User Guide

iv Developing Web Applications with ColdFusion
ColdFusion Server .....................................................................................................................6
ColdFusion Administrator........................................................................................................6
Data sources ..............................................................................................................................7
How ColdFusion Server Works........................................................................................................7
Chapter 2: Writing Your First ColdFusion Application..................................9
The Development Process .............................................................................................................10
Writing Code ...................................................................................................................................10
Saving Application Pages ...............................................................................................................11
Viewing Application Pages.............................................................................................................11
Variables ..........................................................................................................................................13
Adding More Variables to the Application....................................................................................14
Development Considerations........................................................................................................14
Chapter 3: Querying a Database...................................................................15
Publishing Dynamic Data ..............................................................................................................16
Database Basics...............................................................................................................................16
Understanding Data Sources.........................................................................................................18
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) ...................................................................................18
Adding Data Sources ......................................................................................................................19
Data Source Notes and Considerations.................................................................................20
Retrieving Data................................................................................................................................20
The CFQUERY Tag ..................................................................................................................20
Writing SQL .....................................................................................................................................21
Basic SQL Syntax elements.....................................................................................................22
SQL Notes and Considerations ..............................................................................................23
Building Queries .............................................................................................................................24
Query Notes and Considerations...........................................................................................25
Outputting Query Data...................................................................................................................25
Query Output Notes and Considerations..............................................................................26
Getting Information About Query Results....................................................................................27
Query Properties Notes and Considerations ........................................................................28
Chapter 4: Retrieving and Formatting the Data You Want.........................29
Using Forms to Specify the Data to Retrieve ................................................................................30
FORM tag syntax......................................................................................................................30
Form Controls..........................................................................................................................30
Form Notes and Considerations............................................................................................34
Processing Form Variables on Action Pages.................................................................................34
Dynamically Generating SQL Statements ....................................................................................34
Creating Action Pages.....................................................................................................................35
Form Variable Notes and Considerations.............................................................................36
Using HTML Tables to Layout Query Results...............................................................................37
Formatting Individual Data Items.................................................................................................38
Performing Pattern Matching........................................................................................................39
Filtering Data Based on Multiple Conditions...............................................................................39