Adobe CFML Reference Cold Fusion MX 7.0 Cfmx7 Ref

User Manual: adobe ColdFusion - MX 7.0 - CFML Reference Free User Guide for Adobe ColdFusion Software, Manual

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COLDFUSION MX 7
®

CFML Reference

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Part Number ZCF70M600
Acknowledgments
Project Management: Randy Nielsen
Writing: Hal Lichtin, Randy Nielsen
Editing: Linda Adler, Noreen Maher
Production Management: Patrice O’Neill,
Media Design and Production: John Francis, Adam Barnett

First Edition: January 2005
Macromedia, Inc.
600 Townsend St.
San Francisco, CA 94103

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

................................................... 5

CHAPTER 1: Reserved Words and Variables

............................. 7

Reserved words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Scope-specific built-in variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Custom tag variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
ColdFusion tag-specific variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Standard CGI variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
CGI environment variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
CHAPTER 2: ColdFusion Tags

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Tags by function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Tag changes since ColdFusion 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
CHAPTER 3: ColdFusion Functions

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Functions by category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
Function changes since ColdFusion 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
CHAPTER 4: ColdFusion MX Flash Form Style Reference

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 933

Styles valid for all controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 934
Styles for cfform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 936
Styles for cfformgroup with horizontal or vertical type atributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 936
Styles for box-style cfformgroup elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 937
Styles for cfformgroup with accordion type attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 938
Styles for cfformgroup with tabnavigator type attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 939
Styles for cfformitem with hrule or vrule type attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 939
Styles for cfinput with radioButton, checkbox, button, image,
or submit type attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 940
Styles for cftextarea tag and cfinput with text, password,
or hidden type attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 941
Styles for cfselect with size attribute value of 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 941
Styles for cfselect with size attribute value greater than 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 942
Styles for cfcalendar tag and cfinput with dateField type attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . 942
Styles for the cfgrid tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 943
Styles for the cftree tag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 943

3

CHAPTER 5: Application.CFC Reference .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 945

Application variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 945
Method summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 946
CHAPTER 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 963

Gateway development interfaces and classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 963
CFML CFEvent structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1004
IM gateway methods and commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1004
SMS Gateway CFEvent structure and commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1042
CHAPTER 7: ColdFusion C++ CFX Reference

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1055

C++ class overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1055
Deprecated class methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1056
CCFXException class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1056
CCFXQuery class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1058
CCFXRequest class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1062
CCFXStringSet class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072
CHAPTER 8: ColdFusion Java CFX Reference

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1075

Class libraries overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1075
Custom tag interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1076
Query interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1077
Request interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1082
Response interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1087
Debugging classes reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1090
CHAPTER 9: WDDX JavaScript Objects

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1091

JavaScript object overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1091
WddxSerializer object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1092
WddxRecordset object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1095
CHAPTER 10: ColdFusion ActionScript Functions . . . .

4

Contents

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1101

INTRODUCTION

CFML Reference is your primary ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) reference. Use this
manual to learn about CFML tags and functions, ColdFusion expressions, and using JavaScript
objects for WDDX in Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7. It also provides detailed references for Java
and C++ CFX interfaces.

About Macromedia ColdFusion MX documentation
The ColdFusion MX documentation is designed to provide support for the complete spectrum of
participants.
Documentation set
The ColdFusion documentation set includes the following titles:
Manual

Description

Installing and Using
ColdFusion MX

Describes system installation and basic configuration for Windows, Solaris,
Linux, and HP-UX.

Configuring and
Administering
ColdFusion MX

Part I describes how to manage the ColdFusion environment, including
connecting to your data sources and configuring security for your
applications. Part II describes Verity search tools and utilities that you can
use for configuring the Verity K2 Server search engine, as well as creating,
managing, and troubleshooting Verity collections.

ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide

Describes how to develop your dynamic web applications, including
retrieving and updating your data, and using structures and forms.

Getting Started
Building
ColdFusion MX
Applications

Contains an overview of ColdFusion features and application development
procedures. Includes a tutorial that guides you through the process of
developing an example ColdFusion application.

CFML Reference

Provides descriptions, syntax, usage, and code examples for all ColdFusion
tags, functions, and variables.

CFML Quick Reference A brief guide that shows the syntax of ColdFusion tags, functions, and
variables.

5

Viewing online documentation
All ColdFusion MX documentation is available online in HTML and Adobe Acrobat Portable
Document Format (PDF) files. Go to the documentation home page for ColdFusion MX on the
Macromedia website: www.macromedia.com.

6

Introduction:

CHAPTER 1
Reserved Words and Variables

This chapter provides information on Macromedia ColdFusion reserved words, and lists scope
variables.
Contents
Reserved words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Scope-specific built-in variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
ColdFusion tag-specific variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
CGI environment variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Reserved words
The following list indicates words you must not use for ColdFusion variables, user-defined
function names, or custom tag names. While some of these words can be used safely in some
situations, you can prevent errors by avoiding them entirely.

• Any name starting with cf. However, when you call a CFML custom tag directly, you prefix the
custom tag page name with cf_.

•
•
•
•
•
•

Built-in function names, such as Now or Hash
Scope names, such as Form or Session
Operators, such as NE or IS
The names of any built-in data structures, such as Error or File
The names of any built-in variables, such as RecordCount or CGI variable names
CFScript language element names such as for, default, or continue

Remember that ColdFusion is not case-sensitive. For example, all of the following are reserved
words: IS, Is, iS, and is.

7

Reserved words in forms
You must also not create form field names ending in any of the following, except to specify a form
field validation rule using a hidden form field name.

•
•
•
•
•
•

_integer
_float
_range
_date
_time
_eurodate

Reserved words in queries
The following table lists SQL keywords that are reserved in ColdFusion queries of queries. This
list includes all reserved words in the SQL standard, and should be avoided in variables used in all
queries. Do not use these keywords as variable names in any queries.
Note: Many database management systems have additional reserved words that you cannot use as
variable names in queries to their databases. For a detailed list, see your DBMS documentation.

8

ABSOLUTE

ACTION

ADD

ALL

ALLOCATE

ALTER

AND

ANY

ARE

AS

ASC

ASSERTION

AT

AUTHORIZATION

AVG

BEGIN

BETWEEN

BIT

BIT_LENGTH

BOTH

BY

CASCADE

CASCADED

CASE

CAST

CATALOG

CHAR

CHARACTER

CHARACTER_
LENGTH

CHAR_LENGTH

CHECK

CLOSE

COALESCE

COLLATE

COLLATION

COLUMN

COMMIT

CONNECT

CONNECTION

CONSTRAINT

CONSTRAINTS CONTINUE

CONVERT

CORRESPONDING COUNT

CREATE

CROSS

CURRENT

CURRENT_DATE

CURRENT_TIME

CURRENT_
TIMESTAMP

CURRENT_
USER

CURSOR

DATE

DAY

DEALLOCATE

DEC

DECIMAL

DECLARE

DEFAULT

DEFERRABLE

DEFERRED

DELETE

DESC

DESCRIBE

DESCRIPTOR

DIAGNOSTICS

DISCONNECT

DISTINCT

DOMAIN

DOUBLE

DROP

ELSE

END

END-EXEC

ESCAPE

EXCEPT

EXCEPTION

EXEC

EXECUTE

EXISTS

EXTERNAL

EXTRACT

FALSE

FETCH

FIRST

FLOAT

FOR

FOREIGN

FOUND

Chapter 1: Reserved Words and Variables

FROM

FULL

GET

GLOBAL

GO

GOTO

GRANT

GROUP

HAVING

HOUR

IDENTITY

IMMEDIATE

IN

INDICATOR

INITIALLY

INNER

INPUT

INSENSITIVE

INSERT

INT

INTEGER

INTERSECT

INTERVAL

INTO

IS

ISOLATION

JOIN

KEY

LANGUAGE

LAST

LEADING

LEFT

LEVEL

LIKE

LOCAL

LOWER

MATCH

MAX

MIN

MINUTE

MODULE

MONTH

NAMES

NATIONAL

NATURAL

NCHAR

NEXT

NO

NOT

NULL

NULLIF

NUMERIC

OCTET_LENGTH

OF

ON

ONLY

OPEN

OPTION

OR

ORDER

OUTER

OUTPUT

OVERLAPS

PAD

PARTIAL

POSITION

PRECISION

PREPARE

PRESERVE

PRIMARY

PRIOR

PRIVILEGES

PROCEDURE

PUBLIC

READ

REAL

REFERENCES

RELATIVE

RESTRICT

REVOKE

RIGHT

ROLLBACK

ROWS

SCHEMA

SCROLL

SECOND

SECTION

SELECT

SESSION

SESSION_USER

SET

SIZE

SMALLINT

SOME

SPACE

SQL

SQLCODE

SQLERROR

SQLSTATE

SUBSTRING

SUM

SYSTEM_USER TABLE

TEMPORARY

THEN

TIME

TIMESTAMP

TIMEZONE_
HOUR

TIMEZONE_
MINUTE

TO

TRAILING

TRANSACTION

TRANSLATE

TRANSLATION

TRIM

TRUE

UNION

UNIQUE

UNKNOWN

UPDATE

UPPER

USAGE

USER

USING

VALUE

VALUES

VARCHAR

VARYING

VIEW

WHEN

WHENEVER

WHERE

WITH

WORK

WRITE

YEAR

ZONE

Scope-specific built-in variables
ColdFusion returns variables, such as those returned in a cfdirectory or cfftp operation. A
variable is usually referenced by scoping it according to its type: naming it according to the code
context in which it is available; for example, Session.varname, or Application.varname. For more
information on ColdFusion scopes, see Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables” in ColdFusion
MX Developer’s Guide

Scope-specific built-in variables

9

You use the cflock tag to limit the scope of CFML constructs that modify shared data structures,
files, and CFXs, to ensure that modifications occur sequentially. For more information, see
cflock on page 270, and Chapter 15, “Using Persistent Data and Locking” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide.
Variable scope
ColdFusion supports the Variables scope. Unscoped variables created with the cfset tag acquire
the Variables scope by default. For example, the variable created by the statement  can be referenced as #Variables.linguist#
Caller scope
History

ColdFusion MX: The Caller scope is accessible as a structure. (In earlier releases, it was not.)
Client variables
The following client variables are reserved:
Client.CFID
Client.CFToken
Client.HitCount
Client.LastVisit
Client.TimeCreated
Client.URLToken

Server variables
Use the Server prefix to reference server variables, as follows:
Server.ColdFusion.ProductName
Server.ColdFusion.ProductVersion
Server.ColdFusion.ProductLevel
Server.ColdFusion.SerialNumber
Server.ColdFusion.SupportedLocales
Server.ColdFusion.AppServer
Server.ColdFusion.Expiration
Server.ColdFusion.RootDir
Server.OS.Name
Server.OS.AdditionalInformation
Server.OS.Version
Server.OS.BuildNumber

Application and session variables
To enable application and session variables, use the cfapplication tag or Application.cfc.
Reference them as follows:
Application.myvariable
Session.myvariable

To ensure that modifications to shared data occur in the intended sequence, use the cflock tag.
For more information, see cflock on page 270.

10

Chapter 1: Reserved Words and Variables

The predefined application and session variables are as follows:
Application.ApplicationName
Session.CFID
Session.CFToken
Session.URLToken

Custom tag variables
A ColdFusion custom tag returns the following variables:
ThisTag.ExecutionMode
ThisTag.HasEndTag
ThisTag.GeneratedContent
ThisTag.AssocAttribs[index]

A custom tag can set a Caller variable to provide information to the caller. The Caller variable is
set as follows:


The calling page can access the variable with the cfoutput tag, as follows:
#variable_name#

Request variable
Request variables store data about the processing of one page request. Request variables store data
in a structure that can be passed to nested tags, such as custom tags, and processed once.
To provide information to nested tags, set a Request variable, as follows:



...

Each nested tag can access the variable with the cfoutput tag, as follows:
#Request.field_name1#

Form variable
ColdFusion supports the Form variable FieldNames. FieldNames returns the names of the fields
on a form. You use it on the action page associated with a form, as follows:
Form.FieldNames

ColdFusion tag-specific variables
Some ColdFusion tags return data as variables. For example, the cffile tag returns file size
information in the FileSize variable, referenced as CFFILE.FileSize.
The following tags return data that can be referenced in variables:
cfcatch
cfdirectory
cferror

ColdFusion tag-specific variables

11

cffile
cfftp
cfhttp
cfindex
cfldap
cfpop
cfquery
cfregistry
cfsearch
cfstoredproc

ColdFusion query variables
A ColdFusion tag that returns a query object supports the following variables, where queryname is
the value of the name attribute:
queryname.CurrentRow
queryname.RecordCount
queryname.ColumnList

CFCATCH variables
Within a cfcatch block, the active exception properties can be accessed as the following
variables:
CFCATCH.Type
CFCATCH.Message
CFCATCH.Detail
CFCATCH.ErrNumber
CFCATCH.NativeErrorCode
CFCATCH.SQLState
CFCATCH.LockName
CFCATCH.LockOperation
CFCATCH.MissingFileName
CFCATCH.TagContext
CFCATCH.ErrorCode
CFCATCH.ExtendedInfo

Within a cfcatch block, database exception properties can be accessed as the following variables:
CFCATCH.QueryError
CFCATCH.SQL
CFCATCH.Where
CFCATCH.Datasource

Within a cfcatch block, undefined variable exception properties can be accessed as the following
variable:
CFCATCH.Name

Within a cfcatch block, syntax and parsing exception properties can be accessed as the following
variables:
CFCATCH.TokenText
CFCATCH.Snippet
CFCATCH.Column
CFCATCH.KnownColumn

12

Chapter 1: Reserved Words and Variables

CFCATCH.Line
CFCATCH.KnownLine

CFDIRECTORY variables
The cfdirectory tag, with action=list, returns a query object as follows, where queryname is
the name attribute value:
queryname.Name
queryname.Size
queryname.Type
queryname.DateLastModified
queryname.Attributes
queryname.Mode

CFERROR variables
When cferror generates an error page, the following error variables are available if
or "exception".

type="request"

Error.Diagnostics
Error.MailTo
Error.DateTime
Error.Browser
Error.GeneratedContent
Error.RemoteAddress
Error.HTTPReferer
Error.Template
Error.QueryString

The following error variables are available if type="validation".
Error.ValidationHeader
Error.InvalidFields
Error.ValidationFooter

Any cfcatch variable that applies to exception type can be accessed within the Error scope, as
follows:
Error.Type
Error.Message
Error.Detail
Error.ErrNumber
Error.NativeErrorCode
Error.SQLState
Error.LockName
Error.LockOperation
Error.MissingFileName
Error.TagContext
Error.ErrorCode
Error.ExtendedInfo
Note: You can substitute the prefix CFERROR for Error, if type = "Exception"; for example,
CFERROR.Diagnostics, CFERROR.Mailto, or CFERROR.DateTime.

ColdFusion tag-specific variables

13

CFFILE ACTION=Upload variables
File variables are read-only. Use the CFFILE prefix to reference file variables; for example,
The File prefix is deprecated in favor of the CFFILE prefix.

CFFILE.ClientDirectory.

CFFILE.AttemptedServerFile
CFFILE.ClientDirectory
CFFILE.ClientFile
CFFILE.ClientFileExt
CFFILE.ClientFileName
CFFILE.ContentSubType
CFFILE.ContentType
CFFILE.DateLastAccessed
CFFILE.FileExisted
CFFILE.FileSize
CFFILE.FileWasAppended
CFFILE.FileWasOverwritten
CFFILE.FileWasRenamed
CFFILE.FileWasSaved
CFFILE.OldFileSize
CFFILE.ServerDirectory
CFFILE.ServerFile
CFFILE.ServerFileExt
CFFILE.ServerFileName
CFFILE.TimeCreated
CFFILE.TimeLastModified

CFFTP error variables
When you use the cfftp stoponerror attribute, these variables are populated:
CFFTP.Succeeded
CFFTP.ErrorCode
CFFTP.ErrorText

CFFTP ReturnValue variable
Some cfftp file and directory operations provide a return value, in the variable
CFFTP.ReturnValue. Its value is determined by the results of the action attribute. When you
specify any of the following actions, cfftp returns a value:
GetCurrentDir
GetCurrentURL
ExistsDir
ExistsFile
Exists

CFFTP query object columns
When you use the cfftp tag with the listdir action, cfftp returns a query object, where
is the name attribute value, and row is the row number of each file or directory entry:

queryname

queryname.Name[row]
queryname.Path[row]
queryname.URL[row]
queryname.Length[row]

14

Chapter 1: Reserved Words and Variables

queryname.LastModified[row]
queryname.Attributes
queryname.IsDirectory
queryname.Mode

CFHTTP variables
A cfhttp get operation can return text and binary files. Files are downloaded and the contents
stored in a variable or file, depending on the MIME type, as follows:
CFHTTP.FileContent
CFHTTP.MimeType
CFHTTP.Header
CFHTTP.ResponseHeader[http_hd_key]
CFHTTP.StatusCode

CFLDAP variables
The cfldap action=query tag returns information about the LDAP query, as follows:
queryname.CurrentRow
queryname.RecordCount
queryname.ColumnList

CFPOP variables
The cfpop tag returns the following result columns, depending on the action attribute value and
the use of other attributes, such as attachmentpath, where queryname is the name attribute value:
queryname.Date
queryname.From
queryname.Body
queryname.Header
queryname.MessageNumber
queryname.ReplyTo
queryname.Subject
queryname.CC
queryname.To
queryname.CurrentRow
queryname.RecordCount
queryname.ColumnList
queryname.Attachments
queryname.AttachmentFiles

CFQUERY and CFSTOREDPROC variables
The cfquery tag returns information about the query in this variable:
CFQUERY.ExecutionTime

The cfquery tag uses the query name to scope the following data about the query:
queryname.CurrentRow
queryname.RecordCount
queryname.ColumnList

ColdFusion tag-specific variables

15

The cfstoredproc tag returns the following variables:
CFSTOREDPROC.ExecutionTime
CFSTOREDPROC.StatusCode

CFREGISTRY variables
The cfregistry tag returns a query record set that you can reference after executing the GetAll
action, as follows, where queryname is the name attribute value:
queryname.Entry
queryname.Type
queryname.Value

CFSEARCH variables
A cfsearch operation returns the following variables, where searchname is the name attribute
value:
searchname.URL
searchname.Key
searchname.Title
searchname.Score
searchname.Custom1 and Custom2
searchname.Summary
searchname.RecordCount
searchname.CurrentRow
searchname.RecordsSearched
searchname.ColumnList

Standard CGI variables
The CGI variables that are available for your use vary with the web server and configuration. This
section lists the CGI 1.1 variables that some web servers create when a CGI script is called. Some
of the following variables may not be available.
Request
CGI.AUTH_TYPE
CGI.CONTENT_LENGTH
CGI.CONTENT_TYPE
CGI.METHOD
CGI.PATH_INFO
CGI.PATH_TRANSLATED
CGI.QUERY_STRING
CGI.REMOTE_ADDR
CGI.REMOTE_HOST
CGI.REMOTE_USER
CGI.REQUEST_METHOD
CGI.SCRIPT_NAME

16

Chapter 1: Reserved Words and Variables

Server
CGI.GATEWAY_INTERFACE
CGI.SERVER_NAME
CGI.SERVER_PORT
CGI.SERVER_PROTOCOL
CGI.SERVER_SOFTWARE

Client
CGI.CERT_ISSUER
CGI.CERT_SUBJECT
CGI.CLIENT_CERT_ENCODED
CGI.HTTP_ACCEPT
CGI.HTTP_IF_MODIFIED_SINCE
CGI.HTTP_USER_AGENT

The CERT_ISSUER, CERT_SUBJECT, CLIENT_CERT_ENCODED variables are available only when you
use client certificates.

CGI environment variables
When a browser makes a request to a server, the web server and the browser create environment
variables. In ColdFusion, these variables are referred to as CGI environment variables. They take
the CGI prefix regardless of whether the server uses a server API or CGI to communicate with the
ColdFusion server.
Environment variables contain data about the transaction between the browser and the server,
such as the IP Address, browser type, and authenticated username. You can reference CGI
environment variables for a given page request anywhere in the page. CGI variables are read-only.
Note: The environment variables available to applications depend on the browser and server
software.

Testing for CGI variables
Because some browsers do not support some CGI variables, ColdFusion always returns True
when it tests for the existence of a CGI variable, regardless of whether the browser supports the
variable. To determine if the CGI variable is available, test for an empty string, as shown in the
following example:

CGI variable exists

CGI variable does not exist


CGI environment variables

17

CGI server variables
The following table describes common CGI environment variables that the server creates (some
of these are not available with some servers):

18

CGI server variable

Description

SERVER_SOFTWARE

Name and version of the information server software answering
the request (and running the gateway). Format: name/version.

SERVER_NAME

Server's hostname, DNS alias, or IP address as it appears in selfreferencing URLs.

GATEWAY_INTERFACE

CGI specification revision with which this server complies. Format:
CGI/revision.

SERVER_PROTOCOL

Name and revision of the information protocol this request came in
with. Format: protocol/revision.

SERVER_PORT

Port number to which the request was sent.

REQUEST_METHOD

Method with which the request was made. For HTTP, this is Get,
Head, Post, and so on.

PATH_INFO

Extra path information, as given by the client. Scripts can be
accessed by their virtual pathname, followed by extra information
at the end of this path. The extra information is sent as
PATH_INFO.

PATH_TRANSLATED

Translated version of PATH_INFO after any virtual-to-physical
mapping.

SCRIPT_NAME

Virtual path to the script that is executing; used for self-referencing
URLs.

QUERY_STRING

Query information that follows the ? in the URL that referenced
this script.

REMOTE_HOST

Hostname making the request. If the server does not have this
information, it sets REMOTE_ADDR and does not set
REMOTE_HOST.

REMOTE_ADDR

IP address of the remote host making the request.

AUTH_TYPE

If the server supports user authentication, and the script is
protected, the protocol-specific authentication method used to
validate the user.

REMOTE_USER
AUTH_USER

If the server supports user authentication, and the script is
protected, the username the user has authenticated as. (Also
available as AUTH_USER.)

REMOTE_IDENT

If the HTTP server supports RFC 931 identification, this variable is
set to the remote username retrieved from the server. Use this
variable for logging only.

CONTENT_TYPE

For queries that have attached information, such as HTTP POST
and PUT, this is the content type of the data.

CONTENT_LENGTH

Length of the content as given by the client.

Chapter 1: Reserved Words and Variables

CGI client variables
The following table describes common CGI environment variables the browser creates and passes
in the request header:
CGI client variable

Description

HTTP_REFERER

The referring document that linked to or submitted form data.

HTTP_USER_AGENT

The browser that the client is currently using to send the request.
Format: software/version library/version.

HTTP_IF_MODIFIED_SINCE

The last time the page was modified. The browser determines
whether to set this variable, usually in response to the server
having sent the LAST_MODIFIED HTTP header. It can be used to
take advantage of browser-side caching.

CGI client certificate variables
ColdFusion makes available the following client certificate data. These variables are available
when running Microsoft IIS 4.0 or Netscape Enterprise under SSL if your web server is
configured to accept client certificates.
CGI client certificate variable Description
CERT_SUBJECT

Client-specific information provided by the web server. This data
typically includes the client's name, e-mail address, and so on; for
example:
O = "VeriSign, Inc.", OU = VeriSign Trust Network, OU =
"www.verisign.com/repository/RPA Incorp. by
Ref.,LIAB.LTD(c)98", OU = Persona Not Validated, OU =
Digital ID Class 1 - Microsoft, CN = Matthew Lund, E =
mlund@macromedia.com

CERT_ISSUER

Information about the authority that provided the client certificate;
for example:
O = "VeriSign, Inc.", OU = VeriSign Trust Network, OU =
"www.verisign.com/repository/RPA Incorp. By
Ref.,LIAB.LTD(c)98", CN = VeriSign Class 1 CA Individual
Subscriber-Persona Not Validated

CLIENT_CERT_ENCODED

The entire client certificate binary, base-64 encoded. This data is
typically of interest to developers, so they can integrate with other
software that uses client certificates.

CGI environment variables

19

20

Chapter 1: Reserved Words and Variables

CHAPTER 2
ColdFusion Tags

ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) includes a set of tags that you use in Macromedia
ColdFusion MX 7 pages to interact with data sources, manipulate data, and display output.
CFML tag syntax is similar to HTML element syntax.
This chapter contains categorized and alphabetical lists of the tags followed by the detailed tag
descriptions.
Contents
Tag summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Tags by function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Tag changes since ColdFusion 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Tag descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Tag summary
The following table briefly describes CFML tags:
CFML tag

Category

Description

cfabort

Flow-control tags

Stops the processing of a ColdFusion page at
the tag location

cfapplet

Forms tags

Embeds Java applets in a cfform tag

cfapplication

Application framework
tags

Defines an application name; activates client
variables; specifies client variable storage
mechanism

cfargument

Extensibility tags

Creates a parameter definition within a
component definition; defines a function
argument

cfassociate

Application framework
tags

Enables subtag data to be saved with a base tag

cfbreak

Flow-control tags

Breaks out of a CFML looping construct

cfcache

Page processing tags

Caches ColdFusion pages

21

22

CFML tag

Category

Description

cfcalendar

Forms tags

Provides a calendar from which to select a date

cfcase

Flow-control tags

Used with the cfswitch and cfdefaultcase tags

cfcatch

Exception handling tags, Catches exceptions in ColdFusion pages
Flow-control tags

cfchart

Data output tags

Generates and displays a chart

cfchartdata

Data output tags

Defines chart data points

cfchartseries

Data output tags

Defines style in which chart data displays

cfcol

Data output tags

Defines table column header, properties

cfcollection

Extensibility tags

Administers Verity collections

cfcomponent

Extensibility tags

Creates and defines a component object

cfcontent

Data output tags,
Page processing tags

Defines content type and filename of a file to be
downloaded by current page

cfcookie

Variable manipulation
tags

Defines and sets cookie variables, including
expiration and security options

cfdefaultcase

Flow-control tags

Receives control if there is no matching cfcase
tag value

cfdirectory

File management tags

Performs typical directory-handling tasks from
within a ColdFusion application

cfdocument

Data output tags

Creates PDF or FlashPaper output from a text
block containing CFML and HTML

cfdocumentitem

Data output tags

Specifies action items, such as header, footer,
and page break, for a PDF or FlashPaper
document

cfdocumentsection

Data output tags

Divides a PDF or FlashPaper document into
sections

cfdump

Debugging tags,
Variable manipulation
tags

Outputs variables for debugging

cfelse

Flow-control tags

Creates IF-THEN-ELSE constructs

cfelseif

Flow-control tags

Creates IF-THEN-ELSE constructs

cferror

Exception handling tags, Displays custom HTML error pages when errors
occur
Application framework
tags

cfexecute

Flow-control tags,
Extensibility tags

Executes developer-specified process on server
computer

cfexit

Flow-control tags

Aborts processing of executing CFML tag

cffile

File management tags

Performs typical file-handling tasks from within
ColdFusion application

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

CFML tag

Category

Description

cfflush

Data output tags,
Page processing tags

Flushes currently available data to client

cfform

Forms tags

Builds input form; performs client-side input
validation

cfformgroup

Forms tags

Groups form control into a containing object

cfformitem

Forms tags

Adds text and dividing rules to Flash forms

cfftp

Forms tags,
Extensibility tags,
Internet Protocol tags

Permits FTP file operations

cffunction

Extensibility tags

Defines function that you build in CFML

cfgrid

Forms tags

Displays tabular grid control, in cfform tag

cfgridcolumn

Forms tags

Used in cfform; defines columns in a cfgrid

cfgridrow

Forms tags

Defines a grid row; used with cfgrid

cfgridupdate

Forms tags

Directly updates ODBC data source from edited
grid data

cfheader

Data output tags,
Page processing tags

Generates HTTP headers

cfhtmlhead

Page processing tags

Writes text and HTML to HEAD section of page

cfhttp

Internet Protocol tags

Performs GET and POST to upload file or post
form, cookie, query, or CGI variable directly to
server

cfhttpparam

Internet Protocol tags

Specifies parameters required for a cfhttp
POST operation; used with cfhttp

cfif

Flow-control tags

Creates IF-THEN-ELSE constructs

cfimport

Application framework
tags

Imports JSP tag libraries into a CFML page

cfinclude

Flow-control tags

Embeds references to ColdFusion pages

cfindex

Extensibility tags

Creates Verity search indexes

cfinput

Forms tags

Creates an input element (radio button, check
box, text entry box); used in cfform

cfinsert

Database manipulation
tags

Inserts records in a data source

cfinvoke

Extensibility tags

Invokes component methods from a ColdFusion
page or component

cfinvokeargument

Extensibility tags

Passes a parameter to a component method or a
web service

cfldap

Internet Protocol tags

Provides access to LDAP directory servers

cflocation

Flow-control tags

Controls execution of a page

Tag summary

23

CFML tag

Category

Description

cflock

Application framework
tags

Ensures data integrity and synchronizes
execution of CFML code

cflog

Data output tags,
Other tags

Writes a message to a log file

cflogin

Security tags

Defines a container for user login and
authentication code

cfloginuser

Security tags

Identifies an authenticated user to ColdFusion

cflogout

Security tags

Logs the current user out

cfloop

Flow-control tags

Repeats a set of instructions based on
conditions

cfmail

Internet Protocol tags

Assembles and posts an e-mail message

cfmailparam

Internet Protocol tags

Attaches a file or adds a header to an e-mail
message

cfmailpart

Internet Protocol tags

Contains one part of a multi-part mail message

cfmodule

Application framework
tags

Invokes a custom tag for use in a ColdFusion
page

cfNTauthenticate

Security tags

Authenticates user information against an NT
domain

cfobject

Extensibility tags

Creates COM, component, CORBA, Java, and
web service objects

cfobjectcache

Database manipulation
tags

Flushes the query cache

cfoutput

Data output tags

Displays the output of a database query or other
operation

cfparam

Variable manipulation
tags

Defines a parameter and its default value

cfpop

Internet Protocol tags

Gets and deletes messages from POP mail
server

cfprocessingdirective Data output tags

24

Suppresses white space and other output

cfprocparam

Database manipulation
tags

Holds parameter information for stored
procedure

cfprocresult

Database manipulation
tags

Result set name that ColdFusion tags use to
access result set of a stored procedure

cfproperty

Extensibility tags

Defines components

cfquery

Database manipulation
tags

Passes SQL statements to a database

cfqueryparam

Database manipulation
tags

Checks data type of a query parameter

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

CFML tag

Category

Description

cfregistry

Other tags,
Variable manipulation
tags

Reads, writes, and deletes keys and values in a
Windows system registry

cfreport

Exception handling tags Embeds a ColdFusion Report Builder or Crystal
Reports report

cfreportparam

Exception handling tags Passes an input parameter to a ColdFusion
Report Builder report

cfrethrow

Exception handling tags Rethrows currently active exception

cfreturn

Extensibility tags

Returns results from a component method

cfsavecontent

Variable manipulation
tags

Saves generated content inside tag body in a
variable

cfschedule

Variable manipulation
tags

Schedules page execution; optionally, produces
static pages

cfscript

Application framework
tags

Encloses a set of cfscript statements

cfsearch

Extensibility tags

Executes searches against data indexed in Verity
collections, using cfindex

cfselect

Forms tags

Creates a drop-down list box form element; used
in cfform tag

cfset

Variable manipulation
tags

Defines a variable

cfsetting

Other tags,
Variable manipulation
tags

Defines and controls ColdFusion settings

cfsilent

Data output tags,
Page processing tags

Suppresses CFML output within tag scope

cfslider

Forms tags

Creates slider control; used in cfform

cfstoredproc

Database manipulation
tags

Holds database connection information;
identifies a stored procedure to execute

cfswitch

Flow-control tags

Evaluates passed expression; passes control to
matching cfcase tag

cftable

Data output tags

Builds a table in a ColdFusion page

cftextarea

Forms tags

Puts a multiline text box in a form

cfthrow

Exception handling tags, Throws a developer-specified exception
Flow-control tags

cftimer

Debugging tags

Displays execution time for a block of code

cftrace

Debugging tags

Displays and logs application debugging data

cftransaction

Database manipulation
tags

Groups cfquery operations into one transaction;
performs rollback processing

Tag summary

25

CFML tag

Category

Description

cftree

Forms tags

Creates tree control element; used in cfform

cftreeitem

Forms tags

Populates a tree control element in a form; used
with cftree

cftry

Exception handling tags, Catches exceptions in ColdFusion pages
Flow-control tags

cfupdate

Database manipulation
tags

Updates rows in a database data source

cfwddx

Extensibility tags

Serializes and de-serializes CFML data
structures to XML-based WDDX format

cfxml

Extensibility tags

Creates an XML document object

Tags by function
The following tables list Tags by their function or purpose.
Application framework tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Database manipulation tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Data output tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Debugging tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Exception handling tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Extensibility tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
File management tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Flow-control tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Forms tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Internet Protocol tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Page processing tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Security tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Variable manipulation tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Other tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Application framework tags

26

cfapplication

cfimport

cfassociate

cflock

cferror

cfmodule

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfscript

Database manipulation tags
cfinsert

cfprocresult

cfstoredproc

cfobjectcache

cfquery

cftransaction

cfprocparam

cfqueryparam

cfupdate

cfchart

cfdocumentitem

cfoutput

cfchartdata

cfdocumentsection

cfprocessingdirective

cfchartseries

cfflush

cfreport

cfcol

cfheader

cfreportparam

cfcontent

cflog

cfsilent

cfdocument

cfoutput

cftable

cftimer

cftrace

cfcatch

cfrethrow

cftry

cferror

cfthrow

Data output tags

Debugging tags
cfdump

Exception handling tags

Extensibility tags
cfchart

cffunction

cfreportparam

cfchartdata

cfindex

cfreturn

cfchartseries

cfinvoke

cfsearch

cfcollection

cfinvokeargument

cfwddx

cfcomponent

cfobject

cfxml

cfexecute

cfproperty

cfftp

cfreport

File management tags
cfdirectory

cffile

cfftp

Tags by function

27

Flow-control tags
cfabort

cfexecute

cfrethrow

cfbreak

cfexit

cfswitch

cfcase

cfif

cfthrow

cfdefaultcase

cfinclude

cftry

cfelse

cflocation

cfelseif

cfloop

Forms tags
cfapplet

cfgrid

cfselect

cfcalendar

cfgridcolumn

cfslider

cfform

cfgridrow

cftextarea

cfformgroup

cfgridupdate

cftree

cfformitem

cfinput

cftreeitem

Internet Protocol tags
cfftp

cfldap

cfmailpart

cfhttp

cfmail

cfpop

cfhttpparam

cfmailparam

Page processing tags
cfcache

cfheader

cfprocessingdirective

cfcontent

cfhtmlhead

cfsetting

cfflush

cfinclude

cfsilent

Security tags
cflogin

cflogout

cfloginuser

cfNTauthenticate

Variable manipulation tags

28

cfcookie

cfregistry

cfset

cfdump

cfsavecontent

cfsetting

cfparam

cfschedule

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Other tags
cflog

cfregistry

Tag changes since ColdFusion 5
The following tables list Tags, attributes, and values that have changed since ColdFusion 5.0 and
indicate the specific release in which the change was made.
New tags, attributes, and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Deprecated tags, attributes, and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Obsolete tags, attributes, and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
New tags, attributes, and values
This table lists tags, attributes, and attribute values that have been added since the ColdFusion
MX release:
Tag

Attribute or value

Added in this ColdFusion
release

cfapplication

scriptProtect

ColdFusion MX 7

loginStorage

ColdFusion MX 6.1

xml value of type attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

All

ColdFusion MX

cachedirectory, timespan

ColdFusion MX

cfargument

cfcache

attributes
cfcalendar

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfchart

style , title attributes

ColdFusion MX 7

xAxisType, yAxisType attributes

ColdFusion MX 6.1

All

ColdFusion MX

cfchartdata

All

ColdFusion MX

cfchartseries

datalabelstyle attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

column value of type attribute

cfcollection

All

ColdFusion MX

categories attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

New values of the language
attribute
list and categoryList values of
action attribute
name attribute

ColdFusion MX

Tag changes since ColdFusion 5

29

Tag

Attribute or value

Added in this ColdFusion
release

cfcomponent

style, namespace, serviceportname, ColdFusion MX 7
porttypename, wsdlfile, and
bindingname attributes

Extended functionality for the hint
and displayname attributes when
publishing document-literal style
web services
All

ColdFusion MX

cfcontent

variable attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cfdirectory

recurse attribute for list and
delete actions

ColdFusion MX 7

cfdocument

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfdocumentitem

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfdocumentsection

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfexecute

variable attribute

ColdFusion MX 6.1

cffile

result attribute for upload action

ColdFusion MX 7

fixnewline attribute for
action="append" and
action="write"
cfform

name and action attributes are

ColdFusion MX 7

optional
accessible, format, height, width ,
method, onError, preloader,
scriptsrc, skin, style, timeout,
wMode attributes
onReset event
cfformgroup

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfformitem

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfftp

result attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cffunction

description attributes

ColdFusion MX 7

All

ColdFusion MX

format attribute and support for

ColdFusion MX 7

cfgrid

Flash and XML output
enabled, onChange, style, tooltip,
visible attributes (Flash format
only)
cfgridcolumn

30

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

mask attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

currency value of type attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

Tag

Attribute or value

Added in this ColdFusion
release

cfhttp

result attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

HEAD, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS, and
TRACE values of method attribute

ColdFusion MX 6.1

multipart, getasbinary, proxyUser,
proxyPassword attributes

cfhttpparam

charset,firstrowasheaders
attributes

ColdFusion MX

header and body values of type

ColdFusion MX 6.1

attribute
encoded, mimeType attributes
cfimport

All

ColdFusion MX

cfindex

custom3, custom4, category, and
categorytree attributes for update
and refresh actions

ColdFusion MX 7

status attribute for Update,
Refresh, Delete, Purge actions

New values of the language
attribute
cfinput

height and width attributes (all

ColdFusion MX 7

except checkbox and radiobutton)
bind attribute (text and password)
label attribute (all but radiobutton,
image, reset, and submit)
mask attribute (text only)
validateAt attribute (all but

radiobutton, image, reset, and
submit)
datefield, button, file, hidden,
image, reset, and submit values of
type attribute
daynames and monthnames attributes
(type="datefield" only)

boolean, email, guid, maxlength
noblanks, range, submitOnce,
URL, USdate, and uuid values of
the validate attribute
tooltip, visible, and enabled
attributes (Flash forms only)
src attribute (image only)

Tag changes since ColdFusion 5

31

Tag
cfinvoke

Attribute or value

Added in this ColdFusion
release

servicePort attribute for web

ColdFusion MX 7

services
All

ColdFusion MX

omit attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

All

ColdFusion MX

cfldap

returnAsBinary attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cflogin

All

ColdFusion MX

cfloginuser

All

ColdFusion MX

cflogout

All

ColdFusion MX

cfmail

spoolEnable attribute

ColdFusion MX

cfinvokeargument

charset, failto, replyTo, userName, ColdFusion MX 6.1
password, wrapText attributes
contentID, dispositionattributes

ColdFusion MX 7

type attribute

ColdFusion MX 6.1

cfmailpart

All

ColdFusion MX 6.1

cfNTauthenticate

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfobject

All

ColdFusion MX

cfobjectcache

All

ColdFusion MX

cfparam

min, max, pattern attributes

ColdFusion MX 7

cfmailparam

creditcard, email, eurodate, float,
integer, range, regex,
regular_expression, ssn,
social_security_number, time, URL,
USdate, XML, zipcode attributes of
the type attribute

32

cfprocessingdirective

pageEncoding attribute

ColdFusion MX

cfproperty

All

ColdFusion MX

cfquery

result attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cfreturn

All

ColdFusion MX

cfreport

template, format, name, filename,
query, overwrite attributes

ColdFusion MX 7

cfreportparam

All

ColdFusion MX 7

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Tag

Attribute or value

Added in this ColdFusion
release

cfsearch

category, categoryTree, status,
suggestions, contextPassages,
contextBytes,
contextHighlightBegin,
contextHighlightEnd,
previousCriteria attributes

ColdFusion MX 7

natural, internet, and
internet_basic values of type

attribute
cfselect

selected attribute can take a list

ColdFusion MX 7

enabled, group, height, label,
onKeyUp, onKeyDown, onMouseUp,
onMouseDown, onChange, onClick,
queryPosition, tooltip, visible,
and width attributes
cfsetting

requestTimeOut attribute

ColdFusion MX

cfstoredproc

result attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cftextarea

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfthrow

object attribute

ColdFusion MX

cftimer

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cftree

format, onChange, style attributes

ColdFusion MX 7

cftrace

All

ColdFusion MX

cfxml

All

ColdFusion MX

Tag changes since ColdFusion 5

33

Deprecated tags, attributes, and values
The following tags, attributes, and attribute values are deprecated. Do not use them in
ColdFusion applications. They might not work, and might cause an error, in releases later than
ColdFusion MX.
Tag

Attribute or value

Deprecated as of this
ColdFusion release

cfcache

cachedirectory, timeout attributes

ColdFusion MX

cfcollection

map and repair options of the
action attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cferror

monitor option of the exception

ColdFusion MX

attribute
cffile

system value for attributes

ColdFusion MX

attribute
temporary value for attributes

ColdFusion MX

attribute
cfform

passthrough attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

enableCAB attribute

ColdFusion MX

cfftp

agentname attribute

ColdFusion MX

cfgraph

All

ColdFusion MX

cfgraphdata

All

ColdFusion MX

cfgridupdate

connectString, dbName, dbServer,
dbType, provider, providerDSN

ColdFusion MX

attributes
cfinput

passthrough attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cfinsert

connectString, dbName, dbServer,
dbType, provider, providerDSN

ColdFusion MX

attributes
cfldap

filterFile attribute

ColdFusion MX

cflog

date, thread, time attributes

ColdFusion MX

cfquery

connectString, dbName, dbServer,
provider, providerDSN, sql

ColdFusion MX

attributes

34

The following dbType attribute
values:
dynamic, ODBC, Oracle73, Oracle80,
Sybase11, OLEDB, DB2

ColdFusion MX
(The value query is valid.)

cfregistry

All, on UNIX only

ColdFusion MX

cfsearch

external, language attributes

ColdFusion MX

cfselect

passthrough attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Tag

Attribute or value

Deprecated as of this
ColdFusion release

cfservlet

All

ColdFusion MX

cfservletparam

All

ColdFusion MX

cfslider

img, imgStyle, grooveColor,
refreshLabel, tickmarkimages,
tickmarklabels, tickmarkmajor,
tickmarkminor attributes

ColdFusion MX

cfstoredproc

connectString, dbName, dbServer,
dbtype, provider, providerDSN

ColdFusion MX

attributes
cftextinput

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfupdate

connectString, dbName, dbServer,
dbtype, provider, providerDSN

ColdFusion MX

attributes

Obsolete tags, attributes, and values
The following tags, attributes, and attribute values are obsolete. Do not use them in ColdFusion
applications. They do not work, and might cause an error, in releases later than ColdFusion 5.
Tag

Attribute or value

Obsolete as of this
ColdFusion release

cfauthenticate

All

ColdFusion MX

cfchart

rotated attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cffile

attributes attribute value archive

ColdFusion MX

cfimpersonate

All

ColdFusion MX

cfindex

action attribute value optimize

ColdFusion MX

external attribute
cfinternaladminsecurity

All

ColdFusion MX
This tag did not appear in CFML
Reference.

cfldap

fileterConfig attribute

ColdFusion MX

cfnewinternaladminsecurity All

ColdFusion MX
This tag did not appear in CFML
Reference.

cfsetting

ColdFusion MX

catchExceptionsByPattern

attribute

Tag changes since ColdFusion 5

35

CHAPTER 2
ColdFusion Tags

cfabort
Description

Stops the processing of a ColdFusion page at the tag location. ColdFusion returns everything that
was processed before the tag. The tag is often used with conditional logic to stop processing a
page when a condition occurs.
Category

Flow-control tags
Syntax

See also
cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cfif, cflocation, cfloop, cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry; “cfabort
and cfexit” in Chapter 2, “Elements of CFML,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

showError

Optional

Default Description
Error to display, in a standard ColdFusion error page, when tag
executes.

Usage

When you use the cfabort and cferror tags together, the cfabort tag halts processing
immediately; the cferror tag redirects output to a specified page.
If this tag does not contain a showError attribute value, processing stops when the tag is reached
and ColdFusion returns the page contents up to the line that contains the cfabort tag.
When you use this tag with the showError attribute, but do not define an error page using
page processing stops when the cfabort tag is reached. The message in showError
displays to the client.
cferror,

When you use this tag with the showError attribute and an error page using cferror,
ColdFusion redirects output to the error page specified in the cferror tag.
Example

This example shows the use of cfabort to stop processing. In the second example, where cfabort
is used, the result never displays.
Example A: Let the instruction complete itself








36

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

The value of myVariable after incrementing through the loop #Counter# times
is:
#myVariable#

Example B: Use cfabort to halt the instructions with showmessage attribute
and cferror















 The value of myVariable after incrementing through the loop#counter# times
is: #myVariable#


cfabort

37

cfapplet
Description

This tag references a registered custom Java applet. To register a Java applet, in the ColdFusion
Administrator, click Extensions > Java Applets.
Using this tag within a cfform tag is optional. If you use it within cfform, and the method
attribute is defined in the Administrator, the return value is incorporated into the form.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

See also
cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfobject, cfselect,
cfservlet, cfslider, cftextarea, cftree
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Removed the requirement that you use this tag within a cfform tag.
• Changed the behavior when this tag is used within a cfform tag; if the method attribute is
defined in the Administrator, the return value of the applet’s method is incorporated into the
form.
Attributes
Attribute

38

Req/Opt Default

Description

appletSource Required

Name of registered applet

name

Required

Form variable name for applet

height

Optional

Height of applet, in pixel

width

Optional

Width of applet, in pixels

vSpace

Optional

Space above and below applet, in pixels

hSpace

Optional

Space on left and right of applet, in pixels

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

align

Optional

Alignment:
• Left
• Right
• Bottom
• Top
• TextTop
• Middle
• AbsMiddle
• Baseline
• AbsBottom

notSupported Optional

param_n

Optional

See
Text to display if a page that contains a Java applet-based
Description cfform control is opened by a browser that does not support
Java or has Java support disabled. For example:
notSupported = "Browser must support Java to view
ColdFusion Java Applets"
Default:
Browser must support Java to
 view ColdFusion Java
Applets!
Registered parameter for applet. Specify only to override
values for applet in ColdFusion Administrator.

Usage

You can specify the applet method attribute only in the Administrator, Java Applets view. For
other attributes, you can accept the default values in the Administrator view, or specify values in
this tag and override the defaults.
If Java applet components are stored in a JAR file, enter the filename in the ColdFusion
Administrator, Java Applets window, Archive text box. For more information, see “Embedding
Java applets” in Chapter 27, “Building Dynamic Forms with cfform Tags” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide
Example
cfapplet lets you reference custom Java applets that have been
registered using the ColdFusion Administrator.
To register a Java applet, open the ColdFusion Administrator and
click "Applets" link under "extensions" section.
This example applet copies text that you type into a form. Type
some text, and then click "copy" to see the copied text.




cfapplet

39

cfapplication
Description

Defines the scope of a ColdFusion application; enables and disables storage of Client variables;
specifies the Client variable storage mechanism; enables Session variables; and sets Application
variable timeouts.
Category

Application framework tags
Syntax

See also
cfassociate, cferror, cflock, cfmodule;

Chapter 5, “Application.CFC Reference,” on
page 945; Chapter 13, “Designing and Optimizing a ColdFusion Application” and Chapter 37,
“Integrating J2EE and Java Elements in CFML Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added scriptProtect attribute
ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added loginStorage attribute
ColdFusion MX:

• Changed how persistent scopes are available: Server, Session, and Application scope variables
are stored in memory as structures. In earlier releases, only Session and Application scope
variables were stored this way. You cannot access the UDF function scope as a structure.

• Changed the algorithm for setting the CFTOKEN variable value: if the registry key
UUIDToken is a non-zero value, ColdFusion uses a number constructed from the UUID plus
a random number. Otherwise, ColdFusion sets the CFTOKEN variable default value using a
positive random integer. (In earlier releases, ColdFusion always used a number constructed
from the UUID plus a random number.)

40

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

name

See
Description

loginStorage

Optional

cookie

• cookie: store login information in the Cookie
scope.
• session: store login information in the
Session scope.

clientManagement

Optional

no

• yes: enables client variables.
• no

clientStorage

Optional

registry

How client variables are stored:
• datasource_name: in ODBC or native data
source. You must create storage repository
in the Administrator.
• registry: in the system registry.
• cookie: on client computer in a cookie.
Scalable. If client disables cookies in the
browser, client variables do not work.

setClientCookies

Optional

yes

• yes: enables client cookies.
• no: ColdFusion does not automatically send
CFID and CFTOKEN cookies to client
browser; you must manually code CFID and
CFTOKEN on the URL for every page that
uses Session or Client variables.

sessionManagement Optional

no

• yes: enables session variables.
• no

sessionTimeout

Optional

Specified in
Variables page
of ColdFusion
Administrator

Lifespan of session variables.
CreateTimeSpan function and values in days,
hours, minutes, and seconds, separated by
commas.

applicationTimeout

Optional

Specified in
Variables page
of ColdFusion
Administrator

Lifespan of application variables.
CreateTimeSpan function and values in days,
hours, minutes, and seconds, separated by
commas.

Name of application. Up to 64 characters.
For Application and Session variables:
Required.
For Client variables: Optional

cfapplication

41

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

setDomainCookies

Optional

no

• yes: uses domain cookies for CFID and
CFTOKEN cookies and for all Client
variables when using cookies for client
variable storage. Required for applications
running on clusters.
• no: uses host-specific cookies for CFID,
CFTOKEN, and all client variable cookies.

scriptProtect

Optional

Determined by
ColdFusion MX
Administrator
Enable Global
Script
Protection
setting

Specifies whether to protect variables from
cross-site scripting attacks
• none: do not protect variables
• all: protect Form, URL, CGI, and Cookie
variables
• comma-delimited list of ColdFusion scopes:
Protect variables in the specified scopes.
For more information, see Usage.

Usage

This tag is typically used in the Application.cfm file, to set defaults for a ColdFusion application.
Note: You can also set the application defaults in the Application.cfc file. For more information, see
“Application variables” on page 945.

This tag enables application variables, unless they are disabled in the ColdFusion Administrator.
The Administrator setting also overrides the sessionManagement attribute. For more
information, see Configuring and Administering ColdFusion MX.
If ColdFusion is running on a cluster, you must specify clientStorage = "cookie" or a data
source name; you cannot specify "registry".
ColdFusion generates an error if the application name is longer than 64 characters.
The CFTOKEN variable is 8 bytes in length. Its range is 10000000 —99999999.
Note: If you specify ClientStorage=cookie, any Client scope variables set following a cfflush tag
are not saved in the Client browser.

Protecting variables from cross-site scripting attacks

The ScriptProtect attribute lets you protect one or more variable scopes from cross-site
scripting attacks, where a client attempts to get your application to send malicious code back to a
user’s browser. In these attacks, user input (for example, from form fields or from URL variables)
sets a CF variable which is destined for user output. The submitted data includes malicious code,
such as JavaScript or an applet or object reference, which then executes on the user’s system.
Note: The ColdFusion MX Administrator Settings page Enable Global Script Protection option
determines the default script protection setting. You can use the scriptProtect attribute to override
the Administrator setting. You can also use the Application.cfc initialization code to set the protection
value.

42

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

The ColdFusion MX cross-site scripting protection operation is done when ColdFusion MX
processes the application settings at the beginning of a request. Thus, it can process the URL, and
Cookie, CGI, and Form variables in a user’s request. By default, it replaces occurrences of the
following tag names with the text InvalidTag: object, embed, script, applet, and meta. It allows
these names in plain text, replaces the words if they are used as tag names.
You can specify any or all ColdFusion scopes for protection, but only the Form, URL, CGI, and
Cookie scopes have variables that are often provided by unknown sources. Also, protecting a
scope requires additional processing. For these reasons, the all attribute value applies protection
to only the four scopes.
The script protection mechanism applies a regular expression that is defined in the cf_root/lib/
neo-security.xml file in the server configuration, or the cf_root/WEB-INF/cfusion/lib/neosecurity.xml file in the J2EE configuration to the variable value. You can customize the patterns
that ColdFusion replaces by modifying the regular expression in the CrossSiteScriptPatterns
variable.
Locking server, application, and session variables

When you set or update variables in the server, application, and session scopes, use the cflock tag
with the scope attribute set to the following value:

• For server variables, specify "server"
• For application variables, specify "application"
• For session variables, specify "session"
In some cases, you should also lock code that reads variables in these scopes. For information
about locking scopes, see cflock on page 270.
Example

cfapplication Example
cfapplication defines scoping for a ColdFusion application and enables or
disables application and/or session variable storage. This tag is placed in
a special file called Application.cfm that automatically runs before any
other CF page in a directory (or subdirectory) where the Application.cfm
file appears.







cfapplication

43







E-Turtleneck is proud to say that we have sold #application.number# turtlenecks
to date.



44

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfargument
Description

Creates a parameter definition within a component definition. Defines a function argument.
Used within a cffunction tag.
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax

See also
cfcomponent, cffunction, cfinvoke, cfinvokeargument, cfobject, cfproperty,
cfreturn
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

name

Required

String; an argument name.

type

Optional

any

String; a type name; data type of the argument.
• any
• array
• binary
• boolean
• date
• guid: the argument must be a UUID or GUID of the form
xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx where each x is a
character representing a hexadecimal number (0-9A-F).
• numeric
• query
• string
• struct
• uuid: the argument must be a ColdFusion UUID of the form
xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx where each x is a
character representing a hexadecimal number (0-9A-F).
• variableName: a string formatted according to ColdFusion
variable naming conventions.
• xml: XML objects and XML strings
• a component name: if the type attribute value is not one of
the preceding items, ColdFusion treats it as the name of a
ColdFusion component. When the function executes, it
generates an error if the argument that is passed in is not a
CFC with the specified name.

cfargument

45

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

required

Optional

Note: All arguments are required when invoked as a web
service, irrespective of how they are defined.

no

Specifies whether the parameter is required to execute the
component method. The parameter is not required if you
specify a default attribute.
• true or "yes"
• false or "no"
default

Optional

displayname Optional

If no argument is passed, specifies a default argument value.
name

attribute
value
hint

Optional

Meaningful only for CFC method parameters. A value to be
displayed when using introspection to show information about
the CFC.
Meaningful only for CFC method parameters. Text to be
displayed when using introspection to show information about
the CFC. The hint attribute value follows the displayname
attribute value in the parameter description line. This attribute
can be useful for describing the purpose of the parameter.

