1. Chapter 1 Introducing ColdFusion

   1. What Is ColdFusion?

   2. ColdFusion Architecture

   3. Getting Started with ColdFusion

2. Chapter 2 ColdFusion Basics

   1. Getting Started

   2. Datatypes

   3. Variables

   4. Expressions

   5. Writing Output

   6. Conditional Processing

   7. Looping

   8. Including Other Templates

3. Chapter 3 Passing Data Between Templates

   1. Passing Parameters Via URL

   2. Passing Data Using Forms

   3. Dealing with Nonexistent Parameters

4. Chapter 4 Database Basics

   1. Configuring Data Sources

   2. Introducing cfquery

   3. A Quick SQL Primer

   4. Retrieving and Displaying Data

   5. Sorting Query Results

   6. Grouping Output

   7. Looping Over a Query Result Set

   8. Formatting Techniques

5. Chapter 5 Maintaining Database Records

   1. Inserting Records

   2. Updating Existing Records

   3. Deleting Records

6. Chapter 6 Complex Datatypes

   1. Lists

   2. Arrays

   3. Structures

   4. Query Objects

7. Chapter 7 Maintaining State

   1. Setting Up the Web Application Framework

   2. Using Shared Scope Variables

   3. Browser Redirection

   4. Portal Example

8. Chapter 8 Security

   1. Security Basics

   2. Implementing Security from Scratch

   3. Taking Advantage of ColdFusion MX's New Security Framework

9. Chapter 9 Error and Exception Handling

   1. Basic Exception Handling

   2. Custom Exception Handling

   3. Rethrowing Exceptions

   4. Error Handling Within the Web-Application Framework

   5. Server-Wide Error Handling

10. Chapter 10 Dynamic Form Controls

    1. Combining HTML and CFML Form Controls

    2. Basic Input Controls

    3. Textual Input

    4. A Selection Control

    5. Sliders

    6. Grids

    7. Trees

    8. Preserving Input

    9. Custom Controls

11. Chapter 11 Advanced Database Techniques

    1. Display Techniques

    2. Drilldown Queries

    3. Query Caching

    4. Advanced SQL

    5. Query of Queries

    6. Calling Stored Procedures

    7. Transaction Processing

12. Chapter 12 Manipulating Files and Directories

    1. Working with Directories

    2. Dealing with Files

    3. Performing FTP Operations

    4. Executing Command-Line Programs

13. Chapter 13 Working with Email

    1. Sending Email

    2. Dealing with Undeliverable Email

    3. Retrieving Messages

    4. Building a Web-Based Email Client

14. Chapter 14 Interacting with Other Web Servers Using HTTP

    1. Retrieving Information

    2. Parsing Data

    3. Generating Static HTML Pages

    4. Posting Information

    5. cfhttp Considerations

15. Chapter 15 Interfacing with LDAP-Enabled Directories

    1. LDAP Basics

    2. Querying an LDAP Directory

    3. Modifying LDAP Entries

    4. Modifying the Distinguished Name

16. Chapter 16 Working with the Verity Search Interface

    1. Creating Collections

    2. Populating Collections

    3. Searching Collections

    4. The Verity Search Language

    5. Updating Collections

    6. Maintaining Collections

    7. Advanced Techniques

17. Chapter 17 Graphing and Charting

    1. Creating a Simple Graph

    2. Working with Dates

    3. Charting Dynamic Data

    4. Charting Multiple Data Series

    5. Drilling Down on Graph Data

    6. Saving Charts to a Variable

    7. Working with the Chart Cache

18. Chapter 18 Regular Expressions in ColdFusion

    1. Regular-Expression Syntax

    2. Finding Strings

    3. Replacing Strings

    4. Backreferences

    5. Useful Regular Expressions

    6. Regular Expression Tester

19. Chapter 19 Scripting

    1. Scripting Syntax

    2. Writing Output

    3. Flow Control and Looping

    4. Error and Exception Handling

20. Chapter 20 User-Defined Functions

    1. UDF Basics

    2. Calling User-Defined Functions

    3. Advanced Topics

    4. Function Libraries

    5. Script-Based UDFs

21. Chapter 21 Creating Custom Tags

    1. Getting Started

