ColdFusion Training: Beginning ColdFusion 9

Course Number: CF-110
Duration: 3 days
view class outline

ColdFusion Training Overview

Learn to build data-driven Web applications using ColdFusion in this challenging and enjoyable ColdFusion training class! This course teaches attendees the core ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) skills they need to successfully build database-driven Web sites with ColdFusion^®.

Location and Pricing

Most Accelebrate courses are taught on-site at our clients' locations worldwide for groups of 3 or more attendees and are customized to their specific needs. Please visit our client list to see organizations for whom we have recently delivered training. These courses can also be delivered as live, private online classes for groups that are geographically dispersed or wish to save on the instructor's or students' travel expenses. To receive a customized proposal and price quote private training at your site or online, please contact us.

In addition, some courses are available as live, online classes for individuals. To see a schedule of online courses, please visit http://www.accelebrate.com/online_training/?action=course&page=CFM101.

Alternative ColdFusion Training Course

This ColdFusion training class focuses more on teaching attendees CFML coding practices and less on using Dreamweaver to automatically generate the ColdFusion code. If you are looking for a training class that is oriented to using Dreamweaver's "drag and drop" features to automatically generate code, please see the description for Building ColdFusion Web Sites with Dreamweaver training.

ColdFusion Training Prerequisites

All Beginning ColdFusion training students must be fluent in HTML, including text layout, image placement, hyperlinks, tables, and forms. Prior SQL and programming experience is helpful but not required.

Hands-on/Lecture Ratio

This class is 70% hands-on, 30% lecture, with the longest lecture segments lasting for 20 minutes.

ColdFusion Training Materials

All students receive a copy of Macromedia Press' ColdFusion Web Application Construction Kit, as well as copies of the instructor's presentation.

Software Needed on Each PC

Windows XP, Vista, or 7; or Mac OSX
ColdFusion 9 or later - ColdFusion should be set up to run as a stand-alone server for purposes of the class
Adobe Dreamweaver 8, Dreamweaver CS3, Dreamweaver CS4, or later
Microsoft Access
Firefox 2.0 or later or Internet Explorer 6 or later
2GB RAM or higher

ColdFusion Training Objectives

After completing this course, students will be able to:

Get data from a database and display it on the page
Insert, Edit and Delete records from a database
Pass data from one page and receive it on another using HTML Forms
Create Dynamic Form Fields including Dynamic Select Lists
Build a Search Interface
Use Session Variables to provide Password Protection
Call ColdFusion Components (CFCs) and Custom Tags

ColdFusion Training Outline

Introduction to ColdFusion

Static pages vs. Dynamic pages
Server-side Web Technologies
Database Alphabet Soup: ODBC/JDBC, DSNs and SQL
Course Objectives and Prerequisites
Introduction to Course Project

ColdFusion Basics

Using CFML

Code Editors
Dreamweaver Interface
Tag Updaters / Extensions
Tag Editing Dialog Boxes

Embedded Tag Help
Using ColdFusion Comments
Creating Variables

<cfset> and <cfoutput>

Variable Scope/Prefixes
Built-in ColdFusion Functions

CF Function Reference (Dreamweaver specific)
Online Reference (http://livedocs.adobe.com)
Tip: (http://cfquickdocs.com)

Built-in Functions
Date / Time Functions
Using <cfinclude> to reuse code

Create Header and Footer with <cfinclude>
Build Dynamic Page Footer using Variables and Date Functions

Dynamic Data: Querying the Database

Database Basics

Introduction to SQL
Select Statement
Update Statement
Insert Statement
Delete Statement
Data Source Name (DSN) Remote Development Server (RDS)
The DSN Used in This Class: movieList

Course Project Database
Querying the database with <cfquery>

<cfdump> for Quick Output
Query the database

Customizing Display with <cfoutput>

Using <cfoutput>
Building Dynamic Tables
Shortcut: <cftable>
Shortcut: Dynamic Table Tool (in Dreamweaver)
Display Resulting Records manually with <cfoutput>

Creating a Drill-down Interface

Passing Variables between Pages

"Two-page method"
Pass Variables via Links
List of Actors with links

Receive Variables through the URL

Using a WHERE clause in a SQL Statement
Protecting Against SQL Injection Attacks with <cfqueryparam>
Drill-down for More Detail

Conditional Statements and Forms

Conditional Statements

<cfif>, <cfelseif> and <cfelse>
Comparison Operators
Operator
Description
Conditional Statements
Using the isDefined() function
Conditional Statements - Data Validation

HTML Form Review

Pass Variable through a Form
Process Form Submission

Self-Submitting Forms

Using the <cfparam> tag to set a default value
Quick Examination of a ColdFusion Framework (Methodology): Fusebox
Self-submitting Form

Dynamically Populating Select Lists

HTML Review: <select> tags
Dynamic Select List
Introducing the <cfform> Tag
Shortcut: <cfselect>
Create a Dynamic Select List

Quick Introduction to RSS and Ajax with <cfform>

Reading an RSS Feed
Consuming an RSS Feed
Creating an RSS Feed
Introducing the <cfform> Tag
Building a Mask with <cfform>
Automatically Build a Dynamic Select List with <cfselect>
Creating an Auto Suggest Text Field with <cfform>

Creating a Search Interface

Using the LIKE clause
Using % and _ in a LIKE Statement
Building Dynamic SQL Statements
Create a Search Interface

Insert Records into the Database

Inserting Records

SQL Insert Statement
Insert Record Step 1 - the Form
Insert Record Step 2 - the Insert
Shortcut: <cfinsert>
Redirect Users with <cflocation>
Insert a New Actor in the Database

Automated Form Validation

Client-side vs. Server-side validation: When does the validation code run?
Automatic Client-side (or Server-side) Form Validation

Edit (Update) Database Records

Updating records

SQL UPDATE Statement Review
Update Record Page 1 - select the record to edit
Passing the Primary Key
Page 2 - View Current Data in a Form
Page 3 - Perform the Update to the Database
Shortcut: <cfupdate>
Edit a Record

Deleting Records

Note on Deleting records
Review of the SQL Delete Statement
"Deleting" without deleting
No <cfdelete>!

Reusing Code

Reusing code with <cfinclude> and <cflocation>
Custom Tags

custom tags
Where to store Custom Tags
Custom Tag with Parameters
CALLER and ATTRIBUTE scopes
Using <cfmodule>
A Note about CFX tags
Calling a Custom Tag to Display a List of Years

User Defined Functions (UDFs) and ColdFusion Components (CFCs)

Creating UDFs with the <cffunction> tag
Using ColdFusion Components (CFCs)
Creating Components
Calling or Invoking Components
Passing Arguments to Components
The Component Code
The main CFML page
View a Component directly in the browser

Using Session Variables for Password Protection

Using Application.cfc to Enable Session Management
Creating Password Protected Pages
Password-protect.cfm (the included page)
Application.cfm
Locking Session and Application variables with <cflock>
Password Protecting Pages (optional)

Tracking User Information with Cookies (optional)

Using Cookies to Track Users
Setting cookies

Sending email with <cfmail> (optional)

<cfmail> Tag Syntax
Sending an email
Sending Automated Emails

Conclusion

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