ColdFusion Frequently Asked Questions

General ColdFusion Information

1. What is ColdFusion?
2. Where can I learn more about ColdFusion?
3. Where can I get help with ColdFusion?
4. Why should I use ColdFusion?
5. What are custom tags?

Using ColdFusion

1. What version of ColdFusion are you running?
2. What file extension do I use with ColdFusion?
3. What databases can I use with ColdFusion?
4. What tags can and can't I use?
5. Why isn't my application.cfm file being parsed?
6. What is the connection string to connect to my MySQL database?

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General ColdFusion Information

What is ColdFusion?

ColdFusion is a tag-based middleware language originally developed by a company called Allaire who was purchased by Macromedia.

Where can I learn more about ColdFusion?

There are many resources available online and in print. You can find lots of information on Macromedia's ColdFusion site that has a section on getting started with ColdFusion.

If you are looking for dead-tree-based resources, we would strongly recommend Ben Forta's ColdFusion 5 Web Application Construction Kit.

Where can I get help with ColdFusion?

A great place to get help with your Cold Fusion problems is on our community support forums. But you can also get help on Macromedia's ColdFusion Forums, or on House of Fusion's many mailing lists (including the excellent CF-Talk mailing list).

Why should I use ColdFusion?

ColdFusion is like that game Mastermind: simple to learn, hard to master. It is very easy to get going in ColdFusion because everything is tag-based (and, thus, should seem familiar to web developers). However, there is more than enough extensibility built into ColdFusion and by using custom tags that ColdFusion can do almost anything you can think of. It can even make you a good cup of coffee...seriously.

What are custom tags?

Custom tags are files that are processed separately from your application that send a result back to the application when called. These file names are usually preceded by "CF_" and stored in the CustomTags directory in the ColdFusion install. Custom tags can be written in C++, Java or ColdFusion itself. They can be as simple as reusing a simple task or as complicated as interfacing with the UPS tracking system.

Using ColdFusion

What version of ColdFusion are you running?

We are currently running Cold Fusion MX (7).

What file extension do I use with ColdFusion?

ColdFusion will parse files that end with a .cfm extension.

What databases can I use with ColdFusion?

MySQL is the only database enabled by default. When your account was created, a single MySQL database was made for you with the same name as the account. For more information about managing your MySQL databases, check the phpMyAdmin / MySQL FAQ.

What tags can and can't I use?

For security reasons, the tags <CFFILE>, <CFREGISTRY> and <CFDIRECTORY>, <CFOBJECT>, and <CFEXECUTE> are disabled. It is OK to use <CFMAIL>, <CFFTP>, and <CFPOP>.

Why isn't my application.cfm file being parsed?

There is a bug in the Linux version of ColdFusion that requires the application.cfm file be named Application.cfm to be parsed. Note the capital "A". Once the case is correct, ColdFusion will parse your Application.cfm file correctly.

What is the connection string to connect to my MySQL database?

The CFQUERY tag requires some extra fields to connect and interact with your MySQL account. Use a connection string similar to:

<cfquery name="foo" datasource="yourusername" username="yourusername" password="yourpassword">

With your account information substituted for the values above.