We all know how important Internet based applications have
become and how enterprises are taking to them in a big way. One way of creating
these applications is using ColdFusion language, and with the latest version,
developers can use the ColdFusion Builder IDE that is filled with all resources
for quick development of these applications. In this article we use this IDE to
create a simple application.
Implementing ColdFusion9
You can download ColdFusion9 and ColdFusion Builder from http://tinyurl.com/5njlm3.
The installation of ColdFusion builder is straight forward and there are just
two modes of installation. If you are already using Eclipse IDE, the software
can add a plug-in to it, or one can have a stand alone application of ColdFusion
Builder. For this article we have used ColdFusion Builder as a stand alone
application.
Direct Hit! |
Applies To: Web developers |
The installation of ColdFusion 9 on the other hand,
requires several user inputs. First the user needs to define 'Install Type'
which is the 'Developer Edition' in our case. Then he has to define 'Installer
Configuration' that defines the type of server where ColdFusion applications
would run. In this sample implementation we have installed ColdFusion 9 as a
self contained server running single instance with an embedded JEE server. In
the next step, the user can define websites or servers that would work with
ColdFusion. The final steps require the user to define the administrator
password for ColdFusion Administrator and RDS. Here RDS stands for remote
desktop service that enables developers to connect remotely to server for
development purposes.
Now that we have all the tools for writing a ColdFusion
application, let's start by building a sample application. First open ColdFusion
Builder, alternately, if you are using Eclipse select ColdFusion perspective.
The next step is to define connection to a ColdFusion Server. For this, click on
the 'Server' tab at the bottom. Then click on Add Server button that is shown by
a server and '+' sign. This action would pop up 'Add Server' window. Here one
needs to select 'ColdFusion' as server type. The next window would prompt a user
to enter server settings. Here, enter a unique 'Server Name' so that you can
remember it from the server list. The next important configuration to be entered
is 'Host Name' which is the IP address of the server ('localhost' in our case).
In 'Other Settings' enter 8500 as 'WebServer Port' and the RDS user name and
password defined during installation. In Local Server Settings enter 'Server
Home' and 'Document Root' and click on Finish. Now as we are using local
machines the settings in our case would be 'C:\ColdFusion9' and
'C:\ColdFusion9\workout' respectively. You would be able to see the defined
server in the server list at bottom. One can right click on this server to
change settings and state.
This is the interface of ColdFusion Builder. At the bottom we can see a list of servers while on the left we can see created projects. |
Click on File>New>ColdFusion Project and give a name to
your project ('ColdfusionSample'). We need to store this project at the web root
of ColdFusion Server. Create a new folder in root and add this path in 'Project
Location' field and click on Next. In this window, one needs to define the
server, select created server ('localhost') from drop down list box and click
Finish. In this implementation, we would create two pages, the first one would
be used to enter user names while the second would display the name along with a
message. To accomplish this, create two ColdFusion pages by right clicking
project in left window and clicking on 'New>ColdFusion Page'. Name these pages
as 'TestOne.cfm' and 'TestTwo.cfm'. Now add the following code to TestOne.cfm:
This is the interface of ColdFusion Builder. At the bottom we can see a list of servers while on the left we can see created projects. |
The Server configuration settings window pops up when you click on the server sign at the bottom of Builder window. |
These windows show the created page. Enter your name in the left window and hit 'Submit'. This would display the newly created welcome message, shown in the right window. |
This is a simple code that creates a text box and button.
The most important tag in this code is
Welcome to my website!,
This is first ColdFusion application
created by
using ColdFusion Builder
In the above code
the screen. There are several other similar tags that can be used for different
actions, like
browsers. Click on a browser window to check output of created pages. It is very
simple to write a ColdFusion base application and it resembles a lot with HTML
which we all know very well. The usage of builder only further simplifies code
development.