Course 4702 - Advanced ColdFusion Development

Advanced ColdFusion Development

$1,495
3 days

Advanced ColdFusion Development is a 3-day course that provides experienced ColdFusion application developers with the advanced knowledge and hands-on practice they need to build robust and scalable Web applications.

·	Topics
·	Objectives
·	Prerequisites
·	Course Outline
·	View Schedule/Register for a Class

Topics

·	Work with the complex data types array, query and structure
·	Use Verity to index and search documents and database content
·	Write and use custom tags
·	Write and use user-defined functions
·	Build structured exception handling
·	Syndicate Web content

Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
·	Understand, create and manipulate the complex data types array, query and structure within an application
·	Index and search both documents and database content using the Verity search engine
·	Review the benefits of custom tags, and, how to create and utilize them in an application
·	Understand the benefits of user-defined functions, and, how to create and utilize them in an application
·	Build structured exception handling within an application
·	Syndicate web content using the<cfhttp> and <cfwddx> tags

Prerequisites

To gain the most from this class, you should already have:
·	Attended the Fast Track to ColdFusion course
·	Three months experience developing and deploying ColdFusion Web applications
·	Practical experience using CFML tags, functions, and variables
·	Practical experience with the SQL command set, including SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE

Course Outline

Unit 1: Course Overview
·	Course Prerequisites
·	Lesson Format
·	Course Objectives

Unit 2: Complex Data Types: Arrays
·	Conceptually understand the complex data structure type array.
·	List the benefits of using arrays within a ColdFusion application.
·	Use CFML with one- and two-dimensional arrays.
·	Use <cfdump> to display variables for testing and debugging purposes.
·	Understand the need for variable naming conventions.
·	Use <cfloop> to loop over arrays.
·	Use <cfscript> to set variables and for looping.
·	Manipulate arrays with ArrayAppend(), ArrayLen(), and ArrayDelete() functions.
·	Use array syntax on a query recordset and dump the variables into an array.
·	Understand the ramifications of using arrays in assignment statements.

Unit 3: Complex Data Types: Queries
·	Conceptually understand the complex data structure type query.
·	Use the GetTickCount() function to measure execution time of a block of code
·	Code a <cfoutput> tag using the group attribute to eliminate redundant data from query display.
·	Understand the need for transactions.
·	Use <cftransaction> to combine a number of SQL statements into one logical entity.
·	Manipulate or build queries using query functions.
·	Use a query of queries.
·	Perform query caching for performance enhancement.
·	Create simple graphs using <cfgraph> and data from a query or individual datapoints.
·	Understand the ramifications of using queries in assignment statements

Unit 4: Complex Data Types: Structures
·	Conceptually understand the complex data type structure.
·	Understand that data is stored in structures in key-value pairs.
·	Create structures using array syntax, set structures using dot notation, and set values with functions.
·	Assign values to structures and display values from structures using array syntax and object.property notation.
·	Differentiate among StructFind(), StructKeyExists(), StructClear(), StructDelete(), and StructCopy().
·	Understand that structures are referenced as pointers.
·	Loop through structures.
·	Work with the ColdFusion language data structures.
·	Combine complex data types.
·	Understand the need for locking shared scope variable structures.
·	Use the <cflock> tag to lock shared scope variable structures.
·	Use the Request scope to store variables.

Unit 5: Using Verity
·	Understand when to use Verity for searching.
·	Know what a Verity collection is.
·	Create a collection.
·	Index collections that store document information.
·	Index collections that store database information.
·	Build pages that permit users to enter search criteria and see results of the search.

Unit 6: Simple CFML Custom Tags
·	List the benefits of using custom tags.
·	Create a custom tag using tag elements and comments.
·	Pass and reference attributes.
·	Set results on a calling page by implementing dynamic variable naming, <cfset>, and SetVariable().
·	Use <cfexit> to exit a custom tag gracefully.
·	Call custom tags.
·	Call custom tags using <cfmodule>.
·	Build nested custom tags.
·	Explain how to build components for optimum reuse.

Unit 7: Introducing User-Defined Functions
·	Understand the need for user-defined functions.
·	Know how to effectively store user-defined function definitions for easy reuse of the function.
·	Call functions and pass in arguments to the function.
·	Know if variables are passed by value or reference.
·	Write simple user-defined function definitions.
·	Understand variable use in user-defined functions.
·	Use the var statement in functions.
·	Use the return statement in functions.
·	Know the differences between custom tags and user-defined functions.

Unit 8: Building Structured Exception Handling
·	Describe fundamental ColdFusion error handling.
·	Use site-wide error handling and incorporate error variables.
·	Conduct global error template processing with <cferror>.
·	Implement <cftry>/<cfcatch> methodology.
·	Apply custom exception handling with <cfthrow>.
·	Identify different error handling strategies.

Unit 9: Syndicating Web Content
·	Understand the need for Web syndication.
·	Use the <cfhttp> tag and explain the differences between post and get.
·	Use <cfhttp> to pass parameters.
·	Use cfhttp.StatusCode, throwonerror, and timing out techniques during exception handling with <cfhttp>.
·	Understand the need for XML.
·	Use WDDX with the <cfwddx> tag to serialize and deserialize data.
·	Parameterize syndicated pages.
·	Serialize and deserialize complex data types.