown out, is applied to a variety of structures employed in river, dock and maritime works which are generally carried out in pairs from river banks...


Currently, alternative server platforms generally support ColdFusion MX 6.1 functionality, with minor changes or feature enhancements.


Acronyms

The acronym for the ColdFusion Markup Language is CFML. When ColdFusion templates are saved to disk, they are traditionally given the extension .cfm or .cfml. The .cfc extension is used for ColdFusion Components. The original extension was DBM or DBML, which stood for Database Markup Language. When talking about ColdFusion, most users use the acronym CF and this is used for numerous ColdFusion resources such as user groups (CFUGs) and sites. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Backronym and Apronym (Discuss) Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, such as NATO, laser, and ABC, written as the initial letter or letters of words, and pronounced on the basis of this abbreviated written form. ... // Cf or CF may stand for: cf. ...


CFMX is the common abbreviation for ColdFusion versions 6 and 7 (aka ColdFusion MX).


Criticism

Choices of scripting languages for any task are subject to much debate in the IT community. Criticisms of ColdFusion include: Information and communication technology spending in 2005 Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. ...

  • Adobe ColdFusion is expensive, especially compared to its competitors, which are almost always free. Even Microsoft-based scripting solutions such as ASP.NET are technically free if you own a PC or server running some version of Windows. The rapid deployment of ColdFusion applications negates the cost of the server, since most applications can be built at manpower savings that significantly make up for the cost of the server.[3][4] However, there are several free versions of ColdFusion, some with enhanced features.
  • Many scripting languages such as PHP, Ruby, Perl and Python are open-source. While the language of CFML itself is documented, Adobe ColdFusion's server code is not viewable or modifiable. However, SmithProject is an open-source CFML parsing engine.
  • CFML syntax is very different from traditional programming languages, which use a C-style syntax, although this is a key reason for its success. With ColdFusion 8, CFScript can now be used as an alternative to all ColdFusion tags.
  • ColdFusion libraries and extensions are not always free, although there are sites dedicated to open-source ColdFusion code and several open-source frameworks have emerged in recent years in active development. ColdFusion also can easily call Java libraries which alleviates this issue.
  • ColdFusion lacks advanced object-oriented features such as providing little distinction between instance and class (virtual and static) properties and methods. ColdFusion doesn't offer constructor syntax per se, but rather forces an object factory pattern to return object instances. A common idiom is to use init to indicate a method which is the constructor for each component. Methods are implicitly virtual if they reference the THIS scope. There are several techniques available to provide mixin functionality. Note: The release of CF 8 has included a cfinterface tag to define interfaces similarly to OOP languages like Java.
  • CFScript is similar to but incompatible with the ECMAScript specification. ColdFusion does include some server-side Actionscript functionality (which is ECMA-script compliant), however server-side Actionscript has significantly fewer features than CFML. Note: The release of CF 8 has allowed for more common versions of the scripting syntax. Ex == for equals, < for less than, and ++ to increment a variable will all be permissible.
  • Certain features of ColdFusion such as event gateways, creation of datasources, caching settings and classpath additions are not readily configurable for usage in a shared hosting environment. Note: The release of CF 8 has allowed hosting providers to provide application specific settings and administrator accounts, which should help to bring more functionality to shared hosting customers. Also, features like Event Gateways are included in the standard version now.
  • ColdFusion is not a general purpose programming language. It cannot be used to create certain kinds of programs or software. For example, ColdFusion was written in Java and it would be impossible to write ColdFusion in ColdFusion itself (a technique known as Bootstrapping). Extending ColdFusion therefore frequently relies on also using other general purpose programming languages.

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... In object-oriented programming languages, a mixin is an approach to implementing classes that differs from the most widely-used approach coming from the programming language Simula. ... ECMAScript is a scripting programming language, standardized by Ecma International in the ECMA-262 specification. ... ActionScript is a scripting language based on ECMAScript, used primarily for the development of websites and software using the Adobe Flash Player platform (in the form of SWF files embedded into Web pages). ...

References

See also

CFML is the name of the scripting language used by ColdFusion, Blue Dragon, and other web development platforms. ... BlueDragon is an alternative CFML engine comparable to Macromedias ColdFusion. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Programming languages are used for controlling the behavior of a machine (often a computer). ...

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