Advanced ColdFusion Training: Working with XML, Web Services, and the File System in ColdFusion 9

ColdFusion Training Outline

• Introduction
• Manipulate the File System with <cffile>
• Read and Write Text Files with <cffile>
• Read Plain Text Documents
• Built-in Function: ExpandPath()
• Reading Files with the <cffile> tag
• Write Text File
• Built-in Function: FileExists()
• Build a Simple Message Board or Log File
• Upload Documents with <cffile>
• Using the <cffile> tag for an Upload
• After a <cffile> Upload: FILE Variables
• Upload Image and Dynamically Create Static HTML Pages
• Deeper Examination: HTML and a File Upload
• Saving long variable values with <cfsavecontent>
• Using the <cffileupload> tag for Multiple Uploads in ColdFusion 9
• Using <cfdirectory>
• Using <cfcontent> to create an Excel Spreadsheet
• Upload External Files and Create Photo Gallery Page
• Using XML with ColdFusion
• XML Syntax Basics
• XML Logical Structure
• Each XML document must begin with a language declaration
• Each XML document must have a single root element, which normally contains other child elements
• XML Physical Structure
• Case Sensitivity
• Required Closing Tags
• New Syntax for "empty elements"
• Tags must be nested properly
• Attribute Values must be enclosed properly in single or double quotes
• XML Comments
• XML Logic: Designing Datasheets
• Parsing XML data with ColdFusion
• Convert an XML datasheet into an XML Document Object with XMLParse()
• Case-sensitive Element Names with XMLParse()
• Demo: Referring to Specific XML nodes
• Method 1 - Array notation with generic node names
• Method 2 - Associative Array notation
• Method 3 - Array notation with specific node names
• Methods 4(+) - Mix and Match
• Loop through each node with <cfloop>
• Deeper Examination: Counting Nodes
• 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
• Create a Calendar of Events Built from External XML Files Provided by External Organizations
• Manipaulating the XML Document Object: Adding Elements
• Build XML Object in .cfm Document with <cfxml> Tag
• Query Database to Build XML Document Object
• Add nodes to Existing XML Document Object
• Deeper Examination: Adding an XML Attribute
• Add an Event to the Calendar
• Create a Query Object from Existing XML (optional)
• Combine Multiple XML Document Objects into One
• Deeper Examination: Looping through the XML
• Convert XML Document Objects into a Query Object with QueryNew()
• Deeper Examination: Creating the Query Object
• Deeper Examination: Query the query
• Co-mingle the Events on the Calendar (optional)
• Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) Basics
• XSL, XSLT, and XSLFO
• XSL Basics: Linking to an XSL Stylesheet
• Examining an XSL Stylesheet
• The xsl:stylesheet tag and the namespace declaration
• The <xsl:template> tag
• The <xsl:value-of> tag
• Referencing iterating nodes
• Server-side XSL Transformation with ColdFusion
• Transforming XML Data with XSL
• Deeper Examination: XMLTransform()
• Idea! Transforming XML Data into XML Data
• Transform XML data
• XPath Basics
• XPath: the XSL Node Matching Syntax
• Choosing Between Equivalent XPath Expressions
• An XPath testing tool
• Using XPath with ColdFusion
• Select Nodes Based on Attribute Values
• Deeper Examination: XPath expression
• Deeper Examination: XMLSearch()
• Idea! Convert an XML Document Object to a Query Object
• Using XPath to select specific XML elements
• Working with <cfhttp>
• Making http requests with <cfhttp>
• Using <cfhttp> to display a complete page: Screen Scrape
• Using <cfhttp> to download a complete page and save with <cffile>
• Attributes of <cfhttp>
• Convert a Text File into a Query with <cfhttp>
• Deeper Examination: <cfhttp> tag
• Deeper Examination: <cfoutput> block
• While looping though the records
• Add a Column to Query
• Deeper Examination: QueryAddColumn() function
• Idea! Dynamically Creating Static Pages
• Using <cfhttp> to Access and Parse External Data
• Passing Variables with <cfhttp> and <cfhttpparam>
• Creating an Intelligent Agent
• Examine a Simple Traditional Application
• Convert Simple Application into an Intelligent Agent
• Deeper Examination: agent.cfm
• Deeper Examination: agent-page2.cfm
• Deeper Examination: <cfsetting>
• Demo: Screen Scraping for Data
• Simulate the Post Method with <cfhttp> and Create an "Intelligent Agent"
• ColdFusion and Web Services
• Working with Web Services
• Examples
• Producers vs. Consumers
• Definitions
• Creating WSDL Documents
• Converting CFCs into Web Services
• Step 1 - Convert the existing CFC into a Web Service
• Step 2 - Examine a local WSDL file from the demo
• Step 3 - Invoking a ColdFusion Web Service
• Deeper Examination
• Deeper Examination: Passing an argument to a Web Service
• SOAP
• A note about security
• Convert Existing CFC into Web Service
• Invoking External Web Services
• Locating Web Services
• Invoking Web Services from .NET, Java and more
• Demo: Random Quote Generator
• Deeper Examination: <cfinvoke> and <cfinvokeargument>
• Consuming External Web Services
• Web Distributed Data Exchange (WDDX) (optional)
• WDDX
• Store simple data as WDDX
• Deeper Examination: <cfwddx> tag
• Store an Array as WDDX
• Store a Recordset as WDDX
• Store binary object as WDDX
• Deeper Examination
• Serialize data as wddx file
• Deserialize WDDX data in JavaScript
• Deliver a ColdFusion query to JavaScript
• Deeper Examination: Include JavaScript functions
• Deeper Examination: Deserialize in JavaScript
• Deeper Examination: Generated source code
• Using the data in a more complicated example
• Deeper Examination
• Transfer WDDX data from ColdFusion to JavaScript
• Conclusion