Product Review

This past March Macromedia merged with Allaire. I was very excited to attend the Macromedia User Conference, UCON 2001, to see what was new and exciting in the Web-based software world, particularly as it impacted ColdFusion and its developers.

UCON was held at the Hilton New York on Sixth Avenue and 52nd Street in Manhattan, a block away from Rockefeller Center.

It was worth the two-hour battle in traffic to see firsthand demos and hear about new technology that will help shape our future as Web developers. While the conference mainly focused on Macromedia products such as Flash, there were two booths for Allaire products, JRun and ColdFusion. Both booths were manned by Allaire employees who were very familiar with the products and eager to show them off.

ColdFusion - Hotter than Ever
I spent most of my time at the JRun booth, prying as much information as possible from Allaire sales engineer Kevin Hoyt. He was very knowledgeable and accommodating, so I decided to squeeze him for every bit of ColdFusion insight I could get.

Kevin gave me an incredible demo of NEO, the next-generation ColdFusion, which is built on Java. To the ColdFusion developer, NEO's syntax looks basically the same as ColdFusion version 4.5. All the CFML-tag syntax is maintained. The main difference is on the server side. A Java runtime engine is used to process the CFML tags, and, as with the current ColdFusion server, HTML is returned to the browser.

So if it looks and acts the same, why change it? Since NEO is based on a Java server, it runs on any platform that supports Java. These days everyone supports Java, from Windows NT to Linux to Sun and so on. As I see it, we can continue to create incredible Web sites for even more servers. What could be bad about that?

Currently, ColdFusion developers find themselves learning and using other languages to add functionality not directly supported by ColdFusion. For example, I use JavaScript to create a windowing interface and interactive form buttons. With NEO, you will have the entire Java language to use, when necessary, to extend your application. Theoretically this provides unlimited potential. Neo is a completely new version - not a patched-up, repackaged release. It's a cleaner, leaner, faster, and more powerful product. Yes, now you really can take over the world.

ColdFusion 5.0
Version 5 of our favorite program should be released by the time this article is published. While this isn't as dramatically new and different as NEO, there are still some significant and useful features I found appealing. Most notable are Graphing and Querying a Query.

The new Graphing feature lets you create charts and graphs based on query data. For example, I could query a sales table for all sales in year 2000 by product, then create a pie chart - directly with ColdFusion tags. This is a great feature for enhancing and waking up traditional tabular reports.

Querying a Query is an interesting addition that has many uses. Basically, it allows you to execute a <cfquery> query and then query the returned result set. Imagine a query that locates all customers in the State of New York. ColdFusion automatically stores the query results in RAM. Now you can further query the customer list to find all customers that live in Brooklyn, NY. Since you can query the first result set, there's no need to "hit" the database again. Simply query the first result set that's already in RAM. It's much faster and more efficient.

JRun
I think that JRun is the ColdFusion equivalent for a Java developer. Like ColdFusion, JRun has an application server and a client-side Studio product. The JRun Studio provides a convenient interface for developing Java applications, much the same way that ColdFusion Studio helps you write CFML programs.

Basically, JRun allows Java developers to use standard Java commands and functions to write 100% J2EE-compatible code. What makes it unique from other J2EE servers are the built-in functions. For example, using a JRun tag, you can query a database and display rows and columns with only a few lines of code (similar to the <CFQUERY> tag in ColdFusion), compared to a page of pure Java code.

JRun excels as a RAD tool for Java. I was very impressed with JRun's ease and approachability. I think beginner Java developers will love it since it eases the learning curve and shortens the time necessary to create finished applications.

The Rest of the World
After loitering at the Allaire booths, I decided to walk the floor and see what other exciting products were available. It seems that ColdFusion developers (and Web site developers in general) are increasingly called upon to do more than just ColdFusion. For example, some dabble in graphic design and layout - even Web-based animation. Macromedia has become famous for Web-based authoring, graphics, animation, and an overall engaging Web experience. Macromedia estimates that Flash, its vector-based animation program, is installed on 96% of Web desktops.

Here are some products that caught my eye.

• PopChart by Corda (www.corda.com) is a graphing/charting program that's popular among ColdFusion developers. Corda introduced PopChart[D], a new version that's compliant with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 is a standard for generating Web content that can be used by visually impaired persons. There are an estimated 800,000 visually impaired Web users.
• ElectricRain is a really cool program by Swift3d (www.swift3d.com) that simplifies the creation of 3D text and graphics for use with Macromedia Flash. I saw an impressive demo that automatically generated a 3D object based on a 2D drawing. It looks like a great product for Web-based demos or online stores that want to make products more engaging.
• Sams Publishing (www.samspublishing.com) had a booth that looked like a miniature Barnes & Noble computer book department.

They offer several ColdFusion books, including two beginner/getting-started guides. A new version 5.0 manual is on the way. The ColdFusion guides come with CDs of sample applications, demos, and other related software goodies.
• Integration New Media (www.integrationnewmedia.com) debuted GoldenGate Data-base Connector at UCON. GoldenGate is a database interface for Macromedia Flash and Shockwave. It allows developers to integrate database content with Flash forms. For example, it could be used to display product photos, details, and up-to-date pricing in an online catalog.

Enough Fun for One Day
We're all familiar with and love Allaire products. Most of us consider ColdFusion to be an integral component of our livelihood. Macromedia creates incredible, interactive products for authoring dynamic, engaging Web sites. I'm excited about the merger and looking forward to seeing the integration of products from these Web powerhouses. I'm confident that UCON 2002 will feature more ColdFusion-related products and enhancements to help us create even better Web sites.

Add Your Feedback

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

Register | Log in

Please wait while we process your request...