Usage

This tag must be in a cffunction tag, before any other tags in the cffunction tag body.
Arguments that are passed when a method is invoked can be accessed from the method body in
the following ways:

• With shorthand syntax: #myargument#
(This example accesses the argument myargument.)

• Using the arguments scope as an array: #arguments[1]#
(This example accesses the first defined argument in the cffunction.)

• Using the arguments scope as a struct: #arguments.myargument#
(This example accesses the argument myargument in the array.)
Example






SELECT Descript
FROM Courses
WHERE Number = '#Course_Number#'





46

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfassociate
Description

Allows subtag data to be saved with a base tag. Applies only to custom tags.
Category

Application framework tags
Syntax

See also
cfapplication, cferror, cflock, cfmodule; “High-level data exchange” in Chapter 11,
“Creating and Using Custom CFML Tags,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

baseTag

Required

dataCollection

Optional

Default

Description
Base tag name.

AssocAttribs

Structure in which base tag stores subtag data.

Usage

Call this tag within a subtag, to save subtag data in the base tag.
When ColdFusion passes subtag attributes back to the base tag, it saves them in a structure whose
default name is AssocAttribs. To segregate subtag attributes (in a base tag that can have
multiple subtags), specify a structure name, in the dataCollection attribute. The structure is
appended to an array whose name is thistag.collectionName.
Within the custom tag code, the attributes passed to the tag by using the attributeCollection
attribute are saved as independent values, with no indication that they are grouped into a
structure by the custom tag’s caller. Therefore, in the called tag, if you assign a value to a specific
attribute, it replaces the value passed in the attributeCollection attribute that you used when
calling the subtag.
Example







...

cfassociate

47

cfauthenticate
Description

This tag is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 453 and
Chapter 16, “Securing Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
History

ColdFusion MX: this tag is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later releases.

48

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfbreak
Description

Used within a cfloop or cfswitch tag. Breaks out of a loop or switch block.
Category

Flow-control tags
Syntax

See also
cfabort, cfexecute, cfif, cflocation, cfloop, cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry; “cfloop and
cfbreak” in Chapter 2, “Elements of CFML,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Example









SELECT *
FROM Courses
ORDER by course_number

 This example uses CFLOOP to cycle through a query to find a value.
(In our example, a list of values corresponding to courses in the Snippets
datasource). When the conditions of the query are met, CFBREAK stops the loop.
 Please enter a Course Number, and hit the "submit" button:










Your Desired Course was found:
#course_number# #descript#



cfbreak

49



 Searching...




50

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfcache
Description

Stores a copy of a page on the server and/or client computer, to improve page rendering
performance. To do this, the tag creates temporary files that contain the static HTML returned
from a ColdFusion page.
Use this tag if it is not necessary to get dynamic content each time a user accesses a page.
You can use this tag for simple URLs and for URLs that contain URL parameters.
Category

Page processing tags
Syntax

See also
cfflush, cfheader, cfhtmlhead, cfsetting, cfsilent
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Deprecated the cachedirectory and timeout attributes. They might not work, and might
cause an error, in later releases.

• Added the timespan attribute.
• Changed how pages are cached: the default action attribute value, cache, caches a page on
the server and the client. (In earlier releases, this option cached a page only on the server.)

• Changed the source of the protocol and port values: the default protocol and port values
are now taken from the current page URL. (In earlier releases, they were "http" and "80",
respectively.)

• Changed how session state is handled when caching a page: this tag can cache pages that
depend on session state, including pages that are secured with a ColdFusion login. (In earlier
releases, the session state was cleared when caching the page, causing authentication to be lost.)

• Changed how files are cached: this tag uses a hash() of the URL for the filename to cache a file.
(In earlier releases, ColdFusion used the cfcache.map file.)

cfcache

51

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

Optional

cache

• cache: server-side and client-side caching.
• flush: refresh cached page(s).
• clientcache: browser-side caching only. To cache a
personalized page, use this option.
• servercache: server-side caching only. Not
recommended.
• optimal: same as "cache".

directory

Optional

cf_root/cache Absolute path of cache directory.

timespan

Optional

The interval until the page is flushed from the cache.
Page is
flushed only
• A decimal number of days. For example:
when cfcache
- ".25", for one-fourth day (6 hours)
action =
- "1", for one day
"flush" is
- "1.5", for one and one half days
executed
• A return value from the CreateTimeSpan function; for
example, "#CreateTimeSpan(0, 6, 0, 0)#".
■

■

■

expireURL

Optional

Flush all
Used with action = "flush". A URL reference.
cached pages ColdFusion matches it against the mappings in the
specified cache directory. Can include wildcards. For
example: "*/view.cfm?id=*".

username

Optional

A username. Provide this if the page requires
authentication at the web server level.

password

Optional

A password. Provide this if the page requires
authentication at the web server level.

port

Optional

The current
page port

protocol

Optional

The current
Protocol that is used to create URL from cache.
page protocol • http://
• https://

Port number of the web server from which the URL is
requested. In the internal call from cfcache to cfhttp,
ColdFusion resolves each URL variable in the page;
this ensures that links in the page remain functional.

Usage

Use this tag in pages whose content is not updated frequently. Taking this action can greatly
improve the performance of your application.
The output of a cached page is stored in a file on the client browser and/or the ColdFusion server.
Instead of regenerating and downloading the output of the page each time it is requested,
ColdFusion uses the cached output. ColdFusion regenerates and downloads the page only when
the cache is flushed, as specified by the timespan attribute, or by invoking cfcache
action=flush.
To enable a simple form of caching, put a cfcache tag, specifying the timespan attribute, at the
top of a page. Each time the specified time span passes, ColdFusion flushes (deletes) the copy of
the page from the cache and caches a new copy for users to access.

52

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

You can specify client-side caching or a combination of client-side and server-side caching (the
default), using the action attribute. The advantage of client-side caching is that it requires no
ColdFusion resources; the browser stores pages in its own cache, improving performance. The
advantage of combination caching is that it optimizes server performance; if the browser does not
have a cache of the page, the server can get data from its own cache. (Macromedia recommends
that you do not use server-side only caching. Macromedia recommends that you use combination
caching.)
If a page contains personalized content, use the action = "clientcache" option to avoid the
possibility of caching a personalized copy of a page for other users.
Debug settings have no effect on cfcache unless the application page enables debugging. When
generating a cached file, cfcache uses cfsetting showDebugOutput = "no".
The cfcache tag evaluates each unique URL, including URL parameters, as a distinct page, for
caching purposes. For example, the output of http://server/view.cfm?id=1 and the output of
http://server/view.cfm?id=2 are cached separately.
The cfcache tag uses the cfhttp tag to get the contents of a page to cache. If there is an HTTP
error accessing the page, the contents are not cached. If a ColdFusion error occurs, the error is
cached.
For more information, see “Caching ColdFusion pages that change infrequently” in Chapter 13,
“Optimizing ColdFusion applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example



This is a test of some simple output

This page was generated at #now()#



The value of URL.x = # URL.x #

cfcache

53

cfcalendar
Description

Puts an interactive Macromedia Flash format calendar in an HTML or Flash form. Not
supported in XML format forms. The calendar lets a user select a date for submission as a form
variable.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

See also
cfform, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider, cftextarea, cftree;

“About Flash form
styles” in Chapter 29, “Creating Forms in Macromedia Flash” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide.
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added tag.
Attributes

54

Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Required

height

Optional

Determined by
Flash

The vertical dimension of the calendar specified in
pixels.

width

Optional

Determined by
Flash

The horizontal dimension of the calendar specified
in pixels.

selectedDate

Optional

None (Flash
shows the
current month)

The date that is initially selected. It is highlighted in a
color determined by the form skin. Must be in mm/
dd/yyyy or dd/mm/yyyy format, depending on the
current locale. (Use the setlocale tag to set the
locale, if necessary.)

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default

Description
The name of the calendar.

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

startRange

Optional

The start of a range of dates that are disabled. Users
cannot select dates from this date through the date
specified by the endRange attribute.

endRange

Optional

The end of a range of dates that are disabled. Users
cannot select dates from the date specified by the
startRange attribute through this date.

disabled

Optional

not disabled

mask

Optional

MM/DD/YYYY A pattern that specifies the format of the submitted
date. Mask characters are:
• D = day; can use 0–2 mask characters
• M = month; can use 0–4 mask characters
• Y = year; can use 0, 2, or 4 characters
• E = day in week; can use 0–4 characters
• Any other character = put the character in the
specified location
For more information on masking, see “Masking
input data” in the cfinput reference page.

Disables all user input, making the control read-only.
To disable input, specify disabled without an
attribute or disabled="Yes" (or any ColdFusion
positive boolean value, such as True). To enable
input, omit the attribute or specify disabled="No" (or
any ColdFusion negative boolean value, such as
False).

firstDayOfWeek Optional

0

Integer in the range 0-6 specifying the first day of
the week in the calendar: 0 indicates Sunday; 6
indicates Saturday.

dayNames

Optional

S, M, T, W, Th,
F, S

A comma-delimited list that sets the names of the
weekdays displayed in the calendar. Sunday is the
first day and the rest of the weekday names follow in
the normal order.

monthNames

Optional

A comma-delimited list of the month names that are
January,
displayed at the top of the calendar.
February,
March, April,
May, June, July,
August,
September,
October,
November,
December

style

Optional

enabled

Optional

Flash ActionScript style or styles to apply to the
calendar. For more information, see Chapter 29,
“Setting styles and skins in Flash forms” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Yes

Flash only: Boolean value specifying whether the
control is enabled. A disabled control appears in
light gray. This is the inverse of the disabled
attribute.

cfcalendar

55

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

visible

Optional

Yes

Flash only: Boolean value specifying whether to
show the control. Space that would be occupied by
an invisible control is blank.

tooltip

Optional

Flash only: Text to display when the mouse pointer
hovers over the control.

onChange

Optional

ActionScript that runs when the user selects a date.

Usage

The cfcalendar tag displays a calendar month, showing the month, the year, a grid of the days
of the month, and headings for the days of the week. The calendar contains forward and back
arrow buttons to let you change the month and year that are displayed.
If you include a value for the selectedDate attribute, that date is highlighted in green and
determines the month and year that display initially. Changing the month and year display does
not change the selected date. A user can change the selected date by clicking a different date on
the calendar. The onChange attribute can specify an ActionScript event handler function that
runs when the user selects a date.
The current date is highlighted in reverse (that is, a white number on a black background). If the
selected date is in a different month or year, however, the current date does not appear unless you
move to it by clicking the forward or back arrows.
The mask attribute lets you specify the format of the selected date that is returned to the
application.
You can use the keyboard to access and select dates from a cfcalendar control:

• Use the Up, Down, Left, and Right Arrow keys to change the selected date.
• Use the Home and End keys to reach the first and last enabled date in a month, respectively.
• Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to reach the previous and next month, respectively.
Note: The cfcalendar tag is not supported in XML format forms.
Example

This example produces a 200-pixel by 150-pixel calendar with a Flash haloBlue skin. It displays
abbreviated month names and two-character days of the week. It initially displays today’s date as
determined by the selectedDate attribute. When you click the Save button, the form submits
back to the current page, which displays the submitted information.
The example also has three dateField controls that let the user change the initial selected date
that displays on the calendar and a blocked-out date range. The initial blocked-out date is a fourday period immediately preceding today’s date.
Note: This example must be modified to work in locales that do not use mm/dd/yyyy date formats. To
do so, use the LSDateFormat function in place of the DateFormat function and a mask that is
appropriate for your locale, such as dd/mm/yyyy.



56

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags





You selected #Form.selectedDate#



Please select a date on the calendar and click Save.











cfcalendar

57

cfcase
Description

Used only inside the cfswitch tag body. Contains code to execute when the expression specified
in the cfswitch tag has one or more specific values.
Category

Flow-control tags
Syntax

See also
cfdefaultcase, cfswitch; “cfswitch, cfcase, and cfdefaultcase” in Chapter 2, “Elements of
CFML,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

value

Required

Default

Description
The value or values that the expression attribute of the
cfswitch tag must match. To specify multiple matching
values, separate the values with the delimiter
character. The value or values must be simple
constants or constant expressions, not variables.

delimiter

Optional

, (comma)

Specifies the delimiter character or characters that
separate multiple values to match. If you specify
multiple delimiter characters, you can use any of them
to separate the values to be matched.

Usage

The contents of the cfcase tag body executes only if the expression attribute of the cfswitch
tag evaluates to a value specified by the value attribute. The contents of the cfcase tag body can
include HTML and text, and CFML tags, functions, variables, and expressions. You do not have
to explicitly break out of the cfcase tag, as you do in some languages.
One cfcase tag can match multiple expression values. To do this, separate the matching values
with the delimiter character, which is the comma by default. For example the following line
matches "red", "blue", or "green":


You can use the delimiter attribute to specify one or more delimiters to use in place of the
comma. For example, the following line matches "cargo, live", "cargo, liquid", and "cargo, solid":

Example

The following example displays a grade based on a 1-10 score. Several of the cfcase tags match
more than one score. For simplicity, the example sets the score to 7.

58

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags




















Your grade is #grade#


cfcase

59

cfcatch
Description

Used inside a cftry tag. Together, they catch and process exceptions in ColdFusion pages.
Exceptions are events that disrupt the normal flow of instructions in a ColdFusion page, such as
failed database operations, missing include files, and developer-specified events.
Category

Exception handling tags
Syntax

Exception processing code here

See also
cftry, cferror, cfrethrow, cfthrow, onError; Chapter 14, “Handling Errors,” in ColdFusion
MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed SQLSTATE value behavior: the SQLSTATE return value in a cfcatch tag depends
on the database driver type:
■

Type 1 (JDBC-ODBC bridge): the value is the same as in ColdFusion 5

■

Type 4 (100% Java, no native methods): the value might be different

If your application depends on SQLSTATE values for flow control, the application might
produce unexpected behavior with ColdFusion MX.

• Changed the behavior of this tag when type="any": it is not necessary, when you include a
tag with type="any", to do so in the last cfcatch tag in the block, to ensure that all
other tests are executed before it. ColdFusion finds the best-match cfcatch block.

cfcatch

• Changed the behavior of the cfscript tag: it includes try and catch statements that are
equivalent to the cftry and cfcatch tags.

• Changed object modification: you cannot modify the object returned by cfcatch.
• Changed thrown exceptions: the cfcollection, cfindex, and cfsearch tags can throw the
SEARCHENGINE exception. In earlier releases, an error in processing these tags threw only
an UNKNOWN exception.

60

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attributes
Attribute Req/Opt

Default

Description

type

Any

application: catches application exceptions
database: catches database exceptions
template: catches ColdFusion page exceptions
security: catches security exceptions
object: catches object exceptions
missingInclude: catches missing include file exceptions
expression: catches expression exceptions
lock: catches lock exceptions
custom_type: catches the specified custom exception type
that is defined in a cfthrow tag
• searchengine: catches Verity search engine exceptions
• any: catches all exception types

Optional

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Usage

You must code at least one cfcatch tag within a cftry block. Put cfcatch tags at the end of a
cftry block. ColdFusion MX tests cfcatch tags in the order in which they appear. This tag
requires an end tag.
If type="any", ColdFusion MX catches exceptions from any CFML tag, data source, or external
object. To get the exception type use code such as the following:
#cfcatch.type#

Applications can use the cfthrow tag to throw developer-defined exceptions. Catch these
exceptions with any of these type options:

•
•
•

"custom_type"
"Application"
"Any"

The custom_type type is a developer-defined type specified in a cfthrow tag. If you define a
custom type as a series of strings concatenated by periods (for example,
"MyApp.BusinessRuleException.InvalidAccount"), ColdFusion MX can catch the custom
type by its character pattern. ColdFusion MX searches for a cfcatch tag in the cftry block with
a matching exception type, starting with the most specific (the entire string), and ending with the
least specific.
For example, you could define a type as follows:


If you have the following cfcatch tag, it will handle the exception:


Otherwise, if you have the following cfcatch tag, it will handle the exception:


Finally, if you have the following cfcatch tag, it will handle the exception:


cfcatch

61

You can code cfcatch tags in any order to catch a custom exception type.
If you specify type = "Application", the cfcatch tag catches only custom exceptions that have
the Application type in the cfthrow tag that defines them.
The cfinclude, cfmodule, and cferror tags throw an exception of type = "template".
An exception that is thrown within a cfcatch block cannot be handled by the cftry block that
immediately encloses the cfcatch tag. However, you can rethrow the currently active exception
with the cfrethrow tag.
The cfcatch variables provide the following exception information:

62

cfcatch variable

Content

cfcatch.type

Type: Exception type, as specified in cfcatch.

cfcatch.message

Message: Exception's diagnostic message, if provided; otherwise,
an empty string; in the cfcatch.message variable.

cfcatch.detail

Detailed message from the CFML interpreter or specified in a
cfthrow tag. When the exception is generated by ColdFusion (and
not cfthrow), the message can contain HTML formatting and can
help determine which tag threw the exception.

cfcatch.tagcontext

An array of tag context structures, each representing one level of the
active tag context at the time of the exception.

cfcatch.NativeErrorCode

Applies to type = "database". Native error code associated with
exception. Database drivers typically provide error codes to
diagnose failing database operations. Default: -1.

cfcatch.SQLState

Applies to type = "database". SQLState associated with exception.
Database drivers typically provide error codes to help diagnose
failing database operations. Default: -1.

cfcatch.Sql

Applies to type = "database". The SQL statement sent to the data
source.

cfcatch.queryError

Applies to type ="database". The error message as reported by the
database driver.

cfcatch.where

Applies to type = "database". If the query uses the cfqueryparam
tag, query parameter name-value pairs.

cfcatch.ErrNumber

Applies to type = "expression". Internal expression error number.

cfcatch.MissingFileName

Applies to type = "missingInclude". Name of file that could not be
included.

cfcatch.LockName

Applies to type = "lock". Name of affected lock (if the lock is
unnamed, the value is "anonymous").

cfcatch.LockOperation

Applies to type = "lock". Operation that failed (Timeout, Create
Mutex, or Unknown).

cfcatch.ErrorCode

Applies to type = "custom". String error code.

cfcatch.ExtendedInfo

Applies to type = "application" and "custom". Custom error
message; information that the default exception handler does not
display.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Advanced Exception types

You can specify the following advanced exception types in the type attribute:
ColdFusion advanced exception type
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.CFEXECUTE.OutputError
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.CFEXECUTE.Timeout
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.FileException
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPAccepted
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPAuthFailure
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPBadGateway
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPBadRequest
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPCFHTTPRequestEntityTooLarge
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPCGIValueNotPassed
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPConflict
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPContentLengthRequired
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPContinue
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPCookieValueNotPassed
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPCreated
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPFailure
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPFileInvalidPath
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPFileNotFound
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPFileNotPassed
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPFileNotRenderable
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPForbidden
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPGatewayTimeout
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPGone
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPMethodNotAllowed
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPMovedPermanently
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPMovedTemporarily
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPMultipleChoices
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPNoContent
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPNonAuthoritativeInfo
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPNotAcceptable
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPNotFound
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPNotImplemented

cfcatch

63

ColdFusion advanced exception type
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPNotModified
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPPartialContent
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPPaymentRequired
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPPreconditionFailed
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPProxyAuthenticationRequired
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPRequestURITooLarge
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPResetContent
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPSeeOther
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPServerError
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPServiceUnavailable
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPSwitchingProtocols
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPUnsupportedMediaType
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPUrlValueNotPassed
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPUseProxy
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPVersionNotSupported
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.POPAuthFailure
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.POPConnectionFailure
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.POPDeleteError
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.Request.Timeout
COM.Allaire.ColdFusion.SERVLETJRunError
COMCOM.Allaire.ColdFusion.HTTPConnectionTimeout
Example

cftry Example




SELECT *
FROM EMPLOYEEAS





You've Thrown a Database Error


#cfcatch.message#

64

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Caught an exception, type = #CFCATCH.TYPE# 
The contents of the tag stack are:





cfcatch

65

cfchart
Description

Generates and displays a chart.
Category

Data output tags, Extensibility tags; “Controlling chart appearance” in Chapter 31, “Creating
Charts and Graphs,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Syntax
Syntax 1



Syntax 2


pieSliceStyle = "solid, sliced"
scaleFrom = "integer minimum value"
scaleTo = "integer maximum value"
seriesPlacement = "default, cluster, stacked, percent"
show3D = "yes" or "no"
showBorder = "yes" or "no"
showLegend = "yes" or "no"
showMarkers = "yes" or "no"
showXGridlines = "yes" or "no"
showYGridlines = "yes" or "no"
sortXAxis = "yes" or "no"
tipBGColor = "hex value or web color"
tipStyle = "MouseDown, MouseOver, none"
title = "title of chart"
url = "onClick destination page"
xAxisTitle = "title text"
xAxisType = "scale or category"
xOffset = "number between -1 and 1"
yAxisTitle = "title text"
yAxisType = "scale or category"
yOffset = "number between -1 and 1"


66

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

See also
cfchartdata, cfchartseries
History

ColdFusion MX 7:

•
•
•
•

Added style and title attributes.
Added support for eight-digit hexadecimal values to specify RGB color and transparency.
Removed the rotated attribute.
Renamed the column chart type to be horizontalbar chart type.

ColdFusion MX 6.1:

• Added the xAxisType and yAxisType attributes.
• Changed interpolation behavior: the tag now interpolates data points on line charts with
multiple series.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

backgroundColor

Optional

chartHeight

Optional

240

Chart height; integer number of pixels.

chartWidth

Optional

320

Chart width; integer number of pixels.

dataBackgroundColor

Optional

white

Color of area around chart data.
Hexadecimal value or supported named
color; see the name list in Usage.
For a hexadecimal value, use the form
"##xxxxxx" or "##xxxxxxxx", where x = 0-9 or
A-F; use two number signs or none.

font

Optional

arial

Name of text font:
• arial
• times
• courier
• arialunicodeMS. This option is required, if
you are using a double-byte character set
on UNIX, or using a double-byte character
set in Windows with a file type of Flash.

Color of the area between the data
background and the chart border, around
labels and around the legend.
Hexadecimal value or supported named
color; see the name list in Usage. For a
hexadecimal value, use the form "##xxxxxx"
or "##xxxxxxxx", where x = 0-9 or A-F; use
two number signs or none.

cfchart

67

68

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

fontBold

Optional

no

Whether to make the text bold:
• yes
• no

fontItalic

Optional

no

Whether to make the text italicized:
• yes
• no

fontSize

Optional

11

Font size; integer.

foregroundColor

Optional

black

Color of text, grid lines, and labels.
Hexadecimal value or supported named
color; see name list in Usage.
For a hexadecimal value, use the form
"##xxxxxx" or "##xxxxxxxx", where x = 0-9 or
A-F; use two number signs or none.

format

Optional

flash

File format in which to save the graph:
• flash
• jpg
• png

gridlines

Optional

10, including
Number of grid lines to display on the value
top and bottom axis, including axis; positive integer.

labelFormat

Optional

number

Format for y-axis labels:
• number
• currency
• percent
• date

markerSize

Optional

(Automatic)

Size of data point marker in pixels; integer.

name

Optional

pieSliceStyle

Optional

sliced

Applies to the cfchartseries type attribute
value pie.
• solid: displays pie as if unsliced.
• sliced: displays pie as if sliced.

rotated

Optional

no

Whether to rotate the chart 90 degrees:
• yes
• no

scaleFrom

Optional

Determined by Y-axis minimum value; integer.
data

scaleTo

Optional

Determined by Y-axis maximum value; integer.
data

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Page variable name; string. Generates the
the graph as binary data and assigns it to the
specified variable. Suppresses chart display.
You can use the name value in the cffile tag
to write the chart to a file.

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

seriesPlacement

Optional

default

Relative positions of series in charts that
have more than one data series.
• default: ColdFusion determines relative
positions, based on graph types
• cluster
• stacked
• percent

show3D

Optional

yes

Whether to display the chart with threedimensional appearance:
• yes
• no

showBorder

Optional

no

Whether to display a border around the
chart:
• yes
• no

showLegend

Optional

yes

Whether to display the legend if the chart
contains more than one data series:
• yes
• no

showMarkers

Optional

yes

Whether to display markers at data points in
line, curve, and scatter graphs:
• yes
• no

showXGridlines

Optional

no

Whether to display x-axis gridlines:
• yes
• no

showYGridlines

Optional

yes

Whether to display y-axis gridlines:
• yes
• no

sortXAxis

Optional

no

Whether to display column labels in
alphabetic order along the x-axis:
• yes:
• no
Ignored if the xAxisType attribute is scale.

style

Optional

XML file or string to use to specify the style
of the chart.

title

Optional

Title of the chart.

tipbgcolor

Optional

white

Background color of tips. Applies only to
Flash format graph files.
Hexadecimal value or supported named
color; see the name list in the Usage section.
For a hexadecimal value, use the form
"##xxxxxx", where x = 0-9 or A-F; use two
number signs or none.

cfchart

69

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

tipStyle

Optional

mouseOver

Determines the action that opens a pop-up
window to display information about the
current chart element.
• mouseDown: display if the user positions
the cursor at the element and clicks the
mouse. Applies only to Flash format graph
files. (For other formats, this option
functions the same as mouseOver.)
• mouseOver: displays if the user positions
the cursor at the element
• none: suppresses display

url

Optional

URL to open if the user clicks item in a data
series; the onClick destination page.
You can specify variables within the URL
string; ColdFusion passes current values of
the variables.
• $VALUE$: the value of the selected row. If
none, the value is an empty string.
• $ITEMLABEL$: the label of the selected item.
If none, the value is an empty string.
• $SERIESLABEL$: the label of the selected
series. If none, the value is an empty string.
For example:
“somepage.cfm?item=$ITEMLABEL$&series=$
SERIESLABEL$&value=$VALUE$

• "javascript:...": executes a client-side script

70

xAxisTitle

Optional

xAxisType

Optional

category

Whether the x-axis indicates data or is
numeric:
• category: The axis indicates the data
category. Data is sorted according to the
sortXAxis attribute.
• scale: The axis is numeric. All cfchartdata
item attribute values must be numeric. The
x-axis is automatically sorted numerically.

xOffset

Optional

0.1

Number of units by which to display the chart
as angled, horizontally. Applies if
show3D="yes". The number can be between
-1 and 1, where "-1" specifies 90 degrees left
and "1" specifies 90 degrees right.

yAxisTitle

Optional

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Title that appears on the x-axis; text.

Title of the y-axis; text.

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

yAxisType

Optional

category

Currently has no effect, as the y-axis is
always used for data values.

yOffset

Optional

0.1

Number of units by which to display the chart
as angled, vertically. Applies if show3D="yes".
The number can be between -1 and 1, where
"-1" specifies 90 degrees left and "1"
specifies 90 degrees right.

Usage

The cfchart tag defines a container in which a graph displays: its height, width, background
color, labels, and so on. The cfchartseries tag defines the chart style in which data displays:
bar, line, pie, and so on. The cfchartdata tag defines a data point.
Data is passed to the cfchartseries tag in the following ways:

• As a query
• As data points, using the cfchartdata tag
For the font attribute value ArialUnicodeMS, the following rules apply:

• In Windows, to permit Flash charts (type

= "flash")

to render a double-byte character set,

you must select this value.

• On UNIX, for all type values, to render a double-byte character set, you must select this value.
• If this value is selected, the fontBold and fontItalic attributes have no effect.
The following table lists W3C HTML 4 named color value or hexadecimal values that the color
attribute accepts:
Color name

RGB value

Aqua

##00FFFF

Black

#000000

Blue

##0000FF

Fuchsia

##FF00FF

Gray

##808080

Green

##008000

Lime

##00FF00

Maroon

##800000

Navy

##000080

Olive

##808000

Purple

##800080

Red

##FF0000

Silver

##C0C0C0

cfchart

71

Color name

RGB value

Teal

##008080

White

##FFFFFF

Yellow

##FFFF00

For all other color values, you must enter the hexadecimal value. You can enter a six-digit value,
which specifies the RGB value, or an eight-digit value, which specifies the RGB value and the
transparency. The first two digits of an eight-digit hexadecimal value specify the degree of
transparency, with FF indicating opaque and 00 indicating transparent. Values between 00 and
FF are allowed.
For more color names that are supported by popular browsers, go to www.w3.org/TR/css3-color
You can specify whether charts are cached in memory, the number of charts to cache, and the
number of chart requests that ColdFusion can process concurrently. To set these options in the
ColdFusion Administrator, select Server Settings > Charting.
Example



SELECT Departmt.Dept_Name,
Employee.Dept_ID,
Employee.Salary
FROM Departmt, Employee
WHERE Departmt.Dept_ID = Employee.Dept_ID






SELECT
Dept_Name,
AVG(Salary) AS avgSal,
SUM(Salary) AS sumSal
FROM GetSalaries
GROUP BY Dept_Name







72

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Employee Salary Analysis







cfchart

73

cfchartdata
Description

Used with the cfchart and cfchartseries tags. This tag defines chart data points. Its data is
submitted to the cfchartseries tag.
Category

Data output tags, Extensibility tags
Syntax

See also
cfchart, cfchartseries; Chapter 31, “Creating Charts and Graphs,” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide

ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

item

Required

Data point name; string.

value

Required

Data point value; number or expression.

Example



SELECT Departmt.Dept_Name,
Employee.Dept_ID,
Employee.Salary
FROM Departmt, Employee
WHERE Departmt.Dept_ID = Employee.Dept_ID






SELECT
Dept_Name,
AVG(Salary) AS avgSal,
SUM(Salary) AS sumSal
FROM GetSalaries
GROUP BY Dept_Name

74

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags







Employee Salary Analysis









cfchartdata

75

cfchartseries
Description

Used with the cfchart tag. This tag defines the chart style in which the data displays: bar, line,
pie, and so on.
Category

Data output tags, Extensibility tags
Syntax

itemColumn="queryColumn"
markerStyle="style"
paintStyle="plain, raise, shade, light"
query="queryName"
seriesColor="Hex value or Web color"
seriesLabel="Label Text"
type="type"
valueColumn="queryColumn"
dataLabelStyle="style"

See also
cfchart, cfchartdata;

Chapter 31, “Creating Charts and Graphs,” in ColdFusion MX

Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the dataLabelStyle attribute and the horizontalbar chart type.
ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed interpolation behavior: the tag now interpolates data points on
line charts with multiple series.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.

76

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

colorlist

Optional

Sets colors for each data point. Applies if the
cfchartseries type attribute is pie, pyramid, area,
horizontalbar, cone, cylinder, or step.
Comma-delimited list of hexadecimal values or
supported, named web colors; see the name list and
information about six- and eight-digit hexadecimal
values in the cfchart Usage section.
For a hexadecimal value, use the form "##xxxxxx" or
"##xxxxxxxx", where x = 0-9 or A-F; use two number
signs or none.

itemColumn

Required if

Name of a column in the query specified in the query
attribute; contains the item label for a data point to
graph.

query

attribute is
specified

Description

markerStyle

Optional

rectangle

Sets the icon that marks a data point for twodimensional line, curve, and scatter graphs:
• rectangle
• triangle
• diamond
• circle
• letter
• mcross
• snow
• rcross

paintStyle

Optional

plain

Sets the paint display style of the data series:
• plain: solid color.
• raise: the appearance of a button.
• shade: gradient fill, darker at the edges.
• light: a lighter shade of color; gradient fill.

query

Optional

Name of the ColdFusion query from which to get data
to graph.

seriesColor

Optional

Color of the main element (such as the bars) of a chart.
For a pie chart, the color of the first slice.
Hexadecimal value or supported named color; see the
name list and information about six- and eight-digit
hexadecimal values in the Usage section for the
cfchart tag.
For a hexadecimal value, use the form "##xxxxxx" or
"##xxxxxxxx", where x = 0-9 or A-F; use two number
signs or none.

seriesLabel

Optional

Text of the data series label

cfchartseries

77

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

type

Required

Sets the chart display style:
• bar
• line
• pyramid
• area
• horizontalbar
• cone
• curve
• cylinder
• step
• scatter
• pie

valueColumn

Required if

Name of a column in the query specified in the query
attribute; contains data values to graph.

query

Description

attribute is
specified
dataLabelStyle Optional

None

Specifies the way in which the color is applied to the
item in the series:
• none: nothing is printed.
• value: the value of the datapoint.
• rowLabel: the row's label.
• columnLabel: the column's label.
• pattern: combination of column label, value, and
aggregate information, such as columnLabel value for
the percentage of total graph; for example, Sales
55,000 20% of 277,000.

Usage

For a pie chart, ColdFusion sets pie slice colors as follows:

• If the seriesColor attribute is omitted, ColdFusion automatically determines the colors of
the slices.

• If the seriesColor attribute is specified, ColdFusion automatically determines the colors of
the slices after the first one, starting with the specified color for the first slice.
Example



SELECT Departmt.Dept_Name,
Employee.Dept_ID,
Employee.Salary
FROM Departmt, Employee
WHERE Departmt.Dept_ID = Employee.Dept_ID


78

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags






SELECT
Dept_Name,
AVG(Salary) AS avgSal,
SUM(Salary) AS sumSal
FROM GetSalaries
GROUP BY Dept_Name






Employee Salary Analysis





cfchartseries

79

cfcol
Description

Defines table column header, width, alignment, and text. Used within a cftable tag.
Category

Data output tags
Syntax

See also
cfcontent, cfoutput, cftable;

“Performing file operations with cfftp” in Chapter 40,
“Interacting with Remote Servers,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX: Added the ability to construct dynamic cfcol statements.
Attribute

Req/Opt

header

Required

Default

Description
Column header text. To use this attribute, you must also use the
cftable colHeaders attribute.

width

Optional

20

Column width. If the length of data displayed exceeds this value,
data is truncated to fit. To avoid this, use an HTML table tag.
If the surrounding cftable tag includes the htmltable attribute,
width specifies the percent of the table width and it does not
truncate text; otherwise, width specifies the number of
characters.

align

Optional

left

Column alignment:
• left
• right
• center

text

Required

Double-quotation mark-delimited text; determines what to
display. Rules: same as for cfoutput sections. You can embed
hyperlinks, image references, and input controls.

Usage

At least one cfcol tag is required within the cftable tag. You must put cfcol and cftable tags
adjacent in a page. The only tag that you can nest within the cftable tag is the cfcol tag. You
cannot nest cftable tags.
To display the cfcol header text, you must specify the cfcol header and the cftable
colHeader attribute. If you specify either attribute without the other, the header does not display.

No error is thrown.

80

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Example



SELECT Emp_ID, FirstName, LastName, EMail, Phone, Department
FROM Employees



cfcol Example








cfcol

81

cfcollection
Description

Creates and administers Verity search engine collections.
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax

See also
cfexecute, cfindex, cfobject, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx
History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Removed reference to external collections.
• Deprecated the map and repair options of the action attribute. They might not work, and
might cause an error, in later releases.

• Added categories attribute and categorylist action.
• Added CATEGORIES, SIZE, DOCCOUNT, and LASTMODIFIED to list of variables
returned by the list action.

• Marked as obsolete the MAPPED, ONLINE, and REGISTERED variables returned by the
list

action.

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed the requirements for the action attribute: it is now required.
• Added the action attribute list value. It is the default.
• Changed the requirements for the action attribute value map: it is not necessary to specify the
action attribute value map. (ColdFusion detects collections and creates maps collections as
required.)

• Changed acceptable collection naming: this tag accepts collection names that include spaces.
• Changed Verity operations behavior: ColdFusion supports Verity operations on Acrobat PDF
files.

• Changed thrown exceptions: this tag can throw the SEARCHENGINE exception.

82

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attributes
Attribute Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

list

• categorylist: retrieves categories from the collection and
indicates how many documents are in each one. Returns
a structure of structures in which the category
representing each substructure is associated with a
number of documents. For a category in a category tree,
the number of documents is the number at or below that
level in the tree.
• create: registers the collection with ColdFusion.
If the collection is present: creates a map to it.
If the collection is not present: creates it.
• delete: unregisters a collection and deletes its
directories.
• list: returns a query result set, named from the name
attribute value, of the attributes of the collections that are
registered by ColdFusion.
• map: creates a map to a collection. If the action is create
and the collection already exists, Coldfusion also creates
a map to the collection.
• optimize: optimizes the structure and contents of the
collection for searching; recovers space. Causes
collection to be taken offline, preventing searches and
indexing.
• repair: deprecated. Does nothing.

Required; see
Usage

■

■

collection See Usage

• A collection name. The name can include spaces.

path

See Usage

Absolute path to a Verity collection.
To map an existing collection, specify a fully qualified path
to the collection (not including the collection name); for
example, "C:\MyCollections\".

language

See Usage

name

See Usage

English

Although English is the default language, Englishx, a more
advanced English locale, is also provided. For a list of
options, see Usage.
Requires the appropriate (European or Asian) Verity
Locales language pack.
Name for the query results returned by the list and
categorylist actions.

categories See Usage

no

Used only for creating a collection:
• yes: this collection includes support for categories.
• no: this collection does not support categories.

Usage

With this tag you can create, register, and administer a Verity collection that was created by
ColdFusion or by a Verity application.

cfcollection

83

The following table shows the dependence relationships among this tag’s attribute values:
This attribute For this action attribute value:
is required,
list
create
map
optimize
optional, or
unnecessary
(blank):
collection

Required Required Required

path

Required Required

language

Optional Optional

name

repair

delete

categorylist

Required

Required

Required

Required

Required

categories

The following examples illustrate the structures returned by the categorylist action:
CATEGORIES
blue

10

green

3

magenta

3

purple

2

CATEGORYTREES
a/

10

a/b

10

a/b/c

10

a/b/c/subdir

3

The list action returns the following information in a result set that contains one row per
collection:

84

Column

Contents

CATEGORIES

• yes: the collection has category support enabled.
• no: the collection does not have category support enabled.

CHARSET

The character set of the collection.

CREATED

The date and time that the collection was created.

DOCCOUNT

The number of documents in this collection.

EXTERNAL

• yes: the collection is external.
• no: the collection is not external.
• Not Found: the collection is registered but is not available in the defined path .

LANGUAGE

The locale setting of the collection.
This information is not available for K2Server collections.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Column

Contents

LASTMODIFIED The date and time that the collection was last changed.
MAPPED

Obsolete

NAME

The name of the collection.

ONLINE

Obsolete

PATH

Absolute path to the collection.

REGISTERED

Obsolete

SIZE

The size of the collection, expressed in kilobytes.

The ColdFusion MX Administrator Verity > Collections page displays the information that is
returned when you use the list attribute.
If the Verity Server is not running when the list action is executed, the tag throws an error.
To determine whether a collection exists, use code, such as the following, to execute a query of
queries:


select * from myCollections
where myCollections.name = 'myCollectionName'






To get a result set with values for all the collections that are registered with the Verity server, use
code such as the following:


#name#



To add content to a collection, use cfindex. To search a collection, use cfsearch.
The language attribute of this tag supports the following options:
Asian Language Pack
Japanese

Korean

Chinese

Traditional Chinese

Multilanguage Language Pack
Unicode
Western European Language Pack
Bokmal

Finnish

Italian

Spanish

Danish

French

Nynorsk

Swedish

Dutch

German

Portuguese

cfcollection

85

Eastern European/Middle Eastern Language Pack
Arabic

Greek

Polish

Bulgarian

Hebrew

Russian

Czech

Hungarian

Russian2

Turkish

The default location of Verity collections is as follows:

• Server configuration:
■

Windows: C:\CFusionMX7\verity\collections

■

UNIX system: /opt/coldfusionmx7/verity/collections

• J2EE configuration: webapp_root/WEB-INF/cfusion/verity/collections
Example












Collection created.

Use CFINDEX to populate it.



Collection repaired.



Collection optimized.



Collection deleted.

86

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags




Please enter a name for your collection





Collection on which to act

Use the default value or enter your own Collection name





cfcollection

87

cfcomponent
Description

Creates and defines a component object; encloses functionality that you build in CFML and
enclose within cffunction tags. This tag contains one or more cffunction tags that define
methods. Code within the body of this tag, other than cffunction tags, is executed when the
component is instantiated.
A component file has the extension CFC and is stored in any directory of an application.
A component method is invoked in the following ways:

•
•
•
•
•

Within the cfinvoke tag in a ColdFusion page
Within a URL that calls a CFC file and passes a method name as a URL parameter
Within the cfscript tag
As a web service
From Flash code

Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax

hint = "text string">
variable declarations

...


...


See also
cfargument, cffunction, cfinvoke, cfinvokeargument, cfobject, cfproperty,

Chapter 10, “Building and Using ColdFusion Components” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide

cfreturn,

88

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Added support for publishing document-literal style web services.
• Added the style, namespace, serviceportname, porttypename, wsdlfile, and
bindingname

attributes.

• Extended functionality for the hint and displayname attributes when publishing documentliteral style web services.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

extends

Optional

output

Optional

Component
body
displayable
text is
processed
as standard
CFML

Specifies whether constructor code in the component
can generate HTML output; does not affect output in
the body of cffunction tags in the component.
• yes: Constructor code is processed as if it were
within a cfoutput tag. Variable names surrounded
by number signs (#) are automatically replaced with
their values.
• no: Constructor code is processed as if it were
within a cfsilent tag.
• If you do not specify this attribute, constructor code
is processed as standard CFML. Any variables must
be in cfoutput tags.

style

Optional

rpc

Specifies whether a CFC used for web services uses
RPC-encoded style or document-literal style:
• rpc: RPC-encoded style
• document: document-literal style

namespace

Optional

classname

Specifies the namespace used in the WSDL when
using the CFC as a document-literal style web service.
If you don’t specify this attribute, ColdFusion MX
derives the value from the CFC class name.

Name of parent component from which to inherit
methods and properties.

This attribute applies only when style="document".
serviceportname

Optional

Specifies the name attribute of the port element in the
WSDL. If you don’t specify this attribute,
ColdFusion MX derives the value from the CFC class
name.
This attribute applies only when style="document".

cfcomponent

89

Attribute

Req/Opt

porttypename

Optional

Default

Description
Specifies the name attribute of the porttype element in
the WSDL. If you don’t specify this attribute,
ColdFusion MX derives the value from the CFC class
name.
This attribute applies only when style="document".

bindingname

Optional

Specifies the binding attribute of the port element in
the WSDL. If you don’t specify this attribute,
ColdFusion MX derives the value from the CFC class
name.
This attribute applies only when style="document".

wsdlfile

Optional

A properly formatted WSDL file to be used instead of
WSDL generated by ColdFusion MX.
This attribute applies only when style="document".

displayname

Optional

A string to be displayed when using introspection to
show information about the CFC. The information
appears on the heading, following the component
name.
If the style attribute is set to document,
ColdFusion MX uses the displayname attribute as the
name attribute of the service element in the WSDL.

hint

Optional

Text to be displayed when using introspection to
show information about the CFC. The hint attribute
value appears below the component name heading.
This attribute can be useful for describing the purpose
of the parameter.
If the style attribute is set to document,
ColdFusion MX uses the hint attribute as the content
of the documentation element of the service in the
WSDL.

Usage

If you specify the extends attribute, the data and methods of the parent component are available
to CFC methods as if they were parts of the current component. If the managerCFC component
extends the employeeCFC component, and the employeeCFC component has a
getEmployeeName method, you can call this method using the managerCFC, as follows:


This tag requires an end tag.
If you specify style="document", ColdFusion MX publishes the CFC as a document-literal style
web service. For more information, see “Publishing document-literal style web services” in
Chapter 36, “Using Web Services” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

90

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Example



SELECT FIRSTNAME, LASTNAME, EMAIL
FROM tblEmployees





SELECT *
FROM tblDepartments





cfcomponent

91

cfcontent
Description

Does either or both of the following:

• Sets the MIME content encoding header for the current page; if the encoding information
includes a character encoding, sets the character encoding of generated output.

• Sends the contents of a file, or of a variable that contains binary data, as the page output.
To restrict this tag, use the Sandbox Security feature of the ColdFusion MX Administrator. For
more information, see the Administrator online Help.
Category

Data output tags
Syntax

See also
cfcol, cfheader, cfhttp, cfoutput, cftable
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the variable attribute.

92

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

type

Optional

deleteFile

Optional

file

Optional

Default

Description
The MIME content type of the page, optionally followed by a
semicolon and the character encoding. By default, ColdFusion
sends pages as text/html content type in the UTF-8 character
encoding.
The content type determines how the browser or client
interprets the page contents.
The following are some of the content type values you can use:
• text/html
• text/plain
• application/x-shockwave-flash
• application/msword
• image/jpeg
The following list includes commonly used character encoding
values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For example:
type = "text/html"
type = "text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"

no

Applies only if you specify a file with the file attribute.
• yes: deletes the file on the server after sending its contents to
the client.
• no: leaves the file on the server.
Name of file whose contents will be the page output. The file
name must start with a drive letter and a colon, or a forward or
backward slash. When using ColdFusion in a distributed
configuration, the file attribute must refer to a path on the
system on which the web server runs. When you use this
attribute, any other output on the current CFML page is
ignored; only the contents of the file are sent to the client.

cfcontent

93

Attribute

Req/Opt

variable

Optional

reset

Optional

Default

Description
Name of a ColdFusion MX binary variable whose contents can
be displayed by the browser, such as the contents of a chart
generated by the cfchart tag or a PDF or Excel file retrieved by
a cffile action="readBinary" tag. When you use this
attribute, any other output on the current CFML page is
ignored; only the contents of the file are sent to the client.

yes

If you specify a file or variable attribute, this attribute has no
effect; otherwise, it does the following:
• yes: discards output that precedes call to cfcontent
• no: preserves output that precedes call to cfcontent. In this
case, all output is sent with the specified type.

Usage

To set the character encoding (character set) of generated output, including the page HTML, use
code such as the following:


When ColdFusion processes an HTTP request, it determines the character encoding to use for
the data it returns in the HTTP response. By default, ColdFusion returns character data using the
Unicode UTF-8 format, regardless of the value of an HTML meta tag in the page. You can use
the cfcontent tag to override the default character encoding of the response. For example, to tell
ColdFusion MX to return the page using Japanese EUC character encoding, use the type
attribute, as follows:


If you call the cfcontent tag from a custom tag, and you do not want the tag to discard the
current page when it is called from another application or custom tag, set reset = "no".
If a file delete operation is unsuccessful, ColdFusion throws an error.
Do not use this tag after the cfflush tag on a page, it will have no effect or ColdFusion will
throw an error.
The following tag can force most browsers to display a dialog box that asks users whether they
want to save the contents of the file specified by the cfcontent tag using the filename specified
by the filename value. If the user selects to open the file, most browsers open the file in the
related application, not the browser window.


Some file types, such as PDF documents, do not use executable code and can display directly in
most browsers. To request the browser to display the file directly, use a cfheader tag similar to
the following:


You can use any value for the filename part of the filename attribute, but the ext part must be the
standard Windows extension for the file type.

94

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

For file types that might contain executable code, such as Microsoft Excel documents, most
browsers always ask before opening the document. For these file types, the inline content
disposition specification requests the browser to display the file directly if the user selects to open
the file.
For more information on character encodings, see the following web pages:

• www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html provides general information on character
encodings and the web, and has several useful links.

• www.iana.org/assignments/character-sets is a complete list of character sets names used on the
Internet, maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.

• java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/docs/guide/intl/encoding.doc.html lists the character encodings that
Java, and therefore ColdFusion, can interpret. This list uses Java internal names, not the IANA
character encoding names that you use in the SetEncoding charset parameter and other
ColdFusion attributes and parameters. ColdFusion MX 6.0 Updater 3 uses JDK 1.3. CFMX
6.1 uses JDK 1.4.2; for encoding support, see http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/guide/intl/
encoding.doc.html.
For a complete list of media types used on the Internet, see www.iana.org/assignments/
media-types/.
Example



This example shows how the Reset attribute changes output for text.
reset = "Yes": 123 
 456
This example shows how the Reset attribute changes output for text.
reset = "No": 123 
 456




cfcontent

95








Month Quantity $ Sales
January 80 $245
February 100 $699
March 230 $2036
Total =Sum(B2..B4) =Sum(C2..C4)


96

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfcookie
Description

Defines web browser cookie variables, including expiration and security options.
Category

Forms tags, Variable manipulation tags
Syntax

See also
cfdump, cfparam, cfregistry, cfsavecontent, cfschedule, cfset
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1:

• Changed the expires attribute: it now accepts a date time object.
• Cookie names can include all ASCII characters except commas, semicolons, or whitespace
characters.
Attributes
Attribute Req/Opt

Default

Description

name

Required

Name of cookie variable. ColdFusion converts cookie names to
all-uppercase. Cookie names set using this tag can include any
printable ASCII characters except commas, semicolons or white
space characters.

value

Optional

Value to assign to cookie variable. Must be a string or variable that
can be stored as a string.

expires

Optional

Expiration of cookie variable.
• The default: the cookie expires when the user closes the
browser, that is, the cookie is "session only".
• A date or date/time object (for example, 10/09/97)
• A number of days (for example, 10, or 100)
• now: deletes cookie from client cookie.txt file (but does not
delete the corresponding variable the Cookie scope of the
active page).
• never: The cookie expires in 30 years from the time it was
created (effectively never in web years).

cfcookie

97

Attribute Req/Opt

Default

Description

secure

Optional

If browser does not support Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
security, the cookie is not sent. To use the cookie, the page must
be accessed using the https protocol.
• yes: Variable must be transmitted securely.
• no

path

Optional

URL, within a domain, to which the cookie applies; typically a
directory. Only pages in this path can use the cookie. By default,
all pages on the server that set the cookie can access the cookie.
path = "/services/login"
To specify multiple URLs, use multiple cfcookie tags.
If you specify path, you must also specify domain.

Required if

Domain in which cookie is valid and to which cookie content can
be sent from the user’s system. By default, the cookie is only
available to the server that set it. Use this attribute to make the
cookie available to other servers.
Must start with a period. If the value is a subdomain, the valid
domain is all domain names that end with this string. This attribute
sets the available subdomains on the site upon which the cookie
can be used.
For a domain value that ends in a country code, the specification
must contain at least three periods; for example,
".mongo.state.us". For top-level domains, two periods are
required; for example, ".mgm.com".
You cannot use an IP address as a domain.

domain

path

attribute is
specified.
Optional
otherwise

Usage

If this tag specifies that a cookie is to be saved beyond the current browser session, the client
browser writes or updates the cookie in its local cookies file. Until the browser is closed, the
cookie resides in browser memory. If the expires attribute is not specified, the cookie is not
written to the browser cookies file.
If you use this tag after the cfflush tag on a page, ColdFusion does not send the cookie to the
browser; however, the value you set is available to ColdFusion in the Cookie scope during the
browser session.
Note: You can also create a cookie that expires when the current browser session expires by using
the cfset tag or a CFScript assignment statement to set a variable in the Cookie scope, as in . To get a cookie’s value, refer to the cookie name in the Cookie scope, as
in .

You can use dots in cookie names, as the following examples show:



To access cookies, including cookies that you set and all cookies that are sent by the client, use the
Cookie scope. For example, to display the value of the person.name cookie set in the preceding
code, use the following line:
#cookie.person.name#

98

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Example



SELECT EMail, FromUser, Subject, Posted
FROM Comments



cfcookie Example

















The last AOL visitor to view this site was
#Cookie.LastAOLVisitor#, on
#DateFormat(COOKIE.TimeVisited)#

Hide my tracks

No AOL Visitors have viewed the site lately.


cfcookie

99

cfdefaultcase
Description

Used only inside the cfswitch tag body. Contains code to execute when the expression specified
in the cfswitch tag does not match a of the value specified by a cfcase tag.
Category

Flow-control tags
Syntax

See also
cfcase, cfswitch; “cfswitch, cfcase, and cfdefaultcase” in Chapter 2, “Elements of CFML,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed placement requirements: this tag does not have to follow all cfcase
tags in the cfswitch tag body.
Usage

The contents of the cfdefaultcase tag body is executes if the expression attribute of the
cfswitch tag does not match any of the values specified by the cfcase tags in the cfswitch tag
body. The contents of the cfdefaultcase tag body can include HTML and text, and CFML
tags, functions, variables, and expressions.
You can specify only one cfdefaultcase tag within a cfswitch tag. You can put the
tag at any position within a cfswitch statement; it is not required to be the last
item, but it is good programming practice to put it last.
cfdefaultcase

Example


















100

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags




Your grade is #grade#


cfdefaultcase

101

cfdirectory
Description

Manages interactions with directories.
Category

File management tags
Syntax

See also
cffile
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the recurse attribute (named recursive in Alpha 1) and directory
result-set column.
ColdFusion MX:

• Changed behavior for action
■

■

■

102

= "list":

On Windows, cfdirectory action = "list" no longer returns the directory entries "."
(dot) or ".." (dot dot), which represent "the current directory" and "the parent directory."
On Windows, cfdirectory action = "list" no longer returns the values of the Archive
and System attributes.
On UNIX and Linux, cfdirectory action = "list" does not return any information in
the mode column.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

Optional

List

• list: returns a query record set of the files in the
specified directory. The directory entries "." (dot) and
".." (dot dot), which represent the current directory and
the parent directory, are not returned.
• create
• delete
• rename

directory

Required

Absolute pathname of directory against which to
perform action.
You can use an IP address, as in the following example:


name

Required if

Name for output record set.

action =
"list"

filter

File extension filter applied to returned names; for
example, *.cfm. One filter can be applied.

Optional if
action =
"list"

mode

Optional

sort

Optional; used
if action =

Used with action = "create". Permissions. Applies
only to UNIX and Linux. Octal values of chmod
command. Assigned to owner, group, and other,
respectively. For example:
• 644: assigns read/write permission to owner; read
permission to group and other.
• 777: assigns read/write/execute permission to all.
ASC

"list"

Query column(s) by which to sort directory listing.
Delimited list of columns from query output.
To qualify a column, use:
• asc: ascending (a to z) sort order.
• desc: descending (z to a) sort order.
For example:
sort = "directory ASC, size DESC, datelastmodified"

newDirectory Required if

New name for directory.

action =
"rename"

recurse

Optional

no

Whether ColdFusion performs the action on
subdirectories:
• yes
• no
Valid for action="list" and action="delete".

cfdirectory

103

Usage

If you put ColdFusion applications on a server that is used by multiple customers, you must
consider the security of files and directories that could be uploaded or otherwise manipulated
with this tag by unauthorized users. For more information about securing ColdFusion tags, see
Configuring and Administering ColdFusion MX.
If action = "list", cfdirectory returns the following result columns, which you can
reference in a cfoutput tag:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

name

Directory entry name. The entries "." and ".." are not returned.

directory

Directory containing the entry.

size

Directory entry size.

type

File type: File, for a file; Dir, for a directory.

dateLastModified
attributes

The date that an entry was last modified.

File attributes, if applicable.

