ColdFusion
| ColdFusion: With ColdFusion, you can build and deploy powerful web applications and services with far less training time and fewer lines of code than ASP, PHP, and JSP. Version 7.0 introduces powerful new application services including rich Flash forms generation, structured reports, and dynamic generation of printable documents. Coupled with version 6.1’s simplified installation and migration, updated key features, and increased in runtime performance, these features open up a new world of applications beyond the browser. | |
  | Your source for web success. Broaden your reach and increase sales with Yahoo's comprehensive set of web-based solutions. More info | | |   | The most feature packed ColdFusionR hosting on the Web from Uplinkearth!
Includes Sandboxing, Flash Remoting and the ability to use tags like CFFILE!
Sign up today and get a FREE domain name.
CALL US Toll-Free at 800-745-3043 or Chat Live More info | | |   | FREE Domain & Setup! Register today with Web.com! In 3 easy steps you can post your photos, your blog, and more. Be seen on the web tonight. Only $11.95/month. More info | | | - What is ColdFusion?
ColdFusion is a program based on the CFMX programming language that builds and deploys powerful web applications and services. With proven tag-based methodology, ColdFusion’s features allow web developers to easily harness the power of the Java Platform to deliver powerful Internet applications to millions of people worldwide. ColdFusion is a server side language, which is executed by a ColdFusion application server. It works by executing CFM templates (which is a mixture of HTML and ColdFusion instructions) to return normal HTML to the requesting browser. The ColdFusion MX Enterprise software suite provides all the necessary software to create large-scale websites, applications, and hosting environments, and is available for either a stand-alone installation for web developers or for industry-level deployment on J2EE application servers.
- The true power of ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML)
The core functionality of ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) is centered on the use of tags. These server scripting tags give ColdFusion its speedy development applications for the web. CFML is quite simple to learn, but is powerful enough to handle even the most complex and demanding web applications. Processed entirely on the server, CFML uses syntax closely resembling that of HTML and XML. CFML consists of two primary language elements: tags and functions. Tags let you perform operations such as accessing a database. Functions can return data and do other operations like retrieving the system date. Tags, functions and operators make up expressions. Building expressions in ColdFusion is easy and can include simple as well as complex elements. The ways in which these expressions and elements are used determine how ColdFusion processes your program.
- Is ColdFusion easy to learn?
Out of the many different methods used to develop and build web applications, pages, and services, ColdFusion is by far the easiest to learn and use. For ColdFusion 7.0, Macromedia has created a helpful ‘Getting Started Experience’ interface that gives the new user access to tutorials, whitepapers, topic index, and even two sample applications to play with. There is no other language or product as well suited to web developers as ColdFusion. Easy-to-use visual tools and an intuitive server scripting environment allow new users to easily pick up the CFML language.
- Windows, UNIX, or Linux…which Should I Use To Run My Website?
Macromedia ColdFusion MX supports most operating systems including Windows, Unix, Linux, IBM AIX and HP-UX. Below is a list of operating system versions and system requirements for the latest ColdFusion version:
Windows OS
Intel Pentium processor or higher
256 MB RAM but 512 MB is highly recommended
400 MB of hard disk space available
Works on MS Windows 98 / ME / NT 4 / SP6A / 2000 /SP3 / XP/ 2003
Linux OS
Intel Pentium processor or higher
256 MB RAM but 512 MB is highly recommended
400 MB of hard disk space available
Red Hat Linux 7.2 / 7.3 / 8.0 / 9 / AS & ES 2.1 / AS & ES 3.0
SuSE Linux 7.2 / 7.3 / or 8X
Turbo Linux 8 Server ( Japanese Only)
Unix
SPARC, PA-RISC 1.1 / 2.0 / Power 3 processor
Sun Solaris 7 / 8 / 9
256 MB RAM but 512 MB is highly recommended
400 MB of hard disk space available
HP-UX 11i
IBM AIX 5L 4.3 / 3 / 5.1 / 5.2
Apple Mac OS X
- What Databases and Web Servers are supported with ColdFusion?
ColdFusion MX supports most major databases including Microsoft SQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, IBM DB2, Sybase and IBM Informix. In addition, CFMX can run on most major web servers including IIS, Apache and Sun One.
- What are the differences between the ColdFusion 7.0 editions?
Standard Edition: This edition is for single web application or small workgroup environments. It builds accessible, high-quality rich forms, transforms existing HTML content into PDF or FlashPaper 2 formats, creates structured business reports for workgroup applications, delivers charts and graphs, and increases text searching capabilities. Enterprise Edition: This edition is ideal for the quickly growing business. It includes all the features of the Standard Edition as well as scalability, performance, and enterprise management capabilities for larger web and business applications. The Enterprise Edition has multi-instance deployment and management, clustering, high-speed enterprise database drivers, server security J2EE packaging and deployment, and high-performance e-mail delivery. Yet the most anticipated feature of this edition is the event gateway, which enables ColdFusion applications to connect to mobile phones and instant messaging.
