Glossary of Key Terms for ColdFusion Developers

Epicenter Consulting Blog

  • Application. cfc – A special ColdFusion component that provides a set of methods used for application-level event handling.
  • CFML (ColdFusion Markup Language) – The scripting language used by ColdFusion to build dynamic web applications.
  • CFQuery – A tag used in ColdFusion to execute SQL statements against a database.
  • CFC (ColdFusion Component) – A reusable object-oriented unit that groups related functions and can be invoked from a CFML page.
  • CFScript – A way to write ColdFusion logic using a scripting syntax, rather than traditional CFML tags.
  • ColdFusion Administrator – A web-based interface for configuring and managing ColdFusion server settings.
  • Datasource – A named database configuration in the ColdFusion Administrator that developers use to connect to databases.
  • CFOutput – A tag used to display the results of a query or other dynamic content.
  • CFInclude – A tag that allows developers to include the contents of another CFML page within the current page.
  • CFStoredProc – A tag used to execute stored procedures in a database.
  • CFHTTP – A tag that allows ColdFusion to make HTTP requests to other web servers.
  • CFMail – A tag used to send emails from a ColdFusion application.
  • CFChart – A tag used to generate graphical charts from data.
  • CFThrow & CFCatch – Tags used for error handling in ColdFusion applications.
  • Session Management – A feature in ColdFusion that allows developers to store and manage user-specific data between requests.
  • ColdFusion ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) – A feature that allows developers to interact with databases using object-oriented syntax.
  • CFLoop – A tag used to iterate over queries, arrays, lists, or a set number of times.
  • CFFile – A tag used for file manipulation operations like reading, writing, and deleting files on the server.
  • Application Scope – A server-wide memory storage area where developers can store data that is shared across all users and sessions.
  • ColdBox – A popular MVC (Model-View-Controller) framework for ColdFusion, aiding in building scalable and modular applications.
  • OOP (Object-Oriented Programming): A programming paradigm based on the concept of “objects”, which can contain data and code: data in the form of fields (often known as attributes or properties), and code, in the form of procedures (often known as methods). In ColdFusion, OOP is implemented through ColdFusion Components (CFCs).
  • FP (Functional Programming): A programming paradigm where programs are constructed by applying and composing functions. It emphasizes functions that produce results based on their inputs and not on internal program state. ColdFusion supports functional programming concepts such as first-class functions and closures.
  • (H)MVC (Hierarchical Model-View-Controller): An architectural pattern used in software engineering to separate the data model with business rules (Model) from the user interface (View), with a controlling component (Controller) to manage the interaction between the two. In ColdFusion, frameworks like ColdBox implement the HMVC pattern.
  • DI (Dependency Injection): A design pattern in which a class receives its dependencies from external sources rather than creating them itself. ColdFusion supports DI through frameworks like WireBox, which can manage object creation and dependency resolution.
  • AOP (Aspect-Oriented Programming): A programming paradigm that aims to increase modularity by allowing the separation of cross-cutting concerns. It does so by adding additional behavior to existing code (an advice) without modifying the code itself. While not a core feature of ColdFusion, AOP can be implemented with custom frameworks or Java integration.
  • BDD (Behavior-Driven Development): An Agile software development process that encourages collaboration among developers, QA, and non-technical or business participants in a software project. BDD focuses on obtaining a clear understanding of desired software behavior through discussion with stakeholders. It is a way of writing tests for an application before writing the code itself.
  • TDD (Test-Driven Development): A software development process that relies on the repetition of a very short development cycle: requirements are turned into very specific test cases, then the software is improved to pass the new tests. This is opposed to software development that allows software to be added that is not proven to meet requirements. ColdFusion supports TDD with testing frameworks like TestBox.

 

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