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Advanced ColdFusion MX 7

Once you have mastered ColdFusion's basics, it is time to discover its more advanced options. We will explore the many methods of reusing code (including <cfinclude>, custom tags and stored procedures). Using session variables and cookies, we will create a Password Protected section of the site to increase security.

We will teach you how to predict and prevent errors so your users will never see an ugly error page. Using Regular Expressions, we will perform advanced Form Validation. Although ColdFusion does allow for quick an easy development, it still is a robust, powerful language. We will explore programming concepts including loops, arrays, structures and two methods for writing User-Defined Functions (UDFs).

Course Outline

Module 1: Course Introduction and <cfchart>

• Introduction
• Course Objectives
• Course Prerequisites
• Course Project
  • Exercise: Set-up Course Files and Data Sources (DSNs)
• Charting and Graphing Options
  • Demo: Basic Charts
  • Using <cfchart> vs. <cfchartseries>
  • Demo: Linking from a chart to another page
  • Demo: <cfchartdata> to manually add data
  • Caching Charts
  • Demo: Save charts for future use with <cffile>
  • Exercise: Create a chart with <cfchart>

Module 2: Application Framework

• Automatic Includes: Application.cfm and onRequestEnd.cfm
  • New Application Framework: Application.cfc
  • Exercise: Store DSN and Company Name as Application Variables
• Using Application Variables
  • Exercise: Cycle through Featured Movies Using Application Variables

Module 3: Manipulating Complex Data Objects (Lists, Arrays, Structures and Queries)

• Complex Data Objects
  • Scalar Variables
  • Lists
  • Arrays
  • Structures
  • Exercise: Arrays and Lists
• Looping with <cfloop>
  • Syntax of <cfloop>
  • Weeding Out the FIELDNAMES Variable
  • Using <cfloop> for automatic query output
  • Display Web-safe Colors using CFLOOP
  • Exercise: Display results with <cfloop>
• Queries of Queries
  • Demo: Query of Query
  • Exercise: Query of query to display “classic movies”
• Module 4: CFCs - Building ColdFusion Components
  • Benefits to using CFCs
  • Creating Components
  • Calling or Invoking Components
  • Passing Arguments to Components
  • The main CFML page
  • Three Ways to Pass Arguments
  • Where to save CFCs
  • Self-documenting - View a Component directly in the browser
  • Exercise: Creating ColdFusion Components with Arguments
• Object-Oriented CFCs
  • Object-Oriented Principles
  • Demo: CFC using Object-Oriented Model
  • How does use of a CFC compare to other OO languages?
  • Demo: CFC using Object-Oriented Model
  • Inheritance
  • Demo: Inherit from another CFC
  • Access control
  • Exposing CFCs as Web Services
  • Exercise: Build OOP CFC with Parameters to Edit Courses

Module 5: Errors and Exceptions

• Standard Error Handling
  • Application.cfm
  • Demo: the error page
  • Demo: detailed error page
  • Exercise: Replace the Default Error Page
• Structured Error Handling
  • <cftry> and <cfcatch>
  • Demo: Using <cftry>
  • Transactions with <cftransaction> and <cftry>
  • Classic <cftransaction> example
  • Demo: Using <cftransaction> with <cftry>
  • Exercise: Using <cftransaction> to Avoid Errors

Module 6: Reusing Code

• <cfscript>
• Limited Capabilities of <cfscript>
  • Syntax Rules
  • Reserved Words
  • Looping with <cfscript>
  • GetTickCount() - testing the speed of your code
  • Exercise: Setting Variables with <cfscript>
• Custom Tags
  • Demo: custom tags
  • Where to store Custom Tags
  • Demo: Custom Tag with Parameters
  • CALLER and ATTRIBUTE scopes
  • Using <cfmodule>
  • Exercise: Using Custom Tags
• Stored Procedures
  • Benefits of Stored Procedures
  • Demo: Stored Procedure
  • Demo: pass a parameter to a stored procedure
  • Exercise: Pass Parameters to a Stored Procedure
• Showing portions of a Recordset
  • Paging through records
  • Exercise: Add “Next” and “Previous” links to the Actors list

Module 7: Flash Forms

• Flash Form Basics
  • Using masks
  • Automatic Form Validation
  • Binding Data
  • Using cfgrid
• Exercise: Using cfgrid and Flash Forms

