User Guide

Table Of Contents
Elements of a ColdFusion application 277
The application framework
The application framework is the overall structure of the application and how your directory
structure and application pages reflect that structure. You can use a single application framework
to structure multiple ColdFusion applications into a single website or Internet application. You
can structure a ColdFusion application by using many methodologies. For example, the Fusebox
application development methodology is one popular framework for developing ColdFusion web
applications. (For more information on Fusebox, see www.fusebox.org.)
This chapter does not provide information on how to use or develop a specific application
framework. However, it does discuss the tools that ColdFusion MX provides for building your
framework, including the Application.cfc file, how an applications directory structure affects the
application, and how you can map the directory structure. For more information on mapping the
application framework, see “Structuring an application” on page 279.
Note: For one example of an application framework, see “ColdFusion Methodologies for Content
Management,” available at www.macromedia.com/devnet/server_archive/articles/
cf_methodologies_for_content_mgmt.html.
Reusable application elements
ColdFusion provides a variety of reusable elements that you can use to provide commonly used
functionality and extend CFML. These elements include the following:
User-defined functions (UDFs)
CFML custom tags
ColdFusion components (CFCs)
CFX (ColdFusion Extension) tags
Pages that you include using the cfinclude tag
For an overview of these elements, and information about how to choose among them, see
Chapter 8, “Creating ColdFusion Elements,” on page 161.
Shared variables
The following ColdFusion variable scopes maintain data that lasts beyond the scope of the
current HTTP request:
For more information on using these variables, including how to use locks to ensure that the data
they contain remains accurate, see Chapter 15, “Using Persistent Data and Locking,” on
page 339.
Variable scope Variables available
Server To all applications on a server and all clients
Application To all pages in an application for all clients
Client For a single client browser over multiple browser sessions in one application
Session For a single client browser for a single browser session in one application