Empty column; retained for backward compatibility with ColdFusion 5 applications
on UNIX.

mode

You can use the following result columns in standard CFML expressions, preceding the result
column name with the query name:
#mydirectory.name#
#mydirectory.directory#
#mydirectory.size#
#mydirectory.type#
#mydirectory.dateLastModified#
#mydirectory.attributes#
#mydirectory.mode#
Note: If the cfdirectory tag does not appear to work, for example, if a list operation returns an
empty result set, make sure that you have correct permissions to access the directory. For example, if
you run ColdFusion as a service on Windows, it operates by default as System, and cannot access
directories on a remote system or mapped drive; to resolve this issue, do not run ColdFusion using
the local system account.

The filter attribute specifies a pattern of one or more characters. All names that match that
pattern are included in the list. On Windows systems, pattern matching ignores text case, on
UNIX and Linux, pattern matches are case-sensitive.
The following two characters have special meaning in the pattern and are called metacharacters:

• * matches any zero or more characters
• ? matches any single character

104

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

The following table shows examples of patterns and file names that they match:
Pattern

Matches

foo.*

Any file called foo with any extension; for example, foo.html, foo.cfm, and foo.xml.

*.html

All files with the suffix .html, but not files with the suffix .htm.

??

All files with two-character names.

Example








The directory existed and the name has been changed to: #newDirectory#




Your directory has been created.










Files exist in this directory. Either delete the files or code
something to do so.





The directory existed and has been deleted.


cfdirectory

105




The directory did NOT exist.

















SELECT * FROM dirQuery
WHERE TYPE='Dir'



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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfdocument
Description

Creates PDF or FlashPaper output from a text block containing CFML and HTML.
Category

Data output tags
Syntax

HTML and CFML code

See also
cfreport, cfdocumentitem, cfdocumentsection
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

format

Required

Specifies the report format:
• PDF
• FlashPaper

filename

Optional

Specifies the name of a file to contain the PDF or
FlashPaper output.
If you omit the filename attribute, ColdFusion MX
streams output to the browser.

cfdocument

107

108

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

overwrite

Optional

no

Specifies whether ColdFusion MX overwrites an
existing file. Used in conjunction with the filename
attribute

name

Optional

pagetype

Optional

pageheight

Optional

Specifies the page height in inches (default) or
centimeters. This attribute is only valid if
pagetype=custom. To specify page height in
centimeters, include the unit=cm attribute.

pagewidth

Optional

Specifies the page width in inches (default) or
centimeters. This attribute is only valid if
pagetype=custom. To specify page width in
centimeters, include the unit=cm attribute.

orientation

Optional

margintop

Optional

Specifies the top margin in inches (default) or
centimeters. To specify the top margin in
centimeters, include the unit=cm attribute.

marginbottom

Optional

Specifies the bottom margin in inches (default) or
centimeters. To specify the bottom margin in
centimeters, include the unit=cm attribute.

marginleft

Optional

Specifies the left margin in inches (default) or
centimeters. To specify the left margin in
centimeters, include the unit=cm attribute.

marginright

Optional

Specifies the right margin in inches (default) or
centimeters. To specify the right margin in
centimeters, include the unit=cm attribute.

unit

Optional

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Specifies the name of an existing variable into which
the tag stores the PDF or FlashPaper output.
A4

portrait

in

Specifies the page size into which ColdFusion
generates the report:
• legal: 8.5 inches x 14 inches.
• letter: 8.5 inches x 11 inches.
• A4: 8.27 inches x 11.69 inches.
• A5: 5.81 inches x 8.25 inches.
• B5: 9.81 inches x 13.88 inches.
• Custom: custom height and width. If you specify
custom, you must also specify the pageheight and
pagewidth attributes, can optionally specify margin
attributes, and can optionally specify whether the
units are inches or centimeters.

Specifies the page orientation:
• portrait
• landscape

Specifies the default unit for the pageheight,
pagewidth, and margin attributes:
• in: inches.
• cm: centimeters.

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

encryption

Optional

None

(format="PDF" only) Specifies whether the output is
encrypted:
• 128-bit
• 40-bit
• none

ownerpassword

Optional

(format="PDF" only) Specifies an owner password.

userpassword

Optional

(format="PDF" only) Specifies a user password.

permissions

Optional

(format="PDF" only) Specifies one or more of the
following permissions:
• AllowPrinting
• AllowModifyContents
• AllowCopy
• AllowModifyAnnotations
• AllowFillIn
• AllowScreenReaders
• AllowAssembly
• AllowDegradedPrinting
Separate multiple permissions with a comma.

fontembed

Optional

yes

Specifies whether ColdFusion embeds fonts in the
output:
• yes: embed fonts.
• no: do not embed fonts.
Selective: embed all fonts except Java fonts and
core fonts. For more information, see Usage.

backgroundvisible Optional

no

Specifies whether the background prints when the
user prints the document:
• yes: include the background when printing.
• no: do not include the background when printing.

scale

Calculated Specifies a scale factor as a percentage. Use this
option to reduce the size of the HTML output so that
by
ColdFusion it fits on that paper. Specify a number less than 100.

Optional

Usage

Use the cfdocument tag to render HTML and CFML output into PDF or FlashPaper format.
ColdFusion MX does not return HTML and CFML outside of the
  pair.
The cfdocument tag can render HTML that supports the following standards:

•
•
•
•

HTML 4.01
XML 1.0
DOM Level 1 and 2
CSS1 and CSS2

cfdocument

109

The cfdocument tag does not support the Internet Explorer-specific HTML generated by
Microsoft Word.
The PDF or FlashPaper document returned by the cfdocument tag overwrites any previous
HTML in the input stream and ignores any HTML after the  tag.
You cannot embed a cfreport tag in a cfdocument tag.
When you use the cfdocument tag, ColdFusion MX creates a new scope named cfdocument.
This scope contains the following variables:

• currentpagenumber
• totalpagecount
Note: The cfdocument scope variables are reserved for page number rendering. Do not use them in
ColdFusion expressions. For example, the following code does not work:

#cfdocument.currentpagenumber-1#

Example

This is a document rendered by the cfdocument tag.


Name
Role


Bill
Lead


Susan
Principal Writer


Adelaide
Part Time Senior Writer


Thomas
Full Time for 6 months


Michael
Full Time for 4 months




110

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfdocumentitem
Description

Specifies action items for a PDF or FlashPaper document created by the cfdocument tag. Actions
include the following:

• Page break
• Header
• Footer
Category

Data output tags
Syntax

Syntax 1

Syntax 2

header/footer text


See also
cfreport, cfdocument, cfdocumentsection
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

type

Required

Default

Description
Specifies the action:
• pagebreak: start a new page at the location of the tag.
• header: use the text between the 
and  tags as the running header.
• footer: use the text between the 
and  tags as the running footer.

Usage

Use the cfdocumentitem tag to control the formatting of a PDF or FlashPaper report. This tag
must be wrapped inside a   pair.
Write code for one cfdocumentitem tag for each pagebreak, running header, or running footer.

cfdocumentitem

111

You can use the cfdocument scope variable, cfdocument.currentpagenumber, to display the
current page number in a header or footer. You can also use cfdocument.totalpagecount to display
the total number of pages. For example:
...

SELECT parkname, suptmgr from parks


National Parks Report


Page #cfdocument.currentpagenumber# of
#cfdocument.totalpagecount#

Park list



Park
Manager


#parkname#
#suptmgr#





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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfdocumentsection
Description

Divides a PDF or FlashPaper document into sections. By using this tag in conjunction with a
cfdocumentitem tag, each section can have unique headers, footers, and page numbers.
Category

Data output tags
Syntax


HTML, CFML, and cfdocumentitem tags


See also
cfreport, cfdocument, cfdocumentitem
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag and the margintop, marginbottom, marginleft,
marginright attributes.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

margintop

Optional

Specifies the top margin in inches (default) or
centimeters. To specify the top margin in centimeters,
include the unit="cm" attribute in the parent cfdocument
tag.

marginbottom

Optional

Specifies the bottom margin in inches (default) or
centimeters. To specify the bottom margin in
centimeters, include the unit="cm" attribute in the
parent cfdocument tag.

marginleft

Optional

Specifies the left margin in inches (default) or
centimeters. To specify the left margin in centimeters,
include the unit="cm" attribute in the parent cfdocument
tag.

marginright

Optional

Specifies the right margin in inches (default) or
centimeters. To specify the right margin in centimeters,
include the unit="cm" attribute in the parent cfdocument
tag.

cfdocumentsection

113

Usage

Use the cfdocumentsection tag to divide a report into sections. Within each
cfdocumentsection tag, you can use one or more cfdocumentitem tags to specify unique
headers and footers for each section.
When using cfdocumentsection, ColdFusion MX ignores HTML and CFML not enclosed
within cfdocumentsection tags.
The margin attributes override margins specified in previous sections or in the parent
cfdocument tag. If you specify margin attributes, the units are controlled by the unit attribute of
the parent cfdocument tag; the unit attribute has a default value of inches.
Example

SELECT Emp_ID, firstname, lastname, e.dept_id, salary, d.dept_name
FROM employee e, departmt d
WHERE e.dept_id = d.dept_id
ORDER BY d.dept_name





Salary Report


Page #cfdocument.currentpagenumber#

#dept_name#








Employee
Salary



#empSalary.lastname#, #empSalary.firstname#


#DollarFormat(empSalary.salary)#



Total
#DollarFormat(deptTotal)#



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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags





cfdocumentsection

115

cfdump
Description

Use the cfdump tag to get the elements, variables, and values of most kinds of ColdFusion objects.
Useful for debugging. You can display the contents of simple and complex variables, objects,
components, user-defined functions, and other elements.
Category

Debugging tags, Variable manipulation tags
Syntax

See also
cfcookie, cfparam, cfsavecontent, cfschedule, cfset, cftimer, cfwddx
History

• ColdFusion MX 7: Added the top attribute.
• ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added the ability to dump COM objects; it displays the methods and
Get and Put properties typeinfo information for the object.
Attributes

116

Attribute

Req/Opt

var

Required

expand

Optional

label

Optional

top

Optional

Default

Description
Variable to display. Enclose a variable name in number signs.
These kinds of variables yield meaningful cfdump displays:
• array
• CFC
• COM object
• Java object
• simple
• query
• structure
• UDF
• wddx
• xml

yes

• yes: in Internet Explorer and Mozilla, expands views.
• no: contracts expanded views.
A string; header for the dump output.

9999

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

The number of rows to display. For a structure, this is the
number of nested levels to display.

Usage

The expand/contract display capability is useful when working with large structures, such as XML
document objects, structures, and arrays.
To display a construct, use code such as the following, in which myDoc is a variable of type
XmlDocument:




The tag output is color-coded according to data type.
If a table cell is empty, this tag displays "[empty string]".
Example



cfdump

117

cfelse
Description

Used as the last control block in a cfif tag block to handle any case not identified by the cfif
tag or a cfelseif tag.
Category

Flow-control tags
Syntax

HTML and CFML tags

HTML and CFML tags

HTML and CFML tags

See also
cfif, cfelseif, cfabort, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cflocation, cfloop,
cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry
Usage

If the values of the expressions in the containing cfif tag and all cfelseif tags are false,
ColdFusion processes the code between this tag and the cfif end tag. This tag must be inside a
cfif tag block. It does not require an end tag.
For more information and an example, see cfif on page 227.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfelseif
Description

Used as a control block in a cfif tag block to handle any case not identified by the cfif tag or a
cfelseif tag.
Category

Flow-control tags
Syntax

HTML and CFML tags

HTML and CFML tags

HTML and CFML tags

See also
cfif, cfelse, cfabort, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cflocation, cfloop,
cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry
Usage

If the value of the expression in this tag is true, and the values of the expressions in the containing
cfif tag and preceding cfelseif tags are false, ColdFusion processes the code between this tag
and a following cfelseif or cfelse tag, or the cfif end tag and then skips to the code
following the cfif end tag. Otherwise, ColdFusion skips the code.
This tag must be inside a cfif tag block. It does not require an end tag.
For more information and an example, see cfif on page 227.

cfelseif

119

cferror
Description

Displays a custom HTML page when an error occurs. This lets you maintain a consistent look
and feel among an application’s functional and error pages.
Category

Exception handling tags, Extensibility tags, Application framework tags
Syntax

See also
cfrethrow, cfthrow, cftry,

Chapter 14, “Handling Errors” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s

Guide.
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated the monitor option of the exception attribute. It might not work,
and might cause an error, in later releases.
Attributes

120

Attribute

Req/Opt

type

Required

Type of error that the custom error page handles. The type
also determines how ColdFusion handles the error page. For
more information, see “Specifying a custom error page” in
Chapter 14, “Specifying a custom error page,” in ColdFusion
MX Developer’s Guide.
• exception: an exception of the type specified by the
exception attribute.
• validation: errors recognized by server-side type
validation.
• request: any encountered error.

template

Required

Relative path to the custom error page. (A ColdFusion page
was formerly called a template.)

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default Description

Attribute

Req/Opt

mailTo

Optional

exception

Optional

Default Description
An e-mail address. This attribute is available on the error
page as the variable error.mailto. ColdFusion does not
automatically send anything to this address.
Any

Type of exception that the tag handles:
• application: application exceptions.
• database: database exceptions.
• template: ColdFusion page exceptions.
• security: security exceptions.
• object: object exceptions.
• missingInclude: missing include file exceptions.
• expression: expression exceptions.
• lock: lock exceptions.
• custom_type: developer-defined exceptions, defined in the
cfthrow tag.
• any: all exception types.
For more information on exception types, see cftry.

Usage

Use this tag to provide custom error messages for pages in an application. This lets you maintain
a consistent look and feel within the application, even when errors occur.
You generally embed this tag in your Application CFC or Application.cfm file to specify errorhandling responsibilities for an entire application. You must put it in one of these files if you
specify type="validation"; ColdFusion ignores it on any other page.
The cftry and cfcatch tags provide a more interactive way to handle ColdFusion errors within
a ColdFusion page than the cferror tag, but the cferror tag is a good safeguard against general
errors.
To ensure that error pages display successfully, avoid using the cfencode utility to encode pages
that include the cferror tag.
Page types

The following table describes the types of errors you can specify and code you can use on the
pages that handle these error type:
Page type

Description

Use

Exception

Dynamically invoked by the CFML language
Can handle specific exception
processor when it detects an unhandled exception types or display general
condition.
information for exceptions.
Uses the full range of CFML tags. Error variables
must be in cfoutput tags.

cferror

121

Page type

Description

Use

Request

Includes the error variables described in the Error
Variables section.
Cannot include CFML tags, but you can display
values of the error variables by enclosing them in
number signs (#), as in #error.MailTo#.

Use as a backup error handler to
other error handling methods,
including exception type.

Validation

Handles hidden form-field or
Handles data input validation errors that occur
when submitting a form that uses hidden form-field onSubmit format validation errors
only.
validation or onSubmit validation.
Cannot include CFML tags, but you can display
values of the error variables by enclosing them in
number signs (#), as in #Error.InvalidFields#.
You must specify the validation error handler in the
Application.cfc or Application.cfm file.

Error variables

The exception-handling page specified in the cferror tag template attribute contains one or
more error variables. ColdFusion substitutes the value of the error variable when an error displays.
The following table lists error variables:
Page type

Error variable

Description

Validation only

error.validationHeader

Validation message header text.

error.invalidFields

Unordered list of validation errors.

error.validationFooter

Validation message footer text.

error.diagnostics

Detailed error diagnostics from ColdFusion MX.

error.mailTo

E-mail address (same as value in cferror.MailTo).

error.dateTime

Date and time when error occurred.

error.browser

Browser that was running when error occurred.

error.remoteAddress

IP address of remote client.

error.HTTPReferer

Page from which client accessed link to page where
error occurred.

error.template

Page executing when error occurred.

error.generatedContent

The content generated by the page up to the point
where the error occurred.

error.queryString

URL query string of client's request.

Request and
Exception

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Page type

Error variable

Description

Exception only

error.message

Error message associated with the exception.

error.rootCause

The root cause of the exception. This structure
contains the information that is returned by a
cfcatch tag. For example, for a database exception,
the SQL statement that caused the error is in the
error.RootCause.Sql variable. For Java exceptions,
this variable contains the Java servlet exception
reported by the JVM as the cause of the "root
cause" of the exception.

error.tagContext

Array of structures containing information for each
tag in the tag stack. The tag stack consists of each
tag that is currently open.

error.type

Exception type.

Note: If type = "exception", you can substitute the prefix cferror for Error; for example,
cferror.diagnostics, cferror.mailTo, or cferror.dateTime.
Example
cferror Example




select * from nothing




We're sorry -- An Error Occurred


We're sorry -- An Error Occurred

If you continue to have this problem, please contact #error.mailTo#
with the following information:


Your Location: #error.remoteAddress#
Your Browser: #error.browser#
Date and Time the Error Occurred: #error.dateTime#
Page You Came From: #error.HTTPReferer#
Message Content:
#error.diagnostics#


cferror

123

cfexecute
Description

Executes a ColdFusion developer-specified process on a server computer.
Category

Extensibility tags, Flow-control tags
Syntax

...

See also
cfcollection, cfindex, cfobject, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1:

• Added the variable attribute.
• Changed file path behavior for the outputFile attribute: if you do not specify an absolute file
path in the outputFile attribute, the path is relative to the ColdFusion temporary directory.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Required

Default

arguments Optional

124

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Description
Absolute path of the application to execute.
On Windows, you must specify an extension; for example,
C:\myapp.exe.
Command-line variables passed to application. If specified as
string, it is processed as follows:
• Windows: passed to process control subsystem for parsing.
• UNIX: tokenized into an array of arguments. The default
token separator is a space; you can delimit arguments that
have embedded spaces with double-quotation marks.
If passed as array, it is processed as follows:
• Windows: Elements are concatenated into a string of tokens,
separated by spaces. Passed to process control subsystem
for parsing.
• UNIX: Elements are copied into an array of exec() arguments.

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

outputFile Optional

File to which to direct program output. If no outputfile or
variable attribute is specified, output is displayed on the page
from which it was called.
If not an absolute path (starting a with a drive letter and a colon,
or a forward or backward slash), it is relative to the ColdFusion
temporary directory, which is returned by the GetTempDirectory
function.

variable

Variable in which to put program output. If no outputfile or
variable attribute is specified, output is displayed on page

Optional

from which it was called.
timeout

Optional

0

Length of time, in seconds, that ColdFusion waits for output
from the spawned program.
• 0: equivalent to nonblocking mode.
• A very high value: equivalent to blocking mode.
If the value is 0:
• ColdFusion starts a process and returns immediately.
ColdFusion may return control to the calling page before any
program output displays. To ensure that program output
displays, set the value to 2 or higher.
• If the outputFile attribute is not specified, any program
output is discarded

Usage

Do not put other ColdFusion tags or functions between the start and end tags of cfexecute. You
cannot nest cfexecute tags.
Exceptions

Throws the following exceptions:

• If the application name is not found: java.io.IOException
• If the effective user of the ColdFusion executing thread does not have permissions to execute
the process: a security exception
The time out values must be between zero and the longest time out value supported by the
operating system.
Example
cfexecute
This example executes the Windows NT version of the netstat network
monitoring program, and places its output in a file.



cfexecute

125

cfexit
Description

This tag aborts processing of the currently executing CFML custom tag, exits the page within the
currently executing CFML custom tag, or re-executes a section of code within the currently
executing CFML custom tag.
Category

Debugging tags, Flow-control tags
Syntax

See also
cfabort, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfif, cflocation, cfloop, cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry;

“cfabort and cfexit” in Chapter 2, “Elements of CFML,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

method

Optional

exitTag

• exitTag: aborts processing of currently executing tag.
• exitTemplate: exits page of currently executing tag.
• loop: re-executes body of currently executing tag.

Usage

If this tag is encountered outside the context of a custom tag, for example in the base page or an
included page, it executes in the same way as cfabort. The cfexit tag can help simplify error
checking and validation logic in custom tags.
The cfexit tag function depends on its location and execution mode:
Method value

Location of cfexit call

Behavior

exitTag

Base page

Terminate processing

Execution mode = Start

Continue after end tag

Execution mode = End

Continue after end tag

Base page

Terminate processing

Execution mode = Start

Continue from first child in body

Execution mode = End

Continue after end tag

Base page

Error

Execution mode = Start

Error

Execution mode = End

Continue from first child in body

exitTemplate

loop

126

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Example
cfexit Example
cfexit can be used to abort the processing of the currently executing
CFML custom tag. Execution resumes following the invocation of
the custom tag in the page that called the tag.
Usage of cfexit
cfexit is used primarily to perform a conditional stop of processing
inside a custom tag. cfexit returns control to the page that
called that custom tag, or in the case of a tag called by another
tag, to the calling tag.








If cfexit is used outside a custom tag, it functions like a cfabort.
For example, the text after this message is not processed:

This text is not executed because of the cfexit tag above it.

cfexit

127

cffile
Description

Manages interactions with server files.
The following sections describe the actions of the cffile tag:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

cffile action = "append"
cffile action = "copy"

on page 131

on page 133

cffile action = "delete"

on page 135

cffile action = "move"

on page 136

cffile action = "read"

on page 138

cffile action = "readBinary"

on page 140

cffile action = "rename"

on page 141

cffile action = "upload"

on page 143

cffile action = "write"

on page 146

Note: To execute, this tag must be enabled in the ColdFusion Administrator. For more information,
see Configuring and Administering ColdFusion MX.

If your ColdFusion applications run on a server used by multiple customers, consider the security
of the files that could be uploaded or manipulated by cffile. For more information, see
Configuring and Administering ColdFusion MX.
Category

File management tags
Syntax

The tag syntax depends on the action attribute value. See the following sections.
See also
cfdirectory
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the result attribute, which allows you to specify an alternate variable
in which to receive result parameters. Used for action = "upload" action.
ColdFusion MX 6.1:

• Changed file path requirements: if you do not specify an absolute file path, the path is relative
to the ColdFusion temporary directory, which is returned by the GetTempDirectory function.

• Changed behavior for action="read": if the file starts with a byte order mark (BOM)
ColdFusion uses it to determine the character encoding.

• Changed behavior for action="upload" nameConflict="MakeUnique" ColdFusion now
makes filenames unique by appending a incrementing number, 1 for the first file, 2 for the
second and so on, to the name. In ColdFusion MX filenames were made unique by appending
an additional "1" for each file, as in 1, 11, 111, and so on.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed use of slashes in paths: you can use forward (/) or backward (\) slashes in paths on
both UNIX and Windows systems.

• Changed file hierarchy requirements: ColdFusion does not require that you put files and
directories that you manipulate with this tag below the root of the web server document
directory.

• Changed directory path requirements for the destination attribute: a directory path that you
specify in the destination attribute does not require a trailing slash.

• Deprecated the system value of the attributes attribute.
• Deprecated the temporary value of the attributes attribute. In ColdFusion MX, it is a
synonym for normal. It might not work in later releases.

• Changed the action attribute options read, write, append and move: they support a new
attribute, charset.

• The archive value of the attributes attribute is obsolete and has no effect.
Example























cffile

129







Type in some text to include in your file:
 

A file exists (foobar.txt, in #GetTempDirectory()#).
You may add to it, read from it, or delete it. 


<cfif readText is not "">
<cfoutput>#readText#</cfoutput>
</cfif>




 --->

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cffile action = "append"
Description

Appends text to a text file on the server.
Syntax

See also
cfdirectory
History

See the History section of the main cffile tag page.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required

Type of file manipulation that the tag performs.

file

Required

Pathname of the file to which to append content of output
attribute.
If not an absolute path (starting a with a drive letter and a
colon, or a forward or backward slash), it is relative to the
ColdFusion temporary directory, which is returned by the
GetTempDirectory function.

mode

Optional

Applies only to UNIX and Linux. Permissions. Octal values of
UNIX chmod command. Assigned to owner, group, and
other, respectively. For example:
• 644: assigns read/write permission to owner; read
permission to group and other.
• 777: assigns read/write/execute permission to all.

output

Required

String to append to the file.

addNewLine Optional

Default

yes

Description

• yes: appends newline character to text written to file.
• no

cffile

131

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

attributes

Optional

charset

Optional

JVM
default file
character
set

The character encoding in which the file contents is
encoded. The following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information character encodings, see
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.

fixnewline

Optional

No

• Yes: changes embedded line-ending characters in string
variables to operating-system specific line endings
• No: (default) do not change embedded line-ending
characters in string variables.
See “cffile action = "write"” for an example that uses this
attribute.

Applies to Windows. A comma-delimited list of attributes to
set on the file.
If omitted, the file’s attributes are maintained.
Each value must be specified explicitly. For example, if you
specify attributes = "readOnly", all other attributes are
overwritten.
• readOnly
• hidden
• normal

Example





132

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cffile action = "copy"
Description

Copies a file from one directory to another on the server.
Syntax

See also
cfdirectory
History

See the History section of the main cffile tag page.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

action

Required

Type of file manipulation that the tag performs.

source

Required

Pathname of the file to copy.
If not an absolute path (starting a with a drive letter and a colon,
or a forward or backward slash), it is relative to the ColdFusion
temporary directory, which is returned by the GetTempDirectory
function.

destination Required

Pathname of a directory or file on web server where the file will
be copied. If you specify a filename without a directory path,
ColdFusion copies it relative to the source directory.

mode

Optional

Applies only to UNIX and Linux. Permissions. Octal values of
UNIX chmod command. Assigned to owner, group, and other,
respectively. For example:
• 644: assigns read/write permission to owner; read permission
to group and other.
• 777: assigns read/write/execute permission to all.

attributes

Optional

Applies to Windows. A comma-delimited list of attributes to set
on the file.
If omitted, the file's attributes are maintained.
Each value must be specified explicitly. For example, if you
specify attributes = "readOnly", all other attributes are
overwritten.
• readOnly
• hidden
• normal

cffile

133

Example

This example copies the keymemo.doc file to the c:\files\backup\ directory:


134

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cffile action = "delete"
Description

Deletes a file on the server.
Syntax

See also
cfdirectory
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

Required

Type of file manipulation that the tag performs.

file

Required

Pathname of the file to delete.
If not an absolute path (starting a with a drive letter and a
colon, or a forward or backward slash), it is relative to the
ColdFusion temporary directory, which is returned by the
GetTempDirectory function.

Example

The following example deletes the specified file:


cffile

135

cffile action = "move"
Description

Moves a file from one location to another on the server.
Syntax

See also
cfdirectory
History

See the History section of the main cffile tag page.
Attributes

136

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

Required

Type of file manipulation that the tag performs.

source

Required

Pathname of the file to move.
If not an absolute path (starting a with a drive letter and a
colon, or a forward or backward slash), it is relative to the
ColdFusion temporary directory, which is returned by the
GetTempDirectory function.

destination Required

Pathname of the destination directory or file. If not an
absolute path, it is relative to the source directory.

mode

Applies only to UNIX and Linux. Permissions. Octal values of
UNIX chmod command. Assigned to owner, group, and
other, respectively. For example:
• 644: assigns read/write permission to owner; read
permission to group and other.
• 777: assigns read/write/execute permission to all.

Optional

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attribute

Req/Opt

attributes

Optional

charset

Optional

Default

Description
Applies to Windows. A comma-delimited list of attributes to
set on the file.
If omitted, the file's attributes are maintained.
Each value must be specified explicitly. For example, if you
specify attributes = "readOnly", all other attributes are
overwritten.
• readOnly
• hidden
• normal

JVM
default file
character
set

The character encoding in which the file contents is
encoded. The following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information character encodings, see
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.

Example

The following example moves the keymemo.doc file from the c:\files\upload\ directory to the
c:\files\memo\ directory in Windows:


In this example, the destination directory is “memo.”

cffile

137

cffile action = "read"
Description

Reads a text file on the server. The file is read into a dynamic, local variable that you can use in
the page. For example:

• Read a text file; insert the file’s contents into a database
• Read a text file; use the find and replace function to modify the file’s contents
Note: This action reads the file into a variable in the local Variables scope. It is not intended for use
with large files, such as logs, because this can bring down the server.
Syntax

See also
cfdirectory
History

See the History section of the main cffile tag page.
Attributes

138

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

action

Required

Type of file manipulation that the tag performs.

file

Required

Pathname of the file to read.
If not an absolute path (starting a with a drive letter and a
colon, or a forward or backward slash), it is relative to the
ColdFusion temporary directory, which is returned by the
GetTempDirectory function.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Description

Attribute

Req/Opt

variable

Required

charset

Optional

Default

Description
Name of variable to contain contents of text file.

Character
encoding
identified
by the file’s
byte order
mark, if any;
otherwise,
JVM
default file
character
set.

The character encoding in which the file contents is
encoded. The following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
If the file starts with a byte order mark and you set this
attribute to a conflicting character encoding, ColdFusion
generates an error.
For more information character encodings, see
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.

Usage

The following example creates a variable named Message for the contents of the file message.txt:


The variable Message can be used in the page. For example, you could display the contents of the
message.txt file in the final web page as follows:
#Message#

ColdFusion supports functions for manipulating the contents of text files. You can also use the
variable that is created by a cffile action = "read" operation in the ArrayToList and
ListToArray functions.
Note: If you use this tag to read a file that is encoded using the Windows Cp1252 (windows-1252)
encoding of the Latin-1 character set on a system whose default character encoding is Cp1252, and
the files has characters encoded in the Hex 8x or 9x range, you must specify charset="windows-1252"
attribute, even though this is the default encoding. Otherwise, some characters in the Hex8x and 9x
ranges that do not map correctly and display incorrectly.

cffile

139

cffile action = "readBinary"
Description

Reads a binary file (such as an executable or image file) on the server, into a binary object
parameter that you can use in the page. To send it through a web protocol (such as HTTP or
SMTP) or store it in a database, first convert it to Base64 using the ToBase64 function.
Note: This action reads the file into a variable in the local Variables scope. It is not intended for use
with large files, such as logs, because they can bring down the server.
Syntax

See also
cfdirectory
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

Required

Type of file manipulation that the tag performs.

file

Required

Pathname of a binary fine to read.
If not an absolute path (starting a with a drive letter and a
colon, or a forward or backward slash), it is relative to the
ColdFusion temporary directory, which is returned by the
GetTempDirectory function.

variable

Required

Name of variable to contain contents of binary file.

Usage

You convert the binary file to Base64 to transfer it to another site.
Example

The following example reads the binary file somewhere.jpg, writes it to a different folder as
somewhereB.jpg, and then displays the new file:






140

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cffile action = "rename"
Description

Renames or moves a file on the server.
Syntax

See also
cfdirectory
History

See the History section of the main cffile tag page.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

Required

Type of file manipulation that the tag performs.

source

Required

Pathname of file to rename.
If not an absolute path (starting a with a drive letter and a
colon, or a forward or backward slash), it is relative to the
ColdFusion temporary directory, which is returned by the
GetTempDirectory function.

destination Required

Destination file or directory. If not an absolute path, it is
relative to the source directory.

mode

Optional

Applies only to UNIX and Linux. Permissions. Octal values of
UNIX chmod command. Assigned to owner, group, and
other. For example:
• 644: assigns read/write permission to owner; read
permission to group and other.
• 777: assigns read/write/execute permission to all.

attributes

Optional

Applies to Windows. A comma-delimited list of attributes to
set on the file.
If omitted, the file's attributes are maintained.
Each value must be specified explicitly. For example, if
attributes = "readOnly", all other attributes are overwritten.
• hidden
• normal
• readOnly

Usage

The rename action renames or move a file. The destination attribute must be a pathname, not
just a new name for the file. If the destination is a directory, the file is moved and not renamed.

cffile

141

Example

Windows Example:



Unix Example:


142

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cffile action = "upload"
Description

Copies a file to a directory on the server.
Syntax

result = "result_name"
See also
cfdirectory
History

See the History section of the main cffile tag page.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required

Type of file manipulation that the tag performs.

fileField

Required

Name of form field used to select the file.
Do not use number signs (#) to specify the field name.

destination

Required

Pathname of directory in which to upload the file. If not an
absolute path (starting a with a drive letter and a colon, or a
forward or backward slash), it is relative to the ColdFusion
temporary directory, which is returned by the
GetTempDirectory function.

nameConflict Optional

accept

Optional

Default

Error

Description

Action to take if filename is the same as that of a file in the
directory.
• Error: file is not saved. ColdFusion stops processing the
page and returns an error.
• Skip: file is not saved. This option permits custom behavior
based on file properties.
• Overwrite: replaces file.
• MakeUnique: forms a unique filename for the upload; name
is stored in the file object variable serverFile.
Limits the MIME types to accept. Comma-delimited list. For
example, to permit JPEG and Microsoft Word file uploads:
accept = "image/jpg, application/msword"

The browser uses file extension to determine file type.

cffile

143

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

mode

Optional

Applies only to UNIX and Linux. Permissions. Octal values of
chmod command. Assigned to owner, group, and other,
respectively. For example:
• 644: assigns read/write permission to owner; read
permission to group and other.
• 777: assigns read/write/execute permission to all.

attributes

Optional

Applies to Windows. A comma-delimited list of attributes to
set on the file.
If omitted, the file's attributes are maintained.
Each value must be specified explicitly. For example, if you
specify attributes = "readOnly", all other attributes are
overwritten.
• readOnly
• hidden
• normal (if you use this option with other attributes, it is
overridden by them)

result

Optional

Allows you to specify a name for the variable in which cffile
returns the result (or status) parameters. If you do not specify
a value for this attribute, cffile uses the prefix ‘cffile’. For
more information, see the Usage section.

Usage

After a file upload is completed, you can get status information using file upload parameters. To
refer to parameters, use either the cffile prefix or, if you specified an alternate name in the
result attribute, the name you specified there. For example, if you did not specify a name in the
result attribute, access the fileExisted parameter as #cffile.fileExisted#. If you set the
result attribute to myResult, however, access fileExisted as #myResult.fileExisted#.
Status parameters can be used anywhere that other ColdFusion parameters can be used.
Tip: The result attribute allows functions or CFCs that get called from multiple pages at the same
time to avoid overwriting the results of one call with another.
Note: The file prefix is deprecated, in favor of the cffile prefix. Do not use the file prefix in new
applications.
Tip: If your page is uploading a file that was selected on a form or was otherwise sent to your page via
a multipart/form-data HTTP message, you can determine the approximate size of the file by checking
the value of the CGI.content_length variable. This variable includes the file length plus the length of
any other request content.

The following file upload status parameters are available after an upload:

144

Parameter

Description

attemptedServerFile

Initial name ColdFusion used when attempting to save a file

clientDirectory

Directory location of the file uploaded from the client’s system

clientFile

Name of the file uploaded from the client’s system

clientFileExt

Extension of the uploaded file on the client system (without a period)

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Parameter

Description

clientFileName

Name of the uploaded file on the client system (without an extension)

contentSubType

MIME content subtype of the saved file

contentType

MIME content type of the saved file

dateLastAccessed

Date and time the uploaded file was last accessed

fileExisted

Whether the file already existed with the same path (yes or no)

fileSize

Size of the uploaded file

fileWasAppended

Whether ColdFusion appended uploaded file to a file (yes or no)

fileWasOverwritten

Whether ColdFusion overwrote a file (yes or no)

fileWasRenamed

Whether uploaded file renamed to avoid a name conflict (yes or no)

fileWasSaved

Whether ColdFusion saves a file (yes or no)

oldFileSize

Size of a file that was overwritten in the file upload operation

serverDirectory

Directory of the file saved on the server

serverFile

Filename of the file saved on the server

serverFileExt

Extension of the uploaded file on the server (without a period)

serverFileName

Name of the uploaded file on the server (without an extension)

timeCreated

Time the uploaded file was created

timeLastModified

Date and time of the last modification to the uploaded file

Note: File status parameters are read-only. They are set to the results of the most recent cffile
operation. If two cffile tags execute, the results of the second overwrite the first, unless you have
specified a different result variable in the result attribute.
Example

The following example creates a unique filename, if there is a name conflict when the file is
uploaded on Windows:







#cgi.script_name#
name="uploadForm" enctype="multipart/form-data">







cffile

145

cffile action = "write"
Description

Writes a text file on the server, based on dynamic content. You can create static HTML files from
the content, or log actions in a text file.
Syntax

See also
cfdirectory
History

See the History section of the main cffile tag page.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required

Type of file manipulation that the tag performs.

file

Required

Pathname of the file to write.
If not an absolute path (starting a with a drive letter and a
colon, or a forward or backward slash), it is relative to the
ColdFusion temporary directory, which is returned by the
GetTempDirectory function.

output

Required

Content of the file to be created.

mode

Optional

Applies only to UNIX and Linux. Permissions. Octal values of
UNIX chmod command. Assigned to owner, group, and
other, respectively. For example:
• 644: assigns read/write permission to owner; read
permission to group and other.
• 777: assigns read/write/execute permission to all.

addNewLine Optional

146

Default

yes

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Description

• yes: appends newline character to text written to file.
• no

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

attributes

Optional

charset

Optional

JVM
default file
character
set.

The character encoding in which the file contents is
encoded. The following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information character encodings, see
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.

fixnewline

Optional

No

• Yes: changes embedded line-ending characters in string
variables to operating-system specific line endings.
• No: (default) do not change embedded line-ending
characters in string variables.

Applies to Windows. A comma-delimited list of attributes to
set on the file.
If omitted, the file's attributes are maintained.
Each value must be specified explicitly. For example, if you
specify attributes = "readOnly", all other attributes are
overwritten.
• readOnly
• hidden
• normal

Example

This example creates a file with information a user entered in an HTML insert form:


If the user submitted a form with the following:
UpdateTitle = "FieldWork"
FullName = "World B. Frueh"
Date = "10/30/01"
Content = "We had a wonderful time in Cambridgeport."

ColdFusion would create a file named FieldWork.txt in the c:\files\updates\ directory and the file
would contain the following text:
Created By: World B. Frueh
Date: 10/30/01
We had a wonderful time in Cambridgeport.

cffile

147

This example shows the use of the mode attribute for UNIX. It creates the file /tmp/foo with
permissions rw-r--r-- (owner = read/write, group = read, other = read):


This example appends to the file and sets permissions to read/write (rw) for all:


This example uploads a file and gives it the permissions owner/group/other = read/write/execute):
cffile action = "upload"
fileField = "fieldname"
destination = "/tmp/program.exe"
mode = 777>

This example uses the fixnewline attribute to changes embedded line-ending characters in
xmlString, which is derived from xmlData, to operating-system specific line endings.


This is some plain text












148

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfflush
Description

Flushes currently available data to the client.
Category

Data output tags, Page processing tags
Syntax

See also
cfcache, cfheader, cfinclude, cfsetting, cfsilent
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

interval

Optional

Default

Description
Integer. Flushes output each time this number of bytes becomes
available. HTML headers, and data that is already available
when the tag is executed, are omitted from the count.

Usage

The first occurrence of this tag on a page sends back the HTML headers and any other available
HTML. Subsequent cfflush tags on the page send only the output that was generated after the
previous flush.
When you flush data, ensure that enough information is available, as some browsers might not
respond if you flush only a small amount. Similarly, set the interval attribute for a few hundred
bytes or more, but not thousands of bytes.
Use the interval attribute only when a large amount of output will be sent to the client, such as
in a cfloop or a cfoutput of a large query. Using this form globally (such as in the
Application.cfm file) might cause unexpected errors when CFML tags that modify HTML
headers are executed.
Caution: Because the cfflush tag sends data to the browser when it executes, it has several
limitations, including the following: Using any of the following tags or functions on a page anywhere
after the cfflush tag can cause errors or unexpected results: cfcontent, cfcookie, cfform, cfheader,
cfhtmlhead, cflocation, and SetLocale. (These tags and functions normally modify the HTML
header, but cannot do so after a cfflush tag, because the cfflush sends the header.) Using the cfset
tag to set a cookie anywhere on a page that has a cfflush tag does not set the cookie in the browser.
Using the cfflush tag within the body of several tags, including cfsavecontent, cfquery, and custom
tags, cause errors. If you save Client variables as cookies, any client variables that you set after a
cfflush tag are not saved in the browser.
Note: Normally, the cferror tag discards the current output buffer and replaces it with the contents of
the error page. The cfflush tag discards the current buffer. As a result, the Error.GeneratedContent
variable resulting from a cferror tag after a cfflush contains any contents of the output buffer that
has not been flushed. This content is not sent to the client. The content of the error page displays to
the client after the bytes that have been sent.

cfflush

149

Example

The following example uses cfloop tags and the rand random number generating function to
delay data display. It simulates a page that is slow to generate data.
Your Magic numbers
It will take us a little while to calculate your ten magic numbers. It takes
a lot of work to find numbers that truly fit your personality. So relax for
a minute or so while we do the hard work for you.
We are sure you will agree it was worth the short wait!












Magic number #Myindex# is:  #RandRange(
100000, 999999)#





150

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfform
Description

Builds a form with CFML custom control tags; these provide more functionality than standard
HTML form input elements. You can include the resulting form on the client page as HTML or
Flash content, and generate the form using XML and XSLT.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

...

See also
cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider,
cftextarea, cftree;

Part V, “Requesting and Presenting Information” in ColdFusion MX

Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Added ability to set the default value of the scriptSrc attribute in the ColdFusion MX
Administrator.

cfform

151

• Deprecated the passthrough attribute. The tag now supports all HTML form tag attributes
directly.

• Added the method attribute and support for the GET method.
• Added support for Flash and XML output, including the format, height, width, preloader,
timeout, wMode, accessible,

and skin attributes.

• Added cfformgroup, cfformitem, and cftextarea child tags.
ColdFusion MX:

• Deprecated the enableCAB attribute. It might not work, and might cause an error, in later
releases.

• Changed the name and action attributes to optional.
• Changed integer validation to require an integer value. In previous releases it would convert a
floating point value to an integer.
Attributes

The following table lists attributes that ColdFusion uses directly. For HTML format forms, this
tag also supports the standard HTML form tag attributes that are not on this list, and passes them
directly to the browser. ColdFusion also includes all supported HTML attributes in the XML.

152

Attribute

Applies Req/
to
Opt

Default

Description

name

HTML,
Flash,
XML

Opt

CFForm_n

A name for the form.
In HTML format, if you omit this attribute and specify
an id attribute, ColdFusion does not include a name
attribute in the HTML sent to the browser; this
behavior lets you use the cfform tag to create
XHTML-compliant forms. If you omit the name
attribute and the id attribute, ColdFusion generates
a name of the form CFForm_n where n is a number
that assigned serially to the forms on a page.

action

HTML,
Flash,
XML

Opt

See
Name of ColdFusion page to execute when the form
Description is submitted for processing.
If you omit this attribute, the form posts to the page
identified by the CGI.SCRIPT_NAME variable, the
requested page that resulted in displaying the form.

method

HTML,
Flash,
XML

Opt

post

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

The method the browser uses to send the form data
to the server:
• post: sends the data using the HTTP post method,
This method sends the data in a separate message
to the server.
• get: sends the data using the HTTP get method,
which puts the form field contents in the URL
query string.

Attribute

Applies Req/
to
Opt

format

HTML,
Flash,
XML

skin

Flash,
XML

Default

Description

Opt

HTML

• HTML: generates an HTML form and send it to the
client. cfgrid and cftree child controls can be in
Flash or applet format.
• Flash: generates a Flash form and send it to the
client. All controls are in Flash format.
• XML: generates XForms-compliant XML and save
the results in a variable specified by the name
attribute. By default, ColdFusion also applies an
XSL skin and displays the result. For more
information, see the skin attribute.

Opt

Flash:
haloGreen
XML:
default.xsl

Flash: Use a Macromedia halo color to stylize the
output. The skin determines the color used for
highlighted and selected elements.
• haloSilver
• haloBlue
• haloGreen
• haloOrange
XML: Specfies whether to apply an XSL skin and
display the resulting HTML to the client. Can be any
of the following:
• ColdFusion MX skin name: applies the specified
skin.
• XSL file name: applies the skin located in the
specified path.
• “none”: does not apply an XSL skin. Your CFML
page must process the XML that ColdFusion
saves in the variable specified by the name attribute
and display any results.
• (omitted) or “default”: uses the ColdFusion MX
default skin.
You can specify the following ColdFusion MX skins
(located in the cf_webroot\CFIDE\scripts\xsl
directory):
• basic
• basiccss
• beige
• blue
• bluegray
• lightgray
• red
• silver
A filename can be any of the following:
• absolute URL
• URL relative to the web root
• absolute file path
• name of a file in the scripts folder or a subdirectory
of the cf_webroot\CFIDE\scripts directory. In this
case, do not specify the .xsl suffix.

cfform

153

154

Attribute

Applies Req/
to
Opt

style

HTML,
Flash,
XML

Opt

preserveData HTML
XML

Opt

onLoad

HTML
XML

Opt

JavaScript to execute when the form loads.

onReset

HTML
XML

Opt

JavaScript to execute when the user clicks a reset
button.

onSubmit

HTML
Flash
XML

Opt

JavaScript or ActionScript function to execute to
preprocess data before form is submitted. See
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide. If any child tags
specify onSubmit field validation, ColdFusion does
the validation before executing this JavaScript.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default

Description
Styles to apply to the form. In HTML or XML format,
ColdFusion passes the style attribute to the browser
or XML.
In Flash format, must be a style specification in CSS
format. For detailed information on specifying Flash
styles, see Chapter 29, “Creating Forms in
Macromedia Flash” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide.

no

When the cfform action attribute posts back to the
page that contains the form, this determines whether
to override the control values with the submitted
values.
• false: uses values specified in the control tag
attributes.
• true: uses corresponding submitted values.
Applies to these controls:
• cfinput, cfslider, cftextinput: overrides the
value attribute value.
• cfselect controls that are populated from queries:
Overrides the selected attribute. See cfselect.
• cftree controls: overrides the cftreeitem expand
attribute. If true, expands previously-selected
elements. The cftree completePath attribute must
be set to yes.
• cfgrid controls: has no effect. (This avoids
confusion as to whether data has been
resubmitted to the database by the control.)

Attribute

Applies Req/
to
Opt

scriptSrc

HTML,
Flash
XML

Opt

See
Specifies the URL, relative to the web root, of the
Description directory that contains the cfform.js file with the
client-side JavaScript used by this tag and its child
tags. For XML format forms, this directory is also the
default directory for XSLT skins.
This attribute is useful if the file is not in the default
location. This attribute may be required in some
hosting environments and configurations that block
access to the /CFIDE directory.
The default location is set in the ColdFusion MX
Administrator; by default, it is /CFIDE/scripts/
cfform.js.
If the Administrator has an empty default value,
ColdFusion looks for the script in the directory that
contains the ColdFusion page.

codeBase

applets Opt
in HTML
and
XML

See
URL of downloadable JRE plug-in for Internet
Description Explorer; used for cfgrid, cfslider, and cftree Java
applet controls.
Default: /CFIDE/classes/cf-j2re-win.cab

archive

applets Opt
in HTML
and
XML

See
URL of downloadable Java classes for cfgrid,
Description cfslider, and cftree applet controls.
Default: /CFIDE/classes/cfapplets.jar

height

Flash
XML

Opt

100%

The height of the form. Use a number to specify
pixels, In Flash, you can use a percentage value,
such as "height=60%" to specify a percentage of the
available width. The displayed height might be less
than the specified size.

width

Flash
XML

Opt

100%

The width of the form. Use a number to specify
pixels, In Flash, you can use a percentage value,
such as "width=60%" to specify a percentage of the
available width..

onError

Flash

Opt

Default

Description

Applies only for onSubmit or onBlur validation; has
no effect for onServer validation.
An ActionScript expression or expressions to
execute if the user submits a form with one or more
validation errors.

cfform

155

Attribute

Applies Req/
to
Opt

Default

Description

wMode

Flash

Opt

Window

Specifies how the Flash form appears relative to
other displayable content that occupies the same
space on an HTML page.
• window: the Flash form is the topmost layer on the
page and obscures anything that would share the
space, such as drop-down dynamic HTML lists.
• transparent: the Flash form honors the z-index of
dhtml so you can float items above it. If the Flash
form is above any item, transparent regions in the
form show the content that is below it.
• opaque: the Flash form honors the z-index of
dhtml so you can float items above it. If the Flash
form is above any item, it blocks any content that is
below it.

accessible

Flash

Opt

No

Specifies whether to include support screen readers
in the Flash form. Screen reader support adds
approximately 80KB to the SWF file sent to the
client.

preloader

Flash

Opt

true

Specifies whether to display a progress bar when
loading the Flash form.

timeout

Flash

Opt

0

Integer number of seconds for which to keep the
form data in the Flash cache on the server. A value of
0 prevents the data from being cached. For more
information, see “Caching data in Flash forms” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

Note: Attributes that are not marked as supported in XML are not handled by the skins provided with
ColdFusion MX. They are, however, included in the generated XML as html namespace attributes to
the form tag.
Usage

This tag requires an end tag.
You can use the following ColdFusion form control tags within the cfform tag:

156

•
•
•

cfapplet

•
•
•
•
•
•

cfgrid

Used in HTML and XML format only; embeds a registered Java applet.

cfformgroup

Used in Flash and XML format only; groups and arranges child controls.

Used in Flash and XML format only; adds horizontal rules, vertical rules, and
text to the form.

cfformitem

Creates a grid control to display tabular data.

cfinput

Creates and an input element.

cfselect

Creates a drop-down list box.

cfslider

Used in HTML and XML format only; creates a slider control.

cftextarea
cftree

Creates a multi-line text input box.

Creates a tree control.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

In HTML format, all tags, and in Flash format the cftree and cfgrid tags, require JavaScript
support on the browser. The cfapplet tag and applet format cfgrid, cfslider, and cftree
tags require the client to download a Java applet.
If you specify Flash format in the cfform tag, ColdFusion ignores any HTML in the form body.
You must use ColdFusion tags, such as cfinput, for all form controls. You can include individual
Flash format cfgrid and cftree controls in an HTML format cfform tag.
In Flash format, if your forms do not request sensitive data (such as credit card numbers),
consider setting the timeout attribute. This can prevent users from getting "The form data has
expired, Please reload this page in your browser" errors if they use the browser back button to
return to the form. For more information, see “Caching data in Flash forms” in Chapter 29,
“Caching data in Flash forms,”in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Note: In Flash format, if you do not specify height and width attributes, Flash reserves browser space
equal to the area of the browser window. If any other output follows the form, users must scroll to see
it. Therefore, if you follow a Flash form with additional output, specify the height and width values.

If attribute value text must include quotation marks, escape them by doubling them.
Using the onError attribute in Flash forms

If you use onSubmit or onBlur validation, the onError attribute lets you specify ActionScript
code to execute if the user tries to submit a Flash form with validation errors, as follows:

• If you specify one or more valid Flash expressions, Flash executes the expressions.
• If you omit the attribute, Flash displays a dialog box with all applicable error messages.
• If you specify onError="" (an empty string) Flash does not display any message, but does not
submit the form.
Your ActionScript can use the errors variable to determine the fields and errors. The errors object
has the following fields:
Field

Contents

name

The name attribute of the control’s CFML tag.

field

The internal name used by Flash for the field. name (for example,
_level0.field1)

value

The value in the field.

message

The message attribute of the control’s CFML tag.

The following example shows cfform tags with an onError attribute that selects the tab in an
accordion or tabnavigator that contains a lastName field with an invalid entry:


cfform

157




Examples
cfform Example



Results of Radio Button Test
Your radio button answer was yes
Your radio button answer was no


Results of Checkbox Test

Your checkbox answer was yes

Your checkbox answer was no


Results of Credit Card Input
Your credit card number, #Form.textSample#,
was valid under the MOD 10 algorithm.



You gave this page a rating of #Form.sampleSlider#






This example displays radio button input type for cfinput.
Yes 
No 
This example displays checkbox input type for cfinput.

This shows client-side validation for cfinput text boxes.
(This item is optional)


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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Please enter a credit card number:

This example shows the use of the cfslider tag.
Rate your approval of this example from 1 to 10 by sliding control.

1  10




A Simple XML form

The following example shows a simple XML-format form. It uses the default.xsl transform that is
supplied with ColdFusion to generate the HTML output for display:














this
is sample text.


cfform

159

cfformgroup
Description

Creates a container control for multiple form controls. Used in the cfform tag body of
Macromedia Flash and XML forms. Ignored in HTML forms.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

width = "pixels"
height = "pixels"
enabled = "Yes" or "No"
visible = "Yes" or "No"
OnChange = "ActionScript expression"
toolTip = "Tip text"
...ColdFusion forms controls

or

...ColdFusion forms controls

See also
cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider,
cftextarea, cftree,

“Using the cfformgroup tag to structure forms” in Chapter 29, “Creating
Forms in Macromedia Flash,” and “Using cfformgroup tags” in Chapter 30, “Creating Skinnable
XML Forms,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag.
Attributes

The following table lists the attributes and their behavior in Flash forms. For XML, if not
otherwise noted, the attribute is passed to the XML but is not interpreted by the basic XSL style
sheet provided with ColdFusion MX.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Note: Attributes that are not marked as supported in XML are not handled by the skins provided with
ColdFusion MX. They are, however, included in the generated XML
Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

type

Required;
Flash and XML

Default Description
XML: Can be any XForms group type defined in the
XSLT. The XSL skins provided with ColdFusion MX
support the following types:
• horizontal: align child tags horizontally within a form
and put this tag’s label attribute to the left of the
children.
• vertical: align child tags vertically within a form and put
this tag’s label attribute to the left of the children.
• fieldset: corresponds to the HTML fieldset tag, which
groups its children, typically by drawing a box around
them and replacing part of the top line with legend text.
To specify the legend, use the label attribute. To
specify the box dimensions, use the style attribute with
height and width values. You must explicitly use
cfformgroup type="vertical" inside this formgroup to
align its child tags vertically.
Flash: Must be one of the following:
• repeater: dynamically creates an instance of the
cfformgroup’s child tag or tags for each row of a query
object, without requiring ColdFusion to recompile the
Flash SWF file when the number of rows changes.
• horizontal: aligns child tags horizontally within a form
and put this tag’s label attribute to the left of the
children. Use this tag to arrange individual controls
horizontally.
• vertical: aligns child tags vertically within a form and
puts this tag’s label attribute to the left of the children.
Use this tag to arrange individual controls vertically.
• hbox: aligns children horizontally. Use this type to
arrange groups of form controls horizontally. Do not
use this attribute to align individual controls
horizontally, because the child controls do not align
properly; use the horizontal type instead.
• vbox: aligns children vertically. Use this type to arrange
groups of controls vertically. Do not use this attribute to
align individual controls vertically, as the child controls
will not align properly; use the vertical type instead.

cfformgroup

161

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default Description

type
(continued)

query

• hdividedbox: aligns children horizontally. Each child is
in a box with a border, and there are dividers between
the boxes that users can move to change the relative
sizes of the children. Use a tag with this attribute to
arrange groups of form controls horizontally. You
cannot use this attribute to align individual controls
horizontally.
• vdividedbox: aligns children vertically. Each child is in a
box with a border, and there are dividers between the
boxes that users can move to change the relative sizes
of the children. Use this type to group form controls, for
example as a unit in an hbox form group. Do not use
this attribute to align individual tags vertically.
• panel: a container consisting of a title bar containing
the label attribute text, a border, and a content area
with vertically arranged children.
• tile: places the children in a rectangular grid.
• accordion: places each child in a pleat of an expanding
and contracting accordion. Define each pleat using a
cfformgroup type="page" tag.
• tabnavigator: places the children in a tabbed dialog
box. Define each tab using a cfformgroup type="page"
tag.
• page: places the children tags, aligned vertically, in a
single tab of a parent tabnavigator or pleat of an
accordion container.
Required for

The query to use with the repeater. Flash creates an
instance of each of the cfformgroup tag’s child tags for
each row in the query. You can use the bind attribute in
the child tags to use data from the query row for the
instance.

type=
repeater,

ignored
otherwise;
Flash

162

startrow

Optional;
Flash

maxrows

Optional;
Flash

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

0

Used only for the repeater type; ignored otherwise.
Specifies the row number of the first row of the query to
use in the Flash form repeater. This attribute is zerobased: the first row is row 0, not row 1 (as in most
ColdFusion tags).
Used only for the repeater type; ignored otherwise.
Specifies the maximum number of query rows to use in
the Flash form repeater. If the query has more rows than
the sum of the startrow attribute and this value, the
repeater does not use the remaining rows.

