Cold Fusion is a Web application development tool for Windows NT and 95 servers. With Cold Fusion, you can create a wide variety of dynamic-page Web applications for commerce, collaboration, communication, interactive Web sites, and intranet systems. Cold Fusion provides an easy-to-understand server-side markup language, a powerful application server, and a complete framework for Web applications.
Developing applications with Cold Fusion does not require coding in a traditional programming language like Perl, C/C++, Visual Basic, Java, or Delphi. Instead, you build applications by combining standard HTML with a straightforward server-side markup language, the Cold Fusion Markup Language (CFML).
With Cold Fusion you'll be creating applications in no time. Cold Fusion's easy-to-learn server-side tags give you the ability to quickly begin creating dynamic Web applications.
If you've been building Web applications with CGI, Java, or Perl, you'll be pleased how quickly you can put together serious database applications with Cold Fusion. And with Cold Fusion's advanced features including over 130 functions and an open API you'll have everything you need create sophisticated dynamic Web systems.
Cold Fusion provides an easy-to-learn server-side markup language, a powerful application server, and a full Web application framework. Core features include:
Tag based syntax - CFML uses a straightforward tag based syntax that intuitively integrates with HTML.
Data entry validation - Check form field entries to require input and validate entries as integer, floating point, date, time, or within a numeric range.
Variable manipulation - Create and manipulate variables within dynamic pages. Pass variables between templates. Create browser cookies to track users or maintain information across connections.
Date, time, math, list and string functions - Access over 130 functions for evaluating text strings, dates, times, lists, and mathematical expressions (includes support for regular expressions).
Dynamic page flow control - Control the content of dynamic pages with conditional statements (ifàelseifàelse branching) that can use boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT, etc.) for complex comparisons. Redirect page requests to another URL.
Looping - Control application logic and execution with looping.
Content type control - Set the content type for documents to support database-driven VRML and to return other MIME document types such as Microsoft Word files.
Advanced SQL statements - Dynamically customize SQL statements using data from form submissions, URL query strings, and HTTP environment variables, as well as the results returned from other queries. Place variables within SQL statements to specify queries. Dynamic SQL allows developers to choose what SQL statements are sent within any given SQL query. Execute multiple SQL queries and send SQL queries to multiple databases for each client request. Call stored procedures (with parameters) in databases that support them (e.g. SQL Server, Oracle).
HTTP environment variables - Access and set HTTP header and environment variables for information such as date/time, client IP address, browser type, e-mail address, and other information.
Re-use code - Include templates within other templates to reuse complex code, formats, or functions.
Full language extensibility - Use the Cold Fusion Application Programming Interface (CFAPI) to create new CFML tags (CFXs) which can call legacy code, OLE automation servers or third party applications for functionality like online credit card transactions.
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