ColdFusion Training : Advanced ColdFusion 8

This Advanced ColdFusion 8 course provides ColdFusion application developers with the knowledge and hands-on practice that they need to build, maintain, and scale effective web applications. This is a 3-day course. Note: Fig Leaf Software developed this course for Adobe, Inc.

This class runs from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm each day.

[Browse the classroom walkthrough application here]
[Browse the classroom lab application here]

To gain the most from this class, you should already have:

• Completion of the Fast Track to ColdFusion MX course or equivalent experience from building ColdFusion applications
• Experience developing web applications using ColdFusion for at least three months after taking the Fast Track to ColdFusion MX course
• Practical experience using CFML tags, functions, and variables
• Practical experience with the SQL command set, including SELECT, INSERT, and UPDATE

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Architect a secure, robust, scalable, and maintainable web application using best practices
• Understand, create, and manipulate complex data using ColdFusion’s data types
• Develop code that can be reused throughout the same application and shared among multiple applications by using the appropriate framework
• Create a robust error-handling framework for your application
• Understand the division of labor between included code, UDF’s, CFML Custom tags, and CFC’s
• Secure your application from intrusion and reduce development times by authenticating against a shared repository
• Work with PDF Forms in ColdFusion
• Manipulate Images, Create CAPTCHA
• Create and Consume RSS Feeds
• Create applications that perform well and scale to user demands

Unit 1: Introducing the Course

• Getting familiar with the course methodology and format
• Understanding the course objectives 
• Understanding the course prerequisites

Unit 2: Introduction to Components (CFC's)

• Types of Components
• Creating a Static Component
• Defining Functions in Components
• Using CFC Self-generating documentation
• Invoking Static CFC Methods with CreateObject()
• Using the Application Framework
• Configuring application settings
• Logging events with <cflog>
• Handling application events
• Handling request events
• Locking shared scope variables
• Handling session events
• Component Inheritance

Unit 3: Manipulating Lists and Queries

• Using lists
• Manipulating queries
• Summarizing and grouping data
• Transaction processing
• Querying a query
• Dynamically retrieving database meta information with <cfdbinfo> 
• File Uploading and Parsing Delimited Files

Unit 4: Manipulating Data with Arrays and Structures

• Using arrays
• Using structures
• Using built-in ColdFusion data structures
• Dynamically evaluating variables
• Combining data structures
• Accessing data by value or by reference
• Converting Queries to Arrays of Structures

Unit 5: Advanced ColdFusion Component Concepts

• Creating instance based components
• Persisting CFC instances
• The impact of locking for concurrency
• Associating data with components
• Referencing CFC Properties
• Documenting CFC Properties
• Using the Getter/Setter approach
• Restricting Method Invocation
• Creating Dynamic Getter/Setters with onMissingMethod()
• Using the Administrator API
• Prototyping components with <cfinterface>

Unit 6: Handling Errors and Exceptions

• Introducing error handling
• Customizing application error messages
• Creating an Application-Wide Error Handler with onError()
• Using onMissingTemplate()
• Understanding the try/catch methodology
• Learning about exception handling frameworks using <cfthrow>

Unit 7: Code and Content Reuse

• Creating custom tags, nested custom tags
• .NET Integration - using .NET Assemblies
• Creating Web Services
• Calling External Web Services

Unit 8: Working with PDF forms in ColdFusion

• Creating dynamic PDF files with <cfdocument>
• Modifying PDF files with <cfpdf>
• Analyzing a PDF file using <cfpdfform>
• Using <cfpdfform> to pre-fill form fields with data
• Working with submitted PDF form data

Unit 9: Data and File Manipulation in ColdFusion 

• Image processing in ColdFusion 8
• Using <cfimage>
• Image Processing Functions
• RSS Feeds in ColdFusion using <CFFEED> 
• Consuming RSS Feeds
• Creating RSS Feeds
• Optional: Creating Dynamic Multimedia Presentations with <cfpresentation>
• Optional: Creating ZIP files with <cfzip>

Unit 10: Performance, Scalability, and Robustness

• Understanding performance, robustness, and scalability
• Effectively configuring the ColdFusion server
• Identifying scalability bottlenecks in your code
• Using the ColdFusion Server Monitor to identify bottlenecks 
• Caching recordsets
• Using <cf_Accelerate> to cache generated page contents
• Caching entire page results
• Using asynchronous processes to improve performance using <cfthread>