Advanced ColdFusion MX

Building on the ColdFusion introductory courses, Advanced ColdFusion course teaches students the advanced skills that are needed to build even more useful and efficient database-driven Web applications. Students will also be introduced to powerful new features introduced in ColdFusion MX.

After completing this three-day course, students will be able to:

• Understand ColdFusion Architecture and Applications
• Track User Information From Page to Page
• Display Your Data Creatively
• Generate Graphs
• Write Queries of Queries
• Reference Stored Procedures
• Reuse Your Code
• Manipulate Files on the Server
• Handle Errors and Exceptions
• Validate Data With Regular Expressions
• Integrate the Verity Search Engine With Your Site
• Schedule Recurring Tasks

Target audience

All students should have a good working knowledge of ColdFusion gained through practical experience or by attendance on an introductory course

Course content

Introduction Software for this Class • Code Editors • The Files for this Class • Our Database: the Used Car Exchange

Output Shortcuts The CFDUMP Tag • Exercise 1: Automating Output with CFDUMP

Debugging Settings Limit Debugging to certain IP addresses • Exercise 2: View Debug Information

Charts & Graphs with CFCHART Additional attributes of CFCHART and CFCHARTSERIES • Caching Charts • Save charts for future use • Exercise 3: Building Simple Charts

Adding Links in Your Chart Adding Data Points Individually with CFCHARTDATA • Exercise 4: Adding Links to your Graphs

Showing Portions of a Recordset Paging Through a Recordset • Set up our variables • Limit the loop for this page • Insert links to move back or forward • Hide the links at the beginning and the end • Cache the query • Exercise 5: Paging Through Records

Dividing into Table Columns Set up the variables • Create the table structure • Limit the CFOUTPUT loops • Exercise 6: Listing Owners in Two Columns

Queries of Queries Exercise 7: Building Queries of a Query

The CFLOCATION Tag Where and how is CFLOCATION used?

The CFINCLUDE Tag Exercise 8: Code Shortcuts with CFINCLUDE

Custom Tags Where to find custom-tag files • Transmitting variables as attributes • What if the attribute is missing? • Variable Scope • CALLER variables • Using CFMODULE • Exercise 9: Custom Tag Shortcuts

Using Stored Procedures Advantages of Stored Procedures • An Example • Exercise 10: Calling a Simple Stored Procedure

Stored Procedures with Parameters The CFPROCPARAM Tag • Using Stored Procedure Parameters for Safety • Exercise 11: Adding People with a Stored Procedure • Exercise 12: Deleting Safely

Working with Cookies Cookie Demonstration • Exercise 13: Identifying a Visitor with Cookies

Session Variables Application.cfm and OnRequestEnd.cfm • Session and Application • Required CFAPPLICATION Tag • Locking Session and Application variables with CFLOCK

Password Protection with Sessions Example: Pages with Password Protection • Exercise 14: Password Protection

Regular Expressions REFind and REFindNoCase • Regular Expression Example • Special Characters for Pattern Matching • Escape Sequences for Special Characters • Specifying Ranges in Patterns • Matching a Specified Number of Occurrences • Character-Range Escape Sequences • Matching at the Beginning or End of a String with ^ and $ • The Word-Boundary Pattern Anchors:\b and \B • Exercise 15: Validating a Form with Regular Expressions

Errors & Exceptions Terminology: Error vs. Exception

Identifying and Preventing the Problem The IsNumeric() Function • An Ounce of Prevention • Exercise 16: Preventing Errors

Standard Error Handling The CFERROR Tag • Syntax of CFERROR • The Error Page • Sharing Your CFERROR Tag • Exercise 17: Building a CFERROR Response

Structured Error Handling CFTRY and CFCATCH Tags • Creating Exceptions with CFTHROW • Using CFTHROW with Custom Tags • Exercise 18: Catching Exceptions

Database Transactions The CFTRANSACTION Tag • CFTRANSACTION and CFTRY

Manipulating Files with CFFILE Example: Reading a Text File • The ExpandPath() Function • Syntax of CFFILE • Example: Writing to a Text File • The FileExists() and DirectoryExists() Functions • CFFILE Tags for Writing and Appending • Exercise 19: Writing Text Files

Using CFFILE for HTML Pages An HTML Example • Excessive Quoted Text: the CFSAVECONTENT Solution • The ParagraphFormat() Function • The Replace() Function • Complicated line breaks on Windows computers • Exercise 20: Writing HTML Files

Uploading Files Sample: Uploading Photos • Step 1: Form Features • Step 2: Receiving the Uploaded File • Displaying the Image in an IMG Tag • The CFFILE Variables • Exercise 21: Uploading Images

Manipulating Files and Directories on the Server Additional CFFILE Features • Directory Manipulation with CFDIRECTORY • Example: Listing All Files of a Given Type

Complex Data Objects: Arrays,Lists and Structures Scalar Variables • Lists • Arrays • Structures • Exercise 22: Working with Lists and Arrays

CFLOOP: Another Looping Option Syntax of CFLOOP • Weeding Out the FIELDNAMES Variable • Using CFLOOP for automatic query output • Display Web-safe Colors using CFLOOP • Exercise 23: Automating Output with CFLOOP

CFSCRIPT Capabilities of CFSCRIPT • Syntax Rules • Reserved Words • Looping with CFSCRIPT • GetTickCount() - testing the speed of your code • Exercise 24: Use CFSCRIPT to set variables

User Defined Functions (UDFs) Creating UDFs with CFSCRIPT • Creating UDFs with the CFFUNCTION tag • Exercise 25: Create a User-Defined Function with CFFUNCTION

Using Components Creating Components • Calling or Invoking Components • Passing Arguments to Components • The main CFML page • View a Component directly in the browser • Web Services • Selecting Among ColdFusion Code Resuse Methods • Exercise 26: Building Components

Create a Search Engine - Verity Creating a Verity Collection • Constructing the Search Interface • Index Your Collection • Warning: Syntax Error in Auto-Generated Code • Using the Scheduler Feature of the Administrator • Exercise 27: Making Your Pages Searchable

Appendix A: Recommended Resources

Appendix B: Selecting Among ColdFusion Code Resuse Methods

About Courseware Company :: Instructor-led training courseware :: Self-study solutions :: Buy online today