- How does ColdFusion run on application servers?
The ColdFusion MX runtime environment is actually a Java application that takes advantage of the many powerful services in the J2EE platform. What this J2EE platform does is connects the various databases, manages its own security, as well as processes the requests sent in by the application itself. When ColdFusion MX is installed in the J2EE configuration, the compiled infrastructure will be on top of the application server in order to execute the language’s applications. This configuration will allow developers to cultivate and set out pages, as well as manage the MX server settings using the ColdFusion Administrator.
- What are the advantages & disadvantages of using custom tags in ColdFusion?
Using custom tags within ColdFusion has its advantages and disadvantages. Custom tags written in CFML primarily try to achieve a simple balance between three aspects; taking argument statements, having body tags begin and end with the appropriate tag, and ensuring proper processing when a beginning tag is encountered by the ColdFusion program. If designed properly, these custom tags will also be able to be called recursively (meaning that it will have the functionality to call itself within the body tag). Although a custom tag in ColdFusion will call a page included the CFinclude tag, the disadvantage is that the code must be recursive, have developed complex functionality, and must be convenient for others (although often times code is not convenient). If creating either a User Defined Function (UDF) or a custom CFML tag, weigh the options carefully, since invoking a UDF requires less system overhead than using a custom tag.
- What are the new features for ColdFusion 7.0?
ColdFusion 7.0 brings a whole new level of features to developers. With better web application creation, new server management and deployment options, and a new class of applications, users are able to quickly create powerful Internet applications without spending a lot of time or money. Macromedia developed the new features to help web developers be more efficient in performing routine tasks such as structured business reporting, Flash-rich forms, and PDF and FlashPaper 2 document generation. ColdFusion Report Builder, a tool that helps users develop detailed business reports, will create sub reports, charts and graphs, automatically generate subtotals, and much more. ColdFusion 7.0 simplifies the form building process with the new Rich Flash and XML Forms capabilities. The new CFDOCUMENT feature eliminates chopping page printing with a single tag that transforms web pages into PDF or FlashPaper 2 formats.
- How do I purchase my own copy of ColdFusion?
The ColdFusion MX suite is available directly from Macromedia, local computer software resellers, licensing programs and some web hosts. | | |
| Windows Web Hosting Frequently Asked Questions ›› What is Windows?
›› Can I host my website on Windows?
›› What is IIS, and what can it do for me?
›› Why should I choose to host my website on a Windows-based machine?
›› What scripting languages are available for Windows?
›› Can I get pre-made code for my Windows website?
›› What databases are available for my Windows website?
›› How does Windows hosting compare to Unix hosting?
›› What should be my main concerns when searching for a Windows hosting provider?
›› What qualifications should my Windows host provide?
›› Glossary of terms.
What is Windows?
Windows is a personal computer operating system from Microsoft that, together with some commonly used business applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel, has become a de facto "standard" for individual users in most corporations as well as in most homes. ˆ back to top Can I host my site on Windows?
Yes. As a matter of fact, more and more people every day are choosing Windows as their hosting platform. The tools for developing web applications on the Windows platform are quickly gaining momentum in the web design marketplace, in turn making creating websites on Windows more appealing. ˆ back to top What is IIS, and what can it do for me?
IIS (Internet Information Server) is a group of Internet servers (including a Web or Hypertext Transfer Protocol server and a File Transfer Protocol server) with additional capabilities for Microsoft's Windows NT and Windows 2000 Server operating systems. IIS is Microsoft's entry to compete in the Internet server market that is also addressed by Apache, Sun Microsystems, O'Reilly, and others. With IIS, Microsoft includes a set of programs for building and administering Web sites, a search engine, and support for writing Web-based applications that access databases. Microsoft points out that IIS is tightly integrated with the Windows NT and 2000 Servers in a number of ways, resulting in faster Web page serving. ˆ back to top Why should I choose to host my site on a Windows-based machine?
Windows machines should be used when Microsoft technologies are needed or desired. IIS (Internet Information Server) is the standard for utilizing ASP (and ASP.NET), and is required if you wish to utilize Windows databases, such as Microsoft Access and SQL Server. Windows hosting is also required if you wish to use any components (CGI, ISAPI, or COM) that were developed using a Windows-based programming language. ˆ back to top What scripting languages are available for Windows?