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default Description

label

Optional;
Flash and XML

Label to apply to the form group.
In Flash, does the following:
• For a page or panel form group, determines the label to
put on the corresponding accordion pleat, the
tabnavigator tab, or the panel title bar. For a Flash
horizontal or vertical form group, specifies the label to
put to the left of the group.
• Ignored in Flash for repeater, hbox, hdividedbox, vbox,
vdividedbox, tile, accordion, and tabnavigator types.

style

Optional;
Flash and XML

Flash: A Flash style specification in CSS format. For
detailed information on specifying Flash styles, see
Chapter 29, “Creating Forms in Macromedia Flash” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
XML: An inline CSS style specification.

selectedIndex

Optional;
Flash only

Used only for accordion and tabnavigator types; ignored
otherwise. Specifies the page control to display as open,
where 0 (not 1) specifies the first page control defined in
the group.

width

Optional;
Flash and XML

Width of the group container, in pixels. If you omit this
attribute, Flash automatically sizes the container width.
Ignored for Flash repeater type.

height

Optional;
Flash

Height of the group container, in pixels. If you omit this
attribute, Flash automatically sizes the container height.
Ignored for Flash repeater type.

enabled

Optional;
Flash

Yes

Boolean value specifying whether the controls in the
form group are enabled. Disabled controls appear in light
gray.

visible

Optional;
Flash

Yes

Boolean value specifying whether the controls in the
form group are visible. If the controls are invisible, the
space that would be occupied by visible controls is blank.

onChange

Optional;
Flash

Tabnavigator and accordion types only: ActionScript
expression or expressions to execute when a new tab or
accordion page is selected.
Note: The onChange event occurs when the form first
appears.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash

Text to display when the mouse pointer hovers in the
form group area. If a control in the form group also
specifies a tooltip, Flash displays the control’s tooltip
when the mouse pointer hovers over the control.

Usage

This tag requires an end tag. This tag is ignored if the cfform type is HTML; any tag body’s
contents are interpreted as if the surrounding cfformgroup does not exist.

cfformgroup

163

In Flash format forms, this tag organizes the contents of the form. It groups and arranges child
tags. The body of this tag can contain the following tags; all other tags and text are ignored:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

cfformgroup
cfformitem
cfcalendar
cfgrid
cfinput
cfselect
cftextarea
cftree

For more information on using this tag in Flash forms, see Chapter 29, “Creating Forms in
Macromedia Flash” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
In XML format, ColdFusion passes the tag and its attributes to the XML; it is the responsibility
of the skin XSLT to handle the XML. The ColdFusion basic skin supports the horizontal,
vertical, and dualselectlist styles only. For more information on using this tag in XML
forms, see Chapter 29, “Creating Forms in Macromedia Flash” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide.
Example

For a simple example of an XML form that uses a single cfformgroup tag, see cfform.
The following example shows how to use the cfformgroup tag to arrange elements on a Flash
form. It creates an hdividedbox container that has a vbox container on each side. The left box has
heading text and two radio buttons. The right box has heading text and three check boxes.
Simple cfformgroup Example




Pets:






Fruits:






164

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags




The following more complex example shows more fully how you can use cfformgroup tags to
arrange controls in a Flash form. It also shows many of the text formatting features that you can
use in a text cfformgroup body. When you submit the form, the page dumps the contents of the
Forms scope, to show you the submitted data.
cfformgroup Example

The form submitted the following information to ColdFusion MX:





A Flash form using cfformgroup tags




This form has two tabs, asking for the following:

contact information
preferences
Try entering information on both tabs

Submit the form and see what ColdFusion gets in the Forms scope.



This link displays the Macromedia home page in a new browser window


 











Flash fills the email field in automatically.
You can replace any of the text.







cfformgroup

165



Tell us your preferences






Pets:









Fruits:


<--- Flash requires unique names for all controls --->


















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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfformitem
Description

Inserts a horizontal line, a vertical line, a spacer, or text in a Flash form. Used in the cfform or
cfformgroup tag body for Flash and XML forms. Ignored in HTML forms.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax


or

...text

See also
cfapplet, cfform, cfformgroup, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider, cftextarea,
cftree,

“Adding text, images, rules, and space with the cfformitem tag” in Chapter 29, “Adding
text, images, rules, and space with the cfformitem tag,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added tag
Attributes

The following table lists the attributes and their behavior in Flash forms. For XML format, if not
otherwise noted, the attribute is passed to the XML but is not interpreted by the basic XSL style
sheet provided with ColdFusion MX.

cfformitem

167

Note: Attributes that are marked as Flash only are not handled by the skins provided with ColdFusion
MX. They are, however, included in the generated XML in all controls except text and html types.

168

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

type

Required;
Flash and
XML

Flash:
• html: place the text in the body of this tag on the form.
For Flash forms, you can use the following text
formatting tags, most of which correspond to HTML
tags, in the text: a, b, br, font, i, img, li, p, textformat,
and u. For details on using these formatting tags, see
the Flash documentation. The style attribute has no
effect on the format of the text in type.
• text: place the text in the body of this tag on the form
verbatim, without interpreting any markup. You can
control the overall appearance of the text by using the
style attribute.
• spacer: places an invisible spacer of the specified
height and width on the form. Used to place space
between form controls. This tag must not have any
children.
• hrule: places a horizontal rule on the form. This tag must
not have any children.
• vrule: places a vertical rule on the form. This tag must
not have any children.
XML:
• html: puts the CFML tag’s body text in a CDATA
section in an XML xf:output element.
• text: XML-formats (escapes characters such as <) the
CFML tag’s body text and puts it in a CDATA section in
an XML xf:output element.
• hrule: puts an hr tag in the output. Use the style
attribute to specify all rule characteristics, including
height and width. This tag must not have any children.
• Any other string: generates an XML xf:group element
with the type name as the appearance attribute. The
CFML tag body is put in a CDATA section in a
cf:attribute name="body" element. The XSL
transforms provided with ColdFusion MX ignore these
elements.

style

Optional;
Flash and
XML

Flash:
Must be a style specification in CSS format.
Ignored if the type attribute is html or text.
For detailed information on specifying Flash styles, see
Chapter 29, “Creating Forms in Macromedia Flash” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide. Not used with the
spacer type.
XML:
ColdFusion passes the style attribute to the XML.
ColdFusion skins include the style attribute in the
generated HTML.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Description

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

Description

width

Optional;
Flash

Width of the item, in pixels. If you omit this attribute, Flash
automatically sizes the width. In ColdFusion XSL skins,
use the style attribute, instead.

height

Optional;
Flash

Height of the item, in pixels. If you omit this attribute,
Flash automatically sizes the width. In ColdFusion XSL
skins, use the style attribute, instead.

enabled

Optional;
Flash

Yes

Boolean value specifying whether the control is enabled.
Disabled text appear in light gray. Has no effect on
spacers and rules.

visible

Optional;
Flash

Yes

Boolean value specifying whether to show the control.
Space that would be occupied by an invisible control is
blank. Has no effect on spacers.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash

Text to display when the mouse pointer hovers over the
control. Has no effect on spacers.

bind

Optional;
Flash

A Flash bind expression that populates the field with
information from other form fields. If you use this
attribute, ColdFusion MX ignores any text that you
specify in the body of the cftextitem tag. This attribute
can be useful if the cfformitem tag is in a cfformgroup
type="repeater" tag. See Usage. For details, see “Flash
form data binding” in the cfinput tag description.

Note: Attributes that are marked as Flash only are not handled by the skins provided with ColdFusion
MX. They are, however, included in the generated XML in all controls except text and html types.
Usage

This tag requires an end tag or a slash before the closing end character of the opening tag, as the
following example shows:


For more information on using this tag in Flash forms, see Chapter 29, “Creating Forms in
Macromedia Flash” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example

The following example shows a simple Flash form using horizontal rules and text:
cfformitem Example



This simple form has two hrule cfformitem tags around the cfformitem tag
that contains this text.




For a more complex form, see cfformgroup.

cfformitem

169

cfftp
Description

Lets users implement File Transfer Protocol (FTP) operations.
Category

File management tags, Internet Protocol tags
Syntax

The tag syntax depends on the action attribute value. See the following sections:

• “cfftp: Opening and closing FTP server connections” on page 171
• “cfftp: Connection: File and directory operations” on page 174
• “cfftp action = "listDir"” on page 178
See also
cfhttp, cfldap, cfmail, cfpop; “Performing file operations with cfftp” in Chapter 40,
“Interacting with Remote Servers,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the result attribute for file and directory operations.
ColdFusion MX: Deprecated the agentname attribute. It might not work, and might cause an
error, in later releases.
Usage

Use this tag to move files between a ColdFusion server and an FTP server.
This tag does not move files between a ColdFusion server and a client browser. You do this as
follows:

• To transfer files from a client to a ColdFusion server: cffile action =
• To transfer files from a ColdFusion server to a client: the cfcontent tag

"upload"

Security settings

ColdFusion MX security settings can prevent the cfftp tag from executing. If you run
ColdFusion applications on a server that is used by multiple customers, consider the security of
the files that the customer can move. For more information, see the “Administering Security”
section of Configuring and Administering ColdFusion MX.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfftp: Opening and closing FTP server connections
Description

To establish a connection with an FTP server, you use the open action with a connection
attribute.
Syntax

See also
cfhttp, cfldap, cfmail, cfpop
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

Required

FTP operation to perform.
• open: creates an FTP connection
• close: terminates an FTP connection

username

Required if

User name to pass in the FTP operation.

action =
"open"

password

Password to log in the user.

Required if
action =
"open"

server

Required if

FTP server to which to connect; for example,

action =
"open"

ftp.myserver.com

timeout

Optional

30

Value in seconds for the timeout of all operations, including
individual data request operations.

port

Optional

21

Remote port to which to connect.

connection

Optional, but
always used
with open or
close

proxyServer Optional

Name of the FTP connection. If you specify the username,
password, and server attributes, and if no connection exists
for them, ColdFusion creates one. Calls to cfftp with the
same connection name reuse the connection.
String. Name of proxy server (or servers) to use, if proxy
access is specified.

cfftp: Opening and closing FTP server connections

171

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

retryCount

Optional

1

Number of retries until failure is reported.

no

• yes: halts processing, displays an appropriate error.
• no: populates these variables:
cfftp.succeeded – yes or no.
cfftp.errorCode – Error number. See the IETF Network
Working Group RFC 959: File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc0959.txt.
cfftp.errorText – Message text.
For conditional operations, use cfftp.errorCode. Do not use
cfftp.errorText for this purpose.

stopOnError Optional

■

■

■

passive

Optional

no

• yes: enables passive mode.
• no

Usage

When you establish a connection with cfftp action="open" and specify a name in the
connection attribute, ColdFusion caches the connection so that you can reuse it to perform
additional FTP operations. When you use a cached connection for subsequent FTP operations,
you do not have to specify the username, password, or server connection attributes. The FTP
operations that use the same connection name automatically use the information stored in the
cached connection. Using a cached connection helps save connection time and improves file
transfer performance.
You do not need to open a connection for single, simple, FTP operations, such as GetFile or
PutFile.
To keep a connection open throughout a session or longer, put the connection name in the
Session or Application scope; for example, specify connection="Session.FTPConnection".
However, if you do this, you must specify the full variable name in all FTP operations, and you
must use the close action when you are finished. Keeping a connection open prevents others
from using the FTP server; so close a connection as soon as possible. If you do not assign the
connection name to Session or Application variable, the connection remains open for the current
page only, and you do not have to close it manually.
Changes to a cached connection, such as changing retryCount or timeout values, might require
reestablishing the connection.
Example
cfftp lets users implement File Transfer Protocol operations.
By default, cfftp caches an open connection to an FTP server.
cfftp operations are usually of two types:

Establishing a connection
Performing file and directory operations

This example opens and verifies a connection, lists the files in a
directory, and closes the connection.
Open a connection

Did it succeed? #cfftp.succeeded#
List the files in a directory:


#name#


Close the connection:

Did it succeed? #cfftp.succeeded#

cfftp: Opening and closing FTP server connections

173

cfftp: Connection: File and directory operations
Description

Use this form of the cfftp tag to perform file and directory operations with cfftp.
Syntax

result = "result_name"
See also
cfhttp, cfldap, cfmail, cfpop
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required if
connection is not
cached

FTP operation to perform:
• changedir
• createDir
• listDir
• removeDir
• getFile
• putFile
• rename
• remove
• getCurrentDir
• getCurrentURL
• existsDir
• existsFile
• exists

username

Required if
connection is not
cached

User name to pass in the FTP operation.

password

Required if action

Password to log in the user.

= "open"

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default

Description

Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Required if action

Default

Description
Query name of directory listing.

= "listDir"

server

FTP server to which to connect; for example,
ftp.myserver.com.

Required if FTP
connection is not
cached

ASCIIExtension Optional
List

txt;htm;html; Delimited list of file extensions that force ASCII
transfer mode, if transferMode = "auto".
cfm;cfml;
shtm;shtml;
css;asp;asa

transferMode

Optional

Auto

• ASCII FTP transfer mode
• Binary FTP transfer mode
• Auto FTP transfer mode

failIfExists

Optional

yes

• yes: if a local file with same name exists, the
getFile action will fail.
• no

directory

Required if action
= "changedir",
"createDir",
"listDir", or
"existsDir"

Directory on which to perform an operation.

localFile

Required if action
= "getFile" or
"putFile"

Name of the file on the local file system.

remoteFile

Required if action
= "getFile",
"putFile", or
"existsFile"

Name of the file on the FTP server file system.

item

Required if action
= "exists" or
"remove"

Object of these actions: file or directory.

existing

Required if action

Current name of the file or directory on the
remote server.

= "rename"

new

Required if action

New name of file or directory on the remote
server.

= "rename"

proxyServer

Optional

passive

Optional

result

Optional

String. Name of the proxy server (s) to use, if
proxy access is specified.
no

• yes: enables passive mode.
• no
Specifies a name for the structure in which
cfftp stores the returnValue variable. If set, this
value replaces cfftp as the prefix to use when
accessing returnVariable. See the Usage
section for more information

cfftp: Connection: File and directory operations

175

Usage

If you use connection caching to an active FTP connection, you do not have to respecify the
username, password, or server connection attributes.
Changing a cached connection, such as changing retryCount or timeout values, might require
reestablishing the connection.
If action = "listDir", the attributes column returns directory or normal. Other
platform-specific values, such as hidden and system, are no longer supported.
If action = "listDir", a mode column is returned. The column contains an octal string
representation of UNIX permissions; for example, "777."
The cfftp.returnValue variable provides the return value for these actions:

•
•
•
•
•

getCurrentDir
getCurrentURL
existsDir
existsFile
exists

For more information, see ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Caution: Object (file and directory) names are case-sensitive.

Action (cfftp.ReturnValue variable)

The results of an action determine the value of the returnValue variable, as the following table
shows:
cfftp action

Value of cfftp.returnValue

getCurrentDir

String. Current directory.

getCurrentURL

String. Current URL.

existsDir

yes or no.

existsFile

yes or no.

exists

yes or no.

To access the returnValue variable, you must prefix it with either cfftp or the value specified by
the result attribute, if it is set. The result attribute provides a way for cfftp calls from
multiple pages, possibly at the same time, to avoid overwriting the results of one with another. If
you set the result attribute to myResult, for example, you would access the returnVariable
variable as myResult.returnVariable. Otherwise, you would access it as
cfftp.returnVariable.

176

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Example

The following example opens a connection and gets a file listing showing file or directory name,
path, URL, length, and modification date:
Open a connection

Did it succeed? #cfftp.succeeded#

FTP Directory Listing:









Move Image File to Remote Server:



Did it succeed? #cfftp.succeeded#
Close the connection:

Did it succeed? #cfftp.succeeded#

cfftp: Connection: File and directory operations

177

cfftp action = "listDir"
Description

To access the columns in a query object, use this tag with action = "listDir".
Usage

When you use this action, you must specify a value for the name attribute. This value holds the
results of the listDir action in a query object. The query object consists of columns that you can
reference, in the form queryname.columname[row], where queryname is the name of the query,
specified in the name attribute; and columnname is a column returned in the query object. The
value row is the row number of each file/directory entry returned by the listDir operation. A
separate row is created for each entry:
cfftp query object column

Description

Name

Filename of the current element.

Path

File path (without drive designation) of the current element.

URL

Complete URL for the current element (file or directory).

Length

File size of the current element.

LastModified

Unformatted date/time value of the current element.

Attributes

String. Attributes of the current element: normal or Directory.

IsDirectory

Boolean. Whether object is a file or directory.

Mode

Applies only to UNIX and Linux. Permissions. Octal string.

Note: Previously supported query column values that pertain to system-specific information are not
supported; for example, hidden and system.

178

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cffunction
Description

Defines a function that you can call in CFML. Required to define ColdFusion component
methods.
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the XML value to the returntype attribute.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax

See also
cfargument, cfcomponent, cfinvoke, cfinvokeargument, cfobject, cfproperty,
cfreturn

cffunction

179

Attributes

180

Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Required

returnType

Required for a
web service;
Optional,
otherwise.

any

String; a type name; data type of the function return
value:
• any
• array
• binary
• boolean
• date
• guid – The argument must be a UUID or GUID of the
form xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx where
each x is a character representing a hexadecimal
number (0-9A-F).
• numeric
• query
• string
• struct
• uuid: the argument must be a ColdFusion UUID of the
form xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx where each
x is a character representing a hexadecimal number
(0-9A-F).
• variableName: a string formatted according to
ColdFusion variable naming conventions.
• void: does not return a value
• xml: allows web service functions to return CFML XML
objects and XML strings.
• a component name: if the type attribute value is not
one of the preceding items, ColdFusion treats it as the
name of a ColdFusion component. When the function
executes, it generates an error if the argument that is
passed in is not a CFC with the specified name.

roles

Optional

"" (empty)

A comma-delimited list of ColdFusion security roles that
can invoke the method. Only users who are logged in
with the specified roles can execute the function. If this
attribute is omitted, all users can invoke the method.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default

Description
A string; a component method that is used within the
cfcomponent tag.

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

access

Optional

public

The client security context from which the method can
be invoked:
• private: available only to the component that declares
the method and any components that extend the
component in which it is defined.
• package: available only to the component that
declares the method, components that extend the
component, or any other components in the package.
• public: available to a locally executing page or
component method.
• remote: available to a locally or remotely executing
page or component method, or a remote client
through a URL, Flash, or a web service. To publish the
function as a web service, this option is required.

description

Optional

output

Optional

Specifies under which conditions the function can
Function
generate HTML output.
body is
processed • yes: the entire function body is processed as if it were
as standard
within a cfoutput tag. Variables names surrounded by
CFML
number signs (#) are automatically replaced with their
values.
• no: the function is processed as if it were within a
cfsilent tag
If you do not specify this attribute, the function body is
processed as standard CFML. Any variables must be in
cfoutput tags.

displayname Optional

Meaningful only for CFC method parameters. A value to
be displayed in parentheses following the function name
when using introspection to show information about the
CFC.

hint

Meaningful only for CFC method parameters. Text to be
displayed when using introspection to show information
about the CFC. The hint attribute value follows the
syntax line in the function description.

Optional

Supplies a short text description of the function.

Usage

The cffunction tag can define a function that you call in the same manner as a ColdFusion
built-in function.
To define a ColdFusion component (CFC) method, you must use a cffunction tag.
The following example shows cffunction tag attributes for a simple CFC method that returns a
ColdFusion Query object.


cffunction

181

For information on using the cffunction tag for ColdFusion components, see Chapter 10,
“Building and Using ColdFusion Components” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
If you specify a roles attribute, the function executes only if a user is logged in and belongs to
one of the specified roles.
If you specify variableName for the returnType attribute, the function must return a string that
is in ColdFusion variable name format; that is, the function must return a string that starts with a
letter, underscore, or Unicode currency symbol, and consist of letters, numbers, and underscores
(_), periods, and Unicode currency symbols, only. ColdFusion does not check whether the value
corresponds to an existing ColdFusion variable.
Example



SELECT FIRSTNAME, LASTNAME, EMAIL
FROM tblEmployees





SELECT *
FROM tblDepartments





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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfgraph
Description

This tag is deprecated. Use the cfchart, cfchartdata, and cfchartseries tags instead.
Displays data graphically.
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated this tag. It works differently than it did in ColdFusion 5, and it
might not work in later releases.
The incompatibilities between the ColdFusion MX implementation and earlier implementations
of this tag are as follows:
cfgraph tag attribute

ColdFusion MX functionality

Title

Ignored.

Titlefont

Ignored.

Barspacing

Ignored.

Bordercolor

Color used for border, gridlines, and text displays.

Colorlist

List of colors to use for each data point for bar, pyramid, area,
horizontalbar, cone, cylinder, step, and pie charts.

Valuelabelfont

Sets value label text font. If the Valuelabelfont, Itemlabelfont, and
Legendfont values differ, ColdFusion uses the last value that you specify in
the tag.
Arial is not supported; it is mapped to Dialog.

Itemlabelfont

Sets item label text font. If the Valuelabelfont, Itemlabelfont, and
Legendfont values differ, ColdFusion uses the last value that you specify in
the tag.
Arial is not supported; it is mapped to Dialog.

Legendfont

Sets legend text font. If the Valuelabelfont, Itemlabelfont, and
Legendfont values differ, ColdFusion uses the last value that you specify in
the tag
Arial is not supported; it is mapped to Dialog.

ShowLegend

• above, below, left, right: these options cause the legend to display, but
have no effect on its location.
• none: prevents display of a legend.

Valuelabelsize

Sets value label text size. If the Valuelabelsize and Itemlabelsize values
differ, ColdFusion uses the last value that you specify in the tag.

Itemlabelsize

Sets item label text size.

Itemlabelorientation

Ignored. ColdFusion calculates best orientation based on label and graph
size.

Borderwidth

• a nonzero number: default-width border, regardless of number value.
• 0: no border.

cfgraph

183

184

cfgraph tag attribute

ColdFusion MX functionality

Depth

• 0: displays graph with two-dimensional appearance.
• any other value: displays graph with threedimensional appearance.

Linewidth

Ignored.

Showvaluelabel

• yes: displays values on mouse-click.
• no: suppresses value displays.
• rollover: displays values on mouse-over.

Valuelocation

Ignored.

url

URL of page to open if any item in the graph is clicked.
The following variables may be used within the URL; they are substituted
with real values before the URL is accessed:
• "$value$": selected row/column value or an empty string.
• "$itemlabel$": selected item (column) value or an empty string.
• "$serieslabel$": selected series (row) value or an empty string.
• "javascript:...": executes client side scripts.

Urlcolumn

Ignored.

Type="HorizontalBar"

The (0,0) coordinate is located at the lower-left.

ScaleFrom

If the smallest value in the data is less than scaleFrom or the largest value
in the data is greater than scaleTo, the respective data value is used as the
minimum or maximum on the Y scale. Therefore, regardless of the
scaleFrom or scaleTo value, all data values display.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfgraphdata
Description

This tag is deprecated. Use the cfchart, cfchartdata, and cfchartseries tags instead.
Displays a data point in a graph. Used within the cfgraph tag.
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated this tag. It works differently than in ColdFusion 5 and might not
work in later releases.

cfgraphdata

185

cfgrid
Description

Used within the cfform tag. Puts a grid control (a table of data) in a ColdFusion form. To specify
grid columns and row data, use the cfgridcolumn and cfgridrow tags, or use the query
attribute, with or without cfgridcolumn tags.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

zero or more cfgridcolumn and cfgridrow tags

See also
cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfgridcolumn, cfgridrow, cfgridupdate, cfform,
cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider, cftextarea,
cftree
History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Added the format attribute and support for Flash and XML output.
• Added enabled, onChange, style, tooltip, and visible attributes (Flash format only).
ColdFusion MX: Changed the rowHeaderWidth attribute: ColdFusion does not use the
rowHeaderWidth attribute. You can omit it.

cfgrid

187

Attributes
Note: In XML format, ColdFusion MX passes all attributes to the XML. The supplied XSLT skins do
not handle or display XML format grids, but do display applet and Flash format grids.

188

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

name

Required;
All

format

Optional;
All

applet

height

Optional;
All

300 (applet Height of the control, in pixels.
only)
If you omit the attribute in Flash format, the grid
sizes automatically..

width

Optional;
All

300 (applet Width of the control, in pixels.
only)
If you omit the attribute in Flash format, the grid
sizes automatically.

query

Optional;
All

Name of the query associated with the control.

selectMode

Optional;
All

Applet
Selection mode for items in the control.
format:
• Edit: user can edit grid data. Selecting a cell
Browse;
opens the editor for the cell type.
Flash
• Row: user selections automatically extend to
format: Row
the row that contains selected cell.
The following are used in applet format only;
Flash interprets these as Row:
• Single: user selections are limited to selected
cell.
• Column: user selections automatically extend
to column that contains selected cell.
• Browse: user can only browse grid data.

font

Optional;
All

Font of text.

fontSize

Optional;
All

Size of text, in points.

italic

Optional;
All

no

• yes: displays text in italics.
• no

bold

Optional;
All

no

• yes: displays text in bold.
• no

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default

Description
Name of the grid control.
• applet: generates a Java applet.
• Flash: generates a Flash grid control.
• xml: generates an XML representation of the
grid.
In XML format forms, includes the generated
XML in the form.
In HTML format forms, puts the XML in a
string variable with the name specified by the
name attribute.

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

Description

textColor

Optional;
All

Black

Color of text. Can be a hexadecimal value or a
named color.
For a hexadecimal value, use the form
"##xxxxxx", where x = 0-9 or A-F; use two
number signs or none.
For a list of the supported named colors, see
cfchart.

selectColor

Optional;
All

gridLines

Optional;
All

rowHeight

Optional;
All

Background color for a selected item.
• Options: same as for textColor attribute
yes

• yes: enables row and column rules.
• no
Minimum row height, in pixels. Used with
cfgridcolumn type = "Image"; defines space for

graphics to display in row.
colHeaders

Optional;
All

yes

colHeaderFont

Optional;
All

Font of column header.

colHeaderFontSize

Optional;
All

Size of column header text, in points.

colHeaderItalic

Optional;
All

no

• yes: displays column headers in italics.
• no

colHeaderBold

Optional;
All

no

• yes: displays column headers in bold.
• no

colHeaderTextColor

Optional;
All

Color of column headers.
• Options: same as for textColor attribute.

bgColor

Optional;
All

Background color of the control.
• Options: for applet format, same as for
textColor attribute; for Flash format, must be
a hexadecimal value.
• Flash format only: to specify background
colors for alternating rows, separate the two
colors with a comma.

maxRows

Optional;
All

Maximum number of rows to display in the grid.

style

Optional;
Flash

Must be a style specification in CSS format.
Ignored for type="text".

enabled

Optional;
Flash

Yes

• yes: displays column headers.
• no

Flash format only: Boolean value specifying
whether the control is enabled. A disabled
control appears in light gray.

cfgrid

189

190

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

Description

visible

Optional;
Flash

Yes

Flash format only: Boolean value specifying
whether to show the control. Space that would
be occupied by an invisible control is blank.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash

Flash format only: text to display when the
mouse pointer hovers over the control.

onChange

Optional;
Flash

ActionScript to run when the control changes
due to user action in the control.

autoWidth

Optional;
applet

vSpace

Optional;
applet

Vertical space above and below the control, in
pixels.

hSpace

Optional;
applet

Horizontal space to the left and right of the
control, in pixels.

align

Optional;
applet

Alignment of the grid cell contents:
• Top
• Left
• Bottom
• Baseline
• Texttop
• Absbottom
• Middle
• Absmiddle
• Right

insert

Optional;
applet

no

• yes: users can insert row data in the grid; takes
effect only if selectmode="edit".
• no

delete

Optional;
applet

no

• yes: users can delete row data from the grid;
takes effect only if selectmode="edit".
• no

sort

Optional;
applet

no

Adds sort buttons to perform simple text sorts
on a user-selected column:
• yes: put sort buttons on the grid control.
• no
Independent of this setting, users can sort
columns by clicking the column head. If
selectMode="browse", the table cannot be
sorted.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

no

• yes: sets column widths so that all columns
display within the grid width. Widths are equal
or the proportions are determined by the
relative cfgridcolumn width attribute values.
Horizontal scroll bars are not available.
• no: sets columns to equal widths or the values
specified in the cfgridcolumn width attributes.

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

href

Optional;
applet

URL or name of a query column that contains
URLs to hyperlink each grid cell with.

target

Optional;
applet

The target frame or window in which to display
the href URL; for example, "_blank".

appendKey

Optional;
applet

hrefKey

Optional;
applet

highlightHref

Optional;
applet

onValidate

Optional;
applet

A JavaScript function to validate user input. The
form object, input object, and input object value
are passed to the function, which must return
True if validation succeeds; False otherwise.

onError

Optional;
applet

A JavaScript function to execute if validation
fails.

gridDataAlign

Optional;
applet

Left

• Left: left-aligns data within the column.
• Right: right-aligns data within the column.
• Center: centers data within the column.

rowHeaders

Optional;
applet

yes

• yes: displays a column of numeric row labels.
• no

rowHeaderAlign

Optional;
applet

Left

• Left: left-aligns the row header text.
• Right: right-aligns the row header text.
• Center: centers the row header text.

rowHeaderFont

Optional;
applet

Font for the row labels.

rowHeaderFontSize

Optional;
applet

Text size of the row labels, in points.

rowHeaderItalic

Optional;
applet

no

• yes: displays row label text in italics.
• no

rowHeaderBold

Optional;
applet

no

• yes: displays row label text in bold.
• no

rowHeaderTextColor

Optional;
applet

Black

Text color of grid control row headers.
• Options: same as for the textColor attribute.

yes

Description

• yes: when used with href, appends
"CFGRIDKEY=" and information about the
selected items. For details see “Using the href
attribute”.
• no
A query column to use for the value appended to
the href URL of each cell, if appendKey="True".
If you use cfgridcolumn tags, the column must
be specified in one of these tags.

yes

• yes: highlights links associated with an href
attribute value.
• no

cfgrid

191

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

Description

colHeaderAlign

Optional;
applet

Left

• Left: left-aligns the column header text.
• Right: right-aligns the column header text.
• Center: centers the column header text.

notSupported

Optional;
applet

(See
Text to display if the browser does not support
Description) Java or has Java support disabled.
Default: " Browser must support Java to view
ColdFusion Java Applets"

pictureBar

Optional;
applet

no

• yes: puts images (and no text) on the Insert,
Delete, and Sort buttons.
• no: puts text (and no images) on the Insert,
Delete, and Sort buttons.

insertButton

Optional;
applet

Insert

Insert button text; takes effect only if
selectmode="edit".

deleteButton

Optional;
applet

Delete

Optional;
applet

A -> Z

Sort button text.

sortDescendingButton Optional;
applet

Z -> A

Sort button text.

sortAscendingButton

Delete button text; takes effect only if
selectmode="edit".

Usage

This tag must be in a cfform tag block.
An applet format grid requires the client to download a Java applet. Also, if the client does not
have an up-to-date Java plugin installed, the system might also have to download an updated Java
plugin to display the an applet format grid. A Flash format grid generates a Flash control, and can
be embedded in an HTML format cfform tag. For this tag to work properly in either Flash or
applet format, the browser must also be JavaScript-enabled.
Note: If you specify Flash format for this tag in an HTML format form, and you do not specify height
and width attributes, Flash takes up more than the remaining visible area on the screen. If any other
output follows the grid, including any form controls, users must scroll to see it. Therefore, if you follow
a Flash grid in an HTML form with additional output, specify height and width values.

You can populate a cfgrid with data from a cfquery. If you do not specify any cfgridcolumn
tags in the cfgrid body, ColdFusion generates a grid with the following:

• A column for each column in the query.
• A default header for each column, created by replacing hyphen or underscore characters in the
table column name with spaces. The first character, and any character after a space, are
changed to uppercase; all other characters are lowercase.
This tag requires an end tag.

192

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Note: Clicking the submit button while editing a grid cell occasionally causes the cell changes to be
lost. To ensure that changes are submitted properly, Macromedia recommends that after user
updates data in a cell, they click another cell before submitting the form.

How data is returned from cfgrid
This tag returns data by setting form variables in the data submitted to the form's action page, as
an HTML form control does. Because the data can vary, depending on the tag’s SelectMode
attribute value, the form variables that are returned also vary depending on this value.
In general, the data returned falls into one of these categories:

• Simple data, returned from simple select operations
• Complex data, returned from insert, update and delete operations
Simple selection data (SelectMode = Single, Column, or Row)
The data that form variables return to the cfform's action page contains information about
which cells the user selected. In general, ColdFusion makes this data available in the action page,
as ColdFusion variables in the Form scope, with the naming convention
form.#GridName#.#ColumnName#

Each SelectMode returns these form variable(s):

•

SelectMode="single"
form.#GridName#.#ColumnName# = "SelectedCellValue"

•

SelectMode="column"
form.#GridName#.#ColumnName# = "ValueOfCellRow1,
ValueOfCellRow2, ValueOfCellRowN"

•

SelectMode="row"
form.#GridName#.#Column1Name# = "ValueOfCellInSelectedRow"
form.#GridName#.#Column2Name# = "ValueOfCellInSelectedRow"
form.#GridName#.#ColumnNName# = "ValueOfCellInSelectedRow"

Complex update data (SelectMode = Edit)
The grid returns a large amount of data, to inform the action page of inserts, updates or deletes
that the user made to the grid. In most cases, you can use the cfgridupdate tag to automatically
gather the data from the form variables; the tag collects data, writes SQL calls, and updates the
data source.
If you cannot use cfgridupdate (if, for example, you must distribute the returned data to more
than one data source), you must write code to read form variables. In this mode, ColdFusion
creates the following array variables in the Form scope for each cfgrid:
form.#GridName#.#ColumnName#
form.#GridName#.original.#ColumnName#
form.#GridName#.RowStatus.Action

cfgrid

193

Each table row that contains an update, insert, or deletion has a parallel entry in each of these
arrays. To view all the information for all the changes, you can traverse the arrays, as in this
example. To make it work with a cfgrid on a submitted cfform, set the GridName variable to
the name of the grid and the ColNameList to a list of the grid columns.



form.#GridName#.#ColName#:





The form variable is not an array!




Result Array Size is #size#.

Contents:



The array is empty.









Loop Index
Action
Old Value
New Value


#LoopCount#
#Val_Action#
#Val_Orig#
#Val_New#







form.#GridName#.#ColName#: NotSet!




194

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Using the href attribute
When specifying a URL with grid items using the href attribute, the selectMode attribute value
determines whether the appended key value is limited to one grid item or extends to a grid
column or row. When a user clicks a linked grid item, a cfgridkey variable is appended to the
URL, in this form:
http://myserver.com?cfgridkey=selection

If the appendKey attribute is set to no, no grid values are appended to the URL.
The value of selection is determined by the value of the selectMode and attribute:

• If you specify a hrefKey attribute, selection is the field value of the column specified by the
attribute. Otherwise, it is one of the following:

• If selectMode="Single", selection is the value of the column clicked.
• If selectMode="Row", selection is a comma-delimited list of column values in the clicked row,
beginning with the value of the first cell in the row.

• If selectMode="Column", selection is a comma-delimited list of row values in the clicked
column, beginning with the value of the first cell in the column.
Example

The following example creates a Flash form that displays a set of available courses from the
CourseList table in the cfdocexamples database. For more complex examples that use the cfgrid
tag, see cfgridcolumn, cfgridrow, and cfgridupdate.


SELECT Course_ID, Dept_ID, CorNumber,
CorName, CorLevel
FROM CourseList
ORDER by Dept_ID ASC, CorNumber ASC

cfgrid Example
Currently available courses






cfgrid

195

cfgridcolumn
Description

Used with the cfgrid tag in a cfform. Formats a columns and optionally populates the column
from a query. The font and alignment attributes used in cfgridcolumn override global font or
alignment settings defined in cfgrid.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

See also
cfgrid, cfgridrow, cfgridupdate, cfform, cfapplet, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider,
cftextarea, cftree
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the mask attribute, and the currency type attribute value.

196

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior if select="no": a user cannot select and edit the cell data,
regardless of the cfgrid selectmode attribute value. When clicked, the cell border (and,
depending on the selectColor value, the cell background) changes color, but the cell data
cannot be edited.
Attributes
Note: In XML format, ColdFusion MX passes all attributes to the XML. The supplied XSLT skins do
not handle or display XML format grids, but do display applet and Flash format grids.
Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

Description

name

Required;
All

header

Optional;
All

yes

width

Optional;
All

Column head Column width, in pixels.
width

Name of the grid column element. If the grid uses a
query, this attribute must be the name of the query
column that populates the grid column.
Column header text. Used only if the cfgrid
colHeaders attribute is True (the default).

cfgridcolumn

197

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

type

Optional;
All

Default

Description
You can specify the following values in all formats:
• image: grid displays the image specified by the
URL in the column. If you use a relative URL, the
image must be in the CFIDE\classes directory or a
subdirectory. If image is larger than column cell, it
is clipped to fit. Flash images must be JPEG files.
Applet images can be JPEG or GIF files.
• boolean: column displays as check box; if cell is
editable, user can change the check mark.
• numeric: user can sort grid data numerically.
• string_noCase: user can sort grid data as caseinsensitive text.
You can specify the following attribute in applet
format; it does not work in Flash grids.
• image: you can use the following built-in
ColdFusion image names, in addition to paths to
image files, in the column values:
- cd
- computer
- document
- element
- folder
- floppy
- fixed
- remote
You can specify the following attribute in Flash
format; it does not work in applet grids:
• currency: formats the column data as currency,
aligning it around the decimal point. If users sort
the grid using this column, it will sort correctly for
the currency, Use the mask attribute to specify a
currency symbol, which defaults to the dollar sign
($).

198

display

Optional;
All

yes

• yes
• no: hides the column.

select

Optional;
All

yes

Determines selection behavior if the cfgrid
selectmode attribute value is column, edit, or single;
ignored for row or browse values.
• yes: users can select the column or select or edit
cells in the column, as specified by the selectmode
attribute.
• no: users cannot select the column or select or
edit cells in the column.

font

Optional;
All

As specified
by cfgrid

Font of data in column.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

Description

fontSize

Optional;
All

As specified
by cfgrid

Size of text in column.

italic

Optional;
All

As specified
by cfgrid

• yes: displays grid control text in italics.
• no

bold

Optional;
All

As specified
by cfgrid

• yes: displays grid control text in bold.
• no

textColor

Optional;
All

Color of grid element text in column as a
hexadecimal number or text name.
To enter a hexadecimal value, use the form
"##xxxxxx", where x = 0-9 or A-F; use two number
signs or none.
• Any color, in hexadecimal format
• Black
• Red
• Blue
• Magenta
• Cyan
• Orange
• Darkgray
• Pink
• Gray
• White
• Lightgray
• Yellow

bgColor

Optional;
All

Color of background of grid column.
• Options: same as for the textColor attribute.

dataAlign

Optional;
All

as specified
by cfgrid

Column data alignment:
• Left
• Right
• Center

cfgridcolumn

199

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

mask

optional;
Flash

A mask pattern that controls the character pattern
that the form displays or allows users to input and
sends to ColdFusion.
For columns with the currency type attribute, the
mask specifies the currency symbol. ColdFusion MX
automatically inserts the character before the
numeric value.
For columns with text or numeric values, mask
specifies the format to display or allow users to
input, as follows:
• A = [A-Za-z]
• X = [A-Za-z0-9]
• 9 = [0-9]
• ? = Any character
• All other characters = ColdFusion inserts the literal
character.
If the column values are dates or timestamps,
ColdFusion uses the mask pattern to format the
selected date.
For details of the date/time mask format, see date/
time formats in mask attribute.

href

Optional;
Applet

URL or query column name that contains a URL to
hyperlink each grid column with.

hrefKey

Optional;
Applet

The query column to use for the value appended to
the href URL of each column, instead of the
column’s value.

target

Optional;
Applet

Frame in which to open link specified in href.

headerFont

Optional;
Applet

as specified
by cfgrid

Column header font.

headerFontSize Optional;
Applet

as specified
by cfgrid

Column header text size, in pixels.

headerItalic

Optional;
Applet

as specified
by cfgrid

• yes: displays column header in italics.
• no

headerBold

Optional;
Applet

as specified
by cfgrid

• yes: displays header in bold.
• no

headerTextColor Optional;
Applet
headerAlign

200

Optional;
Applet

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Description

Color of grid control column header text.
• Options: same as for the textColor attribute.
as specified
by cfgrid

Column header text alignment:
• Left
• Right
• Center

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

Description

numberFormat

Optional;
Applet

Format for displaying numeric data in the grid. See
“numberFormat mask characters” on page 201.

values

Optional;
Applet

Formats cells in column as drop-down list boxes;
specify items in drop-down list. For example:
values = "arthur, scott, charles, 1-20, mabel"

valuesDisplay

Optional;
Applet

valuesDelimiter

Optional;
Applet

Maps elements in the values attribute to string to
display in the drop-down list. Delimited strings and/
or numeric range(s).
, [comma]

Delimiter in values and valuesDisplay attributes.

numberFormat mask characters

In applet format only, you can use the following numberFormat attribute mask characters to
format output in U.S. numeric and currency styles. For more information on using these mask
characters, see NumberFormat on page 783. (The cfgridcolumn tag does not support
international number formatting.)
Character Meaning
_

(Underscore) Digit placeholder.

9

Digit placeholder.

.

(Period) Location of mandatory decimal point.

0

Located to left or right of mandatory decimal point; pads with zeros.

()

Puts parentheses around mask if number is less than 0.

+

Puts plus sign before positive numbers, minus sign before negative numbers.

-

Puts space before positive numbers, minus sign before negative numbers.

,

(Comma) Separates every third decimal-place with a comma.

L,C

Left-justify or center-justify number within width of mask column. First character of
mask must be L or C. Default: right-justified.

$

Puts dollar sign before formatted number. Must be the first character of mask.

^

(Caret) Separates left from right formatting.

cfgridcolumn

201

date/time formats in mask attribute

By default, Flash displays date/time values in grid columns using a format that shows values such
as Oct 29 2004 11:03:21. Use the mask attribute to display the date or time in a different format,
as described in the following table:
Pattern letter Description

202

Y

Year. If the number of pattern letters is two, the year is truncated to two digits;
otherwise, it appears as four digits. The year can be zero-padded, as the third
example shows in the following set of examples:
Examples:
YY = 03
YYYY = 2003
YYYYY = 02003

M

Month in year. The format depends on the following criteria:
• If the number of pattern letters is one, the format is interpreted as numeric in one or
two digits.
• If the number of pattern letters is two, the format is interpreted as numeric in two
digits.
• If the number of pattern letters is three, the format is interpreted as short text.
• If the number of pattern letters is four, the format is interpreted as full text.
Examples:
M=7
MM= 07
MMM=Jul
MMMM= July

D

Day in month.
Examples:
D=4
DD=04
DD=10

E

Day in week. The format depends on the following criteria:
• If the number of pattern letters is one, the format is interpreted as numeric in one or
two digits.
• If the number of pattern letters is two, the format is interpreted as numeric in two
digits.
• If the number of pattern letters is three, the format is interpreted as short text.
• If the number of pattern letters is four, the format is interpreted as full text.
Examples:
E=1
EE = 01
EEE = Mon
EEEE = Monday

A

AM/PM indicator.

J

Hour in day (0-23).

H

Hour in day (1-24).

K

Hour in am/pm (0-11).

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Pattern letter Description
L

Hour in am/pm (1-12).

N

Minute in hour.
Examples:
N=3
NN = 03

S

Second in minute.

Other text

You can add other text into the pattern string to further format the string. You can
use punctuation, numbers, and all lowercase letters. You should avoid uppercase
letters because they may be interpreted as pattern letters.
Example:
EEEE, MMM. D, YYYY at H:NN A = Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2003 at 1:26 PM

Example

The following example lets you update certain fields of the CourseList table in the cfdocexamples
database. It uses cfgridcolumn tags to structure the table.






SELECT Course_ID, Dept_ID, CorNumber,
CorName, CorLevel, CorDesc
FROM CourseList
ORDER by Dept_ID ASC, CorNumber ASC



cfgrid Example


cfgrid Example
You can update the Name, Level, and Description information for courses.









cfgridcolumn

203









204

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

"CorNumber" header = "Course ##" Select="No"
"CorName" header = "Name" width="125">
"CorLevel" header = "Level" width="85">
"CorDesc" header = "Description" width="125">

name="gridEntered">

cfgridrow
Description

Lets you define a cfgrid control that does not use a query as source for row data. If a query
attribute is specified in the cfgrid tag, the cfgridrow tags are ignored.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

See also
cfgrid, cfgridcolumn, cfgridupdate, cfform, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider,
cftextarea, cftree
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

data

Required

Comma-delimited list of column values. If a value contains a
comma, it must be escaped with another comma.

Example

The following example shows how you use the cfgridrow tag can populate a cfgrid tag from list
data:
















cfgridrow

205

cfgridupdate
Description

Used within a cfgrid tag. Updates data sources directly from edited grid data. This tag provides
a direct interface with your data source.
This tag applies delete row actions first, then insert row actions, then update row actions. If it
encounters an error, it stops processing rows.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

See also
cfgrid, cfgridcolumn, cfgridrow, cfform, cfapplet, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider,
cftextinput, cftree
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated the connectString, dbName, dbServer, dbtype, provider, and
providerDSN attributes. They do not work, and might cause an error, in releases later than
ColdFusion 5.
Attributes

206

Attribute

Req/Opt

grid

Required

Name of the cfgrid form element that is the source for the
update action.

dataSource

Required

Name of the data source for the update action.

tableName

Required

Name of the table to update.
For ORACLE drivers, entry must be upper-case.
For Sybase driver, entry is case-sensitive; must be same
case as used when table was created.

username

Optional

Overrides username value specified in ODBC setup.

password

Optional

Overrides password value specified in ODBC setup.

tableOwner

Optional

Table owner, if supported.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default Description

Attribute

Req/Opt

tableQualifier

Optional

keyOnly

Default Description
Table qualifier, if supported. Purpose:
• SQL Server and Oracle driver: name of database that
contains the table.
• Intersolv dBASE driver: directory of DBF files.
no

Applies to the update action:
• yes: the WHERE criteria are limited to the key values.
• no: the WHERE criteria include key values and the
original values of changed fields.

Example

The following example lets you update a database by using a cfgrid tag to add and delete entire
records or to update the data in individual cells. The cfgridupdate tag processes the data from
the submitted form and updates the database.






SELECT Course_ID, Dept_ID, CorNumber,
CorName, CorLevel, CorDesc
FROM CourseList
ORDER by Dept_ID ASC, CorNumber ASC

cfgrid Example
Try adding a course to the database, and then deleting it.





...

cfgridupdate

207

cfheader
Description

Generates custom HTTP response headers to return to the client.
Category

Data output tags, Page processing tags
Syntax

or

See also
cfcache, cfflush, cfhtmlhead, cfinclude, cfsetting, cfsilent, cfcontent
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed behavior for the name attribute: cfheader name="Contentuses the default file character encoding to encode this header’s value, so the name
of a file can include characters in the character encoding used in the file.

Disposition"

Attributes

208

Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Required if statusCode not
specified

Header name.

value

Optional

HTTP header value.

charset

Optional

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default

UTF-8

Description

The character encoding in which to encode
the header value. The following list includes
commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information about character
encodings, see
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

statusCode

Required if name not
specified

Number. HTTP status code.

statusText

Optional

Explains the status code.

Usage

If you use this tag after the cfflush tag on a page, an error is thrown.
Example
cfheader Example
cfheader generates custom HTTP response headers to return to the client.
This example forces browser client to purge its cache of requested file.


cfheader

209

cfhtmlhead
Description

Writes text to the head section of a generated HTML page.
Category

Page processing tags
Syntax

See also
cfcache, cfflush, cfheader, cfheader, cfinclude, cfsetting, cfsilent
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

text

Required

Default

Description
Text to add to the  area of an HTML page.

Usage

Use this tag for embedding JavaScript code, or putting other HTML tags, such as meta, link,
title, or base in an HTML page header.
If you use this tag after the cfflush tag on a page, an error is thrown.
Example













#item.title.xmltext#

Author  #item.creator.xmltext#


210

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Description #item.description.xmlText#

Applies to these products


#item.subject[i].xmltext#







cfhtmlhead

211

cfhttp
Description

Generates an HTTP request and handles the response from the server.
Category

Internet Protocol tags
Syntax

See also
cfhttpparam, GetHttpRequestData, cfftp, cfldap, cfmail, cfpop, SetEncoding
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the result attribute, which allows you to specify an alternate variable
in which to receive a result.
ColdFusion MX 6.1:

•
•
•
•

212

Added support for the following methods: HEAD, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS, TRACE.
Added multipart, getAsBinary, proxyUser, and proxyPassword attributes.
Changed httpparam behavior: all operations can have httpparam tags.
Added the cfhttp.errorDetail return variable.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

• Modified response body content types considered to be text.
• Changed behavior for multiple headers: multiple headers of the same type are returned in an
array.

• Added support for HTTPS proxy tunneling.
• Fixed bugs in code and documentation.
ColdFusion MX:

• Added the charset and firstrowasheaders attributes.
• Changed Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) support: ColdFusion uses the Sun JSSE library, which
supports 128-bit encryption, to support SSL.
Attributes

The following attributes control the HTTP transaction and can be used for all HTTP methods:
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

url

Req

Uses the
http
protocol

Address of the resource on the server which will handle the
request. The URL must include the hostname or IP
address.
If you do not specify the transaction protocol (http:// or
https://), ColdFusion defaults to http.
If you specify a port number in this attribute, it overrides
any port attribute value.
The cfhttpparam tag URL attribute appends query string
attribute-value pairs to the URL.

port

Opt

80 for http Port number on the server to which to send the request. A
port value in the url attribute overrides this value.
443 for
https

cfhttp

213

214

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

method

Opt

• GET: requests information from the server. Any data that
the server requires to identify the requested information
must be in the URL or in cfhttp type="URL" tags.
• POST: sends information to the server for processing.
Requires one or more cfhttpparam tags. Often used for
submitting form-like data.
• PUT: requests the server to store the message body at
the specified URL. Use this method to send files to the
server.
• DELETE: requests the server to delete the specified
URL.
• HEAD: identical to the GET method, but the server does
not send a message body in the response. Use this
method for testing hypertext links for validity and
accessibility, determining the type or modification time
of a document, or determining the type of server.
• TRACE: requests that the server echo the received
HTTP headers back to the sender in the response body.
Trace requests cannot have bodies. This method
enables the ColdFusion application to see what is being
received at the server, and use that data for testing or
diagnostic information.
• OPTIONS: a request for information about the
communication options available for the server or the
specified URL. This method enables the ColdFusion
application to determine the options and requirements
associated with a URL, or the capabilities of a server,
without requesting any additional activity by the server.

proxyServer

Opt

proxyPort

Opt

proxyUser

Opt

GET

Host name or IP address of a proxy server to which to send
the request.
80

Port number to use on the proxy server.
User name to provide to the proxy server.

proxyPassword Opt

Password to provide to the proxy server.

username

Opt

Use to pass a user name to the target URL for Basic
Authentication. Combined with password to form a base64
encoded string that is passed in the Authenticate header.
Does not provide support for Integrated Windows, NTLM,
or Kerebos authentication.

password

Opt

Use to pass a password to the target URL for Basic
Authentication. Combined with username to form a base64
encoded string that is passed in the Authenticate header.
Does not provide support for Integrated Windows, NTLM,
or Kerebos authentication.

userAgent

Opt

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Cold
Fusion

Text to put in the user agent request header. Used to
identify the request client software. Can make the
ColdFusion application appear to be a browser.

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

charset

Opt

For
request:
UTF-8
For
response:
charset
specified
by
response
ContentType
header, or
UTF-8 if
response
does not
specify
charset.

The character encoding of the request, including the URL
query string and form or file data, and the response. The
following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information character encodings, see
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.

resolveURL

Opt

no

• no: does not resolve URLs in the response body. As a
result, any relative URL links in the response body do not
work.
• yes: resolves URLs in the response body to absolute
URLs, including the port number, so that links in a
retrieved page remain functional. Applies to these
HTML tags:
- img src
- a href
- form action
- applet code
- script src
- embed src
- embed pluginspace
- body background
- frame src
- bgsound src
- object data
- object classid
- object codebase
- object usemap
Does not resolve URLs if the file and path attributes are
used.
■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

■

throwOnError

Opt

no

• yes: if the server returns an error response code, throws
an exception that can be caught using the cftry and
cfcatch or ColdFusion error pages.
• no: does not throw an exception if an error response is
returned. In this case, your application can use the
cfhttp.StatusCode variable to determine if there was an
error and its cause.

cfhttp

215

216

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

redirect

Opt

If the response header includes a Location field AND
ColdFusion receives a 300-series (redirection) status
code, specifies whether to redirect execution to the URL
specified in the field:
• yes: redirects execution to the specified page.
• no: stops execution and returns the response
information in the cfhttp variable, or throws an error if
the throwOnError attribute is True.
The cfhttp.responseHeader.Location variable contains
the redirection path. ColdFusion follows a maximum of
four redirects on a request. If there are more, ColdFusion
functions as if redirect ="no".
Note: The cflocation tag generates an HTTP 302
response with the url attribute as the Location header
value.

timeout

Opt

getAsBinary

Opt

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

yes

Value, in seconds, that is the maximum time the request
can take. If the timeout passes without a response,
ColdFusion considers the request to have failed.
If the client specifies a timeout in the URL search
parameter (for example, ?RequestTime=120) ColdFusion
uses the lesser of the URL timeout and the timeout
attribute value; this ensures that the request times out
before, or at the same time as, the page.
If the URL does not specify a timeout, ColdFusion uses the
lesser of the Administrator timeout and the timeout
attribute value.
If the timeout is not set in any of these, ColdFusion waits
indefinitely for the cfhttp request to process.
no

• no: if ColdFusion does not recognize the response body
type as text, converts it to a ColdFusion object.
• Auto: if ColdFusion does not recognize the response
body type as text, converts it to ColdFusion Binary type
data.
• yes: always converts the response body content into
ColdFusion Binary type data, even if ColdFusion
recognizes the response body type as text.
ColdFusion recognizes the response body as text if:
• the header does not specify a content type.
• the content type starts with "text".
• the content type starts with "message".
• the content type is "application/octet-stream".
If ColdFusion does not recognize the body as text and
converts it to an object, but the body consists of text, the
cfoutput tag can display it. The cfoutput tag cannot
display Binary type data. (To convert binary data to text,
use the ToString function.)