Module 8: Scaling Applications

• Focus on performance and salability
• Caching queries and pages

Module 9: Working with External Systems: <cffile>, <cfhttp> and Web Services

• Read and Write Text Files with <cffile>
  • Demo: Read Plain Text Documents
  • Demo: Write Text File
  • Exercise: Build a Simple Message Board
• Upload Documents with <cffile>
  • Demo: Dynamically Create Static HTML Pages
  • Form tag additions
  • Saving long variable values with <cfsavecontent>
  • Exercise: Upload External Files
• Using <cfdirectory>
  • Demo: Using <cfdirectory>
• <cfhttp>
  • Making http requests with <cfhttp>
  • Demo: Using <cfhttp> to display a complete page
  • Demo: Using <cfhttp> to download a complete page and save with <cffile>
  • Attributes of <cfhttp>
  • Demo: Convert a Text File into a Query with <cfhttp>
  • While looping though the records…
  • Demo: Add a Column to Query
  • Idea! Dynamically Creating Static Pages
  • Exercise: Using <cfhttp> to Access and Parse External Data
• Passing Variables with <cfhttp> and <cfhttpparam>
  • Creating an Intelligent Agent
  • Demo: Examine a Simple Traditional Application
  • Demo: Convert Simple Application into an Intelligent Agent
  • Exercise: Simulate the Post Method with <cfhttp> and Create an “Intelligent Agent”
• Web Services
  • Creating WSDL Documents
  • Demo: Converting CFCs into Web Services
  • SOAP
  • A note about security
  • XML Parser
  • Exercise: Convert Existing CFC into Web Service
• Invoking External Web Services
  • Locating Web Services
  • Invoking .NET Web Services
  • Demo: Consuming internal and external Web Services
  • Exercise: Consuming External Web Services
• Dreamweaver, Web Services and Components

Module 10: Using XML (optional)

• XML Syntax Review
  • XML Logical Structure
  • XML Physical Structure
  • XML Logic: Designing Datasheets
  • Parsing XML data with ColdFusion
  • Demo: Convert an XML datasheet into an XML Document Object with XMLParse()
  • Demo: Referring to Specific XML nodes
  • Demo: Loop through each node with <cfloop>
  • Demo: Counting Children Nodes
  • Exercise: Create a Calendar of Events Built from External XML Files Provided by External Organizations
• Loading XML data
  • Demo: Access XML Data with <cffile> tag
  • Demo: Build XML Object in .cfm Document with <cfxml> Tag
  • Demo: Query Database to Build XML Document Object
  • Manipulating XML data with Built-in Functions
  • List of Structure/Array Functions that may be used on an XML Document Object
  • List of XML-specific Functions
  • Demo: Add nodes to XML Document Object
  • Exercise: Add an Event to the Calendar
• Create Query Object from Existing XML
  • Demo: Combine Multiple XML Document Objects into One
  • Demo: Convert XML Document Objects into a Query Object
  • Exercise: Co-mingle the Events on the Calendar
• Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) Review
  • XSL, XSLT, and XSLFO
  • XSL Basics: Linking to an XSL Stylesheet
  • Examining an XSL Stylesheet
  • Server-side XSL Transformation with ColdFusion
  • Demo: Transforming XML Data with XSL
  • Idea! Transforming XML Data into XML Data
  • Exercise: Transform XML data
• XPath Review
  • XPath: the XSL Node Matching Syntax
  • Using XPath with ColdFusion
  • Demo: Select Nodes Based on Attribute Values
  • Exercise: Using XPath to select specific XML elements

Module 11: Advanced Validation with Regular Expressions (optional)

• Using Regular Expressions
  • Special Symbols for Matching Specific Characters
• Specify the number of occurrences
• Placement of the pattern
• POSIX Syntax
• Perl Syntax
• Demo: Testing Regular Expressions
• Exercise: Using Regular Expressions for Advanced Form Validation

Appendices

• Appendix A: Resources
• Appendix B: Set-up Notes
• Appendix C: Create a Dreamweaver “Site”
• Site Creation – Basic
• Site Files Panel
• “Create a Site” vs. “FTP or RDS Server Connection”
• Appendix D: Selecting Among ColdFusion Code Reuse Methods

See also

Adobe ColdFusion Training Courses

• Core ColdFusion 9 Training (3 days)
• Advanced ColdFusion 9 Training: Components, Error Handling and Complex Objects (2 days)
• Advanced ColdFusion 9 Training: XML, External Data and File System (2 days)
• ColdFusion 9 and Reporting (2 days)
• ColdFusion 9 and Ajax (2 days)
• What's New in ColdFusion 9 (2 days)

• Core ColdFusion 8 (3 days)
• Advanced ColdFusion 8: Components, Error Handling and Complex Objects (2 days)
• Advanced ColdFusion 8: XML, External Data and File System (2 days)
• ColdFusion 8 and Reporting (2 days)
• ColdFusion 8 and Ajax (2 days)
• What's New in ColdFusion 8 (2 days)

• Introduction to ColdFusion MX 7 (3 days)
• Advanced ColdFusion MX 7 (4 days)

• Introduction to ColdFusion MX (2 days)
• Advanced ColdFusion MX (3 days)
• ColdFusion MX, Web Services and XML (2 days)
• FuseBox 4.1 Training (2 day)
• Building Data-driven Websites with Dreamweaver 8(using ColdFusion, PHP, ASP.NET or ASP) (2 days)
• Flash Remoting MX: Integrating Flash and ColdFusion (2 days)