There are many options available when it comes to writing CGI scripts on a Windows machine. The most common at the time of this writing are ASP, ASP.NET, and PHP. There are many introductions, tutorials, and even sample scripts available on the Internet when it comes to utilizing these scripting languages. ˆ back to top Can I get pre-made code for my Windows website?
Yes. There are many pre-made programs and objects written for Windows web servers. These programs vary in functionality from small components that you build into your website, to full-blown enterprise applications. Likewise, the price for such varies as well, ranging from free to very expensive. There are a number of websites on the internet that cater to Windows website development, that offer links to both free and purchased software. ˆ back to top What databases are available for my Window website?
That depends mostly on the web hosting provider you select to host your website. There are many flavors of databases that run on Windows, but the most prevalent among web host providers are Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server (SQL2000), and MySQL. These databases (with the exception of Access) are all relational in nature, and allow highly optimized communication with your website for quick retrieval of information. Microsoft Access databases are actually just database files created with Microsoft Access that the web server can read and write to. Access databases don’t offer the processing power of the other database options. ˆ back to top How does Windows compare to Unix Hosting?
Here is a short comparison of key features, and which are available for the Windows and Unix platforms. | MS FrontPage 2000, 2002 | X | X | | Flash | X | X | | Shockwave | X | X | | Real Audio/Video | X | X | | Cgi Scripts | X | X | | Perl | X | X | | PHP | X | X | | SSH (Secure Telnet) | X | X | | MySQL | X | X | | Web-Based Control System | X | | | Anonymous FTP | X | X | | Web Site Graphical Statistics | X | X | | Web-Based Email System | X | X | | SQL 2000 | | X | | Miva/XML | X | X | | Cold Fusion | X | X | | ASP (Active Server Pages) | X | X | | MS Access | | X | | Visual Basic Scripts | | X | | Windows Media | | X |
ˆ back to top What should be my main concerns when searching for a Windows hosting provider?
As with any business relationship, it is important that you provider has a solid foundation in the business, and isn’t a fly-by-night type of operation. Many web-hosting providers fail each year, so it is important to find a well-established company to do business with. Next, you want to make sure of their technical abilities. What are their technician’s qualifications, what is their connection to the Internet, what are their guarantees in regards to customer support and uptime? All of these questions are crucial to locating and selecting a quality Windows hosting provider. ˆ back to top What qualifications should my Windows host provide?
It is essential that the support and management staff be properly trained to handle all of the nuances associated with networking and hosting on the Windows platform. The two most acceptable certifications in this matter are the MCSA and the MCSE. The MCSE certification covers the planning, design, and implementation Microsoft Windows server solutions and architectures. The MCSA is more of an administration certification, which covers the management and maintenance of typically complex computing environments of medium- to large-sized companies. ˆ back to top
Glossary of terms:
ASP
An Active Server Page (ASP) is an HTML page that includes one or more scripts (small embedded programs) that are processed on a Microsoft Web server before the page is sent to the user. ASP is a feature of the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), but, since the server-side script is just building a regular HTML page, it can be delivered to almost any browser.
ASP.NET
ASP.NET (originally called ASP+) is the next generation of Microsoft's Active Server Page (ASP), a feature of their Internet Information Server (IIS). Both ASP and ASP.NET allow a Web site builder to dynamically build Web pages on the fly by inserting queries to a relational database in the Web page. ASP.NET is different than its predecessor in two major ways: it supports code written in compiled languages such as Visual Basic, C++, C#, and Perl, and it features server controls that can separate the code from the content, allowing WYSIWYG editing of pages. CGI
Common Gateway Interface. In Layman’s terms, a CGI program is a program that can be executed as part of a web server process. Cold Fusion
Special software package that simplifies the creation of database driven web sites. Component
A small piece of functionality, that may consist of a script, small program, or even a COM object that can be used within a Windows website. MCSA
Microsoft Certified Systems Administrators (MCSAs) administer network and systems environments based on the Microsoft Windows® platforms. MCSE
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSEs) analyze business requirements to design and implement an infrastructure solution based on the Windows platform and Microsoft Servers software. PHP
In Web programming, PHP is a script language and interpreter that is freely available and used primarily on Linux Web servers. SQL SERVER
This is Microsoft’s SQL based database server. It’s speed and processing power are among the best available in the industry today. Uptime
Uptime is a computer industry term for the time during which a computer is operational. Downtime is the time when it isn't operational. Uptime is sometimes measured in terms of a percentile. For example, one standard for uptime that is sometimes discussed is a goal called five 9s - that is, a computer that is operational 99.999 percent of the time.
|
Click here to return... | | |
|
|
Coldfusion 