The following attribute is used with the PUT method to determine how to send data specified
with httpparam type="formField":
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

multipart

Optional

Tells ColdFusion to send all data specified by cfhttpparam
type="formField" tags as multipart form data, with a

no
(Sends as
multipart
only if
request
includes File
type data.)

Content-Type of multipart/form-data. By default,
ColdFusion sends cfhttp requests that contain only
formField data with a Content Type of application/x-wwwform-urlencoded. (If the request also includes File type
data, ColdFusion uses the multipart/form-data content type
for all parts.)
If yes, ColdFusion also sends the request’s charset in each
Content-Type description. All form field data must be
encoded in this character encoding, and ColdFusion does
not URLEncode the data. (The field name must be in ISO88591-1 or ASCII.) Some http parsers, including the one
used by previous versions of ColdFusion, ignore the
multipart form field character encoding description.

The following attribute allows you to specify the name of the variable in which you would like the
results of the operation returned. The name you specify replaces cfhttp as the prefix by which
you access the returned variables. For example, if you set the result attribute to myResult, you
would access FileContent as #myResult.FileContent#.
The result attribute allows functions or CFCs that are called from multiple pages at the same
time to avoid overwriting the results of one call with another. For information about the variables
returned by a cfhttp get operation, see “Variables returned by a cfhttp get operation” in the
Usage section.
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

result

Optional

Specifies the name of the variable in which you want the
result returned.

The following attributes tell ColdFusion to put the HTTP response body in a file. You can put
the response body in a file for GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS, and TRACE methods,
but it is generally not useful with the DELETE or OPTIONS method.
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

path

Required
if file is
specified.

Tells ColdFusion to save the HTTP response body in a file.
Contains the absolute path to the directory in which to store
the file.

file

Required See
if path is Description
specified
and not a
GET
method

Name of the file in which to store the response body.
For a GET operation, the default is the file requested in the
URL, if there is one. For example, if the URL in a GET
method is http:www.myco.com/test.htm, the default file is
test.htm.
Do not specify the path to the directory in this attribute; use
the path attribute.

cfhttp

217

The following attributes tell ColdFusion to convert the HTTP response body into a ColdFusion
query object. They can be used with the GET and POST methods only.
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

name

Opt

Tells ColdFusion to create a query object with the given
name from the returned HTTP response body.

columns

Opt

First row of
response
contains
column
names.

The column names for the query, separated by commas,
with no spaces. Column names must start with a letter. The
remaining characters can be letters, numbers, or
underscore characters (_).
If there are no column name headers in the response,
specify this attribute to identify the column names.
If you specify this attribute, and the firstrowasHeader
attribute is True (the default), the column names specified
by this attribute replace the first line of the response. You
can use this behavior to replace the column names retrieved
by the request with your own names.
If a duplicate column heading is encountered in either this
attribute or in the column names from the response,
ColdFusion appends an underscore to the name to make it
unique.
If the number of columns specified by this attribute does not
equal the number of columns in the HTTP response body,
ColdFusion generates an error.

firstrowas
headers

Opt

yes

Determines how ColdFusion processes the first row of the
query record set:
• yes: processes the first row as column heads. If you
specify a columns attribute, ColdFusion ignores the first
row of the file.
• no: processes the first row as data. If you do not specify a
columns attribute, ColdFusion generates column names
by appending numbers to the word "column"; for example,
"column_1".

delimiter

Opt

, [comma]

A character that separates query columns. The response
body must use this character to separate the query
columns.

textQualifier

Opt

" [doublequotation
mark]

A character that, optionally, specifies the start and end of a
text column. This character must surround any text fields in
the response body that contain the delimiter character as
part of the field value.
To include this character in column text, escape it by using
two characters in place of one. For example, if the qualifier
is a double-quotation mark, escape it as "".

Usage

The cfhttp tag is a general-purpose tool for creating HTTP requests and handling the returned
results. It enables you to generate most standard HTTP request types. You use embedded
cfhttpparam tags to specify request headers and body content.

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When ColdFusion receives a response to a cfhttp request, it can put the response body (if any) in
a file or the cfhttp.FileContent string variable. If the body text is structured as a result set,
ColdFusion can put the body text in query object. You can also access the values of all returned
headers and specify how to handle error status and redirections, and specify a timeout to prevent
requests from hanging.
The HTTP protocol is the backbone of the World Wide Web and is used for every web
transaction. Because the cfhttp tag can generate most types of requests, it provides significant
flexibility. Possible uses include:

• Interacting with dynamic web sites and services that are not available as web services. (Use the
the cfinvoke tag to access SOAP web services.)

• Getting the contents of an HTML page or other file such as an image on a web server for use
in your CFML page or storage in a file.

• Sending a secure request to a server by specifying the https protocol in the url attribute.
• Using the POST method to send a multipart/form-data style post to any URL that can handle
such data and return results, including CGI executables or even other ColdFusion pages.

• Using the PUT method to upload files to a server that does not accept FTP requests.
This tag can, and for PUT and POST requests must, have a body that contains cfhttpparam
tags. If this tag has cfhttpparam tags, it must have a  end tag.
To use HTTPS with the cfhttp tag, you might need to manually import the certificate for each
web server into the keystore for the JRE that ColdFusion uses. This procedure should not be
necessary if the certificate is signed (issued) by an authority that the JSSE (Java Secure Sockets
Extension) recognizes (for example, Verisign); that is, if the signing authority is in the cacerts
already. However, you might need to use the procedure if you are issuing SSL (secure sockets
layer) certificates yourself.
To manually import a certificate:

1. Go to a page on the SSL server in question.
2. Double-click the lock icon.
3. Click the Details tab.
4. Click Copy To File.
5. Select the base64 option and save the file.
6. Copy the CER file into C:\CFusionMX7\runtime\jre\lib\security (or whichever JRE

ColdFusion is using).
7. Run the following command in the same directory (keytool.exe is located in

C:\CFusionMX7\runtime\jre\bin):
keytool -import -keystore cacerts -alias giveUniqueName -file filename.cer

cfhttp

219

Variables returned by a cfhttp get operation

The cfhttp tag returns the following variables. If you set the result attribute, the name you
assign replaces cfhttp as the prefix. For additional information, see the result attribute.
Name

Description

cfhttp.charSet

Response character character set (character encoding) specified by the
response Content-Type header.

cfhttp.errorDetail

If the connection to the HTTP server fails, contains details about the
failure. For instance: "Unknown host: my.co.com"; otherwise, the empty
string. Macromedia recommends that you check this variable for an error
condition before checking other variables.

cfhttp.fileContent

Response body; for example, the contents of a html page retrieved by a
GET operation. Empty if you save the response in a file.

cfhttp.header

Raw response header containing all header information in a single string.
Contains the same information as the cfhttp.responseHeader variable.

cfhttp.mimeType

MIME type specified by the response Content-Type header; for
example, text/html.

cfhttp.responseHeader

The response headers formatted into a structure. Each element key is
the header name, such as Content-Type or Status_Code. If there is more
than one instance of a header type, the type values are put in an array.
One common technique is to dynamically access the
cfhttp.responseHeader structure as a dynamic array; for example,
#cfhttp.resonseHeader[fieldVariable]#.

cfhttp.statusCode

The HTTP status_code header value followed by the HTTP Explanation
header value; for example, "200 OK".

cfhttp.text

Boolean; True if the response body content type is text. ColdFusion
recognizes the response body as text if:
• the header does not specify a content type.
• the content type starts with "text".
• the content type starts with "message".
• the content type is "application/octet-stream".

Building a query from a delimited text file

The cfhttp tag can create a ColdFusion query object form the response body. To do so, the
response body must consist of lines of text, with each line having fields that are delimited by a
character that identifies the column breaks. The default delimiter is a comma (,). The response
data can also use a text qualifier; the default is a double-quotation mark ("). If you surround a
string field in the text qualifier, the field can contain the delimiter character. To include the text
qualifier in field text, escape it by using a double character. The following line shows a two-line
request body that is converted into a query. It has three comma-delimited fields:
Field1,Field2,Field3
"A comma, in text","A quote: ""Oh My!""",Plain text

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Run the following code to show how ColdFusion treats this data:




Column names can be specified in three ways:

• By default, ColdFusion uses the first row of the response as the column names.
• If you specify a comma-delimited columns attribute, ColdFusion uses the names specified in
the attribute as the column names. Set firstRowAsHeaders="no" if the first row of the
response contains data. Otherwise, ColdFusion ignores the first row.

• If you do not specify a columns attribute and set firstrowasheaders="no", ColdFusion
generates column names of the form Column_1, Column2, etc.
The cfhttp tag checks to ensure that column names in the data returned by the tag start with a
letter and contain only letters, numbers, and underscore characters (_).
ColdFusion checks for invalid column names. Column names must start with a letter. The
remaining characters can be letters, numbers, or underscores (_). If a column name is not valid,
ColdFusion generates an error.
Notes

• For the ColdFusion MX Administrator timeout and the URL timeout to take effect, you must
enable the timeout in the ColdFusion MX Administrator, Server Settings page. For more
information, see Configuring and Administering ColdFusion MX.

• The cfhttp tag supports Basic Authentication for all operations.
• The cfhttp tag uses SSL to negotiate secure transactions.
• If you put the HTTP response body in a file, ColdFusion does not put it in the
CFHTTP.FileContent variable or generate a query object. If you do not put the response body
in a file, ColdFusion puts it in the CFHTTP.FileContent variable; if you specify a name
attribute ColdFusion generates a query object.

• The cfhttp tag does not support NTLM or Digest Authentication.
Example






cfhttp

221









#item.title.xmltext#

Author  #item.author.xmltext#

Applies to these products


#item.xmlChildren[i].xmlAttributes.Name#







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cfhttpparam
Description

Allowed inside cfhttp tag bodies only. Required for cfhttp POST operations. Optional for all
others. Specifies parameters to build an HTTP request.
Category

Internet Protocol tags
Syntax

See also
cfhttp, GetHttpRequestData, cfftp, cfldap, cfmail, cfmailparam, cfpop
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1:

•
•
•
•

Added the header and body types.
Added the encoded and mimeType attributes.
Changed HTTP method behavior: all HTTP methods can have httpparam tags.
Changed the name attribute requirements: it is not required for all types.

cfhttpparam

223

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

type

Required

Information type:
• header: specifies an HTTP header. ColdFusion does not
URL encode the header.
• CGI: specifies an HTTP header. ColdFusion URL
encodes the header by default.
• body: specifies the body of the HTTP request.
ColdFusion does not automatically set a content-type
header or URL encode the body contents. To specify
the content-type, use a separate cfhttp tag with
type=header.
• XML: identifies the request as having a content-type of
text/xml. Specifies that the value attribute contains the
body of the HTTP request. Used to send XML to the
destination URL. ColdFusion does not URL encode the
XML data.
• file: tells ColdFusion to send the contents of the
specified file. ColdFusion does not URL encode the file
contents.
• URL: specifies a URL query string name-value pair to
append to the cfhttp url attribute. ColdFusion URL
encodes the query string.
• formField: specifies a form field to send. ColdFusion
URL encodes the Form field by default.
• cookie: specifies a cookie to send as an HTTP header.
ColdFusion URL encodes the cookie.

name

Required.
Optional (and
ignored) for
Body and XML
types

Variable name for data that is passed. Ignored for Body
and XML types. For File type, specifies the filename to
send in the request.

value

Required.
Optional (and
ignored) for File
type

Value of the data that is sent. Ignored for File type. The
value must contain string data or data that ColdFusion can
convert to a string for all type attributes except Body.
Body types can have string or binary values.

Required only if

Applies to File type; ignored for all other types. The
absolute path to the file that is sent in the request body.

file

Default

type="File"

encoded

Optional

mimeType Optional

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yes

Description

Applies to FormField and CGI types; ignored for all other
types. Specifies whether to URL encode the form field or
header.
Applies to File type; invalid for all other types. Specifies the
MIME media type of the file contents. The content type
can include an identifier for the character encoding of the
file; for example, text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 indicates
that the file is HTML text in the ISO Latin-1 character
encoding.

Usage

Specifies header or body data to send in the HTTP request. The type attribute identifies the
information that the parameter specifies. A cfhttp tag can have multiple cfhttpparam tags,
subject to the following limitations:

• An XML type attribute cannot be used with additional XML type attributes, or with body, file,
or formField type attributes.

• A body type attribute cannot be used with additional body type attributes, or with XML, file,
or formField type attributes.

• The XML and body type attributes cannot be used with the cfhttp tag TRACE method.
• The file type attribute is only meaningful with the cfhttp tag POST and PUT methods.
• The formField type attribute is only meaningful with the cfhttp tag POST and GET
methods.
If you send an HTTP request to a ColdFusion page, all HTTP headers, not just those sent using
the CGI type, are available as CGI scope variables, However, any custom variables (such as
"myVar") do not appear in a dump of the CGI scope.
When you send a file using the type="file" attribute, the file content is sent in the body of a
multipart/form-data request. If you send the file to a ColdFusion page, the Form scope of the
receiving page contains an entry with the name you specified in the cfhttpparam tag name
attribute as the key. The value of this variable is the path to a temporary file containing the file
that you sent. If you also send Form field data, the location of the filename in the form.fieldnames
key list depends on the position of the cfhttpparam tag with the file relative to the cfhttp tags
with the form data.
URL-encoding preserves special characters (such as the ampersand) when they are passed to the
server. For more information, see the function URLEncodedFormat on page 899.
To send arbitrary data in a “raw” HTTP message, use a cfhttpparam tag with a type="body"
attribute to specify the body content and use cfhttpparam tags with a type="header" attributes
to specify the headers.
Example






cfhttpparam

225






#cfhttp.fileContent#



Output the passed variables


Form variable: #form.form_test#

URL variable: #URL.url_test#

Cookie variable: #Cookie.cookie_test#

CGI variable: #CGI.cgi_test#


Note that the CGI variable is URL encoded.


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cfif
Description

Creates simple and compound conditional statements in CFML. Tests an expression, variable,
function return value, or string. Used, optionally, with the cfelse and cfelseif tags.
Category

Flow-control tags
Syntax

HTML and CFML tags

HTML and CFML tags

HTML and CFML tags

See also
cfelse, cfelseif, cfabort, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cflocation, cfloop, cfswitch,
cfthrow, cftry
Usage

If the value of the expression in the cfif tag is True, ColdFusion processes all the code that
follows, up to any cfelseif or cfelse tag, and then skips to the cfif end tag. Otherwise,
ColdFusion does not process the code that immediately follows the cfif tag, and continues
processing at any cfelseif or cfelse tag, or with the code that follows the cfif end tag.
When testing the return value of a function that returns a Boolean, you do not have to define the
True condition explicitly. This example uses the IsArray function:


If successful, IsArray evaluates to yes, the string equivalent of the Boolean True. This is preferred
over explicitly defining the True condition this way:


This tag requires an end tag.
Example

In this example, variables are shown within number signs. This is not required.



SELECT Center_ID, Name, Address1, Address2, City, State, Country,
PostalCode, Phone, Contact
FROM Centers
ORDER by City, State, Name

CFIF gives us the ability to perform conditional logic based on a condition
or set of conditions.
For example, we can output the list of Centers from the snippets datasource
by group and only display them IF City = San Diego.

cfif

227



The following centers are in San Diego:



Name/Address:#Name#, #Address1#, #City#, #State#

Contact: #Contact#





If we would like more than one condition to be the case, we can ask for
a list of the centers in San Diego OR Santa Ana. If the center
does not follow this condition, we can use CFELSE to show only
the names and cities of the other centers.
Notice how a nested CFIF is used to specify the location of
the featured site (Santa Ana or San Diego).

Complete information is shown for centers in San Diego or Santa Ana.
All other centers are listed in italics:


Featured Center in

San Diego

Santa Ana

 Name/Address:#Name#, #Address1#, #City#, #State#

Contact: #Contact#



#Name#, #City#



Finally, we can use CFELSEIF to cycle through a number of conditions and
produce varying output. Note that you can use CFCASE and CFSWITCH for a more
elegant representation of this behavior.




#Name#, #City# (this one is in
San Diego
Santa Ana
)


#Name#, #City# (this one is in San Francisco)


#Name#, #City# (this one is in Suisun)
 
#Name#
Not in a city we track



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cfimpersonate
Description

This tag is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 453 and
Chapter 16, “Securing Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
History

ColdFusion MX: This tag is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later releases.

cfimpersonate

229

cfimport
Description

You can use the cfimport tag to import either of the following:

• All ColdFusion pages in a directory, as a tag custom tag library.
• A Java Server Page (JSP) tag library. A JSP tag library is a packaged set of tag handlers that
conform to the JSP 1.1 tag extension API.
Category

Application framework tags
Syntax

See also
cfapplication
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default Description

taglib

Required

Tag library URI. The path must be relative to the web root (and
start with /), the current page location, or a directory specified
in the Administrator ColdFusion mappings page.
• A directory in which custom ColdFusion tags are stored. In
this case, all the cfm pages in this directory are treated as
custom tags in a tag library.
• A path to a JAR in a web-application; for example, "/WEBINF/lib/sometags.jar"
• A path to a tag library descriptor; for example,
"/sometags.tld"
Note: You must put JSP custom tag libraries in the
/WEB-IN/lib directory. This limitation does not apply to
ColdFusion pages.

prefix

230

Required

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Prefix by which to access the imported custom CFML tags
JSP tags.
If you import a CFML custom tag directory and specify an
empty value, "", for this attribute, you can call the custom tags
without using a prefix. You must specify and use a prefix for a
JSP tag library.

Usage

The following example imports the tags from the directory myCustomTags:


You can import multiple tag libraries using one prefix. If there are duplicate tags in a library, the
first one takes precedence.
JSP tags have fixed attributes; however, if the tag supports runtime attribute expressions, most tag
libraries support the use of the syntax #expressions#.
To reference a JSP tag in a CFML page, use the syntax . Set the prefix value in
the prefix attribute.
To use JSP custom tags in a ColdFusion page:

1. Put a JSP tag library JAR file (for example, myjsptags.jar) into the ColdFusion server directory

wwwroot/WEB-INF/lib. If the tag library has a separate TLD file, put it in the same directory
as the JAR file.
2. At the top of a CFML page, insert code such as the following:


To reference a JSP tag from a JAR file, use the following syntax:




The cfimport tag must be on the page that uses the imported tags. For example, if you use a
cfimport tag on a page that you include with the cfinclude call, you cannot use the imported
tags on the page that has the cfinclude tag. Similarly, if you have a cfimport tag on your
Application.cfm page, the imported tags are available on the Application.cfm page only, not on
the other pages in the application. ColdFusion does not throw an error in these situations, but the
imported tags do not run.
You cannot use the cfimport tag to suppress output from a tag library.
For more information, see the Java Server Page 1.1 specification.
Example
cfimport example
This example uses the random JSP tag library that is available from the
Jakarta Taglibs project, at http://jakarta.apache.org/taglibs/




Your password is #myPassword#



cfimport

231

cfinclude
Description

Embeds references to ColdFusion pages in CFML. You can embed cfinclude tags recursively.
For another way to encapsulate CFML, see cfmodule on page 305. (A ColdFusion page was
formerly sometimes called a ColdFusion template or a template.)
Category

Flow-control tags, Page processing tags
Syntax

See also
cfcache, cfflush, cfheader, cfhtmlhead, cfsetting, cfsilent
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed error behavior: if you use this tag to include a CFML page whose
length is zero bytes, you do not get an error.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

template

Required

Default

Description
A logical path to a ColdFusion page.

Usage

ColdFusion searches for included files in the following locations:
1. In the directory of the current page or a directory relative to the current page
2. In directories mapped in the ColdFusion MX Administrator

You cannot specify an absolute URL or file system path for the file to include. You can only use
paths relative to the directory of the including page or a directory that is registered in the
ColdFusion MX Administrator Mappings. The following cfinclude statements will work,
assuming that the myinclude.cfm file exists in the specified directory:




But these will not work:



The included file must be a syntactically correct and complete CFML page. For example, to
output data from within the included page, you must have a cfoutput tag, including the end tag,
on the included page, not the referring page. Similarly, you cannot span a cfif tag across the
referring page and the included page; it must be complete within the included page.

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You can specify a variable for the template attribute, as the following example shows:


Example

This example includes the dochome.htm page from the CFDOCS directory.
The images do not display, because they are located in
a separate directory. However, the page appears fully rendered
within the contents of this page.


cfinclude

233

cfindex
Description

Populates a Verity collection with metadata and creates indexes for searching it. Verity is a search
engine that you can integrate in a ColdFusion application to search physical files of various types
or a database query. Indexing database columns that result from a query lets users search the query
data much faster than they could if you used multiple SQL queries to return the same data.
You must define a Verity collection using the ColdFusion MX Administrator or the
cfcollection tag before creating indexes for the collection.
You also can index a Verity collection using the ColdFusion MX Administrator or by using a
native Verity indexing tool, such as Vspider or MKVDK. These options, however, limit you to
indexing a collection of files in a directory path.
For more information on creating, indexing, and searching a Verity collection, see Chapter 24,
“Building a Search Interface” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax

status = "status">
See also
cfcollection, cfexecute, cfobject, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx
History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Added the status, category, and categoryTree attributes.
• Removed reference to external collections.
• Removed suggested cflock usage.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

ColdFusion MX:

• The action attribute value optimize is obsolete. It does not work, and might cause an error,
in ColdFusion MX.

• Changed the external attribute behavior: it is not necessary to specify the external
attribute. (ColdFusion automatically detects whether a collection is internal or external.)

• Changed Verity operations behavior: ColdFusion supports Verity operations on Acrobat PDF
files.

• Changed thrown exceptions: this tag can throw the SEARCHENGINE exception.
• Changed acceptable collection naming: this tag accepts collection names that include spaces.
• Changed query result behavior: the cfindex tag can index the query results from a cfsearch
tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

collection

Required

Name of a collection that is registered by ColdFusion; for
example, "personnel".

action

Required

• update: updates a collection and adds key to the index.
• delete: removes collection documents as specified by
the key attribute.
• purge: deletes all of the documents in a collection.
Causes the collection to be taken offline, preventing
searches.
• refresh: deletes all of the documents in a collection, and
then performs an update.

type

Optional

title

Optional

key

Required

• file: applies action value to filename, including path.
Expects a filename in the key attribute.
attribute is • path: applies action to files in a directory path that pass
specified.
the extensions filter. Expects a directory name in the
Otherwise,
key attribute.
file.
• custom: applies action to custom data; for example, to
data from a query.
custom, if
query

Provides a title for the document if one cannot be
extracted from the document.
(empty
string)

The value specified for key depends on the type attribute:
• If type = "file", the directory path and filename for the
file,
• If type = "path", the directory path for the location of the
files.
• If type = "custom", a unique identifier that specifies the
location of the data, For a query, the name of the
column that holds the primary key, for example. If not a
query, an identifier such as the URL for a web page, for
example.

cfindex

235

Attribute

Req/Opt

body

Required if

Default

• ASCII text to index.
• Query column names, if name is specified in query.
You can specify columns in a delimited list; for example:
"emp_name, dept_name, location".
This attribute is ignored if type is file or path, and is
invalid if action is delete.

type =
custom

236

Description

custom1

Optional

Use to index discrete values in collection records, which
lets you search for specific records using the Verity
MATCHES operator. By contrast, values specified in the
body attribute are concatenated and searched as a body
of text using the specified criteria.
If type = query, a query column name. If type = custom, a
data field to be indexed.

custom2

Optional

Usage is the same as for custom1.

custom3

Optional

Usage is the same as for custom1.

custom4

Optional

Usage is the same as for custom1.

category

Optional

A string value that specifies one or more search
categories for which to index the data. You can define
multiple categories, separated by commas, for a single
index.

categoryTree

Optional

A string value that specifies a hierarchical category or
category tree for searching. It is a series of categories
separated by forward slashes ("/"). You can specify only
one category tree.

URLpath

Optional

If type is file or path, specifies the URL path. During
indexing, this pathname is prefixed to filenames and
returned from a search as the url.

extensions

Optional

query

Optional.

recurse

Optional

no

• yes: if type = "path", indexes qualified files in directories
below the path specified in the key attribute.
• no

language

Optional

English

For options, see cfcollection. Requires the appropriate
Verity Locales language pack (Western Europe, Asia,
Multilanguage, Eastern Europe/Middle Eastern).

status

Optional

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

htm,
html,
cfm,
cfml,
dbm,
dbml

Delimited list of file extensions that ColdFusion uses to
index files, if type = "Path".
"*." returns files with no extension. “.*” returns all files.
For example, the following code returns files with a listed
extension or no extension:
extensions == ".htm, .html, .cfm, .cfml, "*."
The name of the query against which the collection is
generated.

The name of the structure into which ColdFusion MX
returns status information.

Usage

The attributes settings that the cfindex tag requires depend on whether you set the query
attribute. If you set the query attribute to a valid query name, it specifies that cfindex is to index
the data in the query rather than indexing documents on a disk. If you do not set the query
attribute, cfindex assumes it is indexing a file (type = file), a set of files in a directory path
(type = path), or text that you provide in the body attribute (type = custom).
If you set the query attribute to a valid query name, the cfindex tag creates indexes as specified
by the following attributes and their values:
Type

Attribute values

File

The key attribute is the name of a column in the query that contains a full filename
(including path).

Path

The key attribute is the name of a column in the query that contains a directory
pathname.
The extensions and recurse attributes, if specified, elaborate on which files are
included. If the action is delete, cfindex deletes keys for the collection.

Custom

The key attribute specifies a column name that contains anything you want; for
example, the primary key value in the database. It must be unique because this is the
primary key in the collection. If the action is delete, the key attribute is the name of a
column in the query that contains the keys to delete.
The body attribute is required and is a comma-delimited list of the names of the columns
that contain the text data to be indexed.

If you do not set the query attribute, the cfindex tag creates indexes as specified by the following
attributes and their values:
Type

Attribute values

File

The key attribute is required and is a full pathname to a file.

Path

The key attribute is required and it is a directory pathname.
The extensions and recurse attributes, if specified, designate which types of files are
included. If the action is delete, both the keys and the document files are deleted.

Custom

The key attribute is an identifier that specifies the key. If the action is delete, the key
attribute is the document key to delete.
The body attribute is required and is the text to be indexed.

If type is not specified but query is set, ColdFusion sets the type to the default value of custom.
If neither type nor query is set, ColdFusion sets type to the default value of file.
If type equals custom, all attributes except for key and body can specify a literal value, not only a
column name. This allows you to change a field to empty in the collection.

cfindex

237

Status attribute

The status attribute provides the following information and diagnostics about the result of a
cfindex operation:
Key

Type

Description

BADKEYS

Struct

A structure of keys with diagnostic messages about the indexing of
these keys. If there are no bad keys, this key does not exist.

DELETED

Number

The number of keys deleted.

MESSAGES

Array

An array of diagnostic messages, including nonfatal errors and
warnings, returned from the Verity K2 Index server. If there are no
messages, this key does not exist.

INSERTED

Number

The number of keys inserted into the collection.

UPDATED

Number

The number of keys updated in the collection.

Example






key=#mySearch.key#

title=#mySearch.title#

context=#mySearch.context#

url=#mySearch.url#








key=#mySearch.key#

title=#mySearch.title#

context=#mySearch.context#

url=#mySearch.url#





SELECT * FROM COURSES


key is Course_ID in the Courses table. ---->
body specifies the columns to be indexed for searching. --->
custom1 specifies the value of the Course_Number column. --->


Indexing Complete





key=#mySearch.key#


cfindex

239

title=#mySearch.title#

context=#mySearch.context#

url=#mySearch.url#





SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEE WHERE EMP_ID = 1





Indexing Complete


key=#mySearch.key#

title=#mySearch.title#

context=#mySearch.context#

url=#mySearch.url#





SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEE WHERE Emp_ID = 15






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Indexing Complete


key=#getEmps.key#

title=#getEmps.title#

context=#getEmps.context#

url=#getEmps.url#









cfindex

241

cfinput
Description

Used within the cfform tag, to place input controls that support input validation on a form.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

See also
cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfselect,
cfslider, cftextarea, cftree

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History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Added support for button, file, hidden, image, reset, and submit controls.
• Added support for generating Flash and XML controls (specified in the cfform tag).
• Added datefield type (Flash forms only) and the supporting daynames and monthnames
attributes.

• Added bind, enabled, height, label, tooltip, visible, and width attributes for use in
Flash forms.

• Added support for onBlur and onServer validation, including the validateAt attribute.
• Added USdate, range, boolean, email, URL, uuid, guid, maxlength, noblanks, and
submitOnce validation attribute values.

• Added support for preventing multiple submissions.
• Added the mask attribute.
• Deprecated the passthrough attribute. The tag now supports all HTML input tag attributes
directly.
ColdFusion MX: Changed the cfform tag preserveData attribute behavior: if it is set to True,
ColdFusion checks radio and check box values only if their value matches the posted value for the
control. (In earlier releases, if the posted value did not match any of the cfinput check boxes or
radio buttons for the control, the checked attribute was used.
Attributes

The following table lists attributes that ColdFusion uses directly. The tag also supports all HTML
form tag attributes that are not on this list, and passes them directly to the browser.
Note: Attributes that are not marked as supported in XML are not handled by the skins provided with
ColdFusion MX. They are, however, included in the generated XML.


Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

name

Required;
All

type

Optional;
All

Default

Description
Name for form input element.

text

The input control type to create:
• button: push button.
• checkbox: check box.
• file: file selector; not supported in Flash.
• hidden: invisible control.
• image: clickable button with an image.
• password: password entry control; hides input values.
• radio: radio button.
• reset: form reset button.
• submit: form submission button.
• text: text entry box.
• datefield: Flash only; date entry field with an
expanding calendar for selecting dates.

cfinput

243

244

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

label

Optional;
Flash and
XML

Label to put next to the control on a Flash form. Not
used for button, hidden, image, reset, or submit types.

style

Optional;
All

In HTML or XML format, ColdFusion passes the style
attribute to the browser or XML.
In Flash format, must be a style specification in CSS
format. For detailed information on specifying Flash
styles, see Chapter 29, “Creating Forms in Macromedia
Flash” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
In XML format, ColdFusion passes the style attribute to
the XML.

required

Optional;
All

mask

Optional;
Flash and
HTML

A mask pattern that controls the character pattern that
users can enter, or that the form sends to ColdFusion.
HTML and Flash: For tags with type="text". Mask
characters and the corresponding valid input characters
are:
• A = [A-Za-z]
• X = [A-Za-z0-9]
• 9 = [0-9]
• ? = Any character
• All other characters = insert the literal character
Flash only: For tags with type="datefield".
ColdFusion uses the mask pattern to format the
selected date. Mask characters are:
• D = day; can use 0-2 mask characters.
• M = month; can use 0-4 mask characters.
• Y = year; can use 0, 2, or 4 characters.
• E = day in week; can use 0-4 characters.
For more information, see “Masking input data” in
Usage.

validate

Optional;
All

The type or types of validation to do. Available
validation types and algorithms depend on the format.
For details, see Usage.

validateAt

Optional;
All

message

Optional;
All

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default

no

onSubmit

Description

• yes: the field must contain data.
• no: allows an empty field.

How to do the validation; one or more of the following:
• onSubmit
• onServer
• onBlur
onBlur and onSubmit are identical in Flash forms. For
multiple values, use a comma-delimited list.
For details, see Usage.
Message text to display if validation fails.

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

Description

range

Optional;
All

Minimum and maximum allowed numeric values.
ColdFusion uses this attribute only if you specify range
in the validate attribute.
If you specify a single number or a single number
followed by a comma, it is treated as a minimum, with no
maximum. If you specify a comma followed by a
number, the maximum is set to the specified number,
with no minimum.

maxLength

Optional;
All

Maximum length of text entered, if type = "Text" or
"password". For complete length validation, specify
maxLength validation in a validate attribute; otherwise,
this attribute prevents users from typing beyond the
specified length, but does not prevent them from
pasting in a longer value.

pattern

Required if

JavaScript regular expression pattern to validate input.
ColdFusion uses this attribute only if you specify regex
in the validate attribute.
Omit leading and trailing slashes. For examples and
syntax, see Chapter 27, “Building Dynamic Forms with
cfform Tags” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

validate =
"regex";

HTML and
XML
format only
onValidate

Optional;
HTML and
XML only

Custom JavaScript function to validate user input. The
form object, input object, and input object values are
passed to the routine, which should return True if
validation succeeds, and False otherwise. If used, the
validate attribute is ignored.

onError

Optional;
HTML and
XML only

Custom JavaScript function to execute if validation fails.

size

Optional;
All

Size of input control. Ignored, if type = "radio" or
"checkbox". If specified in a Flash form, ColdFusion sets
the control width pixel value to 10 times the specified
size and ignores the width attribute

value

depends on
type
setting;
All

HTML: corresponds to the HTML value attribute. Its use
depends on control type.
Flash: optional; specifies text for button type inputs:
button, submit, and image.

bind

Optional;
Flash only

A Flash bind expression that populates the field with
information from other form fields. For details, see
Usage.

checked

Optional;
All

False

Selects a radio or checkbox control:
• True
• False

cfinput

245

246

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

Description

disabled

Optional;
All

not
disabled

Disables user input, making the control read-only. To
disable input, specify disabled without an attribute or
disabled="Yes" (or any ColdFusion positive Boolean
value, such as True). To enable input, omit the attribute
or specify disabled="No" (or any ColdFusion negative
Boolean value, such as False).

src

Optional;
Flash and
HTML

Applies to Flash button, reset, submit, and image types,
and the HTML image type. URL of an image to use on
the button. Flash does not support GIF images.

onKeyUp

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the user releases a keyboard key in the control.

onKeyDown

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash)
ActionScript to run when the user presses a keyboard
key in the control.

onMouseUp

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the user presses a mouse button in the control.

onMouseDown Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the user releases a mouse button in the control.

onChange

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the control changes due to user action. In Flash,
applies to datefield, password, and text types only.

onClick

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the user clicks the control. In Flash, applies to
button, checkbox, image, radio, reset, and submit types
only.

dayNames

Optional;
All

S, M, T, W, Applies to datefield type only. A comma-delimited list
Th, F, S
that sets the names of the weekdays displayed in the
calendar. Sunday is the first day; the rest of the weekday
names follow in the normal order.

firstDayOfWeek Optional;
All

0

monthNames

Applies to datefield type only. A comma-delimited list
January,
February,
of the month names that are displayed at the top of the
March,
calendar.
April, May,
June, July,
August,
September,
October,
November,
December

Optional;
All

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Applies to datefield type only. Integer in the range 0-6
specifying the first day of the week in the calendar: 0
indicates Sunday; 6 indicates Saturday.

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Formats

Default

Description

enabled

Optional;
Flash

Yes

Boolean value specifying whether the control is
enabled. A disabled control appears in light gray. The
inverse of the disabled attribute.

visible

Optional;
Flash

Yes

Boolean value specifying whether to show the control.
Space that would be occupied by an invisible control is
blank.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash

Text to display when the mouse pointer hovers over the
control.

height

Optional;
see
Description

Applies to most Flash types, HTML image type on
some browsers. The height of the control, in pixels. The
displayed height might be less than the specified size.

width

Optional;
see
Description

Applies to most Flash types, HTML image type on
some browsers. The width of the control, in pixels. For
Flash forms, ColdFusion ignores this attribute if you also
specify a size attribute value.

Note: Attributes that are marked as not supported in XML are not handled by the skins provided with
ColdFusion MX. They are, however, included in the generated XML.
Usage

For this tag to work properly. the browser must be JavaScript-enabled.
If the cfform preserveData attribute is true and the form posts back to the same page, the
posted value of the cfinput control is used, instead of its Value or Checked attribute.
You can use the keyboard to access and select dates from a datefield Flash input: press Tab to go
to the field and press the Spacebar to open the menu. Use the Up, Down, Left, and Right Arrow
keys to change the selected date. Use the Home and End keys to reach the first and last enabled
date in a month, respectively. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to reach the previous and
next month, respectively.
Note: To clear a datefield entry, select the field to open the menu, and click the selected date.

For more information, see cfform. For information on using JavaScript regular expressions with
this tag, see Chapter 27, “Building Dynamic Forms with cfform Tags” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide.
Validation

The following sections describe how to do validation in cfinput tags.
Validation methods
password

ColdFusion provides four methods of validation of cfinput text and

fields.

You can specify one or a combination of the following in the validateAt attribute:

• onSubmit The form page on the browser includes JavaScript functions that perform
validation before the form is submitted to the server. In Flash format forms, this option is
identical to onBlur.

cfinput

247

• onBlur In HTML format the form page on the browser includes JavaScript functions that
perform validation when the field loses the focus. In Flash format, the attribute is equivalent to
onSubmit. OnBlur validation uses the same algorithms as onSubmit validation. OnBlur
validation was added in ColdFusion MX 7.

• onServer ColdFusion performs the validation on the server. Some onServer algorithms vary
from the onSubmit algorithms. OnServer Date and Time validation allow more patterns than
onSubmit validation. OnServer validation was added in ColdFusion MX 7, and automatically
generates hidden fields to support the validation.
You can also omit a validate attribute and specify the type of validation for the field in a
separate hidden form field. This form of validation is equivalent to onServer validation, but it
allows you to specify separate messages for each validation that you do on the field. It is backward
compatible with previous ColdFusion releases. For more information on hidden form field
validation, see cfform and “Validating form data using hidden fields” in Chapter 28, “Validating
form data using hidden fields,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
validation types

You can use the following values in the validate attribute to specify input
validation for all validation methods. Most attributes apply only to password or text fields. You
can specify multiple validation types in a comma-delimited list, but only some combinations are
meaningful.
Type

Description

date

If validateAt="onServer", allows any date format that returns True in the
IsDate function; otherwise, same as USdate.

USdate

A US date of the format mm/dd/yy mm-dd-yy or mm.dd.yy, with 1-2 digit
days and months, 1-4 digit years.

eurodate

A date of the format dd/mm/yy, with 1-2 digit days and months, 1-4 digit
years.. The format can use /, -, or . characters as delimiters.

time

Time format hh:mm:ss

float or numeric

A number; allows integers.

integer

An integer.

range

A numeric range.

boolean

A value that can be converted to a Boolean value: Yes, No, True, False, or a
number.

telephone

Standard U.S. telephone formats. Allows an initial 1 long-distance
designator and up to 5-digit extensions, optionally starting with x.

zipcode

U.S. 5- or 9-digit ZIP code format #####-####. The separator can be a
hyphen (-) or a space.

creditcard

Strips blanks and dashes; verifies number using mod10 algorithm. Number
must have 13-16 digits.

ssn or
US. Social Security number format, ###-##-####. The separator can be a
social_security_number hyphen (-) or a space.

248

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Type

Description

email

A valid e-mail address of the form name@server.domain. ColdFusion
validates the format only; it does not check that entry is a valid active e-mail
address.

URL

A valid URL pattern; supports http, https, ftp file, mailto, and news URLs.

guid

A unique identifier that follows the Microsoft/DCE format, xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx, where x is a hexadecimal number.

uuid

A universally unique identifier (UUID) that follows the ColdFusion format,
xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, where x is a hexadecimal number.

maxlength

Limits the input to a maximum number of characters.

noblanks

Does not allow fields that consist only of blanks.

regex or
regular_expression

Matches input against the pattern attribute. Valid in HTML and XML
format only; ignored in Flash format.

SubmitOnce

Used only with submit and image types; prevents the user from submitting
the same form multiple times before until the next page loads (for example,
submitting an order a second time before getting the first order
confirmation). Valid in HTML and XML format only; ignored in Flash
format.

Validation differences

The preceding table describes the general validation behavior. The
underlying validation code must differ depending on the validation method and the form type.
As a result, the algorithms used vary in some instances, including the following:

• The validation algorithms used for date/time values varies between onSubmit/OnBlur and
OnServer.

• The algorithms used for onSubmit/OnBlur validation in Flash vary from those used for
HTML/XML format, and generally follow simpler rules.
The table describes the onSubmit/OnBlur behavior in HTML format. For detailed information
on the OnServer validation algorithms, see “Data validation types” in Chapter 28, “Data
validation types,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
For more information on validation, including discussions of the advantages and disadvantages of
different validation types, see Chapter 28, “Validating Data” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Masking input data

The mask attribute controls the format of data that can be entered into a field. You can combine
masking and validation on a field.

• In HTML and Flash form format the mask can control the format of data entered into a text
field.

• In Flash format, the mask can also control the format of the date chosen using the datefield
input control.
In text fields, ColdFusion automatically inserts any literal mask characters, such as - characters in
telephone numbers. Users type only the variable part of the field.

cfinput

249

The following pattern enforces entry of a part number of the format EB-1234-c1-098765, where
the user starts the entry by typing the first numeric character, such as 3. ColdFusion fills in the
preceding EA prefix and all - characters. The user must enters four numbers, followed by two
alphanumeric characters, followed by six numbers.

Note: To force a pattern to be all-uppercase or all-lowercase, use the ColdFusion UCase or LCase
functions in the action page.

For tags with type="datefield" (and cfcalendar tags), the number of pattern characters
determines the format of the output, as follows:
Mask

Pattern

D

Single- or double-digit day of month, such as 1 or 28

DD

Double-digit day of month, such as 01 or 28

M

Single- or double-digit month, such as 1 or 12

MM

Double-digit month, such as 01 or 12

MMM

Abbreviated month name, such as Jan or Dec

MMMM

Full month name, such as January or December

YY

Two-character year, such as 05

YYYY

Four-character year, such as 2005

E

Single-digit day of week, such as 1 or 7

EEE

Abbreviated day of week name, such as Mon or Sun

EEEE

Full month day of week name, such as Monday or Sunday

The following pattern specifies that the Flash forms sends the date selected using a datefield
input control to ColdFusion as text in the format 04/29/2004:


Flash form data binding

The bind attribute lets you populate form fields using the contents of other form fields. To
specify text from another field in a cftextarea bind attribute, use the following format:
{sourceTagName.text}
For example, the following line uses the values from the firstName and lastName fields to
construct an email address. (The user can change or replace this value with a typed entry.)

Example




250

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Phone Number Validation (enter a properly formatted phone number): 


Required

Zip Code Validation (enter a properly formatted zip code):


Required

Range Validation (enter an integer from 1 to 5): 



Date Validation (enter a properly formatted date):





cfinput

251

cfinsert
Description

Inserts records in data sources from data in a ColdFusion form or form Scope.
Category

Database manipulation tags
Syntax

See also
cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cfquery, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc, cftransaction,
cfupdate
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated the connectString, dbName, dbServer, dbtype, provider, and
providerDSN attributes. They do not work, and might cause an error, in releases later than
ColdFusion 5.
Attributes

252

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

dataSource

Required

Data source; contains table.

tableName

Required

Table in which to insert form fields.
ORACLE drivers: must be uppercase.
Sybase driver: case-sensitive. Must be the same case used
when table was created

tableOwner

Optional

For data sources that support table ownership (such as SQL
Server, Oracle, and Sybase SQL Anywhere), use this field to
specify the owner of the table.

tableQualifier

Optional

For data sources that support table qualifiers, use this field to
specify qualifier for table. The purpose of table qualifiers varies
among drivers. For SQL Server and Oracle, qualifier refers to
name of database that contains table. For Intersolv dBASE
driver, qualifier refers to directory where DBF files are located.

username

Optional

Overrides username specified in ODBC setup.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attribute

Req/Opt

password

Optional

formFields

Optional

Default Description
Overrides password specified in ODBC setup.
(all on
form,
except
keys)

Comma-delimited list of form fields to insert. If not specified,
all fields in the form are included.
If a form field is not matched by a column name in the
database, ColdFusion throws an error.
The database table key field must be present in the form. It
may be hidden.

Example




Your record was added to the database.







Your record was added to the database.
 


SELECT
CommentID, EMail, FromUser, Subject, CommtType, MessText, Posted,
Processed
FROM
Comments



cfinsert Example
First, show a list of the comments in the cfdocexamples datasource.




cfinsert

253



From User Subject Comment Type
Message Date Posted


#FromUser#
#Subject# #CommtType#
#Left(MessText, 125)#
#Posted#



Next, we’ll offer the opportunity to enter a comment:


Email: 
From: 
Subject:
Message:
Date Posted: #DateFormat(Now())#






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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfinvoke
Description

Does either of the following:

• Invokes a component method from within a ColdFusion page or component.
• Invokes a web service.
This tag works as follows:

• Transiently instantiates a component or web service and invokes a method on it.
• Invokes a method on an instantiated component or web service.
This tag can pass parameters to a method in the following ways:

• With the cfinvokeargument tag
• As named attribute-value pairs, one attribute per parameter
• As a structure, in the argumentCollection attribute
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax
Syntax 1


OR
Syntax 2


OR
Syntax 3


OR
Syntax 4A



component = "#mystringname for instantiated component#"
method = "method name"
returnVariable = "variable name"
argumentCollection = "argument collection"
...
>
OR
Syntax 4B



webservice = "#my stringname for instantiated web service#"
timeout = "request timeout in seconds"
proxyServer = "WSDL proxy server url
proxyPort = "numeric port on proxy server"
proxyUser = "string user id for proxy server"
servicePort = "WSDL port name"
proxyPassword = "string user password for proxy server"
>
See also
cfargument, cfcomponent, cffunction, cfinvokeargument, cfobject, cfproperty,
cfreturn

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the servicePort attribute.
ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added the following attributes: timeout, proxyServer, proxyPort,
proxyUser, and proxyPassword.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

component

See
Usage.

String or component object; a reference to a
component, or component to instantiate.

method

See
Usage.

Name of a method. For a web service, the
name of an operation.

returnVariable

Optional

Name of a variable for the invocation result.

argumentCollection Optional

Name of a structure; associative array of
arguments to pass to the method.

username

Optional

Overrides username specified in
Administrator > Web Services.

password

Optional

Overrides password specified in
Administrator > Web Services.

webservice

Required

The URL of the WSDL file for the web
service.

timeout

Optional

The timeout for the web service request, in
seconds

proxyServer

Optional

http.proxyHost
system property, if
any.

The proxy server required to access the
webservice URL.

proxyPort

Optional

http.proxyPort
system property, if
any.

The port to use on The proxy server.

proxyUser

Optional

http.proxyUser
system property, if
any

The user ID to send to the proxy server.

proxyPassword

Optional

http.proxyPassword The user’s password on the proxy server.
system property, if
any

cfinvoke

257

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

servicePort

Optional

The port name for the web service. This
value is case-sensitive and corresponds to
the port element’s name attribute under the
service element.

First port found in
the WSDL

Specify this attribute if the web service
contains multiple ports.
input_params ...

Input parameters. For each named input
parameter specify paramName=paramValue.

Note: If you do not specify any the proxy attributes, and a corresponding system property is set
(typically in the JVM startup arguments) ColdFusion uses the system property value.
Usage

The following table shows when you can use each attribute:
This attribute is
required, optional,
ignored, or invalid:

For this cfinvoke tag syntax:
Syntax 1

Syntax 2

Syntax 3

Syntax 4A

Syntax 4B

component

Required

Optional

Invalid

Required

Invalid

method

Required

Required

Required

Required

Required

returnVariable

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

argumentCollection

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

username

Ignored

Ignored

Optional

Ignored

Optional

password

Ignored

Ignored

Optional

Ignored

Optional

webservice

Ignored

Ignored

Required

Ignored

Required

timeout

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

proxyServer

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

proxyPort

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

proxyUser

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

proxyPassword

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

servicePort

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

input_params ...

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

If the component attribute specifies a component name, the component with the corresponding
name is instantiated, the requested method is invoked, and then the component instance is
immediately destroyed. If the attribute contains a reference to an instantiated component object,
no instantiation or destruction of the component occurs.
On UNIX systems, ColdFusion searches first for a file with a name that matches the specified
component name, but is all lower case. If it does not find the file, it looks for a file name that
matches the component name exactly, with the identical character casing.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Method arguments can be passed in any of the following ways. If an argument is passed in more
than one way with the same name, this order of precedence applies:
1. Using the cfinvokeargument tag
2. Passing directly as attributes of the cfinvoke tag (they cannot have the same name as a

registered cfinvoke attribute: method, component, webservice, returnVariable)
3. Passing as struct keys, using the argumentCollection attribute

For example, the params struct contains three keys: a=1, b=1, c=1. The following call is evaluated
as if the arguments were passed to the method in the order a=3, b=2, c=1:



Note: The following cfinvoke tag attribute names are reserved; they cannot be used for argument
names: component, method, argumentCollection, and result.
Example1

This example uses Syntax 1.




#res#
Example2

This example uses Syntax 1.




#res#
Example3

This example uses Syntax 2.



cfinvoke

259

Example4

This example uses Syntax 3.




The temperature at zip code 55987 is #aTemp#

For more information on web services, see Chapter 36, “Using Web Services” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide.
Example5

This example uses Syntax 4A.



#res#

#res#

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfinvokeargument
Description

Passes the name and value of a parameter to a component method or a web service. This tag is
used within the cfinvoke tag.
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax

See also
cfargument, cfcomponent, cffunction, cfinvoke, cfobject, cfproperty, cfreturn
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the omit attribute.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

name

Required

Argument name.

value

Required

Argument value.

omit

Optional

"no"

Description

Enables you to omit a parameter when invoking a web
service. It is an error to specify omit="yes" if the
cfinvoke webservice attribute is not specified.
"yes": omit this parameter when invoking a web service.
"no”: do not omit this parameter when invoking a web
service.

Usage

You can have multiple cfinvokeargument tags in a cfinvoke tag body.
You can use cfinvokeargument tag to dynamically determine the arguments to be passed. For
example, you can use conditional processing to determine the argument name, or you can use a
cfif tag to determine whether to execute the cfinvokeargument tag.
If you are invoking a web service, you can omit a parameter by setting the omit attribute to
"yes". If the WSDL specifies that the argument is nillable, ColdFusion MX sets the associated
argument to null. If the WSDL specifies minoccurs=0, ColdFusion MX omits the argument from
the WSDL.

cfinvokeargument

261

Example1




#res#
Example2




#varName#

262

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfldap
Description

Provides an interface to a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory server, such as
the Netscape Directory Server.
Category

Internet Protocol tags
Syntax

See also
cfftp, cfhttp, cfmail, cfmailparam, cfpop,

Chapter 23, “Managing LDAP Directories”

in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the returnAsBinary attribute.
ColdFusion MX:

• Changed the name attribute behavior: this tag validates the query name in the name attribute.
• Changed sorting behavior: this tag does not support client-side sorting of query results. (It
supports server-side sorting; use the sort and sortcontrol attributes.)

• Changed how results are sorted: server-side sorting results might be sorted slightly differently
than in ColdFusion 5. If you attempt a sort against a server that does not support it,
ColdFusion MX throws an error.

cfldap

263

• Deprecated the filterfile attribute. It might not work, and might cause an error, in later
releases.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

server

Required

port

Optional

389

Port.

username

Required if

(anonymous)

User ID.

Host name or IP address of LDAP server.

secure =
"CFSSL_BASIC"

password

Password that corresponds to user name.
If secure = "CFSSL_BASIC", V2 encrypts the
password before transmission.

Required if
secure =
"CFSSL_BASIC"

action

Required

name

Required if

query

Name of LDAP query. The tag validates the
value.

action = "Query"

timeout

Optional

60000

maxRows

Optional

Maximum number of entries for LDAP queries.

start

Required if

Distinguished name of entry to be used to start
a search.

action = "Query"

scope

264

• query: returns LDAP entry information only.
Requires name, start, and attributes
attributes.
• add: adds LDAP entries to LDAP server.
Requires attributes attribute.
• modify: modifies LDAP entries, except
distinguished name dn attribute, on LDAP
server. Requires dn. See modifyType attribute.
• modifyDN: modifies distinguished name
attribute for LDAP entries on LDAP server.
Requires dn.
• delete: deletes LDAP entries on an LDAP
server. Requires dn.

Optional

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

oneLevel

Maximum length of time, in milliseconds, to wait
for LDAP processing.

Scope of search, from entry specified in start
attribute for action = "Query".
• oneLevel: entries one level below entry.
• base: only the entry.
• subtree: entry and all levels below it.

