Introduction

Allaire's ColdFusion is highly recommended by Web developers as a complete Web application development platform—a programming language, an application server, a development environment, and a framework for delivering enterprise services.

ColdFusion uses a tag-based server-side scripting language, ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML), which is used with HTML and is very accessible to Web programmers. CFML supports more than 70 server-side tags, 200 functions, and 800 third-party components.

ColdFusion is reported to be used by 140,000 developers world-wide.

ColdFusion as extension to Web Server

Running as a multi-threaded system service or daemon, ColdFusion application server works with the HTTP server to process requests for web pages. When the ColdFusion pages (with .cfm extension) are requested, the CFML tags are processed on the application server, then an HTML page is dynamically generated and returned to the browser.

ColdFusion and Database Integration

Coldfusion uses ODBC Connections. It can access standard ODBC-compliant desktop relational databases including Microsoft Access and FoxPro, Borland Paradox and dBase, Lotus Approach, text files, and Excel files with a single tag.

SQL is used to select, insert, update, or delete data. Dynamic SQL is built based on variables and application logic.

ColdFusion outputs database queries with a single tag. It can easily generate HTML tables with database output.

CFML syntax

The proprietary markup language works seamlessly with HTML and most ODBC-compliant databases. It is easy to learn, yet very powerful.

To connect to a database and conduct SQL queries, use syntax:

<CFQUERY NAME="query_name" DATASOURCE = "ds_name">

SQL statements

</CFQUERY>

Data Source Name (DSN) should be configured beforehand by the server administrator in ODBC. Query name is important for the output of data.

To generate HTML pages to output the results of SQL queries:

<CFOUTPUT QUERY="query_name">

Literal text, HTML tags, and dynamic field references (e.g. #FullName#)

</CFOUTPUT>

Example

The FACSS member directory is powered by ColdFusion and MS Access database, and hosted on Dbserv.

See source code >> See Web form and output

Links

Allaire Corp. ColdFusion Home Page (stock quote) (**)

CFHub.com (*****) Simply the best. Great collecton of resources!

ColdFusion Tutorials @ Webmonkey (****)

Tutorial @ putney.com (****) For beginners.

Tutorials @ cfvault.com (***) Some advanced tutorials.

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