    2. Calling Custom Tags

    3. Passing Data

    4. Returning Data

    5. Attribute Validation and Error Handling

    6. Advanced Techniques

    7. Protecting Your Tags

    8. CFX Tags

22. Chapter 22 ColdFusion Components

    1. Basic Concepts

    2. Creating Components

    3. Using Components

    4. Advanced CFC Topics

23. Chapter 23 XML and WDDX

    1. Working with XML

    2. Using WDDX

24. Chapter 24 Web Services

    1. Web Services Overview

    2. Consuming Web Services

    3. Producing Web Services

    4. Web Services Security

25. Chapter 25 Working with the System Registry

    1. Getting Registry Keys and Values

    2. Setting Registry Keys and Values

    3. Deleting Registry Keys and Values

26. Chapter 26 Using the ColdFusion Scheduler

    1. Scheduling Tasks with the ColdFusion Administrator

    2. Scheduling Tasks with cfschedule

    3. Additional Considerations

27. Chapter 27 Interacting with COM, CORBA, and Java

    1. Working with COM

    2. Calling CORBA Objects

    3. Integrating ColdFusion and Java

28. Chapter 28 Flash Remoting

    1. Getting Started with Flash Remoting for ColdFusion MX

    2. Interacting with ColdFusion Pages

    3. Interacting with ColdFusion Components

    4. Interacting with Server-Side ActionScript

    5. Flash Remoting with Java Objects Hosted on the ColdFusion MX Server

1. Appendix A Tag Reference

   1. Tags by Type

   2. Alphabetical List of Tags

2. Appendix B Function Reference

   1. Functions by Category

   2. Alphabetical List of Functions

3. Appendix C Example Database Tables

4. Appendix D ColdFusion Resources

   1. Official Macromedia Resources

   2. Magazines

   3. Mailing Lists

   4. Blogs

   5. Community Resources

   6. User Groups

5. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Programming ColdFusion MX, Second Edition is an Arctic tern. Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea) are small birds, about 12 to 15 inches long, that make the longest migration of any avian on Earth. They breed in the Arctic tundra but fly to the edge of the Antarctic ice pack during the winter. An Arctic tern flies over 21,750 miles each year; it spends most of its life, about 20 years, flying.

The Arctic tern has webbed feet. The tail is long and forked, the legs are short and red, and the head is rounded and white with a black cap and a bright orange beak. Research has shown that Arctic terns don?t swim well and will do everything possible to stay out of the water. Even though their feet are webbed, they are small, so the birds swoop down, catch a fish, and eat it while flying.

During breeding or courtship time, male terns fly a "fish flight." A male takes a small fish in its bill and passes as low as it can over a female on the ground. If she notices, she'll join him in the fish flight, and they soon mate.

In Arctic breeding grounds, females lay one or two cream-colored eggs with brown speckles (1.6 inches long). The eggs are laid in a grassy area for protection from their predators and because there are no trees in the Arctic. Both parents care for the eggs and feed the hatchlings.

Local inhabitants watch to see where Arctic terns are feeding. By monitoring where the terns hunt, they can find large schools of fish and increase their catch. Darren Kelly was the production editor, and Leanne Soylemez was the copyeditor for Programming ColdFusion MX, Second Edition. Mary Brady, Derek Di Matteo, and Claire Cloutier provided quality control. Nancy Crumpton wrote the index. Jamie Peppard, Matt Hutchinson, and Reg Aubry provided production assistance.

Hanna Dyer designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is an original illustration created by Lorrie LeJeune. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted by Joe Wizda to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. This colophon was written by Mary Anne Weeks Mayo.