Programming instructions

22 Chapter 2 CFML Basics

As mentioned, it is important that elements are identified properly in your expression so

ColdFusion processes them as expected, and you can avoid unnecessary errors. When

writing expressions, consider the following coding practices:

• Character case consistency

• When to use the pound (#) sign

• When quotation marks are needed

Specifying a consistent character case

Because the ColdFusion server is case-insensitive, you can write expressions using all

uppercase, all lowercase, or mixed case. However, for code readability and consistency,

you should use the same character case in all your programs. If you write your programs

using the same case rules, you might prevent errors from occurring when you combine

CFML on a page with case-sensitive languages, such as JavaScript.

Specifying pound signs to denote functions or variables

In ColdFusion, you specify pounds signs to denote functions and variables within a

string of text. You use pounds signs to show the results of the function or variable on the

page. Pounds signs instruct the ColdFusion server to evaluate the function (or variable)

between the pound signs and display the value. The value of the function (or variable)

appears in the browser as a result.

The following list identifies some common ways to use pound signs:

• In the following example, you include the pound signs to return the value to a page:

<cfoutput> Hello #variables.my_first_name# </cfoutput>

If you omit the pound signs, the text, not the value, appears on the page.

• In the following example, you do not include the pound signs because you are using

cfset to assign one variable’s value to another value:

• To display a pound sign on a page, you must designate the pound sign as a literal

character. You do this by using two pound signs (##); for example:

##1: Your name.

</cfoutput>

The result is the following output:

#1. Your name.

For more information and examples on using pound signs in expressions, see Developing

ColdFusion MX Applications with CFML.