Attribute

Req/Opt

attributes

Required if

Default

For queries: comma-delimited list of attributes
to return. For queries, to get all attributes,
specify "*".
If action = "add" or "modify", you can specify a
list of update columns. Separate attributes with
a semicolon.
If action = "ModifyDN", ColdFusion passes
attributes to the LDAP server without syntax
checking.

action =
"Query", "Add",
"ModifyDN", or
"Modify"

returnAsBinary Optional
filter

Optional

Description

A comma-delimited list of columns that are to
be returned as binary values.
"objectclass = *" Search criteria for action = "query".
List attributes in the form:
"(attribute operator value)"
For example: "(sn = Smith)"

sort

Optional

sortControl

Optional

dn

Required if

Attribute(s) by which to sort query results. Use a
comma delimiter.
asc

• nocase: case-insensitive sort.
• asc: ascending (a to z) case-sensitive sort.
• desc: descending (z to a) case-sensitive sort.
You can enter a combination of sort types; for
example, sortControl = "nocase, asc".
Distinguished name, for update action; for
example, "cn = Bob Jensen, o = Ace Industry,

action = "Add",
"Modify",
"ModifyDN", or
"delete"

c = US"

startRow

Optional

1

Used with action = "query". First row of LDAP
query to insert into a ColdFusion query.

modifyType

Optional

replace

How to process an attribute in a multi-value list:
• add: appends it to any attributes.
• delete: deletes it from the set of attributes.
• replace: replaces it with specified attributes.
You cannot add an attribute that is already
present or that is empty.

rebind

Optional

no

• yes: attempts to rebind referral callback and
reissue query by referred address using
original credentials.
• no: referred connections are anonymous.

referral

Optional

Integer. Number of hops allowed in a referral. A
value of 0 disables referred addresses for
LDAP; no data is returned.

cfldap

265

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

secure

Optional

separator

Optional

, [comma]

Delimiter to separate attribute values of multivalue attributes. Used by query, add, and modify
actions, and by cfldap to output multi-value
attributes.
For example, if $ (dollar sign), the attributes
attribute could be "objectclass = top$person",
where the first value of objectclass is top, and
the second value is person. This avoids
confusion if values include commas.

delimiter

Optional

; [semicolon]

Separator between attribute name-value pairs.
Use this attribute if either of these situations
exist:
• the attributes attribute specifies more than
one item
• an attribute contains the default delimiter
(semicolon). For example:

Security to employ, and required information.
One option:
• CFSSL_BASIC
"CFSSL_BASIC" provides V2 SSL encryption
and server authentication.

mgrpmsgrejecttext;lang-en

Used by query, add, and modify actions, and by
cfldap to output multivalue attributes.
For example, if $ (dollar sign), you could specify
"cn = Double Tree Inn$street = 1111 Elm; Suite
100, where the semicolon is part of the street

value.
Usage

If you use the query action, cfldap creates a query object, allowing access to information in the
query variables, as follows:
Variable name

Description

queryname.recordCount

Number of records returned by query

queryname.currentRow

Current row of query that cfoutput is processing

queryname.columnList

Column names in query

If you use the security="CFSSL_BASIC" option, ColdFusion determines whether to trust the
server by comparing the server’s certificate with the information in the jre/lib/security/cacerts
keystore of the JRE used by ColdFusion MX. The ColdFusion MX default cacerts file contains
information about many certificate granting authorities. If you must update the file with
additional information, you can use the keytool utility in the ColdFusion jre/bin directory to
import certificates that are in X.509 format. For example, enter the following:
keytool -import -keystore cacerts -alias ldap -file ldap.crt -keypass bl19mq

266

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Then restart ColdFusion MX. The keytool utility initial keypass password is "change it". For
more information on using the keytool utility, see the Sun JDK documentation.
Characters that are illegal in ColdFusion can be used in LDAP attribute names. As a result, the
cfldap tag could create columns in the query result set whose names contain illegal characters
and are, therefore, inaccessible in CFML. In ColdFusion, illegal characters are automatically
mapped to the underscore character; therefore, column names in the query result set might not
exactly match the names of the LDAP attributes.
For usage examples, see ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example
cfldap Example
Provides an interface to LDAP directory servers. The example uses the
University of Connecticut public LDAP server. For more public LDAP servers,
see http://www.emailman.com.
Enter a name and search the public LDAP resource.
An asterisk before or after the name acts as a wildcard.











cfldap

267




#results.recordCount# matches found



Name
Organization
Title
E-Mail
Phone


#cn#
#o#
#title#

#mail#
#telephonenumber#






Enter a name to search in the database.





268

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cflocation
Description

Stops execution of the current page and opens a ColdFusion page or HTML file.
Category

Flow-control tags, Page processing tags
Syntax

See also
cfabort, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cfif, cfloop, cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

url

Required

URL of HTML file or CFML page to open.

addToken

Optional

clientManagement must be enabled (see cfapplication
on page 40).
• yes: appends client variable information to URL.
• no

Usage

You might write a standard message or response in a file, and call it from several applications. You
could use this tag to redirect the user’s browser to the standard file.
This tag has no effect if you use it after the cfflush tag on a page.
Example
cflocation Example
This tag redirects the browser to a web resource; normally, you would
use this tag to go to a CF page or an HTML file on the same server.
The addToken attribute lets you send client information to the
target page.
If you remove the comments, this code redirects you to CFDOCS home page:


cflocation

269

cflock
Description

Ensures the integrity of shared data. Instantiates the following kinds of locks:
Exclusive

Allows single-thread access to the CFML constructs in its body. The tag body can be
executed by one request at a time. No other requests can start executing code within the tag while
a request has an exclusive lock. ColdFusion issues exclusive locks on a first-come, first-served
basis.

Read-only Allows multiple requests to access CFML constructs within the tag body
concurrently. Use a read-only lock only when shared data is read and not modified. If another
request has an exclusive lock on shared data, the new request waits for the exclusive lock to be
released.
Category

Application framework tags
Syntax



See also
cfapplication, cfassociate, cfmodule,

in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

270

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Chapter 15, “Using Persistent Data and Locking”

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

timeout

Required

Maximum length of time, in seconds, to wait to obtain a
lock. If lock is obtained, tag execution continues.
Otherwise, behavior depends on throwOnTimeout attribute
value. If you set timout="0", the timeout is determined by
the "Timeout Requests after x" setting in the ColdFusion
MX Administrator Settings page, if that setting is enabled.
However, if the setting is not enabled, and you set
timeout="0", ColdFusion can wait indefinitely to obtain the
lock.

scope

Optional

Lock scope. Mutually exclusive with the name attribute.
Lock name. Only one request in the specified scope can
execute the code within this tag (or within any other cflock
tag with the same lock scope) at a time.
• Application
• Server
• Session

name

Optional

Lock name. Mutually exclusive with the scope attribute.
Only one request can execute the code within a cflock tag
with a given name at a time. Cannot be an empty string.
Permits synchronizing access to resources from different
parts of an application. Lock names are global to a
ColdFusion server. They are shared among applications
and user sessions, but not clustered servers.

throwOnTimeout Optional

yes

type

Exclusive • readOnly: lets more than one request read shared data.
• exclusive: lets one request read or write shared data.

Optional

How timeout conditions are handled:
• yes: exception is generated for the timeout.
• no: execution continues past this tag.

Note: Limit the scope of code that updates shared data structures, files, and CFXs. Exclusive locks
are required to ensure the integrity of updates, but read-only locks are faster. In a performancesensitive application, substitute read-only locks for exclusive locks where possible; for example, when
reading shared data.
Usage

ColdFusion MX is a multithreaded server; it can process multiple page requests at a time. Use the
cflock tag for these purposes:

• To ensure that modifications to shared data and objects made in concurrently executing
requests occur sequentially.

• Around file manipulation constructs, to ensure that file updates do not fail because files are
open for writing by other applications or tags.

• Around CFX invocations, to ensure that ColdFusion can safely invoke CFXs that are not
implemented in a thread-safe manner. (This applies only to CFXs developed in C++.)

cflock

271

To work safely with ColdFusion, a C++ CFX that maintains and manipulates shared (global) data
structures must be made thread-safe; however, this requires advanced knowledge. You can use a
CFML custom tag wrapper around a CFX to make its invocation thread-safe.
When you display, set, or update variables in a shared scope, use the scope attribute to identify
the scope as Server, Application or Session.
Deadlocks

A deadlock is a state in which no request can execute the locked section of a page. Once a
deadlock occurs, neither user can break it, because all requests to the protected section of the page
are blocked until the deadlock can be resolved by a lock timeout.
The cflock tag uses kernel level synchronization objects that are released automatically upon
timeout and/or the abnormal termination of the thread that owns them. Therefore, while
processing a cflock tag, ColdFusion never deadlocks for an infinite period of time. However,
very large timeouts can block request threads for long periods, and radically decrease throughput.
To prevent this, always use the minimum timeout value.
Another cause of blocked request threads is inconsistent nesting of cflock tags and inconsistent
naming of locks. If you nest locks, everyone accessing the locked variables must consistently nest
cflock tags in the same order. Otherwise, a deadlock can occur.
These examples show situations that cause deadlocks:
Example deadlock with two users
User 1

User 2

Locks the session scope.

Locks the Application scope.

Deadlock: Tries to lock the Application scope,
but it is already locked by User 2.

Deadlock: Tries to lock the Session scope, but it
is already locked by User 1.

The following deadlock could occur if you tried to nest an exclusive lock inside a read lock:
Example deadlock with one user
User 1
Locks the Session scope with a read lock.
Attempts to lock the Session scope with an exclusive lock.
Deadlock: Cannot lock the Session scope with an exclusive lock because the scope is already
locked for reading.

The following code shows this scenario:

...............

.........



272

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

To avoid a deadlock, everyone who nests locks must do so in a well-specified order and name the
locks consistently. If you must lock access to the Server, Application, and Session scopes, you must
do so in this order:
1. Lock the Session scope. In the cflock tag, specify scope = "session".
2. Lock the Application scope. In the cflock tag, specify scope = "Application".
3. Lock the Server scope. In the cflock tag, specify scope = "server".
4. Unlock the Server scope.
5. Unlock the Application scope.
6. Unlock the Session scope.
Note: If you do not have to lock a scope, you can skip any pair of these lock/unlock steps. For
example, if you do not have to lock the Server scope, you can skip Steps 3 and 4. Similar rules apply
for named locks.

For more information, see the following:

• Chapter 15, “Using Persistent Data and Locking” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
• Article #20370, ColdFusion Locking Best Practices, on the Macromedia website at
www.macromedia.com/support/service/
Example
















cflock

273








cflock Example



Thanks for shopping E-Turtleneck. You chose size #form.size#,
color #form.color#.












E-Turtleneck has now sold #application.number# turtlenecks!






E-Turtleneck has sold #application.number# turtlenecks to date.



Congratulations! You selected the most comfortable turtleneck in the
world.
Please select color and size.


Select a color.




Select a size.




Press Submit when you are finished making your selection.
 





cflock

275

cflog
Description

Writes a message to a log file.
Category

Data output tags
Syntax

See also
cfcol, cfcontent, cfoutput, cftable
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated the thread, date, and time attributes. They might not work, and
might cause an error, in later releases. (In earlier releases, these attributes determined whether the
respective data items were output to the log. In ColdFusion MX, this data is always output.)
Attributes

276

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

text

Required

Message text to log.

log

Optional

If you omit the file attribute, writes messages to standard
log file. Ignored, if you specify file attribute.
• Application: writes to Application.log, normally used for
application-specific messages.
• Scheduler: writes to Scheduler.log, normally used to log
the execution of scheduled tasks.

file

Optional

Message file. Specify only the main part of the filename. For
example, to log to the Testing.log file, specify "Testing".
The file must be located in the default log directory. You
cannot specify a directory path. If the file does not exist, it is
created automatically, with the suffix .log.

type

Optional

Information

Type (severity) of the message:
• Information
• Warning
• Error
• Fatal

application

Optional

yes

• yes: logs the application name, if it is specified in a
cfapplication tag or Application.cfc file.
• no

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Description

Usage

This tag logs custom messages to standard or custom log files. You can specify a file for the log
message or send messages to the default application or scheduler log. The log message can include
ColdFusion expressions. Log files must have the suffix .log and must be located in the ColdFusion
log directory.
Log entries are written as comma-delimited lists with these fields:

•
•
•
•
•
•

type
coio
date
time
application
text

Values are enclosed in double-quotation marks. If you specify no for the application attribute,
the corresponding entry in the list is empty.
You can disable cflog tag execution. For more information, see the ColdFusion Administrator
Basic Security page.
The following example logs the name of a user that logs on an application. The message is logged
to the file myAppLog.log in the ColdFusion log directory. It includes the date, time, and thread
ID, but not the application name.


For example, if a user enters "Sang Thornfield" in a form’s username field, this entry is added to
the myApplog.log file entry:
"Information","153","02/28/01","14:53:40",,"User Sang Thornfield logged on."

cflog

277

cflogin
Description

A container for user login and authentication code. ColdFusion runs the code in this tag if a user
is not already logged in. You put code in the tag that authenticates the user and identifies the user
with a set of roles. Used with cfloginuser tag.
Category

Security tags
Syntax

...>

See also
cfloginuser, cflogout, GetAuthUser, IsUserInRole,

Chapter 16, “Securing

Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed behavior: the cflogin variable exists when ColdFusion receives a
request with NTLM or Digest (CFHTTP Negotiated header) authentication information.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes

278

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

idletimeout

Optional

1800

Time interval, in seconds, after which ColdFusion logs
off the user.

applicationtoken

Optional

The current
application
name

Unique application identifier. Limits the login validity
to one application, as specified by the cfapplication
tag or the Application.cfc file.

cookiedomain

Optional

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Domain of the cookie that is used to mark a user as
logged in. Use this attribute to enable a user login
cookie to work with multiple clustered servers in the
same domain.

Usage

The body of this tag executes only if there is no logged-in user. When using application-based
security, you put code in the body of the cflogin tag to check the user-provided ID and
password against a data source, LDAP directory, or other repository of login identification. The
body must include a cfloginuser tag to establish the authenticated user's identity in
ColdFusion.
You control the data source and are responsible for coding the SQL within the cflogin tag, and
you must make sure that the associated database has user, password, and role information.
The cflogin tag has a built-in cflogin structure that contains two variables, cflogin.name and
if the page is executing in response to any of the following:

cflogin.password,

• Submission of a form that contains input fields with the names j_username and j_password.
• A request that uses CFHTTP Basic authentication, and therefore includes an Authorization
header with the username and password.

• A request that uses NTLM or Digest authentication. In this case, the username and password
are hashed using a one-way algorithm in the Authorization header; ColdFusion gets the
username from the web server and sets the cflogin.password value to the empty string.
You can use these values in the cflogin tag body to authenticate the user, and, in the
tag, to log the user in. The structure is only available in the cflogin tag body.

cfloginuser
Example

The following example shows a simple authentication. This code is typically in the
Application.cfc onRequestStart method or in the application.cfm page.














The following view-only example checks the user ID and password against a data source:

select Roles FROM SecurityRoles
where username=

cflogin

279





280

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfloginuser
Description

Identifies an authenticated user to ColdFusion. Specifies the user ID and roles. Used within a
cflogin tag.
Category

Security tags
Syntax

See also
cflogin, cflogout, GetAuthUser, IsUserInRole, cfapplication,

Chapter 16,

“Securing Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed behavior: if the Session scope is enabled, and the cfapplication
tag loginStorage attribute is set to Session, the login remains in effect until the session expires
or the user is logged out by the cflogout tag.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

name

Required

A username.

password

Required

A user password.

roles

Required

A comma-delimited list of role identifiers.
ColdFusion processes spaces in a list element as part of the
element.

Usage

Used inside the cflogin tag to identify the authenticated user to ColdFusion. After you call this
function, the GetAuthUser and IsUserInRoles return the user name and role information.
Note: By default, the user information is stored as memory-only cookies. The cfapplication tag or
the Application.cfc This.loginStorage variable can specify that login information be stored in the
Session scope.
Example

See cflogin on page 278.

cfloginuser

281

cflogout
Description

Logs the current user out. Removes knowledge of the user ID, password, and roles from the
server. If you do not use this tag, the user is automatically logged out when the session ends.
Category

Security tags
Syntax

See also
cflogin, cfloginuser,

Chapter 16, “Securing Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s

Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed behavior: if the Session scope is enabled, a login remains in effect
until the session expires or the user is logged out by the cflogout tag.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Example



Authorized user: #getAuthUser()#

Authorized user: #getAuthUser()#

282

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfloop
Description

Looping is a programming technique that repeats a set of instructions or displays output
repeatedly until one or more conditions are met. This tag supports the following types of loops:

•
•
•
•
•
•

“cfloop: index loop” on page 284
“cfloop: conditional loop” on page 286
“cfloop: looping over a date or time range” on page 287
“cfloop: looping over a query” on page 288
“cfloop: looping over a list or file” on page 290
“cfloop: looping over a COM collection or structure” on page 292

For more information, see “cfloop and cfbreak” in Chapter 2, “Elements of CFML,” and
“Populating arrays with data” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide.
Category

Flow-control tags

cfloop

283

cfloop: index loop
Description

An index loop repeats for a number of times that is determined by a numeric value. An index loop
is also known as a FOR loop.
Syntax

... HTML or CFML code ...

See also
cfabort, cfbreak, cfdirectory, cfexecute, cfexit, cfif, cflocation, cfrethrow,
cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry;

“cfloop and cfbreak” in Chapter 2, “Elements of CFML,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

index

Required

Index value. ColdFusion sets it to the from value and
increments or decrements by step value, until it equals the to
value.

from

Required

Beginning value of index.

to

Required

Ending value of index.

step

Optional

1

Step by which to increment or decrement the index value.

Usage

Using anything other than integer values in the from and to attributes of an index loop can
product unexpected results. For example, if you increment through an index loop from 1 to 2,
with a step of 0.1, ColdFusion outputs "1,1.1,1.2,...,1.9", but not "2". This is a programming
language problem regarding the internal representation of floating point numbers.
Note: The to value is evaluated once, when the cfloop tag is encountered. Any change to this value
within the loop block, or within the expression that evaluates to this value, does not affect the number
of times the loop is executed.
Example

In this example, the code loops five times, displaying the index value each time:

The loop index is #LoopCount#.



The output of this loop is as follows:
The loop index is 1.
The loop index is 2.

284

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

The loop index is 3.
The loop index is 4.
The loop index is 5.

In this example, the code loops four times, displaying the index value each time. The value of j is
decreased by one for each iteration. This does not affect the value of to, because it is a copy of j
that is made before entering the loop.


The loop index is #LoopCount#.




The output of this loop is as follows:
The
The
The
The

loop
loop
loop
loop

index
index
index
index

is
is
is
is

1.
2.
3.
4.

As before, the value of j is decremented by one for each iteration, but this does not affect the
value of to, because its value is a copy of j that is made before the loop is entered.
In this example, step has the default value, 1. The code decrements the index:

The loop index is #LoopCount#.



The output of this loop is as follows:
The
The
The
The
The

loop
loop
loop
loop
loop

index
index
index
index
index

is
is
is
is
is

5.
4.
3.
2.
1.

cfloop: index loop

285

cfloop: conditional loop
Description

A conditional loop iterates over a set of instructions as long as a condition is True. To use this type
of loop correctly, the instructions must change the condition every time the loop iterates, until
the condition is False. Conditional loops are known as WHILE loops, as in, "loop WHILE this
condition is true."
Syntax

...

See also
cfabort, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cfif, cflocation, cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry; “cfloop
and cfbreak” in Chapter 2, “Elements of CFML,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

condition

Required

Default

Description
Condition that controls the loop.

Example

The following example increments CountVar from 1 to 5.





The loop index is #CountVar#.



The output of this loop is as follows:
The
The
The
The
The

286

loop
loop
loop
loop
loop

index
index
index
index
index

is
is
is
is
is

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfloop: looping over a date or time range
Description

Loops over the date or time range specified by the from and to attributes. By default, the step is 1
day, but you can change the step by creating a timespan. The cfloop tag loops over tags that
cannot be used within a cfoutput tag.
Syntax


See also
cfabort, cfbreak, cfdirectory, cfexecute, cfexit, cfif, cflocation, cfrethrow,
cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry;

“cfloop and cfbreak” in Chapter 2, “Elements of CFML,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

from

Required

The beginning of the date or time range.

to

Required

The end of the date or time range.

index

Required 1 day

Index value. ColdFusion sets it to the from value and
increments by the step value, until it equals the to
value.

step

Optional

Step, expressed as a timespan, by which the index
increments.

Example

The following example loops from today’s date to today’s date plus 30 days, stepping by 7 days at
a time and displaying the date:



#dateformat(i, "mm/dd/yyyy")#



The following example displays the time in 30-minute increments, starting from midnight and
ending 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds later:



#TimeFormat(i, "hh:mm tt")#



cfloop: looping over a date or time range

287

cfloop: looping over a query
Description

A loop over a query executes for each record in a query record set. The results are similar to those
of the cfoutput tag. During each iteration, the columns of the current row are available for
output. The cfloop tag loops over tags that cannot be used within a cfoutput tag.
Syntax


See also
cfabort, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cfif, cflocation, cfoutput, cfswitch, cfthrow,
cftry;

For more information, see “cfloop and cfbreak” in Chapter 2, “Elements of CFML,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

query

Required

Query that controls the loop.

startRow

Optional

First row of query that is included in the loop.

endRow

Optional

Last row of query that is included in the loop.

Example

SELECT * FROM Messages


#Message_ID#



The cfloop tag also iterates over a record set with dynamic start and stop points. This gets the
next n sets of records from a query. This example loops from the fifth through the tenth record
returned by the MessageRecords query:



#MessageRecords.Message_ID#



The loop stops when there are no more records, or when the current record index is greater than
the value of the endRow attribute.

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The following example combines the pages that are returned by a query of a list of page names
into one document, using the cfinclude tag:

SELECT TemplateName
FROM Templates





cfloop: looping over a query

289

cfloop: looping over a list or file
Description

Looping over a list steps through elements contained in any of these entities:

• A variable
• A value that is returned from an expression
• A file
Syntax

...

See also
cfabort, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cfif, cflocation, cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry; “cfloop
and cfbreak” in Chapter 2, “Elements of CFML,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

index

Required

In a list loop, the variable to receive the next list element.

list

Required

A list, variable, or filename; contains a list.

delimiters

Optional

Character(s) that separates items in list.

Example

This loop displays four names:

#ListElement#



You can put more than one character in the delimiters attribute, in any order. For example, this
loop processes commas, colons, and slashes as list delimiters:

#ListElement#



ColdFusion skips the second and subsequent consecutive delimiters between list elements. Thus,
in the example, the two colons between "George" and "Ringo" are processed as one delimiter.

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To loop over each line of a file, use the tag this way:

...


cfloop: looping over a list or file

291

cfloop: looping over a COM collection or structure
Description

The cfloop collection attribute loops over every object within a COM/DCOM collection
object, or every element in a structure:

• A COM/DCOM collection object is a set of similar items referenced as a group. For example,
the group of open documents in an application is a collection.

• A structure contains a related set of items, or it can be used as an associative array. Looping is
particularly useful when using a structure as an associative array.
In the loop, each item is referenced by the variable name in the item attribute. The loop executes
until all items have been accessed.
The collection attribute is used with the item attribute. In the example that follows, item is
assigned a variable called file2, so that with each cycle in the cfloop, each item in the collection
is referenced. In the cfoutput section, the name property of the file2 item is referenced for
display.
For more information, see Chapter 38, “Integrating COM and CORBA Objects in CFML
Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example

This example uses a COM object to output a list of files. In this example, FFunc is a collection of
file2 objects.






#file2.name# 
 


...








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Employee
Dept.



#person#
#StructFind(Departments, person)#





cfloop: looping over a COM collection or structure

293

cfmail

CHAPTER 2
ColdFusion Tags

Description

Sends an e-mail message that optionally contains query output, using an SMTP server.
Category

Internet Protocol tags
Syntax

(Optional) Mail message body and/or cfhttpparam tags

See also
cfmailparam, cfmailpart, cfpop, cfftp, cfhttp, cfldap, Wrap; “Using ColdFusion with mail

servers” in Chapter 39, “Sending and Receiving E-Mail,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
ColdFusion MX 6.1:

• Added the following attributes: charset, failto, replyto, username, password and
wraptext.

• Added support for multiple mail servers in the server attribute.
• Added several configuration options to the ColdFusion MX Administrator Mail Settings page.
ColdFusion MX: Added the SpoolEnable attribute.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

to

Required

Message recipient e-mail addresses:
• Static address; for example, "support@macromedia.com".
• Variable that contains an address; for example,
"#Form.Email#".
• Name of a query column that contains an address; for
example, "#EMail#". An e-mail message is sent for each
returned row.

from

Required

E-mail message sender:
• A static string; for example, "support@mex.com"
• A variable; for example, "#GetUser.EMailAddress#" .
This attribute does not have to be a valid Internet address; it
can be any text string.

cc

Optional

Address(es) to which to copy the message.

bcc

Optional

Address(es) to which to copy the message, without listing
them in the message header.

subject

Required

Message subject. Can be dynamically generated. For
example, to send messages that give customers status
updates: "Status of Order Number #Order_ID#".

replyto

Optional

Address(es) to which the recipient is directed to send
replies.

failto

Optional

Address to which mailing systems should send delivery
failure notifications. Sets the mail envelope reverse-path
value.

username

Optional

A user name to send to SMTP servers that require
authentication. Requires a password attribute.

password

Optional

A password to send to SMTP servers that require
authentication. Requires a username attribute.

wraptext

Optional

Do not wrap
text

Specifies the maximum line length, in characters of the mail
text. If a line has more than the specified number of
characters, replaces the last white space character, such as
a tab or space, preceding the specified position with a line
break. If there are no white space characters, inserts a line
break at the specified position. A common value for this
attribute is 72.

cfmail

295

296

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

charset

Optional

Character
encoding
selected in
ColdFusion
MX
Administrator
Mail page;
default is
UTF-8

Character encoding of the mail message, including the
headers. The following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• iso-2022-kr
• big5
• hz-gb-2312
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information on character encodings, see
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.

type

Optional

text/plain

MIME type of the message. Can be a valid MIME media
type or one of the following:
• text: specifies text/plain type.
• plain: specifies text/plain type.
• html: specifies text/html type.
For a list of all registered MIME media types, see
www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/.

MIMEAttach Optional

Path of file to attach to message. Attached file is MIMEencoded. ColdFusion attempts to determine the MIME type
of the file; use the cfmailparam tag to send an attachment
and specify the MIME type.

query

Optional

Name of cfquery from which to draw data for message(s).
Use this attribute to send more than one message, or to
send query results within a message.

group

Optional

CurrentRow

Query column to use when you group sets of records to
send as a message. For example, to send a set of billing
statements to a customer, group on "Customer_ID." Casesensitive. Eliminates adjacent duplicates when data is
sorted by the specified field.

groupCase
Sensitive

Optional

No

Boolean. Whether to consider case when using the group
attribute. To group on case-sensitive records, set this
attribute to Yes.

startRow

Optional

1

Row in a query to start from.

maxRows

Optional

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Maximum number of messages to send when looping over
a query.

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

server

Optional

SMTP server address, or (Enterprise edition only) a
comma-delimited list of server addresses, to use for
sending messages. At least one server must be specified
here or in the ColdFusion MX Administrator. A value here
overrides the Administrator. A value that includes a port
specification overrides the port attribute. See the Usage
section for details.

port

Optional

TCP/IP port on which SMTP server listens for requests
(normally 25). A value here overrides the Administrator.

mailerID

Optional

timeout

Optional

ColdFusion
MX
Application
Server

Number of seconds to wait before timing out connection to
SMTP server. A value here overrides the Administrator.

spoolEnable Optional

debug

Optional

Mailer ID to be passed in X-Mailer SMTP header, which
identifies the mailer application.

Specifies whether to spool mail or always send it
Immediately. Overrides the ColdFusion MX Administrator
Spool mail messages to disk for delivery setting.
• Yes: saves a copy of the message until the sending
operation is complete. Pages that use this option might
run slower than those that use the No option.
• No: queues the message for sending, without storing a
copy until the operation is complete. If a delivery error
occurs when this option is No, ColdFusion generates an
Application exception and logs the error to the mail.log
file.
No

• Yes: sends debugging output to standard output. By
default, if the console window is unavailable, ColdFusion
sends output to cf_root\runtime\logs\coldfusion-out.log
on server configurations. On J2EE configurations, with
JRun, the default location is jrun_home/logs/servernameout.log.
Caution: If you set this option to Yes, ColdFusion MX
writes detailed debugging information to the log,
including all message contents, and can generate large
logs quickly.
• No: does not generate debugging output.

Usage

Sends a mail message to the specified address. Mail messages can include attachments. The tag
body can include CFML code to generate mail output. The cfmailparam and cfmailpart tags
can only be used in the cfmail tag body.
Mail messages can be single or multipart. If you send a multi-part mail message, all message
content must be in cfmailpart tags; ColdFusion ignores multipart message text that is not in
cfmailpart tags.

cfmail

297

Note: The cfmail tag does not make copies of attachments when spooling mail to disk. If you use the
cfmail tag to send a message with an attachment with spooling enabled and you use the cffile tag
to delete the attachment file, ColdFusion might not send the mail because the mailing process might
execute after the file was is deleted. (When this happens, the mail log includes a FileNotFound
exception and the e-mail is not sent.) You can prevent this problem by setting SpoolEnable="No" in
the attribute or disabling spooling in the ColdFusion MX Administrator. Disabling spooling causes the
e-mail to be delivered immediately.

Mail addressing

Mail addresses can have any of the following forms:
Format

Example

user@server

rsmith@company.com





DisplayName 

Rob Smith 

"DisplayName" 

"Rob Smith" 

user@server (DisplayName)

rsmith@company.com (Rob Smith)

Specifying mail servers

The server attribute can specify one or more mail servers.
Note: If you specify multiple mail servers in ColdFusion MX Standard, the cfmail tag uses only the
first server in the specification. ColdFusion logs a warning message to the mail log file and ignores the
additional servers.

For each server, you can optionally specify a username, password, and port. These values override
the corresponding attributes, if any. The server attribute has the following format:
[user:password@]server[:port],[user:password@]server[:port],....

For example, the following line specifies one server, mail.myco.com that uses the default port and
no user or password, and a second server with a user, password, and specific port:
server=mail.myco.com,mail_admin:adm2qzf@mail2.myco.com:24

When you specify multiple mail servers in ColdFusion Enterprise, ColdFusion tries the available
servers in the order they are listed until it connects to a server. ColdFusion does not try to connect
to a server that was unavailable in the last 60 seconds.
Example
cfmail Example







--->

cfmail

299

cfmailparam
Description

Attaches a file or adds a header to an e-mail message.
Category

Internet Protocol tags
Syntax


or

...

See also
cfmail, cfmailpart, cfftp, cfhttp, cfldap, cfpop; “Using the cfmailparam tag” in
Chapter 39, “Sending and Receiving E-Mail,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 6.x: Added the Disposition and ContentID attributes.
ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added the type attribute.
Attributes

300

Attribute

Req/Opt

file

Required if you do not
specify name attribute

Attaches a file in a message. Mutually exclusive
with name attribute. The file is MIME encoded
before sending.

name

Required if you do not
specify file attribute

Name of header. Case-insensitive. Mutually
exclusive with file attribute.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default

Description

Attribute

Req/Opt

type

Optional

Default

Description
The MIME media type of the file. Not used with the
name attribute. Can be a valid MIME media type or
one of the following:
• text: specifies text/plain type.
• plain: specifies text/plain type.
• html: specifies text/html type.
Note: For a list of all registered MIME media
types, see www.iana.org/assignments/mediatypes/.

value

Optional

Value of the header. Not used with the file
attribute.

contentID

Optional

The Identifier for the attached file. This ID should
be globally unique and is used to identify the file in
an IMG or other tag in the mail body that
references the file content.

disposition Optional

attachment How the attached file is to be handled. Can be one
of the following:
• attachment: presents the file as an attachment.
• inline: displays the file contents in the message.

Usage

This tag attaches a file or adds a header to an e-mail message. It can only be used in the cfmail
tag. You can use multiple cfmailparam tags within a cfmail tag.
You can use this tag to include a file, such as an image, in an HTML mail message. The file can be
displayed inline in an HTML message, or as an attachment. To include multiple files, use
multiple cfmailparam tags.
To display a file inline in a mail message:

1. Specify type="html" in the cfmail tag.
2. Specify disposition="inline" and a ContentID attribute in the cfmailparam tag.
3. Use a src="cid:ContentIDValue" attribute to identify the content to include in the HTML tag

such as the img tag.
The second example shows this use.
Examples
cfmailparam Examples
This view-only example uses cfmailparam to 1) add header to a message and 2)
attach files and 3) to return a receipt to the sender.


Please review the new logo. Tell us what you think.




cfmailparam

301


This view-only example displays an image in the body of
an HTML message.


There should be an image here

 After the picture


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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfmailpart
Description

Specifies one part of a multipart e-mail message. Can only be used in the cfmail tag. You can use
more than one cfmailpart tag within a cfmail tag.
Category

Internet Protocol tags
Syntax

(Optional cfmailparam entries)

Mail part contents

...

History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added this tag.
See also
cfmail, cfmailparam, cfpop, cfftp, cfhttp, cfldap, cfcontent, Wrap;

“E-mail” in
Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Attribute Req/Opt
type

Required

Default

Description
The MIME media type of the part. Can be a can be valid MIME
media type or one of the following:
• text: specifies text/plain type.
• plain: specifies text/plain type.
• html: specifies text/html type.
Note: For a list of all registered MIME media types, see
www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/.

cfmailpart

303

Attribute Req/Opt

Default

Description

wraptext

Optional

Do not
wrap text

Specifies the maximum line length, in characters of the mail text.
If a line has more than the specified number of characters,
replaces the last white space character, such as a tab or space,
preceding the specified position with a line break. If there are no
white space characters, inserts a line break at the specified
position. A common value for this attribute is 72.

charset

Optional

Character
encoding
specified
by

The character encoding in which the part text is encoded. The
following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• iso-2022-kr
• big5
• hz-gb-2312
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information on character encodings, see
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.

charset

attribute
of cfmail
tag

Usage

Use this tag to create mail messages with alternative versions of the message that duplicate the
content in multiple formats. The most common use is to send a plain text version of the message
that can be read by all mail readers followed by a version formatted in HTML for display by
HTML-compatible mail readers. Specify the simplest version first, with more complex versions
afterwards. For more information, see www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2046.txt.
Example
cfmailpart Example


You are reading this message as plain text, because your mail reader
does not handle HTML text.
>

HTML Mail Message
You are reading this message as HTML.
Your mail reader handles HTML text.



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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfmodule
Description

Invokes a custom tag for use in ColdFusion application pages. This tag processes custom tag
name conflicts.
Category

Application framework tags
Syntax

See also
cfapplication, cfassociate, cflock; Chapter 11, “Creating and Using Custom CFML Tags”
in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior when using this tag within a custom tag: if the
attribute_name parameter is the same as a key element within the attributeCollection
parameter, ColdFusion now uses the name value that is within the attributeCollection
parameter. (Earlier releases did not process this consistently.)
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

template

Required
unless name
attribute is used

Mutually exclusive with the name attribute. A path to
the page that implements the tag.
• Relative path: expanded from the current page.
• Absolute path: expanded using ColdFusion
mapping.
A physical path is not valid.

name

Required
unless template
attribute is used

Mutually exclusive with the template attribute. A
custom tag name, in the form "Name.Name.Name..."
Identifies subdirectory, under the ColdFusion tag
root directory, that contains custom tag page. For
example (Windows format):


This identifies the page GetUserOptions.cfm in the
directory CustomTags\macromedia\Forums40
under the ColdFusion root directory.

cfmodule

305

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

attributeCollection

Optional

Structure. A collection of key-value pairs that
represent attribute names and values. You can
specify multiple key-value pairs. You can specify this
attribute only once.

attribute_name

Optional

Attribute for a custom tag. You can include multiple
instances of this attribute to specify the parameters
of a custom tag.

Usage

To name a ColdFusion page that contains the custom tag definition, including its path, use the
template attribute. To refer to the custom tag in the ColdFusion installation directory, using dot
notation to indicate its location, use the name attribute.
On UNIX systems, ColdFusion searches first for a file with a name that matches the name
attribute, but is all lower case. If it does not find the file, it looks for a file name that matches the
attribute with identical character casing.
You can use attributeCollection and attribute_name in the same call.
Within the custom tag code, the attributes passed with attributeCollection are saved as
independent attribute values, with no indication that they are grouped into a structure by the
custom tag’s caller.
Similarly, if the custom tag uses a cfassociate tag to save its attributes, the attributes passed
with attributeCollection are saved as independent attribute values, with no indication that
they are grouped into a structure by the custom tag’s caller.
If you specify an end tag to cfmodule, ColdFusion calls your custom tag as if it had both a start
and an end tag. For more information, see “Handling end tags” of Chapter 11, “Creating and
Using Custom CFML Tags” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example
cfmodule Example
This view-only example shows use of cfmodule to call a custom tag inline.
This example uses a sample custom tag that is saved in myTag.cfm in
the snippets directory. You can also save ColdFusion custom tags in the
CFusionMX7\CustomTags directory.








Here is one way in which to invoke the custom tag,

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

using the TEMPLATE attribute.
#HTMLCodeFormat(" ")#

The result: #result#




Here is another way to invoke the custom tag,
using the NAME attribute.
#HTMLCodeFormat(" ")#

The result: #result#




Here is the short cut to invoking the same tag.
#HTMLCodeFormat("")#

The result: #result#

cfmodule

307

cfNTauthenticate
Description

Authenticates a user name and password against the Windows NT domain on which the
ColdFusion server is running, and optionally retrieves the user’s groups.
Category

Security tags
Syntax

See also
cflogin, cfloginuser, IsUserInRole, GetAuthUser
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

name

Required

User’s login name.

password

Required

User’s password.

domain

Required

Domain against which to authenticate the user. The
ColdFusion J2EE server must be running on this
domain.

result

Optional

cfntauthenticate Name of the variable in which to return the results.

listGroups

Optional

No

Boolean value specifying whether to include a
comma-delimited list of the user’s groups in the result
structure.

throwOnError Optional

No

Boolean value specifying whether to throw an
exception if the validation fails. If this attribute is Yes,
ColdFusion throws an error if the user name or
password is invalid; the application must handle such
errors in a try/catch block or ColdFusion error handler
page.

Usage

Use this function to authenticate a user against a Windows NT domain and optionally get the
user’s groups. This function does not work with the Microsoft Active Directory directory service,
and does nothing on UNIX and Linux systems. You typically use this tag inside a cflogin tag to
authenticate the user for a cfloginuser tag, as shown in the example.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Note: ColdFusion must run as a user that has the privilege to authenticate other users in the specified
domain.

The structure specified in the result attribute contains the following information:
Field

Value

auth

Whether the user is authenticated:
• Yes
• No

groups

A comma-delimited list of the user’s groups in the specified domain. The
structure includes this field only if the listGroups attribute is Yes.

name

The user name; equals the tag’s name attribute.

status

The authentication status. One of the following:
• success
• UserNotInDirFailure: the user is not listed in the directory.
• AuthenticationFailure: the user is in the directory, but the password is
not valid.

This tag provides two models for handling authentication: status checking and exception
handling. If the throwOnError attribute is No, use the result variable’s auth and status fields to
determine whether the user was authenticated and, if not, the reason for the failure. If the
throwOnError attribute is Yes, ColdFusion throws an exception error if the user is not valid. In
this case, use try/catch error handling. The catch block must handle any authentication failure.
Example

The following example uses the auth and status fields to determine whether the user is
authenticated and the failure cause. It consists of three files that you put in the same directory:

• A main cfntauthexample.cfm page that displays the name if the user is authenticated and
contains a logout link.

• A login form page that is displayed if the user is not logged in.
• The Application.cfm page, which contains all the login, authentication, and logout processing
code.
For a full description of login processing, see ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide. For information
on how this example works, see the comments in the code.
Save the following page as cfntauthenticateexample.cfm. To run the example, request this page in
your browser or IDE.


Welcome #GetAuthUser()#

Log Out


cfNTauthenticate

309

Save the following page as loginform.cfm:

Please Log In


User Name: 

Password: 

Domain: 




Save the following page as Application.cfm:


























The password for #theusername# is not correct

Please Try again


The user name #theusername# is not valid


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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Please Try again








cfNTauthenticate

311

cfobject
Description

Creates a ColdFusion object, of a specified type.
Note: You can enable and disable this tag in the ColdFusion Administrator page, under ColdFusion
Security, Sandbox Security.
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax

The tag syntax depends on the object type. Some types use the type attribute; others do not. See
the following sections:

•
•
•
•
•

“cfobject: COM object” on page 313
“cfobject: component object” on page 315
“cfobject: CORBA object” on page 316
“cfobject: Java or EJB object” on page 318
“cfobject: web service object” on page 320

Note: On UNIX, this tag does not support COM objects.
See also
cfargument, cfcomponent, cffunction, cfinvoke, cfinvokeargument, cfproperty,
cfreturn;

“Using Java objects” in Chapter 37, “Integrating J2EE and Java Elements in CFML
Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed instantiation behavior: this tag, and the CreateObject function, can now instantiate
ColdFusion components (CFCs); you can use them within the cfscript tag.

• For CORBA object: changed the Naming Service separator format for addresses from a dot to
a forward slash. For example, if "context=NameService", for a class, use either of the
following formats for the class parameter:
■

"Macromedia/Eng/CF"

■

"Macromedia.current/Eng.current/CF"

(In earlier releases, the format was "Macromedia.Eng.CF".)

• For CORBA object: changed the locale attribute; it specifies the Java configuration that
contains the properties file.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfobject: COM object
Description

Creates and manipulates a Component Object Model (COM) object. Invokes a registered
automation server object type.
For information on OLEView, and about COM and DCOM, see the Microsoft OLE
Development website: www.microsoft.com.
To use this tag, you must provide the object’s program ID or filename, the methods and
properties available through the IDispatch interface, and the arguments and return types of the
object's methods. For most COM objects, you can get this information with the OLEView
utility.
Note: On UNIX, this tag does not support COM objects.
Syntax

See also
ReleaseComObject, cfcollection, cfexecute;

“COM” in Chapter 17, “Developing
Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

type

Optional

Object type:
• com
• corba
• java
(The other object types do not take the type attribute.)

action

Required

• create: instantiates a COM object (typically, a DLL) before
invoking methods or properties.
• connect: connects to a COM object (typically, an EXE)
running on server.

class

Required

Component ProgID for the object to invoke. When using Java
stubs to connect to the COM object, the class must be the
ProgID of the COM object.

name

Required

String; name for the instantiated component.

cfobject: COM object

313

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

context

Optional

• inproc
• local
• remote
On Windows: If not specified, uses Registry setting.

server

Required if

Server name, using Universal Naming Convention (UNC) or
Domain Name Serve (DNS) convention, in one of these
forms:
• \\lanserver
• lanserver
• http://www.servername.com
• www.servername.com
• 127.0.0.1

context =
"Remote"

Example
cfobject (COM) Example






This object has #obj.Count# items.

 




The last name in the third item is #emp.lastname#.

 


Looping through all items in the collection:



Last name: #file2.lastname# 



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cfobject: component object
Description

Creates an instance of a ColdFusion component (CFC) object.
Syntax

See also
cfcollection, cfcomponent, cfexecute, cfindex, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx; “Using
ColdFusion components” in Chapter 10, “Building and Using ColdFusion Components,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Required

component Required

Default Description
String; name for the instantiated component. The name must not
have a period as the first or last character.
Name of component to instantiate.

Usage

When the cfobject tag creates an instance of the CFC, ColdFusion executes any constructor
code in the CFC; that is, it runs code that is not in the method definitions.
On UNIX systems, ColdFusion searches first for a file with a name that matches the specified
component name, but is all lowercase. If it does not find the file, it looks for a filename that
matches the component name exactly, with the identical character casing.
Example



#res#


#res#

cfobject: component object

315

cfobject: CORBA object
Description

Calls methods on a registered CORBA object.
Syntax

See also
cfcollection, cfexecute, cfindex, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx; “CORBA” in Chapter 17,
“Developing Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

See the History section of the main cfobject tag page.
Attributes
Attribute Req/Opt Default Description
type

Optional

Object type:
• com
• corba
• java
(The other object types do not take the type attribute.)

context

Required

• ior: ColdFusion uses Interoperable Object Reference (IOR) to
access CORBA server.
• nameservice: ColdFusion uses naming service to access server.
This option is valid only with the InitialContext of a VisiBroker Orb.

class

Required

• If context = "ior": absolute path of file that contains string version
of the Interoperable Object Reference (IOR). ColdFusion must be
able to read file; it should be local to ColdFusion server or
accessible on network.
• If context = "nameservice": forward slash-delimited naming
context for naming service. For example: Allaire//Doc/empobject.

name

Required

String; name for the instantiated component. An application uses it
to reference the CORBA object’s methods and attributes.

locale

Optional

Sets arguments for a call to init_orb. Use of this attribute is specific
to VisiBroker ORBs. It is available on C++, Version 3.2. The value
must be in the form:
locale = " -ORBagentAddr 199.99.129.33

-ORBagentPort 19000"

Each type-value pair must start with a hyphen.

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Usage

ColdFusion Enterprise version 4.0 and later supports CORBA through the Dynamic Invocation
Interface (DII). To use cfobject with CORBA objects, you must provide the name of the file
that contains a string-formatted version of the IOR, or the object’s naming context in the naming
service; and the object’s attributes, method names, and method signatures.
User-defined types (for example, structures) are not supported.
Example


cfobject: CORBA object

317

cfobject: Java or EJB object
Description

Creates and manipulates a Java and Enterprise Java Bean (EJB) object.
Syntax

See also
cfcollection, cfexecute, cfindex, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx; “Using Java objects” in
Chapter 37, “Integrating J2EE and Java Elements in CFML Applications,” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

type

Optional

Object type:
• com
• corba
• java
(The other object types do not take the type attribute.)

action

Required

Create: Creates a Java or WebLogic Environment object.

class

Required

Java class.

name

Required

String; name for the instantiated component.

Usage

To call Java CFXs or Java objects, ColdFusion uses a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that is
embedded in the process. You can configure JVM loading, location and settings in the
ColdFusion Administrator.
Any Java class available in the class path that is specified in the ColdFusion Administrator can be
loaded and used from ColdFusion, using the cfobject tag.
To access Java methods and fields, do the following steps:
1. Call the cfobject tag, to load the class. See the example code.
2. Use the init method with appropriate arguments, to call a constructor. For example:


Calling a public method on the object without first calling the init method results in an implicit
call to the default constructor. Arguments and return values can be any Java type (simple, array,
object). ColdFusion makes the conversions if strings are passed as arguments, but not if they are
received as return values.
Overloaded methods are supported if the number of arguments is different.

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Calling EJBs

To create and call EJB objects, use the cfobject tag. In the second example below, the WebLogic
JNDI is used to register and find EJBHome instances.
Example










Share value = #value#



cfobject: Java or EJB object

319

cfobject: web service object
Description

Creates a web service proxy object.
Syntax

See also
cfcollection, cfexecute, cfindex, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx; “Consuming web services”
in Chapter 36, “Using Web Services,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

webservice Required

URL to web service WSDL file:
• Absolute URL of web service.
• Name (string) assigned in the Administrator to the web service.

name

Local name for the web service. String.

Required

Usage

Instantiates a proxy object for a web service. You can enter the absolute URL in this tag, or refer
to a web service that is entered in the ColdFusion Administrator. To minimize potential code
maintenance, enter the web service in the Administrator, and then refer to that name in this tag.

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cfobjectcache
Description

Flushes the query cache.
Category

Database manipulation tags
Syntax

See also
cfobject
History

ColdFusion 5: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required

Default Description
clear: clears queries from the cache in the Application scope.

cfobjectcache

321

cfoutput
Description

Displays output that can contain the results of processing ColdFusion variables and functions.
Can loop over the results of a database query.
Category

Data output tags
Syntax


See also
cfcol, cfcontent, cfdirectory, cftable
History

ColdFusion 4.5.0: Added the groupCaseSensitive attribute.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

query

Optional

Name of cfquery from which to draw data for output section.

group

Optional

Query column to use to group sets of records. Eliminates
adjacent duplicate rows when data is sorted. Use if you
retrieved a record set ordered on one or more a query
columns. For example, if a record set is ordered on
"Customer_ID" in the cfquery tag, you can group the output on
"Customer_ID."

groupCase Optional
Sensitive

Yes

Boolean. Whether to consider the case in grouping rows.

startRow

Optional

1

Row from which to start output.

maxRows

Optional

displays all Maximum number of rows to display.
rows

Usage

In the cfoutput tag body, ColdFusion treats text that is surrounded by number signs (#) as a
ColdFusion variable or function call. For example, the following code displays the text "Hello
World!":

#myVar#

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When you specify a query attribute, this tag loops over the query rows and produces output for
each row within the range specified by the startRow and maxRows values, and groups or
eliminates duplicate entries as specified by the grouping attribute values, if any. It also sets the
query.currentRow variable to the current row being processed.
If you nest cfoutput blocks that process a query, you specify the query and group attributes at
the top-most level; you can specify a group attribute for each inner block except the innermost
cfoutput block.
This tag requires an end tag.
Example



SELECT Dept_ID, CorName, CorLevel
FROM courseList
ORDER by Dept_ID, CorLevel, CorName

cfoutput Example
cfoutput tells ColdFusion Server to begin processing, and then to hand back
control of page rendering to the web server.
For example, to show today's date, you could write #DateFormat("#Now()#").
If you enclosed that expression in cfoutput, the result would
be#DateFormat(Now())#.
In addition, cfoutput may be used to show the results of a query operation,
or only a partial result, as shown:
There are #getCourses.recordCount# total records in
our query. Using the maxRows parameter, we are limiting our display to 4
rows.

#Dept_ID# #CorName# #CorLevel#


EXAMPLE: The next example uses the group attribute to eliminate duplicate
lines from a list of course levels taught in each department.

SELECT Dept_ID, CorLevel
FROM courseList
ORDER by Dept_ID, CorLevel


#Dept_ID# #CorLevel#


cfoutput can also show the results of
such as getting the day of the week from
extract the integer representing the Day
the server function Now() and then apply
the DayofWeekAsString function:

a more complex expression,
today's date. We first
of the Week from
the result to


Today is #DayofWeekAsString(DayofWeek(Now()))#

cfoutput

323


Today is #DayofWeekAsString(DayofWeek(Now()))#
 EXAMPLE: This last example shows nested cfoutput tags:


SELECT Emp_ID, firstname, lastname, e.dept_id, salary, d.dept_name
FROM employee e, departmt d
WHERE e.dept_id = d.dept_id
ORDER BY d.dept_name



#dept_name#








Employee
Salary


#empSalary.lastname#, #empSalary.firstname#
#DollarFormat(empSalary.salary)#


Total
#DollarFormat(deptTotal)#




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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfparam
Description

Tests for the existence of a parameter (that is, a variable), validates its data, and, if a default value
is not assigned, optionally provides one.
Category

Variable manipulation tags
Syntax

See also
cfcookie, cfregistry, cfsavecontent, cfschedule, cfset;

“Validating data with the IsValid
function and the cfparam tag” in Chapter 28, “Validating Data,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Added min, max, and pattern attributes.
• Added creditcard, email, eurodate, float, integer, range, regex, regular_expression, ssn,
social_security_number, time, URL, USdate, and zipcode attributes of the type attribute.

cfparam

325

Attributes

326

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

name

Required

Name of the parameter (variable) to test (such as "Client.Email " or
"Cookie.BackgroundColor "). If omitted, and if the parameter
does not exist, an error is thrown.

type

Optional

default

Optional

Value to set parameter to if it does not exist. Any expression used
for the default attribute is evaluated, even if the parameter exists.
The result is not assigned if the parameter exists, but if the
expression has side effects, they still occur.

max

Optional

The maximum valid value; used only for range validation.

any

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

The valid format for the data; one of the following. For detailed
information on validation algorithms, see “Validating form data
using hidden fields” in Chapter 28, “Validating Data,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
• any: any type of value.
• array: an array of values.
• binary: a binary value.
• boolean: a Boolean value: yes, no, true, false, or a number.
• creditcard: a 13-16 digit number conforming to the mod10
algorithm.
• date or time: a date-time value.
• email: a valid e-mail address.
• eurodate: a date-time value. Any date part must be in the format
dd/mm/yy, The format can use /, -, or . characters as delimiters.
• float or numeric: a numeric value.
• guid: a Universally Unique Identifier of the form "XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX" where ‘X’ is a hexadecimal number.
• integer: an integer.
• query: a query object.
• range: a numeric range, specified by the min and max attributes.
• regex or regular_expression: matches input against pattern
attribute.
• ssn or social_security_number: a U.S. social security number.
• string: a string value or single character.
• struct: a structure.
• telephone: a standard U.S. telephone number.
• URL: an http, https, ftp, file, mailto, or news URL.
• UUID: a ColdFusion Universally Unique Identifier, formatted
‘XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX’, where ‘X’ is a
hexadecimal number. See CreateUUID on page 544.
• USdate: a U.S. date of the format mm/dd/yy, with 1-2 digit days
and months, 1-4 digit years.
• variableName: a string formatted according to ColdFusion
variable naming conventions.
• xml: XML objects and XML strings.
• zipcode: U.S., 5- or 9-digit format ZIP codes.

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

min

Optional

The minimum valid value; used only for range validation.

pattern

Optional

A JavaScript regular expression that the parameter must match;
used only for regex or regular_expression validation.

Usage

You can use this tag to make the following tests:

• To test whether a required variable exists, use this tag with only the name attribute. If it does
not exist, ColdFusion MX stops processing the page and returns an error.

• To test whether a required variable exists, and that it is of the specified type, use this tag with
the name and type attributes. If the variable does not exist or its value is not of the specified
type, ColdFusion returns an error.

• To set a default value for the variable, use this tag with the name and default attributes. If the
variable does not exist, it is created and set to the default attribute value. If the variable exists,
processing continues; the value is not changed.
If you specify variableName for the type attribute, the parameter’s value must be a string that is
in ColdFusion variable name format; that is, starts with a letter, underscore (_), or Unicode
currency symbol, and contains letters, numbers, underscores, periods, and Unicode currency
symbols, only. ColdFusion does not check whether the parameter value corresponds to an existing
ColdFusion variable.
Tip: To improve performance, avoid using the cfparam tag in ColdFusion functions, including in CFC
methods. Instead, place the cfparam tags in the body of the CFML pages.
Example












cfparam Example
cfparam is used to set default values so that a developer does not have to
check for the existence of a variable using a function like IsDefined.
The default value of our tempVar is
"#StoreTempVar# "


cfparam

327


The value of tempVar has changed: the new value is
#tempVar#



Type in a new value for tempVar, and hit submit:





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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfpop
Description

Retrieves or deletes e-mail messages from a POP mail server.
Category

Internet Protocol tags
Syntax

See also
cfftp, cfhttp, cfldap, cfmail, cfmailparam, SetLocale; Chapter 39, “Sending and
Receiving E-Mail” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1:

• Added support for multipart mail messages with Text and HTML parts.
• Changed the attachment name separator: the TAB character is now the separator between
attachment names in the attachments and attachmentfiles query fields if a message has
multiple attachments. This behavior is identical to ColdFusion 5 and earlier versions.
ColdFusion MX: Changed the attachment name separator: the comma separates names in the
attachments and attachmentfiles query fields if a message has multiple attachments.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

server

Required

port

Optional

username

Optional

Default

Description
POP server identifier:
• A host name; for example,
"biff.upperlip.com".
• An IP address; for example, "192.1.2.225".

110

POP port.
A user name.

cfpop

329

Attribute

Req/Opt

password

Optional

action

Optional

name

Required if action =
"getAll" or

Default

Description
Password that corresponds to username.

getHeaderOnly • getHeaderOnly: returns message header
information only
• getAll: returns message header information,
message text, and attachments if
attachmentPath is specified
• delete: deletes messages on POP server
Name for query object that contains the
retrieved message information.

"getHeaderOnly"

330

message
Number

Message number or comma-delimited list of
message numbers to get or delete. Invalid
message numbers are ignored.
Ignored if uid is specified.

uid

UID or a comma-delimited list of UIDs to get
or delete. Invalid UIDs are ignored.

attachment
Path

Optional

timeout

Optional

60

Maximum time, in seconds, to wait for mail
processing.

maxRows

Optional

retrieves all
available rows

Number of messages to return or delete,
starting with the number in startRow. Ignored
if messageNumber or uid is specified.

startRow

Optional

1

First row number to get or delete. Ignored if
messageNumber or uid is specified.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

If action="getAll", specifies a directory in
which to save any attachments. If the
directory does not exist, ColdFusion creates
it.
If you omit this attribute, ColdFusion does not
save any attachments. If you specify a relative
path, the path root is the ColdFusion
temporary directory, which is returned by the
GetTempDirectory function.

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

generate
Unique
Filenames

Optional

No

• Yes: generate unique filenames for files
attached to an e-mail message, to avoid
naming conflicts when files are saved.
• No

debug

Optional

No

• Yes: sends debugging output to standard
output. By default, if the console window is
unavailable on server configurations,
ColdFusion sends output to cf_root/
runtime/logs/coldfusion-out.log. On J2EE
configurations, with JRun, the default
location is jrun_home/logs/
servername-out.log.
Caution: If you set this option to Yes,
ColdFusion MX writes detailed debugging
information to the log, including all retrieved
message contents, and can generate large
logs quickly.
• No: does not generate debugging output.

Usage

The cfpop tag retrieves one or more mail messages from a POP server and populates a
ColdFusion query object with the resulting messages, one message per row. Alternatively, it
deletes one or more messages from the POP server.
Note: When the cfpop tag encounters malformed mail messages, it does not generate errors;
instead, it returns empty fields.

To optimize performance, two retrieve options are available. Message header information is
typically short, and therefore quick to transfer. Message text and attachments can be very long,
and therefore take longer to process.
cfpop query variables

The following table describes the variables that provide information about the query that is
returned by cfpop:
Variable names

Description

queryname.recordCount

Number of records returned by query

queryname.currentRow

Current row that cfoutput is processing

queryname.columnList

List of column names in query

queryname.UID

Unique identifier for the e-mail message file

cfpop

331

Query message header and body columns

The following table lists the message header and body columns that are returned if action =
"getHeaderOnly" or "getAll":
Column name

getHeaderOnly returns

getAll returns

queryname.date

yes

yes

queryname.from

yes

yes

queryname.messagenumber

yes

yes

queryname.messageid

yes

yes

queryname.replyto

yes

yes

queryname.subject

yes

yes

queryname.cc

yes

yes

queryname.to

yes

yes

queryname.body

no

yes

queryname.textBody

no

yes

queryname.HTMLBody

no

yes

queryname.header

yes

yes

queryname.attachments

no

yes

queryname.attachmentfiles

no

yes

If the mail message includes a part with a Content-Type of text/plain, the queryname.textBody
column contains the part’s message content. If the mail message includes a part with a ContentType of text/HTML, the queryname.HTMLBody column contains the part’s message content. If
no Content-Type matches these types, the columns are empty. The queryname.Body column
always contains the first message body found.
The queryname.attachments column contains a tab-separated list of all the attachment names.
The queryname.attachmentfiles column contains a tab-separated list of the locations of the
attachment files. Use the cffile tag to delete these temporary files when you have processed
them.
To create a ColdFusion date/time object from the date-time string that is extracted from a mail
message in the queryname.date column, use the following table:
Locale

How to create a ColdFusion date/time object from queryname.date

English (US)

Use the ParseDateTime function. If you specify the pop-conversion attribute, the
function adjusts the date/time object to UTC.

Other

Extract the date part of string; pass it to the LSParseDateTime function.

Note: To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values, use the SetLocale
function.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

For more information on cfpop, see Chapter 39, “Sending and Receiving E-Mail” in ColdFusion
MX Developer’s Guide.
Example

cfpop Example
cfpop lets you retrieve and manipulate mail in a POP3 mailbox.
This view-only example shows how to create one feature of
a mail client, to display the mail headers in a POP3 mailbox.
To execute this, un-comment this code and run with a mail-enabled CF Server.



Message Headers in Your Inbox
Number of Records:
#GetHeaders.recordCount#


Row: #currentRow#: From: #From# -- Subject: #Subject#





Enter your mail server:

Enter your username:

Enter your password:



--->

cfpop

333

cfprocessingdirective
Description

Provides the following information to ColdFusion about how to process the current page:

• Specifies whether to remove excess whitespace character from ColdFusion generated content in
the tag body.

• Identifies the character encoding (character set) of the page contents.
Category

Data output tags, Page processing tags
Syntax

or

CFML tags

See also
cfcol, cfcontent, cfoutput, cfsetting, cfsilent, cftable, SetEncoding; Chapter 17,
“Developing Globalized Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed suppresswhitespace attribute value behavior: you can specify the
suppresswhitespace

attribute value as a string variable. (ColdFusion 5 supported setting it

only as a constant.)

• Added the pageEncoding attribute.

334

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

suppressWhiteSpace Optional

pageEncoding

Optional

Description
Boolean; whether to suppress white space
characters within the cfprocessingdirective block
that are generated by CFML tags and often do not
affect HTML appearance. Does not affect any
white space in HTML code.

Character
encoding
identified by
the page
byte order
mark, if any;
otherwise,
system
default
encoding

A string literal; cannot be a variable. Identifies the
character encoding of the current CFML page. This
attribute affects the entire page, not just the
cfprocessing tag body. The value may be enclosed
in single- or double-quotation marks, or none.
The following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information on character encodings, see
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.

Usage

The cfprocssingdirective tag has limitations that depend on the attribute you use. For this
reason, Macromedia recommends that you include either the pageencoding or
suppresswhitespace attribute in a cfprocessingdirective tag, not both. To specify both
values, use separate tags.
In a ColdFusion component (.cfc file), the cfprocessingdirective tag must follow the
cfcomponent tag.
If you use the pageEncoding attribute, the following rules apply:

• You must put the tag within the first 4096 bytes of a page. It can be positioned after a
cfsetting

or cfsilent tag.

• If you use the tag on a page that includes other pages by using the cfinclude or cfmodule
tags, custom tag invocation, and so on, the tag has no effect on the included pages.

cfprocessingdirective

335

• You cannot embed the tag within conditional logic, because the pageEncoding attribute is
evaluated when ColdFusion compiles a page (not when it executes the page). For example, the
following code has no effect at execution time, because the cfprocessingdirective tag has
already been evaluated:




• If you have multiple cfprocessingdirective tags in one page that specify the pageEncoding
attribute, they must all specify the same value; if not, ColdFusion throws an error.

• If you specify only the pageencoding attribute, do not use a separate end tag.
• ColdFusion accepts character encoding names that are supported by the Java platform. If an
invalid name is specified, ColdFusion throws an InvalidEncodingSpecification exception.

• If a page has a byte order mark (BOM), and a pageencoding attribute specifies an encoding
that differs from the BOM, ColdFusion generates an error.
The following rules apply to the suppressWhiteSpace attribute:

• You can specify the suppresswhitespace attribute value as a constant or a variable. To use a
variable: define the variable (for example, whitespaceSetting), assign it the value yes or no,
and code a statement such as the following:


code to whose output the setting is applied


• The suppresswhitespace attribute only affects code that you put between the


begin tag and the  end tag.

The following example shows the use of a nested cfprocessingdirective tag. The outer tag
suppresses unnecessary whitespace during computation of a large table; the inner tag retains
whitespace, to output a preformatted table.
Example



#table_data#




The following example shows the use of the pageencoding attribute:


336

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfprocparam
Description

Defines stored procedure parameters. This tag is nested within a cfstoredproc tag.
Category

Database manipulation tags
Syntax

See also
cfinsert, cfprocresult, cfquery, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc, cftransaction,
cfupdate;

“Optimizing ColdFusion applications” in Chapter 13, “Designing and Optimizing a
ColdFusion Application,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX:

• The maxrows attribute is obsolete.
• Changed the dbvarname attribute behavior: it is now ignored for all drivers. ColdFusion MX
uses JDBC 2.2 and does not support named parameters.

• Changed the maxLength attribute behavior: it now applies to IN and INOUT parameter
values.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

type

Optional

in

variable

Required if
type = "OUT"
or "INOUT"

value

Required if
type = "IN"

• in: the parameter is used to send data to the database
system only. Passes the parameter by value.
• out: the parameter is used to receive data from the
database system only. Passes the parameter as a bound
variable.
• inout: the parameter is used to send and receive data.
Passes the parameter as a bound variable.
ColdFusion variable name; references the value that the
output parameter has after the stored procedure is called.
This is ignored for IN parameters.
Value that ColdFusion passes to the stored procedure.This
is optional for INOUT parameters.

cfprocparam

337

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

CFSQLType Required

SQL type to which the parameter (any type) is bound.
ColdFusion supports the following values, where the last
element of the name corresponds to the SQL data type.
Different database systems might support different subsets
of this list. See your DBMS documentation for information
on supported parameter types.
• CF_SQL_BIGINT
• CF_SQL_BIT
• CF_SQL_BLOB
• CF_SQL_CHAR
• CF_SQL_CLOB
• CF_SQL_DATE
• CF_SQL_DECIMAL
• CF_SQL_DOUBLE
• CF_SQL_FLOAT
• CF_SQL_IDSTAMP
• CF_SQL_INTEGER
• CF_SQL_LONGVARCHAR
• CF_SQL_MONEY
• CF_SQL_MONEY4
• CF_SQL_NUMERIC
• CF_SQL_REAL
• CF_SQL_REFCURSOR
• CF_SQL_SMALLINT
• CF_SQL_TIME
• CF_SQL_TIMESTAMP
• CF_SQL_TINYINT
• CF_SQL_VARCHAR
For a mapping of ColdFusion SQL data types to JDBC data
types, See also cfqueryparam.

maxLength

Optional

0

Maximum length of a string or character IN or INOUT value
attribute. A maxLength of 0 allows any length. The
maxLength attribute is not required when specifying
type=out.

scale

Optional

0

Number of decimal places in numeric parameter. A scale of
0 limits the value to an integer.

null

Optional

No

Whether the parameter is passed in as a null value. Not used
with OUT type parameters.
• Yes: tag ignores the value attribute.
• No

Usage

Use this tag to identify stored procedure parameters and their data types. Code one cfprocparam
tag for each parameter. The parameters that you code vary based on parameter type and DBMS.
ColdFusion MX supports positional parameters only and you must code cfprocparam tags in the
same order as the associated parameters in the stored procedure definition.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Output variables are stored in the ColdFusion variable specified by the variable attribute.
You cannot use the cfprocparam tag for Oracle 8 and 9 reference cursors. Instead, use the
cfprocresult tag.
Example

The following example shows how to invoke an Oracle 8 PL/SQL stored procedure. It makes use
of Oracle 8 support of the Reference Cursor type.
The following package, Foo_Data, houses a procedure refcurproc that declares output
parameters as Reference Cursor:

• Parameter pParam1 returns the rows in the EMP table
• Parameter pParam2 returns the rows in the DEPT table
The procedure declares one input parameter as an integer, and one output parameter as a twobyte char varying type. Before the cfstoredproc tag can call this procedure, it must be created,
compiled, and bound in the RDBMS environment.
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE Foo_Data AS
TYPE EmpTyp IS REF CURSOR RETURN Emp%ROWTYPE;
TYPE DeptTyp IS REF CURSOR RETURN Dept%ROWTYPE;
PROCEDURE refcurproc(pParam1 in out EmpTyp, pParam2 in out DeptTyp,
pParam3 in integer, pParam4 out varchar2);
END foo_data;
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY Foo_Data AS
PROCEDURE RefCurProc(pParam1 in out EmpTyp,
pParam2 in out DeptTyp,
pParam3 in integer,
pParam4 out varchar2) IS
BEGIN
OPEN pParam1 FOR select * from emp;
OPEN pParam2 FOR select * from dept;
IF pParam3 = 1
THEN
pParam4 : = 'hello';
ELSE
pParam4 : = 'goodbye';
END IF;
END RefCurProc;
END Foo_Data;

The following CFML example shows how to invoke the RefCurProc procedure using
cfstoredproc, cfprocparam, and cfprocresult:








The first result set:










The second result set:







The output parameter is:'#FOO#'


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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfprocresult
Description

Associates a query object with a result set returned by a stored procedure. Other ColdFusion tags,
such as cfoutput and cftable, use this query object to access the result set. This tag is nested
within a cfstoredproc tag.
Category

Database manipulation tags
Syntax

See also
cfinsert, cfprocparam, cfquery, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc, cftransaction, cfupdate;

“Optimizing database use” in Chapter 13, “Designing and Optimizing a
ColdFusion Application,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

name

Required

resultSet

Optional

1

Names one result set, if stored procedure returns more than one.

maxRows

Optional

-1 (All)

Maximum number of rows returned in result set.

Name for the query result set.

Usage

To enable access to data returned by the stored procedure, specify one or more cfprocresult
tags. If the stored procedure returns more than one result set, use the resultSet attribute to
specify which of the stored procedure’s result sets to return.
The resultSet attribute must be unique within the scope of the cfstoredproc tag. If you
specify a result set twice, the second occurrence overwrites the first.
CFML supports Oracle 8 and 9 Reference Cursor type, which passes a parameter by reference.
Parameters that are passed this way can be allocated and deallocated from memory within the
execution of one application. To use reference cursors in packages or stored procedures, use the
cfprocresult tag. This causes the ColdFusion JDBC database driver to put Oracle reference
cursors into a result set. (You cannot use this method with Oracle’s ThinClient JDBC drivers.)
Example












The output param value: ’#foo#’


The Results Information
#name#,#DATE_COL#





Record Count: #RS1.recordCount# 
Columns: #RS1.columnList#


#col1#,#col2#,#col3#





Record Count: #RS3.recordCount# 
Columns: #RS3.columnList#

The return code for the stored procedure is:
’#cfstoredproc.statusCode#’


...

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfproperty
Description

Defines properties of a ColdFusion component (CFC). Used to create complex data types for web
services. The attributes of this tag are exposed as component metadata and are subject to
inheritance rules.
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax

See also
cfargument, cfcomponent, cffunction, cfinvoke, cfinvokeargument, cfobject, cfreturn;

“Documenting CFCs” in Chapter 10, “Building and Using ColdFusion Components,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.

cfproperty

343

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default Description

name

Required

A string; a property name. Must be a static value.

type

Optional any

A string; identifies the property data type:
• any
• array
• binary
• boolean
• date
• guid: the argument must be a UUID or GUID of the form
xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx where each x is a
character representing a hexadecimal number (0-9A-F).
• numeric
• query
• string
• struct
• uuid: The argument must be a ColdFusion UUID of the form
xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx where each x is a
character representing a hexadecimal number (0-9A-F).
• variableName: a string formatted according to ColdFusion
variable naming conventions.
• a component name: if the type attribute value is not one of the
preceding items, ColdFusion treats it as the name of a
ColdFusion component. When The function executes, it
generates an error if the argument that is passed in is not a CFC
with the specified name.

required

Optional no

Whether the parameter is required:
• yes
• no

default

Optional

If no property value is set when the component is used for a web
service, specifies a default value.
If this attribute is present, the required attribute must be set to
"no" or not specified.

displayname Optional

A value to be displayed when using introspection to show
information about the CFC. The value appears in parentheses
following the property name.

hint

Text to be displayed when using introspection to show
information about the CFC. This attribute can be useful for
describing the purpose of the parameter.

Optional

Usage

You must position cfproperty tags at the beginning of a component, above executable code and
function definitions.
If a component is not used as a web service, The cfproperty only provides metadata information
when the component is viewed using introspection; for example, by opening the CFC file directly
in the browser. It does not define variables or set values that you can then use in your component.

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

For web services that you create in ColdFusion, the cfproperty tag defines complex variables
used by the web service.
Example

The following code defines a component in the file address.cfc that contains properties that
represent a street address:








This component represents a complex data type that can be used in a component that is exported
as a web service, such as the following:







cfproperty

345

cfquery
Description

Passes queries or SQL statements to a data source.
Macromedia recommends that you use the cfqueryparam tag within every cfquery tag, to help
secure your databases from unauthorized users. For more information, see Security Bulletin
ASB99-04, "Multiple SQL Statements in Dynamic Queries," in the Macromedia Security Zone,
www.macromedia.com/devnet/security/security_zone/asb99-04.html, and Chapter 20,
“Accessing and Retrieving Data” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Category

Database manipulation tags
Syntax

result = "result_name"

See also
cfinsert, cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc, cftransaction,
cfupdate;

“Optimizing database use” in Chapter 13, “Designing and Optimizing a
ColdFusion Application,” and Chapters 19–22 in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Added the result attribute for specifying an alternate name for the structure that holds the
result variables.

• Added result variables for the SQL statement executed (sql), the number of records returned
(recordcount), whether the query was cached (cached), an array of cfqueryparam values
(sqlparameters), and the list of columns in the returned query (columnlist).

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed Query of Queries behavior: it now supports a larger subset of standard SQL.
• Changed dot notation support: ColdFusion now supports dot notation within a record set
name. ColdFusion interprets such a name as a structure.

• Deprecated the connectString, dbName, dbServer, provider, providerDSN, and sql
attributes, and all values of the dbtype attribute except query. They do not work, and might
cause an error, in releases later than ColdFusion 5.

• New query object variable: cfquery.ExecutionTime.
• No longer supports native drivers. It now uses JDBC (and ODBC-JDBC bridge) for database
connectivity.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Required

Name of query. Used in page to reference query record set.
Must begin with a letter. Can include letters, numbers, and
underscores.

dataSource

Required
unless
dbtype=query.

Name of data source from which query gets data. You must
specify either dbtype or dataSource.

dbtype

Optional

Use this value to specify the results of a query as input. You
must specify either dbtype or dataSource.

username

Optional

Overrides username in data source setup.

password

Optional

Overrides password in data source setup.

maxRows

Optional

-1 (All)

Maximum number of rows to return in record set.

blockFactor

Optional

1

Maximum rows to get at a time from server. Range: 1 - 100.
Might not be supported by some database systems.

timeout

cachedAfter

Default Description

Maximum number of seconds that each action of a query is
permitted to execute before returning an error. The
cumulative time may exceed this value.
For JDBC statements, ColdFusion sets this attribute. For
other drivers, check driver documentation.
Optional

Date value (for example, April 16, 1999, 4-16-99). If date of
original query is after this date, ColdFusion uses cached
query data. To use cached data, current query must use
same SQL statement, data source, query name, user name,
password.
A date/time object is in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.
When specifying a date value as a string, you must enclose
it in quotation marks.

cfquery

347

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

cachedWithin Optional

Timespan, using the CreateTimeSpan function. If original
query date falls within the time span, cached query data is
used. CreateTimeSpan defines a period from the present,
back. Takes effect only if query caching is enabled in the
Administrator.
To use cached data, the current query must use the same
SQL statement, data source, query name, user name, and
password.

debug

Optional;
value and
equals sign
may be
omitted

• Yes, or if omitted: if debugging is enabled, but the
Administrator Database Activity option is not enabled,
displays SQL submitted to datasource and number of
records returned by query.
• No: if the Administrator Database Activity option is
enabled, suppresses display.

result

Optional

Specifies a name for the structure in which cfquery returns
the result variables. For more information, see the Usage
section .

Usage

Use this tag to execute a SQL statement against a ColdFusion data source. Although you can use
the cfquery tag to execute any SQL Data Definition Language (DDL) or Data Manipulation
Language (DML) statement, you typically use it to execute a SQL SELECT statement.
Note: To call a stored procedure, use the cfstoredproc tag.

This tag creates a query object, providing this information in query variables:
Variable name

Description

query_name.currentRow

Current row of query that cfoutput is processing.

query_name.columnList

Comma-delimited list of the query columns.

query_name.RecordCount

Number of records (rows) returned from the query.

The cfquery tag also returns the following result variables in a structure. You can access these
variables with a prefix of the name you specified in the result attribute. For example, if you
assign the name myResult to the result attribute, you would retrieve the name of the SQL
statement that was executed by accessing #myResult.sql#. The result attribute provides a way
for functions or CFCs that are called from multiple pages, possibly at the same time, to avoid
overwriting results of one call with another.

348

Variable name

Description

result_name.sql

The SQL statement that was executed.

result_name.recordcount

Current row of query that cfoutput is processing.

result_name.cached

True if the query was cached; False otherwise.

result_name.sqlparameters

An ordered Array of cfqueryparam values.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Variable name

Description

result_name.columnList

Comma-delimited list of the query columns.

result_name.ExecutionTime

Cumulative time required to process the query.

You can cache query results and execute stored procedures. For information about this and about
displaying cfquery output, see ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Because the timeout attribute only affects the maximum time for each suboperation of a query,
the cumulative time may exceed its value. To set a timeout for a page that might get a very large
result set, set the Administrator > Server Settings > Timeout Requests option to an appropriate
value or use the RequestTimeout attribute of the cfsetting tag (for example, ).
The Caching page of the ColdFusion MX Administrator specifies the maximum number of
cached queries. Setting this value to 0 disables query caching.
You cannot use ColdFusion reserved words as query names.
You cannot use SQL reserved words as variable or column names in a Query of Queries, unless
they are escaped. The escape character is the bracket []; for example:
SELECT [count] FROM MYTABLE.

For a list of reserved keywords in ColdFusion MX, see “Escaping reserved keywords” in
Chapter 22, “Using Query of Queries” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example







SELECT PARKNAME, REGION, STATE
FROM Parks
ORDER BY ParkName, State






 


Park Name



cfquery

349

Region


State





#GetParks.CurrentRow#


#ParkName#


#Region#


#State#








See next #MaxRows# rows





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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfqueryparam
Description

Verifies the data type of a query parameter and, for DBMSs that support bind variables, enables
ColdFusion to use bind variables in the SQL statement. Bind variable usage enhances
performance when executing a cfquery statement multiple times.
This tag is nested within a cfquery tag, embedded in a query SQL statement. If you specify
optional parameters, this tag performs data validation.
Macromedia recommends that you use the cfqueryparam tag within every cfquery tag, to help
secure your databases from unauthorized users. For more information, see Security Bulletin
ASB99-04, “Multiple SQL Statements in Dynamic Queries,” at
www.macromedia.com/devnet/security/security_zone/asb99-04.html, and Chapter 20,
“Accessing and Retrieving Data” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Category

Database manipulation tags
Syntax

AND/OR ...additional criteria of the WHERE clause...

See also
cfinsert, cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cfquery, cfstoredproc, cftransaction, cfupdate;

“Enhancing security with cfqueryparam” in Chapter 20, “Accessing and Retrieving Data,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

cfqueryparam

351

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

value

Required

Default

Description
Value that ColdFusion passes to the right of the
comparison operator in a where clause.
If CFSQLType is a date or time option, ensure that the date
value uses your DBMS-specific date format. Use the
CreateODBCDateTime or DateFormat and TimeFormat
functions to format the date value.

CFSQLType Optional

CF_SQL_ SQL type that parameter (any type) is bound to:
CHAR
• CF_SQL_BIGINT
• CF_SQL_BIT
• CF_SQL_CHAR
• CF_SQL_BLOB
• CF_SQL_CLOB
• CF_SQL_DATE
• CF_SQL_DECIMAL
• CF_SQL_DOUBLE
• CF_SQL_FLOAT
• CF_SQL_IDSTAMP
• CF_SQL_INTEGER
• CF_SQL_LONGVARCHAR
• CF_SQL_MONEY
• CF_SQL_MONEY4
• CF_SQL_NUMERIC
• CF_SQL_REAL
• CF_SQL_REFCURSOR
• CF_SQL_SMALLINT
• CF_SQL_TIME
• CF_SQL_TIMESTAMP
• CF_SQL_TINYINT
• CF_SQL_VARCHAR

maxLength

Optional

Length of Maximum length of parameter. Ensures that the length
string in
check is done by ColdFusion before the string is sent to the
DBMS, thereby helping to prevent the submission of
value
attribute malicious strings.

scale

Optional

0

Number of decimal places in parameter. Applies to
CF_SQL_NUMERIC and CF_SQL_DECIMAL.

352

null

Optional

No

Whether parameter is passed as a null value:
• Yes: tag ignores the value attribute.
• No

list

Optional

No

• Yes: the value attribute value is a delimited list.
• No

separator

Required, if , (comma) Character that separates values in list, in value attribute.
you specify a
list in value
attribute

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Usage

Use the cfqueryparam tag in any SQL statement (for example, SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE,
and DELETE) that uses ColdFusion variables.
You cannot use the cfquery cachedAfter or cachedWithin attributes with cfqueryparam.
For maximum validation of string data, specify the maxlength attribute.
This tag does the following:

•
•
•
•

Allows the use of SQL bind parameters, which improves performance.
Ensures that variable data matches the specified SQL type.
Allows long text fields to be updated from a SQL statement.
Escapes string variables in single-quotation marks.

To benefit from the enhanced performance of bind variables, you must use cfqueryparam for all
ColdFusion variables, and your DBMS must support bind variables. If a DBMS does not support
bind parameters, ColdFusion validates and substitutes the validated parameter value back into the
string. If validation fails, it returns an error message.
The validation rules are as follows:

• For these types, a data value can be converted to a numeric value: CF_SQL_SMALLINT,
CF_SQL_INTEGER, CF_SQL_REAL, CF_SQL_FLOAT, CF_SQL_DOUBLE,
CF_SQL_TINYINT, CF_SQL_MONEY, CF_SQL_MONEY4, CF_SQL_DECIMAL,
CF_SQL_NUMERIC, and CF_SQL_BIGINT

• For these types, a data value can be converted to a date supported by the target data source:
CF_SQL_DATE, CF_SQL_TIME, CF_SQL_TIMESTAMP

• For all other types, if the maxLength attribute is used, a data value cannot exceed the
maximum length specified.
ColdFusion debug output shows the bind variables as question marks and lists the values beneath
the query, in order of usage.
Note: To insert an empty string into a Microsoft Access table using the SequelLink ODBC Socket or
SequelLink Access driver, the CFSQLType attribute must specify CF_SQL_LONGVARCHAR.

The following table shows the mapping of ColdFusion SQL data types with JDBC SQL types
and those of the listed database management systems:
ColdFusion

JDBC

DB2

Informix

CF_SQL_ARRAY

ARRAY

CF_SQL_BIGINT

BIGINT

Bigint

int8,
serial8

CF_SQL_BINARY

BINARY

Char for Bit
Data

CF_SQL_BIT

BIT

CF_SQL_BLOB

BLOB

Oracle

binary
timestamp
boolean

Blob

MSSQL

blob

bit
blob, bfile

cfqueryparam

353

354

ColdFusion

JDBC

DB2

Informix

Oracle

MSSQL

CF_SQL_CHAR

CHAR

Char

char,
nchar

char,
nchar

char,
nchar,
unique
identifier

CF_SQL_CLOB

CLOB

Clob

clob

clob,nclob

CF_SQL_DATE

DATE

Date

date,
datetime,
year to
day

CF_SQL_DECIMAL

DECIMAL

Decimal

decimal,
money

number

decimal,
money,
small
money

CF_SQL_DISTINCT

DISTINCT

CF_SQL_DOUBLE

DOUBLE

Double

CF_SQL_FLOAT

FLOAT

Float

float

number

float

CF_SQL_IDSTAMP

CHAR

Char

char,
nchar

char,
nchar

char,
nchar,
unique
identifier

CF_SQL_INTEGER

INTEGER

Integer

integer,
serial

int

byte
CF_SQL_LONGVARBINARY LONGVARBINARY Long
Varchar for
Bit Data

long raw

image

CF_SQL_LONGVARCHAR

LONGVARCHAR

Long
Varchar

long

text, ntext

CF_SQL_MONEY

DOUBLE

Double

CF_SQL_MONEY4

DOUBLE

Double

CF_SQL_NULL

NULL

CF_SQL_NUMERIC

NUMERIC

CF_SQL_OTHER

OTHER

CF_SQL_REAL

REAL

CF_SQL_REFCURSOR

REF

CF_SQL_SMALLINT

SMALLINT

CF_SQL_STRUCT

STRUCT

CF_SQL_TIME

TIME

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

text

Numeric

numeric

Real

smallfloat

real

Smallint

smallint

smallint

Time

datetime
hour to
second

ColdFusion

JDBC

DB2

Informix

Oracle

CF_SQL_TIMESTAMP

TIMESTAMP

Timestamp datetime date
year to
fraction(5)
, datetime
year to
second

CF_SQL_TINYINT

TINYINT

CF_SQL_VARBINARY

VARBINARY

Rowid

CF_SQL_VARCHAR

VARCHAR

Varchar

MSSQL
datetime,
smalldate
time

tinyint
raw
varchar,
nvarchar,
lvarchar

varbinary

varchar2, varchar,
nvarchar2 nvarchar,
sysname

Example

cfqueryparam Example


SELECT *
FROM courses
WHERE Course_ID = 


Course Number: #Course_ID#
 Description: #descript#


This example throws an error because the value passed in the CFQUERYPARAM
tag exceeds the MAXLENGTH attribute



SELECT *
FROM employees
WHERE LastName=

 
Course Number: #FirstName# #LastName#
Description: #Department# 


cfqueryparam

355

cfregistry
Description

This tag is deprecated for the UNIX platform.
Reads, writes, and deletes keys and values in the system registry. Provides persistent storage of
client variables.
Note: For this tag to execute, it must be enabled in the ColdFusion MX Administrator. For more
information, see Configuring and Administering ColdFusion MX.
Category

Other tags, Variable manipulation tags
Syntax

The tag syntax depends on the action attribute value. See the following sections:

•
•
•
•

cfregistry action = "getAll"

on page 357

cfregistry action = "get"

on page 359

cfregistry action = "set"

on page 360

cfregistry action = "delete"

on page 361

See also
cfcookie, cfparam, cfsavecontent, cfschedule, cfset; “About resource and sandbox
security” in Chapter 16, “Securing Applications,” and Chapter 15, “Using Persistent Data and
Locking,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Deprecated this tag on the UNIX platform. It might not work, and might cause an error, in
later releases.

• Changed how persistent data is stored: ColdFusion now stores most persistent data outside the
system registry, in XML files.

356

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfregistry action = "getAll"
Description

Returns all registry keys and values defined in a branch. You can access the values as you would
any record set.
Syntax

See also

Chapter 15, “Using Persistent Data and Locking,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default Description

action

Required

Always getall.

branch

Required

Name of a registry branch.

type

Optional String

•
•
•
•

name

Required

Name of record set to contain returned keys and values.

sort

Optional ASC

Sorts query column data (case-insensitive). Sorts on Entry, Type,
and Value columns as text. Specify a combination of columns from
query output, in a comma-delimited list. For example:

string: returns string values.
dWord: returns DWord values.
key: returns keys.
any: returns keys and values.

sort = "value desc, entry asc"

• asc: ascending (a to z) sort order.
• desc: descending (z to a) sort order.
Usage

This tag returns #entry#, #type#, and #value# in a record set that you can access through tags
such as cfoutput. To fully qualify these variables, use the record set name, as specified in the
name attribute.
If #type# is a key, #value# is an empty string.
If you specify type= "any", getAll also returns binary registry values. For binary values, the
#type# variable contains UNSUPPORTED and #value# is blank.
Example



cfregistry

357

cfregistry action = "getAll"






358

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfregistry action = "get"
Description

Accesses a registry value and stores it in a ColdFusion variable.
Syntax

See also

Chapter 15, “Using Persistent Data and Locking,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

action

Required

Always get.

branch

Required

Name of a registry branch.

entry

Required

Registry value to access.

variable

Required

Variable into which to put value.

type

Optional

string

Description

• string: returns string value.
• dWord: returns DWord value.
• key: returns key’s default value.

Usage

If the value does not exist, the cfregistry tag does not create an entry.
Example


cfregistry action = "get"

Java ClassPath value is #RegValue#


cfregistry

359

cfregistry action = "set"
Description

Adds a registry key, adds a value, or updates a value.
Syntax

See also

Chapter 15, “Using Persistent Data and Locking,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default Description

action

Required

Always set.

branch

Required

Name of a registry branch.

entry

Required

Key or value to set.

type

Optional

• string: sets a string value (default).
• dWord: sets a DWord value.
• key: creates a key.

value

Optional

Value data to set. If you omit this attribute, the cfregistry tag
creates default value, as follows:
• string: creates an empty string: "".
• dWord: creates a value of 0 (zero).

Usage

If it does not exist, the cfregistry tag creates the key or value.
Example




cfregistry action = "set"

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfregistry action = "delete"
Description

Deletes a registry key or value.
Syntax

See also

Chapter 15, “Using Persistent Data and Locking,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

Required

Always delete.

branch

Required

• For key deletion: name of registry key to delete. Do not
specify the entry attribute.
• For value deletion: name of registry branch that contains
value to delete. You must specify the entry attribute.

entry

Required for
value deletion

Value to delete.

Usage

If you delete a key, the cfregistry tag also deletes values and subkeys defined beneath it.
Example

cfregistry action = "delete"

cfregistry

361

cfreport
Description

Used to do either of the following:

• Execute a report definition created with the ColdFusion Report Builder, displaying it in PDF,
FlashPaper, or Excel format. You can optionally save this report to a file.

• Run a predefined Crystal Reports report. Applies only to Windows systems. Uses the
CFCRYSTAL.exe file to generate reports. Sets parameters in the Crystal Reports engine
according to its attribute values.
Category

Data output tags
Syntax


cfreportparam tags [optional]

OR



See also
cfcollection, cfdocument, cfdocumentitem, cfdocumentsection, cfexecute, cfindex,
cfobject, cfreportparam, cfsearch, cfwddx;

Chapter 32, “Creating Reports for Printing,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide; Report Builder online Help

362

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added support for the ColdFusion Report Builder.
ColdFusion MX: Changed data source connection behavior: Crystal Reports now establishes an
independent connection to the data source. The connection is not subject to any ColdFusion data
source-specific restrictions. For example, the Crystal Reports server can access a data source,
regardless of whether it is disabled in the ColdFusion MX Administrator.
Attributes
Attribute

Applies
to

Req/
Opt

Default Description

template

Report
Builder

Req

Specifies the path to the report definition file,
relative to the web root.

format

Report
Builder

Req

Specify one of the following:
• PDF
• FlashPaper
• Excel

name

Report
Builder

Opt

The name of the ColdFusion variable that will hold
the report output. You cannot specify both name and
filename.

filename

Report
Builder

Opt

The filename to contain the report. You cannot
specify both name and filename.

query

Report
Builder

Opt

The name of the query that contains input data for
the report. If you omit this parameter, the report
definition obtains data from the internal SQL or from
cfreportparam items.

overwrite

Report
Builder

Opt

No

Specifies whether to overwrite files that have the
same name as that specified in the filename
attribute. Specify Yes or No.

encryption

Report
Builder

Opt

None

(format="PDF" only) Specifies whether the output is
encrypted. Specify one of the following:
• 128-bit
• 40-bit
• none

ownerpassword

Report
Builder

Opt

(format="PDF" only) Specifies an owner password.

userpassword

Report
Builder

Opt

(format="PDF" only) Specifies a user password.

cfreport

363

Attribute

Applies
to

Req/
Opt

Default Description

permissions

Report
Builder

Opt

(format="PDF" only) Specifies one or more of the
following permissions:
• AllowPrinting
• AllowModifyContents
• AllowCopy
• AllowModifyAnnotations
• AllowFillIn
• AllowScreenReaders
• AllowAssembly
• AllowDegradedPrinting
Separate multiple permissions with a comma.

datasource

Crystal
Reports

Opt

Name of registered or native data source.

type

Crystal
Reports

Opt

timeout

Crystal
Reports

Opt

Maximum time, in seconds, in which a connection
must be made to a Crystal Reports file.

report

Crystal
Reports

Requir
ed

Report path. Store Crystal Reports files in the same
directories as ColdFusion page files.

orderBy

Crystal
Reports

Opt

Orders results according to your specifications.

username

Crystal
Reports

Opt

Username required for entry into database from
which report is created. Overrides default settings
for data source in ColdFusion MX Administrator.

password

Crystal
Reports

Opt

Password that corresponds to username required
for database access. Overrides default settings for
data source in the ColdFusion Administrator.

formula

Crystal
Reports

Opt

One or more named formulas. Terminate each
formula with a semicolon. Use the format:

standard • standard (not valid for Crystal Reports 8.0)
• netscape
• microsoft

formula = "formulaname1 =
'formula1';formulaname2 = 'formula2';"

If you use a semicolon in a formula, you must escape
it by typing it twice (;;). For example:
formula = "Name1 = 'Val_1a;;Val_1b';Name2 =
'Val2';"

Usage

Use this tag to generate a report using a report definition created in either ColdFusion Report
Builder or in Crystal Reports. (For more information on using the ColdFusion Report Builder,
display the online help by opening the Report Builder and pressing F1.)

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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Note: The Excel report output format type provides limited support for the formatting options
available in ColdFusion MX 7 Reporting. Images and charts are not supported and numeric data
containing formatting (commas, percents, currency, and so on) appear as plain text in Excel. The
Excel output format supports simple reports only and Macromedia recommends that you give careful
design and layout consideration to reports designed for Excel output.

This tag requires an end tag.
Example


SELECT EmployeeID, LastName, FirstName, Title, City, Region, Country
FROM Employees
ORDER BY Country, City



cfreport Tag

cfreport lets reports from the Crystal Reports Professional report writer
display through a ColdFusion interface. To run, the tag requires the
name of the report. cfreport can also pass information to the report
file displayed, to change the output conditions.
This example would run a report called "monthlysales.rpt " and pass it an
optional filter condition to show only the information for a subset
of the report.

{Departments.Department} = ‘International’

Substitute your report files and filters for this code. cfreport can put
Crystal Reports into web pages.

cfreport

365

cfreportparam
Description

Passes input parameters to a ColdFusion Report Builder report definition. Allowed inside
cfreport tag bodies only.
Category

Data output tags
Syntax

See also

Chapter 32, “Creating Reports for Printing,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide;
Report Builder online Help

cfreport;

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

name

Required

Variable name for data that is passed. The ColdFusion
Report Builder report definition must include an input
parameter that matches this name.

value

Required

Value of the data that is sent.

Usage

Specifies an input parameter to a ColdFusion Report Builder report definition. The ColdFusion
Report Builder report definition must include an input parameter that matches the name
attribute.
You can use cfreportparam to pass data to a report definition, as an alternative to the cfreport
attribute.

query

Example

SELECT Departments.Dept_ID as dDept_ID, Departments.Dept_Name,
CourseList.Course_ID, CourseList.Dept_ID as cDept_ID,
CourseList.CorNumber, CourseList.CorName,
CourseList.CorLevel
FROM Departments, CourseList
WHERE Departments.Dept_ID = CourseList.Dept_ID
ORDER BY CourseList.Dept_ID


366

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags





cfreportparam

367

cfrethrow
Description

Rethrows the currently active exception. Preserves the exception’s cfcatch.type and
cfcatch.tagContext variable values.
Category

Exception handling tags, Extensibility tags
Syntax

See also
cferror, cfthrow, cftry;

“Handling runtime exceptions with ColdFusion tags” in Chapter 14,
“Handling Errors,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Usage

Use this tag within a cfcatch block. This tag is useful in error handling code, if the error handler
cannot handle an error that it catches. For example, if cfcatch type = "any" gets a
DATABASE exception, and the code is designed to handle only CFX exceptions, the handler
raises the exceptions again, with details intact, so that a higher-level handler can process the error
information. If you used the cfthrow tag, the type and details of the original exception would be
lost.
Example
cfrethrow Example




SELECT *
FROM
Messages









Sorry, this request can't be completed
Catch variables




#c# = #cfcatch[c]#






368

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfreturn
Description

Returns result values from a component method. Contains an expression returned as result of the
function.
Return value

An expression; the result of the function from which this tag is called.
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax

See also
cfargument, cfcomponent, cffunction, cfinvoke, cfinvokeargument, cfobject,
cfproperty;

“Creating reports with the ColdFusion MX 7 reporting” in Chapter 32, “Creating
Reports for Printing,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

expr

Required

Default

Description
Function result; value of any type.

Usage

This tag is equivalent to a return statement within a cfscript tag. It accepts one return variable
argument. To return more than one value, populate a structure with name-value-pairs, and return
the structure with this tag.
To access the result value from this tag, you use the variable scope that is the value of the
cfinvoke tag returnVariable attribute.
You can code a maximum of one cfreturn tag within a function.
For example code, see Chapter 10, “Building and Using ColdFusion Components” in ColdFusion
MX Developer’s Guide.
Example



SELECT FIRSTNAME, LASTNAME, EMAIL
FROM tblEmployees



cfreturn

369




SELECT *
FROM tblDepartments





370

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfsavecontent
Description

Saves the generated content of the cfsavecontent tag, including the results of evaluating
expressions and executing custom tags, in the specified variable.
Category

Variable manipulation tags
Syntax

the content

See also

“Caching parts of ColdFusion pages” in Chapter 13, “Designing and Optimizing a
ColdFusion Application,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute Req/Opt Default

Description

variable

Name of the variable in which to save the generated content of the
tag.

Required

Usage

This tag requires an end tag.
You cannot use this tag to suppress output from a tag library.
Example

The following example uses a custom tag to generate a report and saves the report in the variable
CONTENT. It replaces all instances of the word "report" with the phrase "MyCompany
Quarterly Report" and outputs the result.




#replace(content, "report", "MyCompany Quarterly Report", "all")#


cfsavecontent

371

cfschedule
Description

Provides a programmatic interface to the ColdFusion scheduling engine. Can run a CFML page
at scheduled intervals, with the option to write the page output to a static HTML page. This
feature enables you to schedule pages that publish data, such as reports, without waiting while a
database transaction is performed to populate the page.
Category

Variable manipulation tags
Syntax

proxyUser = "username"
proxyPassword = "password"
resolveURL = "yes" or "no"


See also
cfcookie, cfparam, cfregistry, cfsavecontent, cfset

372

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed the way intervals are calculated. The day length now reflects
changes between standard and daylight saving times. The month length is now the calendar
month length, not four weeks. The scheduler handles leap years correctly.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

action

Required

• delete: deletes the specified task .
• update: updates an existing task or creates a
new task, if one with the name specified by the
task attribute does not exist.
• run: executes the specified task.

task

Required

Name of the task.

operation

Required if action =

Operation that the scheduler performs. Must be
HTTPRequest.

"update"

file

Required if publish =

Name of the file in which to store the published
output of the scheduled task.

"Yes"

path
startDate

Description

Required if publish
= "Yes"

Path to the directory in which to put the published
file.

Required if action =

Date on which to first run the scheduled task.

"update"

startTime

Required if action =

Time at which to run the scheduled of task starts.

"update"

url

URL of the page to execute.

Required if action =
"update"

port

Optional

80

Port to use on the server that is specified by the
url parameter. If resolveURL = "yes", retrieved

document URLs that specify a port number are
automatically resolved, to preserve links in the
retrieved document. A port value in the url
attribute overrides this value.
publish

Optional

endDate

Optional

Date when scheduled task ends.

endTime

Optional

Time when scheduled task ends (seconds).

interval

Required if action =

Interval at which task is scheduled:
• number of seconds
• once
• daily
• weekly
• monthly

"update"

No

• Yes: saves the result to a file.
• No

requestTimeOut Optional

Can be used to extend the default timeout period.

username

Username, if URL is protected.

Optional

cfschedule

373

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

password

Optional

Password, if URL is protected.

proxyServer

Optional

Host name or IP address of a proxy server.

proxyPort

Optional

proxyUser

Opt

User name to provide to the proxy server.

proxyPassword

Opt

Password to provide to the proxy server.

resolveURL

Optional

80

No

Description

Port number to use on the proxy server.

• Yes: resolves links in the output page to
absolute references.
• No

Usage

This tag and the ColdFusion MX Administrator Scheduled task page schedule ColdFusion tasks.
Tasks that you add or change using this tag are visible in the Administrator. You can disable this
tag in the Administrator Sandbox/Resource security page. This tag’s success or failure status is
written to the schedule.log file in the cf_root/logs directory (cf_webapp_root/WEB-INF/cfusion/
logs in the multiserver and J2EE configurations).
When you create a task, you specify the URL of the ColdFusion page to execute, the date, time
and frequency of execution, and whether to publish the task output to a HTML file. If the output
is published, you specify the output file path and file.
If you schedule a job to run monthly on any date in the range 28-31, the scheduler does the
following:

• If you schedule a monthly job to run on the last day of a month, the scheduled job will run on
the last day of each month. For example, if you schedule a monthly job to start on January 31,
it will run on January 31, February 28 or 29, March 31, April 30, and so on.

• If you schedule a monthly job to run on the 29th or 30th of the month, the job will run on the
specified day of each month for 30 or 31-day months, and the last day of February. For
example, if you schedule a monthly job to start on January 30, the job will run on January 30,
February 28 or 29, March 30, April 30, and so on.
If you schedule a job to run once, the starting time is in the past, and the task has not yet run, it
runs immediately. If you schedule a recurring job with a start time in the past, ColdFusion
schedules the job to run on the next closest interval in the future.
The Scheduler configuration file, cf_root\lib\neo-cron.xml contains all scheduled events, as
individual entries.
Example
cfschedule Example



cfschedule

375

cfscript
Description

Encloses a code block that contains cfscript statements.
Category

Application framework tags, Other tags
Syntax

cfscript code here

See also
cfinvoke, cfmodule, CreateObject; Chapter 6, “Extending ColdFusion Pages with CFML
Scripting” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed how to invoke component methods: this tag can now invoke component methods,
using the CreateObject function

• Changed use of reserved words: you cannot use ColdFusion reserved words within this tag
• Added the try and catch statements.
Usage

Performs processing in CFScript. This tag uses ColdFusion functions, expressions, and operators.
You can read and write ColdFusion variables within this tag.
For a detailed description of the CFScript scripting language, including documentation of
CFScript statements and the CFScript equivalents of CFML tags, see Chapter 6, “Extending
ColdFusion Pages with CFML Scripting” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
You can use this tag to enclose a series of assignment statements that would otherwise require
cfset statements.
Caution: If you code a cftry/cfcatch block within this tag using an exception’s Java class name, you
must provide the fully qualified class name.

You cannot use some ColdFusion reserved words in this tag. You cannot put a user-defined
function whose name begins with any of these strings within this tag:

•
•
•
•
•
•

376

cf
cf_
_cf
coldfusion
coldfusion_
_coldfusion

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

You cannot use the elseif construct within a cfscript tag. You can use code such as the
following:
else if ( condition )
{
...
}

Exception handling with the cfscript tag
To handle exceptions with this tag, use try and catch statements, which are equivalent to the
cftry and cfcatch tags. For each try statement, you must have a catch statement. In the catch
block, the variable exceptionVariable contains the exception type. This variable is the
equivalent of the cfcatch tag built-in variable cfcatch.Type. For more information, see
Chapter 6, “Extending ColdFusion Pages with CFML Scripting” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide.
Invoking ColdFusion components with the cfscript tag
CFScript invokes component methods using the CreateObject function.
The following example shows how to invoke a component object with the cfscript tag, using
ordered arguments:

quote = CreateObject( "component", "nasdaq.quote" ) ;

res = quote.getLastTradePrice( "macr" ) ;


The following example shows how to use an attribute collection within the cfscript tag to pass
parameters when invoking a component object. An attribute collection is a structure in which
each key corresponds to a parameter name and each value is the parameter value passed for the
corresponding key.

stArgs = structNew();
stArgs.translationmode = "en_es";
stArgs.sourceData= "Hello world, friend";

...

#varName#

In this example, the structure is created in a cfscript block, but you can use any ColdFusion
method to create the structure.

cfscript

377

Consuming web services with the cfscript tag
The following example shows how to consume a web service with the cfscript tag. You use the
CreateObject function to connect to the web service.

ws = CreateObject("webservice",
"http://www.xmethods.net/sd/2001/BabelFishService.wsdl");
xlatstring = ws.BabelFish("en_es", "Hello world, friend");
writeoutput(xlatstring);


For more information, see Chapter 36, “Using Web Services” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide.
Example
This simple example shows variable declaration and manipulation.




y = x;
z = 2 * y;
StringVar = form.myString;

twice #x# is #z#.
Your string value was: #StringVar#


378

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfsearch

CHAPTER 2
ColdFusion Tags

Description

Searches one or more Verity collections.
A collection must be created and indexed before this tag can return search results.
A collection can be created in these ways:

• With the cfcollection tag
• In the ColdFusion MX Administrator
• Using a native Verity indexing tool, such as Vspider or MKVDK. For more information on
Vspider and MKVDK, see Chapter 8, “Introducing Verity and Verity Tools” in Configuring
and Administering ColdFusion MX.
If you use a native Verity tool to create a collection, it must be registered. A collection can be
registered with ColdFusion in the following ways:

• With the cfcollection tag
• In the ColdFusion MX Administrator
A collection can be indexed in the following ways:

• In ColdFusion, with the cfindex tag
• In the ColdFusion MX Administrator, which calls the cfindex tag
• Using a native Verity indexing tool, such as Vspider or MKVDK
For more information, see Chapter 24, “Building a Search Interface” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide.
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax


cfsearch

379

See also
cfcollection, cfexecute, cfindex, cfobject, cfreport, cfwddx
History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Added category, categoryTree, status, suggestions, contextPassages, contextBytes,
contextHighlightBegin, contextHighlightEnd,

and previousCriteria attributes.

• Added author, category, categoryTree, context, rank, size, recordsSearched, and
type

•
•
•
•

result columns.

Added information on the status structure and its associated keys.
Removed references to a separate K2 server and k2server.ini file.
Removed references to unregistered collections.
Removed references to external collections. ColdFusion MX now manages all collections
through the Verity Search service.

• Changed cflock recommendation. It is no longer a best practice to surround the cfsearch
tag with a cflock tag.
ColdFusion MX:

• Deprecated the external attribute. It might not work, and might cause an error, in later
releases. (ColdFusion stores this information about each collection; it automatically detects
whether a collection is internal or external.) This tag supports absolute (also known as fully
qualified) collection pathnames and mapped collection names.

• Changed query result behavior: the cfindex tag can index the query results from a cfsearch
operation.

• Changed Verity operations behavior: ColdFusion supports Verity operations on Acrobat PDF
files.

• Changed multiple collection behavior: this tag can search multiple collections. In a multiple
collection search, you cannot combine collections that are registered with K2Server and
registered in another way.

• Changed acceptable collection naming: this tag accepts collection names that include spaces.
• Changed the following support: this tag supports Verity 2.6.1 and the LinguistX and ICU
locales.

• Changed thrown exceptions: this tag can throw the SEARCHENGINE exception.
Attributes

380

Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Required

Name of the search query.

collection

Required

One or more collection names. You can specify more
than one collection unless you are performing a
category search (that is, specifying category or
categoryTree).

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default Description

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

category

Optional

A list of categories, separated by commas, to which
the search is limited. If specified, and the collection
does not have categories enabled, ColdFusion
throws an exception.

categoryTree

Optional

The location in a hierarchical category tree at which
to start the search. ColdFusion searches at and
below this level. If specified, and the collection does
not have categories enabled, ColdFusion throws an
exception. Can be used in addition to the category
attribute.

status

Optional

Specifies the name of the structure variable into
which ColdFusion places search information,
including alternative criteria suggestions (spelling
corrections). For a list of keys in this structure, see
“Status structure keys” on page 384.

type

Optional

criteria

Optional

maxRows

Optional

All

Maximum number of rows to return in query results.

startRow

Optional

1

First row number to get.

simple

Used to specify the parser that Verity uses to process
the criteria.
• simple: STEM and MANY operators are implicitly
used.
• explicit: operators must be invoked explicitly. Also
known as Bool_Plus.
• internet: for documents that are mostly WYSIWIG
(what-you-see-is-what-you-get) documents. Also
known as Internet_advanced.
• internet_basic: minimizes search time.
• natural: specifies the Query By Example (QBE)
parser. Also known as FreeText.
For more information, see Chapter 25, “Using Verity
Search Expressions” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide. Also see your Verity documentation.
Search criteria. Follows the syntax rules of the type
attribute. If you pass a mixed-case entry in this
attribute, the search is case-sensitive. If you pass all
uppercase or all lowercase, the search is caseinsensitive. Follow Verity syntax and delimiter
character rules; see Chapter 25, “Using Verity
Search Expressions” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide.

cfsearch

381

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

suggestions

Optional

never

Specifies whether Verity returns spelling suggestions
for possibly misspelled words. Use one of the
following options:
• Always: Verity always returns spelling suggestions.
• Never: Verity never returns spelling suggestions.
• positive integer: Verity returns spelling suggestions
if the number of documents retrieved by the search
is less than or equal to the number specified.
There is a small performance penalty for retrieving
suggestion data.

contextPassages

Optional

0

The number of passages/sentences Verity returns in
the context summary (that is, the context column of
the results). The default i s 0, which disables context
summary.

contextBytes

Optional

300

The maximum number of bytes Verity returns in the
context summary.

contextHighlightBegin

Optional



The HTML to prepend to search terms in the context
summary. Use this attribute in conjunction with
contextHighlightEnd to highlight search terms in the
context summary.

contextHighlightEnd

Optional



The HTML to append to search terms in the context
summary. Use this attribute in conjunction with
contextHighlightBegin to highlight search terms in
the context summary.

previousCriteria

Optional

language

Optional

The name of a result set from an existing set of search
results. Verity searches the result set for criteria
without regard to the previous search score or rank.
Use this attribute to implement searching within result
sets.
english Deprecated. This attribute is now ignored and the
language of the collection is used to perform the
search.

Usage

The cfsearch tag returns a query object whose columns you can reference in a cfoutput tag. For
example, the following code specifies a search for the exact terms "filming" or "filmed":

") that would otherwise cause an error, you can
create a text file that lists these elements and defines their formats for Verity. Name the file
style.lex and put copies of the file in these directories:

• Windows:
■

cf_root\verity\k2\common\style (typically, cf_root = C:\CFusionMX7)

■

cf_root\verity\Data\stylesets\ColdFusionK2

• UNIX:
■

cf_root//verity/k2/common/style (typically, cf_root = /opt/coldfusionmx7)

■

cf_root/verity/Data/stylesets/ColdFusionK2

In the multiserver and J2EE configurations, you install Verity in a separate directory.
Note: To search for a character such as an angle bracket (< or >), you must use a criteria attribute
value such as "<:" or "<:". The bracket characters are reserved in Verity, and using a backslash
to escape the character (criteria="\<") does not work in this context. For more information, see
Chapter 25, “Using Verity Search Expressions” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example



Search Result total = #name.RecordCount# 


url=#name.url#

key=#name.key#


384

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

title=#name.title#

score=#name.score#

custom1=#name.custom1#

custom2=#name.custom2#

summary=#name.summary#

recordcount=#name.recordcount#

currentrow=#name.currentrow#

columnlist=#name.columnlist#

recordssearched=#name.recordssearched#








url=#url#

key=#key#

title=#title#

score=#score#

custom1=#custom1#

custom2=#custom2#

summary=#summary#

recordcount=#recordcount#

currentrow=#currentrow#

columnlist=#columnlist#

recordssearched=#recordssearched#








url=#book.url#

key=#book.key#

title=#book.titleE#

score=#book.score#

custom1=#book.custom1#

custom2=#book.custom2#

summary=#book.summary#

recordcount=#book.recordcount#


cfsearch

385

currentrow=#book.currentrow#

columnlist=#book.columnlist#

recordssearched=#book.recordssearched#




386

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfselect
Description

Constructs a drop-down list box form control. Used within a cfform tag. You can populate the
list from a query, or by using the HTML option tag.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

group = "query column name
queryPosition = "above" or "below"
selected = "value or list"
onKeyUp = "JavaScript or ActionScript"
onKeyDown = "JavaScript or ActionScript"
onMouseUp = "JavaScript or ActionScript"
onMouseDown = "JavaScript or ActionScript"
onChange = "JavaScript or ActionScript"
onClick = "JavaScript or ActionScript"
visible = "Yes" or "No"
enabled = "Yes" or "No"
tooltip = "tip text"
height = "number of pixels" Flash only
width = "number of pixels" Flash only
>
zero or more HTML option tags

See also
cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfslider,
cftextarea, cftree;

Chapter 26, “Introduction to Retrieving and Formatting Data,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Added support for specifying multiple values to the selected attribute.
• Deprecated the passthrough attribute. The tag now supports all HTML select tag
attributes directly.

cfselect

387

• Added on-prefixed attributes.
• Added enabled, group, height, label, queryPosition, tooltip, visible, and width
attributes.
Attributes

The following table lists attributes that ColdFusion uses directly. The tag also supports all HTML
select tag attributes that are not on this list, and passes them directly to the browser.
Note: Attributes that are marked as Flash only are not handled by the skins provided with
ColdFusion MX. They are, however, included in the generated XML.

388

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Format

name

Required;
All

Name of the select form element.

label

Optional;
Flash and
XML

Label to put next to the control on a Flash or XML-format
form.

style

Optional;
All

In HTML or XML format forms, ColdFusion passes the
style attribute to the browser or XML.
In Flash format, must be a style specification in CSS
format, with the same syntax and contents as used in
Macromedia Flex for the corresponding Flash element.

size

Optional;
All

1

Number of entries to display at one time. The default, 1,
displays a drop-down list. Any other value displays a list
box with size number of entries visible at one time.

required

Optional;
All

No

• Yes: a list element must be selected when the form is
submitted.
Note: This attribute has no effect if you omit the size
attribute or set it to 1, because the browser always submits
the displayed item. You can work around this issue: format
forms by having an initial option tag with value=" " (note the
space character between the quotation marks).
• No

message

Optional;
All

Message to display if required = "Yes" and no selection is
made.

onError

Optional;
HTML and
XML

Custom JavaScript function to execute if validation fails.

multiple

Optional;
All

query

Optional;
All

Name of query to populate drop-down list.

value

Optional;
All

Query column to use for the value of each list element.
Used with the query attribute.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default

No

Description

• Yes: allows selecting multiple elements in drop-down list.
• No

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Format

Default

Description

display

Optional;
All

Value of Query column to use for the display label of each list
element. Used with the query attribute.
attribute
value

Query column to use to group the items in the drop-down
list into a two-level hierarchical list.

group

Optional;
HTML and
XML

queryPosition

Optional;
All

selected

Optional;
All

One or more option values to preselect in the selection list.
To specify multiple values, use a comma-delimited list. This
attribute applies only if selection list items are generated
from a query. The cfform preservedata attribute value can
override this value.

onKeyUp

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the user releases a keyboard key in the control.

onKeyDown

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash)
ActionScript to run when the user presses a keyboard key
in the control.

onMouseUp

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the user presses a mouse button in the control.

onMouseDown Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the user releases a mouse button in the control.

onChange

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the control changes due to user action.

onClick

Optional;
HTML and
XML

JavaScript to run when the user clicks the control.

enabled

Optional;
Flash

Yes

Boolean value specifying whether the control is enabled. A
disabled control appears in light gray. The inverse of the
disabled attribute.

visible

Optional;
Flash

Yes

Boolean value specifying whether to show the control.
Space that would be occupied by an invisible control is
blank.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash

above

If you populate the options list with a query and use HTML
option child tags to specify additional entries, determines
the location of the items from the query relative to the items
from the option tags:
• above: puts the query items above the options items.
• below: puts the query items below the options items.

Text to display when the mouse pointer hovers over the
control.

cfselect

389

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Format

Default

Description

height

Optional;
Flash

The height of the control, in pixels.

width

Optional;
Flash

The width of the control, in pixels.

Note: Attributes that are marked as Flash only are not handled by the skins provided with ColdFusion
MX. They are, however, included in the generated XML.
Usage

This tag requires an end tag and can include HTML option and optgroup child tags.
To ensure that a selected list box item persists across postbacks, use the cfform preserveData
attribute with a list generated from a query. (This strategy works only with data that is populated
from a query.)
If the cfform preserveData attribute is true and the form posts back to the same page, and if
the control is populated by a query, the posted selection(s) for the cfselect control are used
instead of the Selected attribute. For controls that are populated with regular HTML option
tags, the developer must dynamically add the Selected attribute to the appropriate option tag(s).
The group option generates a query using SQL GROUP BY syntax and places the value column
entries from each group in an indented list under the group column’s field value. This option
generates an HTML optgroup tag for each entry in the group column.
Close each HTML option tag in the cfselect tag body with a  end tag. If you do
not do so, and you specify queryPosition="below", the first item from the query might not
appear in the list.
For this tag to work properly. the browser must be JavaScript-enabled.
For more information, see the cfform tag entry.
Example

The following example lets you select one or more employee names from a list of all employees,
grouped by departments, and displays the selected names and the employee’s email addresses. It
includes an option to get data for all employees.



SELECT Emp_ID, EMail, Phone, Department, FirstName, LastName, FirstName +' '
+lastName as Name
FROM
Employees
GROUP BY Department, Emp_ID, EMail, Phone, FirstName, LastName, FirstName


cfselect Example



You Selected the following employees



#name#

Email: #email#






SELECT Emp_ID, EMail, Phone, Department, FirstName, LastName, FirstName
+' ' +lastName as Name
FROM
GetAllEmployees
WHERE Emp_ID in (#form.employeeid#)



#firstName# #lastName#

Email: #email#







Select one or more employees











cfselect

391

cfservlet
Description

This tag is deprecated. Executes a Java servlet on a JRun engine.
To access servlets that run on the same server as ColdFusion, use code such as the following, in
which path specifies a servlet, JSP, or anything else:
GetPageContext().include(path)
GetPageContext().forward(path)

For more information, see the JSP PageContext API or the Servlet RequestDispatcher API.
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated this tag. It might not work, and it might cause an error, in
later releases.

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cfservletparam
Description

This tag is deprecated.
A child tag of the cfservlet tag. Passes data to a servlet. Each cfservletparam tag within the
cfservlet block passes a separate item of data to the servlet.
To access servlets that run on the same server as ColdFUsion, use code such as the following, in
which path specifies a servlet, JSP, or anything else:
GetPageContext().include(path)
GetPageContext().forward(path)

For more information, see the JSP PageContext API or the Servlet RequestDispatcher API.
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated this tag. It might not work, and it might cause an error, in
later releases.

cfservletparam

393

cfset
Description

Sets a value in ColdFusion. Used to create a variable, if it does not exist, and assign it a value. Also
used to call functions.
Category

Variable manipulation tags
Syntax

See also
cfcookie, cfparam, cfregistry, cfsavecontent, cfschedule; Chapter 2, “Elements of
CFML,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

var

Optional

A keyword. Does not take a value. Identifies the variable
as being local to a function. The variable only exists for
the time of the current invocation of the function.

variable_name

Required

A variable.

Usage

The following sections provide detailed descriptions of some of the uses for the cfset tag.
Calling functions

When you use the cfset tag to call a function, you do not need to assign the function return
value to a variable if the function does not return a value or you do not need to use the value
returned by the function. For example, the following line is a valid ColdFusion cfset tag for
deleting the MyVariable variable from the Application scope:


Arrays

The following example assigns a new array to the variable months:


This example creates a variable Array_Length that resolves to the length of the array Scores:


This example assigns, to index position two in the array months, the value February:


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Dynamic variable names

In this example, the variable name is itself a variable:



Function local variables

The var keyword specifies that the variable being defined is only available inside the body of a
function that you define using the cffunction tag. The variable value that is set in one
invocation of the function is not available in any other invocation of the function. The var
keyword is the equivalent of the var statement in CFScript. The following rules apply to the var
keyword:

• Any cfset tag that uses the var keyword must be inside the body of a cffunction tag. If you
use the var keyword in a cfset tag outside a cffunction tag body, ColdFusion displays an
error message.

• You must place all cfset tags that use the var keyword at the beginning of the cffunction
tag body, before any other ColdFusion tags.
The following example shows how to use the new keyword:




#myFunct()#

In this example, the variable myVar exists only when the function myFunct executes, and it is not
available elsewhere on the ColdFusion page.
COM objects

In this example, a COM object is created. A cfset defines a value for each method or property in
the COM object interface. The last cfset creates a variable to store the return value from the
COM object’s SendMail method.









 #success# 

cfset

395

Example


SELECT *
FROM
Messages

cfset Example
cfset sets and reassigns values to local or global variables within a page.

For example, the variable NumRecords has been declared on this
page to hold the number of records returned from query
(#NumRecords#).
In addition, cfset can be used to pass variables from other pages,
such as this example, which takes the url parameter Test from this link:
(
">click here) to display a message:


#url.test#

The variable url.test has not been passed from another page.

cfset can also be used to collect environmental variables, such as the
time, the IP address of the user, or another function or expression.

user_ip = CGI.REMOTE_ADDR>
complex_expr = (23 MOD 12) * 3>
str_example = Reverse(Left(GetMessages.body, 35))>



The date: #the_date#
User IP Address: #user_ip#
Complex Expression ((23 MOD 12) * 3): #complex_expr#
String Manipulation (the first 35 characters of
the body of the first message in our query)

Reversed: #str_example#

Normal: #Reverse(str_example)#



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cfsetting
Description

Controls aspects of page processing, such as the output of HTML code in pages.
Category

Page processing tags, Variable manipulation tags
Syntax

See also
cfcache, cfflush, cfheader, cfhtmlhead, cfinclude, cfprocessingdirective, cfsilent;

“Controlling debugging output with the cfsetting tag” in Chapter 18, “Debugging and
Troubleshooting Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed behavior: if the tag has a body, ColdFusion executes its contents.
ColdFusion MX:

• Added the requestTimeOut attribute.
• The catchExceptionsByPattern attribute is obsolete. It does not work, and causes an error,
in releases later than ColdFusion 5.

• Changed exception handling: the structured exception manager searches for the best-fit
cfcatch handler. (In earlier releases, an exception was handled by the first cfcatch block that
could handle an exception of its type.)
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

enableCFoutputOnly Required

showDebugOutput

Optional

requestTimeout

Optional

• Yes: blocks output of HTML that is outside
cfoutput tags.
• No: displays HTML that is outside cfoutput tags.
Yes

• Yes: if debugging is enabled in the Administrator,
displays debugging information.
• No: suppresses debugging information that would
otherwise display at the end of the generated page.
• Integer; number of seconds. Time limit, after which
ColdFusion processes the page as an
unresponsive thread. Overrides the timeout set in
the ColdFusion Administrator.

cfsetting

397

Usage

The cfsetting requestTimeout attribute replaces the use of requestTimeOut within a URL.
To enforce a page timeout, detect the URL variable and use code such as the following to change
the page timeout:


You can use this tag to manage whitespace in ColdFusion output pages.
If you nest cfsetting tags: to make HTML output visible, you must match each
enableCFoutputOnly = "Yes" statement with an enableCFoutputOnly = "No" statement. For
example, after five enableCFoutputOnly = "Yes" statements, to enable HTML output, you
must have five corresponding enableCFoutputOnly = "No" statements.
If HTML output is enabled (no matter how many enableCFoutputOnly = "No" statements
have been processed) the first enableCFoutputOnly = "Yes" statement blocks output.
If the debugging service is enabled and showDebugOutput =" Yes", the IsDebugMode function
returns Yes; otherwise, No.
Note: Releases after ColdFusion MX allow a  end tag; however, this end tag does not
affect processing. The cfsetting attributes affect code inside and outside the cfsetting tag body.
ColdFusion MX ignored code between cfsetting start and end tags.
Example
CFSETTING is used to control the output of HTML code in ColdFusion pages.
This tag can be used to minimize the amount of generated whitespace.
This text is shown

Text within cfoutput is


Text within cfoutput is


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"Yes">
"No">
"Yes">
always shown
"No">
always shown

cfsilent
Description

Suppresses output produced by CFML within a tag’s scope.
Category

Data output tags, Page processing tags
Syntax

...

See also
cfcache, cfflush, cfheader, cfhtmlhead, cfinclude, cfsetting; Chapter 9, “Writing and
Calling User-Defined Functions,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Usage

This tag requires an end tag.
Example
cfsilent




Inside cfsilent block

b-a = #c#


Even information within cfoutput tags does not display within a
cfsilent block.


b-a = #c#



cfsilent

399

cfslider
Description

Puts a slider control, for selecting a numeric value from a range, in a ColdFusion form. The slider
moves over the slider groove. As the user moves the slider, the current value displays. Used within
a cfform tag. Not supported with Flash forms.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

See also
cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect,
cftextarea, cftree;

Chapter 26, “Introduction to Retrieving and Formatting Data,” and
Chapter 27, “Building Dynamic Forms with cfform Tags,”in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated the img, imgStyle, grooveColor, refreshLabel,
tickmarklabels, tickmarkmajor, tickmarkminor, and tickmarkimages attributes. They
might not work, and might cause an error, in later releases.

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

name

Required

Name of cfslider control.

label

Optional

Label to display with control; for example, "Volume" This
displays: "Volume %value%"
To reference the value, use "%value%". If %% is omitted,
slider value displays directly after label.

range

Optional

scale

Optional

value

Optional

onValidate

Optional

Custom JavaScript function to validate user input; in this
case, a change to the default slider value.
Specify only the function name.

message

Optional

Message text to appear if validation fails.

onError

Optional

Custom JavaScript function to execute if validation fails.
Specify only the function name.

height

Optional

width

Optional

Slider control width, in pixels.

vSpace

Optional

Vertical spacing above and below slider, in pixels.

hSpace

Optional

Horizontal spacing to left and right of slider, in pixels.

align

Optional

Alignment of slider:
• top
• left
• bottom
• baseline
• texttop
• absbottom
• middle
• absmiddle
• right

lookAndFeel

Optional

"0,100"

Numeric slider range values.
Separate values with a comma.
Unsigned integer. Defines slider scale, within range. For
example, if range = "0,1000" and scale = "100", the display
values are:
0, 100, 200, 300, ...
Signed and unsigned integers in ColdFusion are in the
range -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647.

Minimum Starting slider setting. Must be within the range values.
in range

40

Slider control height, in pixels.

Windows • motif: renders slider using Motif style.
• windows: renders slider using Windows style.
• metal: renders slider using Java Swing style.
If platform does not support choice, the tag defaults to the
platform’s default style.

cfslider

401

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

vertical

Optional

• Yes: renders slider in browser vertically. You must set
width and height attributes; ColdFusion does not
automatically swap width and height values.
• No: renders slider horizontally.

bgColor

Optional

Background color of slider label.
For a hexadecimal value, use the form: bgColor =
"##xxxxxx", where x = 0-9 or A-F; use two number signs or
none.
• Any color, in hexadecimal format
• black
• red
• blue
• magenta
• cyan
• orange
• darkgray
• pink
• gray
• white
• lightgray
• yellow

textColor

Optional

Options: same as for bgcolor attribute.

font

Optional

Font name for label text.

fontSize

Optional

Font size for label text, in points.

italic

Optional

No

• Yes: label text in italics.
• No: normal text.

bold

Optional

No

• Yes: label text in bold.
• No: medium text.

notSupported

Optional

No

Text to display if a page that contains a Java applet-based
cfform control is opened by a browser that does not
support Java or has Java support disabled. For example:
" Browser must support Java to view ColdFusion
Java Applets"

Default message:
Browser must support Java to 
view ColdFusion Java
Applets!
Usage

This tag requires the client to download a Java applet. Using this tag may be slightly slower than
using an HTML form element to display the same information. Also, if the client does not have
an up-to-date Java plugin installed, the system might also have to download an updated Java
plugin to display the tag.
For this tag to work properly, the browser must be JavaScript-enabled.

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If the following conditions are true, a user’s selection from query data that populates this tag’s
options continues to display after the user submits the form:

• The cfform preserveData attribute is set to "Yes".
• The cfform action attribute posts to the same page as the form itself (this is the default), or
the action page has a form that contains controls with the same names as corresponding
controls on the user entry form.
For more information, see the cfform tag entry.
Example

cfslider Example
cfslider, used within a cfform, can provide functionality
to Java-enabled browsers.
Try moving the slider back and forth to see the real-time value change.
Then, submit the form to show how cfslider passes its value on to a new page.

You slid to a value of #mySlider#
Try again!


 100



cfslider

403

cfstoredproc
Description

Executes a stored procedure in a server database. It specifies database connection information and
identifies the stored procedure.
Category

Database manipulation tags
Syntax

result = "result_name"
See also
cfinsert, cfqueryparam, cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cftransaction, cfquery, cfupdate;

“Optimizing database use” in Chapter 13, “Designing and Optimizing a
ColdFusion Application,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the result attribute.
ColdFusion MX: Deprecated the connectString, dbName, dbServer, dbtype, provider, and
providerDSN attributes. They do not work, and might cause an error, in releases later than
ColdFusion 5. (ColdFusion MX uses Type 4 JDBC drivers.)
Attributes

404

Attribute

Req/Opt

procedure

Required

Name of stored procedure on database server.

dataSource

Required

Name of data source that points to database that
contains stored procedure.

username

Optional

Overrides username in data source setup.

password

Optional

Overrides password in data source setup.

blockFactor

Optional

1

Maximum number of rows to get at a time from server.
Range is 1 to 100.

debug

Optional

No

• Yes: lists debug information on each statement.
• No

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default Description

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

returnCode

Optional

No

result

Optional

• Yes: populates cfstoredproc.statusCode with status
code returned by the stored procedure.
• No
Specifies a name for the structure in which
cfstoredproc returns the statusCode and
ExecutionTime variables. If set, this value replaces
cfstoredproc as the prefix to use when accessing those
variables. For more information, see the Usage section.

Usage

Use this tag to call a database stored procedure. Within this tag, you code cfprocresult and
cfprocparam tags as follows:

•

cfprocresult
cfprocresult

•

If the stored procedure returns one or more result sets, code one
tag per result set.

If the stored procedure uses input or output parameters, code one
tag per parameter, ensuring that you include every parameter in the stored
procedure definition. Additionally, you must code cfprocparam tags in the same order as the
parameters in the stored procedure definition.
cfprocparam
cfprocparam

If you set returnCode = "Yes", this tag sets the variable prefix.statusCode, which holds the
status code for a stored procedure. Status code values vary by DBMS. For the meaning of code
values, see your DBMS documentation.
This tag sets the variable prefix.ExecutionTime, which contains the execution time of the
stored procedure, in milliseconds.
The value of prefix is either cfstoredproc or the value specified by the result attribute, if it is
set. The result attribute provides a way for stored procedures that are called from multiple
pages, possibly at the same time, to avoid overwriting the results of one call with another. If you
set the result attribute to myResult, for example, you would access ExecutionTime as
myResult.ExecutionTime. Otherwise, you would access it as cfstoredproc.ExecutionTime.
Before implementing this tag, ensure that you understand stored procedures and their usage.
The following examples use a Sybase stored procedure; for an example of an Oracle 8 or 9 stored
procedure, see cfprocparam.
Example




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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfswitch
Description

Evaluates a passed expression and passes control to the cfcase tag that matches the expression
result. You can, optionally, code a cfdefaultcase tag, which receives control if there is no
matching cfcase tag value.
Category

Flow-control tags
Syntax

one or more cfcase tags
zero or one cfdefaultcase tags

See also
cfcase, cfdefaultcase, cfabort, cfloop, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cfif, cflocation,
cfrethrow, cfthrow, cftry;

“cfswitch, cfcase, and cfdefaultcase” in Chapter 2, “Elements of
CFML,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed cfdefaultcase tag placement requirements: you can put the
cfdefaultcase tag at any position within a cfswitch statement; it is not required to be the
last item.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

expression

Required

Default

Description
ColdFusion expression that yields a scalar value. ColdFusion
converts integers, real numbers, Booleans, and dates to
numeric values. For example, True, 1, and 1.0 are all equal.

Usage

This tag requires an end tag. All code within this tag must be within a cfcase or cfdefaultcase
tag. Otherwise, ColdFusion throws an error.
Use this tag followed by one or more cfcase tags. Optionally, include a cfdefaultcase tag. This
tag selects the matching alternative from the cfcase and cfdefaultcase tags, jumps to the
matching tag, and executes the code between the cfcase start and end tags.
The cfswitch tag provides better performance than a series of cfif/cfelseif tags, and the code
is easier to read.

cfswitch

407

Example


SELECT Emp_ID, FirstName, LastName, EMail, Phone, Department
FROM
Employees

cfswitch Example

Each time the case is fulfilled, the specific information is printed;
if the case is not fulfilled, the default case is output 



#FirstName# #LastName# is in sales




#FirstName# #LastName# is in accounting


 
#FirstName# #LastName# is in administration




#FirstName# #LastName# is not in Sales, Accounting, or
Administration.






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cftable
Description

Builds a table in a ColdFusion page. This tag renders data as preformatted text, or, with the
HTMLTable attribute, in an HTML table. If you don't want to write HTML table tag code, or if
your data can be presented as preformatted text, use this tag.
Preformatted text (defined in HTML with the  and  tags) displays text in a fixedwidth font. It displays white space and line breaks exactly as they are written within the pre tags.
For more information, see an HTML reference guide.
To define table column and row characteristics, use the cfcol tag within this tag.
Category

Data output tags
Syntax

...

See also
cfcol, cfcontent, cflog, cfoutput, cfprocessingdirective, cftable;

“Retrieving data” in
Chapter 20, “Accessing and Retrieving Data,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default Description

query

Required

Name of cfquery from which to draw data.

maxRows

Optional

Maximum number of rows to display in the table.

colSpacing

Optional

2

Number of spaces between columns.

headerLines

Optional

2

Number of lines to use for table header (the default leaves one
line between header and first row of table).

HTMLTable

Optional

Renders data in an HTML 3.0 table.
If you use this attribute (regardless of its value), ColdFusion
renders data in an HTML table.

border

Optional

Displays border around table.
If you use this attribute (regardless of its value), ColdFusion
displays a border around the table.
Use this only if you use the HTMLTable attribute.

cftable

409

Attribute

Req/Opt Default Description

colHeaders

Optional

startRow

Optional

Displays column heads. If you use this attribute, you must also
use the cfcol tag header attribute to define them.
If you use this attribute (regardless of its value), ColdFusion
displays column heads.
1

The query result row to put in the first table row.

Usage

This tag aligns table data, sets column widths, and defines column heads.
At least one cfcol tag is required within this tag. You must put cfcol and cftable tags adjacent
in a page. The only tag that you can nest within this tag is the cfcol tag. You cannot nest
cftable tags.
To display the cfcol header text, you must specify the cfcol header and the cftable
colHeader attribute. If you specify either attribute without the other, the header does not display
and no error is thrown.
Example



SELECT Emp_ID, FirstName, LastName, EMail, Phone, Department
FROM Employees



cftable Example







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cftable

411

cftextarea
Description

Puts a multiline text entry box in a cfform tag and controls its display characteristics.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

text

See also
cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect,
cfslider, cftree; Chapter 26, “Introduction to Retrieving and Formatting Data,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag.
Attributes

The following table lists attributes that ColdFusion uses directly. In HTML format, the tag also
supports all HTML textarea tag attributes that are not on this list, and passes them directly to
the browser.

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Note: Attributes that are marked as Flash only are not handled by the skins provided with ColdFusion
MX. They are, however, included in the generated XML.
Attribute

Req/Opt;
Format

Default

name

Required;
All

Name of the cftextinput control.

label

Optional;
Flash and
XML

Label to put beside the control on a form.

style

Optional;
All

In HTML or XML format forms, ColdFusion passes the
style attribute to the browser or XML.
In Flash format forms, must be a style specification in
CSS format, with the same syntax and contents as used
in Macromedia Flex for the corresponding Flash element.

required

Optional;
All

validate

Optional;
All

validateAt

Optional;
HTML and
XML

message

Optional;
All

Message text to display if validation fails.

range

Optional;
All

Minimum and maximum allowed numeric values.
ColdFusion uses this attribute only if you specify range in
the validate attribute.
If you specify a single number or a single number followed
by a comma, it is treated as a minimum, with no maximum.
If you specify a comma followed by a number, the
maximum is set to the specified number, with no
minimum.

maxLength

Optional;
All

The maximum length of text that can be entered.
ColdFusion uses this attribute only if you specify
maxlength in the validate attribute.

no

Description

• yes: the field must contain text.
• no: the field can be empty.
The type or types of validation to do. Available validation
types and algorithms depend on the format. For details,
see the Usage section of the cfinput tag reference.

onSubmit How to do the validation; one or more of the following:
• onSubmit
• onServer
• onBlur
For Flash format forms, onSubmit and onBlur are
identical; validation is done when the user submits the
form. For multiple values, use a comma-delimited list.
For details, see the Usage section of the cfinput tag
reference.

cftextarea

413

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Format

pattern

Required if

Default

JavaScript regular expression pattern to validate input.
Omit leading and trailing slashes. ColdFusion uses this
attribute only if you specify regex in the validate attribute.
For examples and syntax, see Chapter 27, “Building
Dynamic Forms with cfform Tags” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide.

validate =
"regular_
expression"

HTML and
XML.

414

Description

onValidate

Optional;
HTML and
XML

Custom JavaScript function to validate user input. The
JavaScript DOM form object, input object, and input
object value are passed to routine, which should return
True if validation succeeds, False otherwise. If you specify
this attribute, ColdFusion ignores the validate attribute.

onError

Optional;
HTML and
XML

Custom JavaScript function to execute if validation fails.

disabled

Optional;
All

value

Optional;
All

Initial value to display in text control. You can specify an
initial value as an attribute or in the tag body, but not in
both places. If you specify the value as an attribute, you
must put the closing cftextarea tag immediately after the
opening cftextarea tag, with no spaces or line feeds
between, or place a closing slash at the end of the
opening cftextarea tag; for example .

bind

Optional;
Flash

A Flex bind expression that populates the field with
information from other form fields. For details, see Usage.

onKeyUp

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the user releases a keyboard key in the control.

onKeyDown

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash)
ActionScript to run when the user presses a keyboard key
in the control.

onMouseUp

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the user presses a mouse button in the control.

onMouseDown Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the user releases a mouse button in the control.

onChange

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run
when the control changes due to user action.

onClick

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) to run when the user clicks the
control. Not supported for Flash forms.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

not
disabled

Disables user input, making the control read-only. To
disable input, specify disabled without an attribute, or
disabled="Yes" (or any ColdFusion positive Boolean
value, such as True). To enable input, omit the attribute or
specify disabled="No" (or any ColdFusion negative
Boolean value, such as False).

Attribute

Req/Opt;
Format

Default

Description

enabled

Optional;
Flash

Yes

Boolean value specifying whether the control is enabled.
A disabled control appears in light gray. The inverse of the
disabled attribute.

visible

Optional;
Flash

Yes

Boolean value specifying whether to show the control.
Space that would be occupied by an invisible control is
blank.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash

Text to display when the mouse pointer hovers over the
control.

height

Optional;
Flash

The height of the control, in pixels.

width

Optional;
Flash

The width of the control, in pixels.

Note: Attributes that are marked as Flash only are not handled by the skins provided with ColdFusion
MX. They are, however, included in the generated XML.
Usage

For this tag to work properly in HTML format. the browser must be JavaScript-enabled.
If you put text in the tag body, the control displays all text characters between the cftextarea
opening and closing tags; therefore, if you use line feeds or white space to format your source text,
they appear in the control.
If the cfform preserveData attribute is "yes", and the form posts back to the same page, the
posted value (not the value of the value attribute) of the cftextinput control is used.
Validation

For a detailed description of the validation attribute and the types of validation supported by
ColdFusion, see the Usage section of the cfinput tag reference. For more details on ColdFusion
MX validation techniques, see Chapter 28, “Validating Data” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide.
Flash form data binding

The bind attribute lets you populate form fields using the contents of other form fields. To
specify text from another field in a cftextarea bind attribute, use the following format:
{sourceTagName.text}
For example, the following line uses the value of the text that the user enters in the from the
userName field in the greeting in the comment text box. The user can change or replace this
message with a typed entry.

Enter your name here


Example

This example has two cftextarea controls. When you submit the form, ColdFusion copies the
text from the first control into the second. The onBlur maxlength validation prevents you from
entering more than 100 characters. The > character that closes the cftextarea opening tag, the
text in the tag body, and the cftextarea closing tag are on a single line to ensure that only the
desired text displays, but the line is split in this example for formatting purposes.
cftextarea Example





Replace this text. Maximum length is 100 Characters, and this text is
currently 99 characters long.







416

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cftextinput
Description

Puts a single-line text entry box in a cfform tag and controls its display characteristics.
This tag is deprecated, and is not supported in XML format forms. In its place, you should use a
cfinput or cftextarea tag and use a cascading style sheet (CSS) to specify the text style
characteristics.
History

ColdFusion MX 7: This tag is deprecated. In later releases it might not work, and might cause an
error.
ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed the validate = "creditcard" option requirements: the text
entry must have 13-16 digits.

cftextinput

417

cfthrow
Description

Throws a developer-specified exception, which can be caught with a cfcatch tag that has any of
the following type attribute options:

•
•
•

type = "custom_type"
type = "Application"
type = "Any"

Category

Exception handling tags, Flow-control tags
Syntax 1

Syntax 2

See also
cferror, cfrethrow, cftry, onError;

Chapter 14, “Handling Errors” in ColdFusion MX

Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed thrown exceptions: this tag can throw ColdFusion component
method exceptions.
Attributes

418

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

type

Optional

message

Optional

Message that describes exception event.

detail

Optional

Description of the event. ColdFusion appends error position
to description; server uses this parameter if an error is not
caught by your code.

errorCode

Optional

A custom error code that you supply.

Application • A custom type
• Application
Do not enter another predefined type; types are not
generated by ColdFusion applications. If you specify
Application, you need not specify a type for cfcatch.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

extendedInfo Optional

A custom error code that you supply.

object

Requires the value of the cfobject tag name attribute.
Throws a Java exception from a CFML tag.
This attribute is mutually exclusive with all other attributes of
this tag.

Optional

Usage

Use this tag within a cftry block, to throw an error. The cfcatch block can access
accompanying information, as follows:

• Message, with cfcatch.message
• Detail, with cfcatch.detail
• Error code, with cfcatch.errorcode
To get more information, use cfcatch.tagContext. This array shows where control switches
from one page to another in the tag stack (for example, cfinclude, cfmodule).
To display the information displayed by tagContext: in the ColdFusion MX Administrator,
Debugging page, select Enable CFML Stack Trace.
Using the object parameter

To use this tag with the object parameter, you must first use a
tag that specifies a valid Java exception class. For example, the following cfobject tag
defines an object, obj, of the exception class myException (which you must create in Java):
cfobject



If your exception class has constructors that take parameters, such as a message, you can use the
special init method to invoke the constructor, as in the following line. If you do not need to
specify any constructor attributes, you can omit this step.


You can then use the, the cfthrow statement to throw the exception as follows:


For more information on using Java objects in ColdFusion, see Chapter 37, “Integrating J2EE
and Java Elements in CFML Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example 1
cfthrow Example








cfthrow

419




You've Thrown an Error


#cfcatch.message#
The contents of the tag stack are:



#i# #sCurrent["ID"]#
(#sCurrent["LINE"]#,#sCurrent["COLUMN"]#)
#sCurrent["TEMPLATE"]#




Example2

The following example shows how to throw an exception from a component method:




SELECT LASTNAME, FIRSTNAME, EMAIL
FROM tblEmployees
WHERE LASTNAME LIKE '#arguments.lastName#'









For an explanation of the example and more information, see Chapter 10, “Building and Using
ColdFusion Components” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

420

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cftimer
Description

Displays execution time for a specified section of CFML code. ColdFusion MX displays the
timing information along with any output produced by the timed code.
Note: To permit this tag to execute, you must enable the Timer Information option under Debugging
Settings in the ColdFusion MX Administrator.
Category

Debugging tags
Syntax

CFML statement(s)

See also
cfdump, cftrace; Chapter 18, “Debugging and Troubleshooting Applications” in ColdFusion
MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

label

Optional

""

Label to display with timing information.

type

Optional

debug

• inline: displays timing information inline, following the
resulting HTML.
• outline: displays timing information and also displays a line
around the output produced by the timed code. The browser
must support the FIELDSET tag to display the outline.
• comment: displays timing information in an HTML comment
in the format . The default label
is cftimer.
• debug: displays timing information in the debug output
under the heading CFTimer Times.

Usage

Use this tag to determine how long it takes for a block of code to execute. You can nest cftimer
tags.
This tag is useful for debugging CFML code during application development. In production, you
can leave cftimer tags in your code as long as you have disabled the debugging option in the
ColdFusion MX Administrator.

cftimer

421

Example1
...



select *
from Employees


#lastname#, #firstname#








select *
from CourseList




#Course_ID#
#CorName#
#CorLevel#









select *
from Parks

Select View > Source to see timing information



#Parkname#









select *

422

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

from Departments

Scroll down to CFTimer Times heading to see timing information



#Dept_ID#
#Dept_Name#




...

cftimer

423

cftrace
Description

Displays and logs debugging data about the state of an application at the time the cftrace tag
executes. Tracks runtime logic flow, variable values, and execution time. Displays output at the
end of the request or in the debugging section at the end of the request; or, in Dreamweaver MX
and later, in the Server Debug tab of the Results window.
ColdFusion logs cftrace output to the file logs\cftrace.log, in the ColdFusion installation
directory.
Note: To permit this tag to execute, you must enable debugging in the ColdFusion MX Administrator.
Optionally, to report trace summaries, enable the Trace section.
Category

Debugging tags, Variable manipulation tags
Syntax

See also
cfdump, cferror, cfrethrow, cftimer, cftry;

Chapter 18, “Debugging and Troubleshooting
Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes

424

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

abort

Optional

• Yes: calls a cfabort tag when the tag is executed.
• No

category

Optional

inline

Optional

text

Optional

No

User-defined string for identifying trace groups.
No

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

• Yes: displays trace code in line on the page in the location of
the cftrace tag, in addition to the debugging information
output.
• No
User-defined string, which can include simple variables, but
not complex variables such as arrays. Outputs to the cflog
text attribute.

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

type

Optional

Corresponds to the cflog type attribute; displays an
appropriate icon:
• Information
• Warning
• Error
• Fatal Information

var

Optional

Information

The name of a simple or complex variable to display.
Useful for displaying a temporary value, or a value that does
not display on any CFM page.

Usage

You cannot put application code within this tag. (This avoids problems that can occur if you
disable debugging.)
This tag is useful for debugging CFML code during application development.
You can display cftrace tag output in the following ways:

• As a section in the debugging output
• In-line in an application page, and as a section in debugging output. If you specify in-line
tracing, ColdFusion flushes all output up to the cftrace tag, and displays the trace output
when it encounters the tag.
This is an example of a log file entry:
"Information","web-4","04/08/02","23:21:30",
,"[30 ms (1st trace)]
[C:\CFusionMX7\wwwroot\generic.cfm @ line: 9] [thisPage = /generic.cfm] "
"Information","web-0","04/08/02","23:58:58",
,"[5187 ms (10)]
[C:\CFusionMX7\wwwroot\generic.cfm @ line: 14] - [category]
[thisPage = /generic.cfm] [ABORTED] thisPage "

For a complex variable, ColdFusion lists the variable name and the number of elements in the
object; it does not log the contents of the variable.
Example

The following example traces a FORM variable that is evaluated by a cfif block:


Congratulations, you're a winner!

Sorry, you lost!


cftrace

425

cftransaction
Description

For enterprise database management systems that support transaction processing, instructs the
database management system to treat multiple database operations as a single transaction.
Provides database commit and rollback processing. See the documentation for your database
management system to determine whether it supports SQL transaction processing.
Category

Database manipulation tags
Syntax


See also
cfinsert, cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cfquery, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc, cfupdate;

“Commits, rollbacks, and transactions” in Chapter 19, “Introduction to Databases and SQL,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Attributes

426

Attribute

Req/Opt Default

Description

action

Optional

• begin: the start of the block of code to execute.
• commit: commits a pending transaction.
• rollback: rolls back a pending transaction.

isolation

Optional

begin

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

ODBC lock type:
• read_uncommitted: reads without regard for other transactions
that are taking place. Sometimes called a ‘dirty read’ because
data that is read can be in a transitional state and therefore not
accurate.
• read_committed: uses shared locks to assure that no other
transaction modifies rows that this transaction uses.
• repeatable_read: same as read_committed, except that rows in
the recordset are exclusively locked until the transaction
completes. Due to high overhead, Macromedia does not
recommend this isolation level for normal database access.
• serializable: places an exclusive lock on every data table in use
for the duration of the transaction. Causes access to the
database to be single-threaded and is therefore not
recommended for normal database access.

Usage

If you do not specify a value for the action attribute, automatic transaction processing proceeds
as follows:

• If the cfquery operations within the transaction block complete without an error, the
transaction is committed.

• If a cfquery tag generates an error within a cftransaction block, all cfquery operations in
the transaction roll back.
If you do not specify a value for the isolation attribute, ColdFusion uses the default isolation
level for the associated database.
Using CFML error handling and the action attribute, however, you can also explicitly control
whether a transaction is committed or rolled back, based on the success or failure of the database
query. Within a transaction block, you can do the following:

• Commit a database transaction by nesting the 

tag

within the block

• Roll back a transaction by nesting the 

tag within

the block
(In these examples, the slash is alternate syntax that is the equivalent of an end tag.)
Within a transaction block, you can write queries to more than one database, but you must
commit or roll back a transaction to one database before writing a query to another.
To control how the database engine performs locking during the transaction, use the isolation
attribute.
Example
CFTRANSACTION can be used to group multiple queries that use CFQUERY
into one business event. Changes to data that is requested by the queries
are not committed to the datasource until all actions within the transaction
block have executed successfully.
This a view-only example.


cftransaction

427

cftree
Description

Inserts a tree control in a form. Validates user selections. Used within a cfform tag block. You can
use a ColdFusion query to supply data to the tree.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax


See also
cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect,
cfslider, cftextarea, cftreeitem; “Working with action pages” in Chapter

26, “Introduction
to Retrieving and Formatting Data,” and “Building tree controls with the cftree tag” in
Chapter 27, “Building Dynamic Forms with cfform Tags,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

428

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Added the format attribute and support for generating Flash and XML and object output.
• Added enabled, onChange, style, tooltip, and visible attributes (Flash format only).
ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: ColdFusion renders a tree control regardless of whether
there are any treeitems within it.
Attributes
Note: In XML format, ColdFusion MX passes all attributes to the XML. The supplied XSLT skins do
not handle or display XML format trees, but do display applet and Flash format trees.
Attribute

Req/Opt Default
Format

Description

name

Required;
All

Name for tree control.

format

Optional; applet
All

• applet: displays the tree using a Java applet in the
browser.
• flash: displays the tree using a Flash control
• object: returns the tree as a ColdFusion structure with the
name specified by the name attribute, For details of the
structure contents, see “object format”.
• xml: generates an XML representation of the tree.
In XML format forms, includes the generated XML in the
form.
In HTML format forms, puts the XML in a string variable
with the name specified by the name attribute.

required

Optional; No
Applet,
Flash

• Yes: user must select an item in the tree control.
• No

delimiter

Optional; \\
All

Character to separate elements in the Forms.treename.path
variable of the action page.

completePath Optional; No
Applet,
object

• Yes: starts the Form.treename.path variable with the root
of the tree path when cftree is submitted.
• No: omits the root level from the Form.treename.path
variable; the value starts with the first child node in the
tree.
For the preserveData attribute of cfform to work with the
tree, you must set this attribute to Yes.
For tree items populated by a query, if you use the
cftreeitem queryasroot attribute to specify a root name,
that value is returned. If you do not specify a root name,
ColdFusion returns the query name.

cftree

429

430

Attribute

Req/Opt Default
Format

Description

appendKey

Optional; Yes
All

• Yes: if you use cftreeitem href attributes, ColdFusion
appends a CFTREEITEMKEY query string variable with
the value of the selected tree item to the cfform action
URL.
• No: does not append the tree item value to the URL.

highlightHref

Optional; Yes
Applet,
Object

• Yes: highlights as a link the displayed value for any
cftreeitem tag that specifies an href attribute.
• No: disables highlighting.

onValidate

Optional;
Applet

JavaScript function to validate user input. The JavaScript
DOM form object, input object, and input object value are
passed to the specified routine, which should return True if
validation succeeds; False, otherwise.

message

Optional;
Applet

Message to display if validation fails.

onError

Optional;
Applet

JavaScript function to execute if validation fails.

lookAndFeel

Optional; windows
Applet,
object

• motif: renders the slider in Motif style.
• windows: renders the slider in Windows style.
• metal: renders the slider in Java Swing style.
If the platform does not support a style option, the tag
defaults to platform default style.

font

Optional;
Applet

Font name for text in the tree control.

fontSize

Optional;
Applet,
Flash

Font size for text in the tree control, in points.

italic

Optional; No
Applet,
Flash

• Yes: displays tree control text in italics.
• No

bold

Optional; No
Applet,
Flash

• Yes: displays tree control text in bold.
• No

height

Optional; 320 (applet
only)
Applet,
Flash

Tree control height, in pixels. If you omit this attribute in
Flash format, Flash automatically sizes the tree.

width

Optional; 200 (applet Tree control width, in pixels. If you omit this attribute in
only)
Flash format, Flash automatically sizes the tree.
Applet,
Flash

vSpace

Optional;
Applet

Vertical margin above and below tree control, in pixels.

hSpace

Optional;
Applet

Horizontal spacing to left and right of tree control, in pixels.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Attribute

Req/Opt Default
Format

Description

align

Optional;
Applet,
object

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

border

Optional; Yes
Applet,
object

• Yes: displays a border around the tree control.
• No

hScroll

Optional; Yes
Applet,
object

• Yes: permits horizontal scrolling.
• No

vScroll

Optional; Yes
Applet,
object

• Yes: permits vertical scrolling.
• No

style

Optional;
Flash

Must be a style specification in CSS format, with the same
syntax and contents as used in Macromedia Flex for the
corresponding Flash element.

enabled

Optional; Yes
Flash

Flash format only: Boolean value specifying whether the
control is enabled. A disabled control appears in light gray.

visible

Optional; Yes
Flash

Flash format only: Boolean value specifying whether to
show the control. Space that would be occupied by an
invisible control is blank.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash

Flash format only: Text to display when the mouse pointer
hovers over the control.

onChange

Optional;
Flash

ActionScript to run when the control changes due to user
action.
If you specify an onChange event handler, the Form scope
of the ColdFusion action page does not automatically get
information about selected items. The ActionScript
onChange event handler must handle all changes and
selections.

notSupported Optional;
Applet

top
left
bottom
baseline
texttop
absbottom
middle
absmiddle
right

Text to display if a page that contains a Java applet-based
cfform control is opened by a browser that does not

support Java or has Java support disabled. For example:
" Browser must support Java to view ColdFusion
Java Applets"

Default message:
Browser must support Java to 
view ColdFusion Java
Applets!

cftree

431

Note: All attributes are passed to the XML generated in XML format, but no ColdFusion MX skin
interprets cftree XML.
Usage

This tag must be in a cfform tag block.
The applet format tree requires the client to download a Java applet. Also, if the client does not
have an up-to-date Java plugin installed, the system might also have to download an updated Java
plugin to display an applet format tree. The Flash format tree uses a Flash control, and can be
embedded in an HTML format cfform tag. For this tag to work properly in either Flash or applet
format, the browser must also be JavaScript-enabled.
Note: If you specify Flash format for this tag in an HTML format form, and you do not specify height
and width attributes, Flash takes up more than the remaining visible area on the screen. If any other
output follows the tree, including any form controls, users must scroll to see it. Therefore, if you follow
a Flash tree in an HTML form with additional output, specify height and width values.

If the following conditions are true, a user’s selection from query data that populates this tag’s
options continues to display after the user submits the form:

• The cfform preserveData attribute is set to "Yes"
• The cfform action attribute posts to the same page as the form itself (this is the default), or
the action page has a form that contains controls with the same names as corresponding
controls on the user entry form
For more information, see the cfform tag entry.
Form variables

When you select a tree item and submit the form that contains the tree, ColdFusion creates a
structure with two variables in the action page Form scope. The structure name is the tree name.
The fields are as follows:
Field

Value

path

The path through the tree to the selected node, in the form
[root\]node_1\node_2\.... In applet format, the path includes the root node
only if the completePath attribute is True. In Flash format, the path always
includes the root node.

node

The value of the selected tree node.

object format

If you specify object in the format attribute, ColdFusion returns the tree as a ColdFusion
structure, and does not send the tree to the browser. You can, for example, loop over the structure
to populate a menu, generate "breadcrumb" links for page navigation, or create a dhtml tree.
Note: If you specify an object format tree in an XML format form, ColdFusion does not generate the
tree.

432

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

The structure variable name is specified by the cftree name attribute. The top level of the
structure has two types of entries:

• Attribute settings
• A children array
Attribute settings

The structure has top-level entries with the values of the following cftree attributes:
align

completePath

highlightHref

lookAndFeel

appendKey

delimiter

hScroll

name

bold

fontWeight

italic

vscroll

border
Children array

The top-level children entry is an array of items entries. Each item has the following entries:
Field

Value

children

This item’s child items; an array of item structures.

display

Tree item label, as determined by the cftreeitem display attribute.

expand

Whether to expand the item to display any children; value of cftreeitem
expand attribute.

href

The URL to link to when the user selects the item; value of the cftreeitem
href attribute.

img

The tree image icon Image to display as an icon for the tree item; value of
cftreeitem img attribute.

imgOpen

Image to display when the tree item is open (expanded); value of
cftreeitem imgopen attribute.

parent

Value of this item’s parent item in the tree.

path

The node path from the tree root to the current element.

queryAsRoot

Whether the query is the root of the item; value of cftreeitem queryAsRoot
attribute.

target

The link target, such as _blank; value of the item’s cftreeitem target
attribute.

value

The item’s value, as determined by the cftreeitem value attribute.

Example

The following example creates a tree that shows available courses from the CourseList table of the
cfdocexamples database, and puts each department’s courses in a folder. This example is displayed
in Flash and uses the Departments list to get department names.

select d.dept_name, c.course_id, c.CorName, c.CorLevel, c.corName +' ( '
+c.corLevel +' )' as corLabel

cftree

433

from CourseList c, Departments d
where d.Dept_ID = c.Dept_ID
order by d.dept_Name, c.corName, c.corLevel







The following example creates a tree that shows the basic information about all employees in an
organization, organized by department. The departments are expanded to show all employees.
You can click the + signs to display additional information. If you click the employee name,
ColdFusion links back to the same page and displays the Path and node values for the selection.



SELECT Emp_ID, FirstName, LastName, EMail, Phone, Department
FROM Employees
GROUP BY Department, Emp_ID, FirstName, LastName, EMail, Phone



cftree Example


Selected item information


Path: #form.Employees.Path#

node: #form.Employees.node#














434

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags
















cftree

435

cftreeitem
Description

Populates a form tree control, created with the cftree tag, with one or more elements.
Category

Forms tags
Syntax

See also
cfapplet, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider,
cftextarea, cftree;

“Building tree controls with the cftree tag” in Chapter 27, “Building
Dynamic Forms with cfform Tags,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Note: In XML format, ColdFusion MX passes all attributes to the XML. The supplied XSLT skins do
not handle or display XML format trees, but do display applet and Flash format trees.
Attribute

Req/Opt; Default
Format

Description

value

Required;
All

Value passed when cfform is submitted. When populating a
tree with data from a cfquery, you can specify multiple columns
to use in a delimited list; for example, value =
"dept_id,emp_id". In this case, each column generates an item
that is a child of the column that precedes it in the list.

display

Optional;
All

value

Tree item label. When populating a tree with data from a query,
specify names in a delimited list. Example: display =
"dept_name,emp_name"

parent

436

Optional;
All

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Value of the tree item parent. Determines the item’s placement
in the tree hierarchy. If omitted, the item is placed at the tree
root level, or if the queryAsRoot attribute is True, directly under
the query.

Attribute

Req/Opt; Default
Format

Description

img

Optional;
Applet,
object

Image name, filename, or file URL for tree item icon.
The following values are provided:
• cd
• computer
• document
• element
• folder
• floppy
• fixed
• remote
You can also specify a custom image. To do so, include path
and file extension; for example:

folder

img = "../images/page1.gif"

Custom images are not supported for Flash format.
To specify more than one image in a tree, or an image at the
second or subsequent level, use commas to separate names,
corresponding to level; for example:
img = "folder,document"
img = ",document" (example of second level)

imgopen

Optional;
Applet,
object

Icon displayed with open tree item, as describe for the img
attribute.

href

Optional;
All

URL to link to if the user clicks the tree item. If you use a query
attribute, the href attribute can specify a query column that
contains URLs. If href is not a query column, the attribute text
must be a URL or list of URLs.
When populating a tree with data from a query, specify the
URLs in a comma-delimited list; for example:
href = "http://dept_svr,http://emp_svr"

target

Optional;
All

Target attribute of href URL. When populating a tree with data
from a query, specify target in delimited list:
target = "FRAME_BODY,_blank"

query

Optional;
Applet,
Flash

Query name to use to populate the treeitem. ColdFusion
generates an item for each field value in the query column list
specified by the value attribute. The fields in each row are
hierarchically linked to the first column.

cftreeitem

437

Attribute

Req/Opt; Default
Format

Description

queryAsRoot

Optional;
All

Yes

Applies only if you specify a query attribute. Defines the query
as the root level for all items generated by this tag. This
attribute enables you to avoid creating a parent cftreeitem.
• Yes: generates a parent (root) item for all other items
generated by the tag, with the query name as its value; if you
specify a parent attribute, the root item is a child of the
specified parent.
• No: uses the item specified by the parent attribute as the
immediate parent of all items generated by this tag. If there is
no parent attribute, use the query as the parent.
• A string: creates a root item and uses the specified string as
the item name; if you specify a parent attribute, the root item
is a child of the specified parent.

expand

Optional;
All

Yes

• Yes: expands tree to show tree item children.
• No: keeps tree item collapsed.

Usage

This tag requires the client to download a Java applet. Downloading an applet takes time;
therefore, using this tag might be slightly slower than using an HTML form element or the
cfinput tag to get the same information.
For this tag to work properly. the browser must be JavaScript-enabled.
If you do not use a query to populate this tag, it creates a single tree item. If you do use a query, it
creates multiple items; each row of the query creates a hierarchically nested set of items with one
item per column.
Example

The following example creates a simple tree using a single cftreeitem tag and a query:






The following example creates a tree that shows the basic information about all employees in an
organization, organized by department. The departments are expanded to show all employees.
You can click the + signs to display additional information. If you click the employee name,
ColdFusion links back to the same page and displays the selected employee’s ID.



SELECT Emp_ID, FirstName, LastName, EMail, Phone, Department
FROM Employees
GROUP BY Department, Emp_ID, FirstName, LastName, EMail, Phone


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Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags



cftreeitem Example




You Requested information on #URL.cftreeitemKey#; User ID #URL.user_ID#



























cftreeitem

439

cftry
Description

Used with one or more cfcatch tags. Together, they catch and process exceptions in ColdFusion
pages. Exceptions are events that disrupt the normal flow of instructions in a ColdFusion page,
such as failed database operations, missing include files, and developer-specified events.
Category

Exception handling tags
Syntax

Code that might throw an exception
One or more cfcatch blocks

See also
cfcatch, cferror, cfrethrow, cfthrow, onError;

Chapter 14, “Handling Errors” in

ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed cfscript to include try and catch statements that are equivalent to
the cftry and cfcatch tags.
Usage

Within a cftry block, put the code that might throw an exception, followed by one ore more
cfcatch tags that catch and process exceptions. This tag requires an end tag.
Example

cftry Example




SELECT *
FROM EMPLOYEEAS





You've Thrown a Database Error


#cfcatch.message#
Caught an exception, type = #CFCATCH.TYPE# 
The contents of the tag stack are:


440

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags



#i# #sCurrent["ID"]#
(#sCurrent["LINE"]#,#sCurrent["COLUMN"]#)
#sCurrent["TEMPLATE"]#





cftry

441

cfupdate
Description

Updates records in a data source from data in a ColdFusion form or form Scope.
Category

Database manipulation tags
Syntax

See also
cfinsert, cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cfquery, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc,
cftransaction; “Creating an update action page with cfupdate” in Chapter

21, “Updating Your

Database,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated the connectString, dbName, dbServer, dbtype, provider, and
providerDSN attributes. They do not work, and might cause an error, in releases later than
ColdFusion 5.
Attributes

442

Attribute

Req/Opt

dataSource

Required

Name of the data source that contains the table.

tableName

Required

Name of table to update.
• For ORACLE drivers, must be uppercase.
• For Sybase driver, case-sensitive; must be in same case
as used when the table was created.

tableOwner

Optional

For data sources that support table ownership (for
example, SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase SQL Anywhere),
the table owner.

tableQualifier

Optional

For data sources that support table qualifiers. The purpose
of table qualifiers is as follows:
• SQL Server and Oracle: name of the database that
contains the table
• Intersolv dBASE driver: directory of DBF files

username

Optional

Overrides username value specified in ODBC setup.

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default

Description

Attribute

Req/Opt

password

Optional

formFields

Optional

Default

Description
Overrides the password value specified in ODBC setup.

(all on
form,
except
keys)

Comma-delimited list of form fields to update.
If a form field is not matched by a column name in the
database, ColdFusion throws an error.
The formFields lies must include the database table
primary key field, which must be present in the form. It can
be hidden.

Example





select * from employees





#firstName#
#lastName#
#phone#
Edit





select * from employees where emp_id=#url.id#




#phoneQuery.firstName# #phoneQuery.lastName#








cfupdate

443

cfwddx
Description

Serializes and deserializes CFML data structures to the XML-based WDDX format. The WDDX
is an XML vocabulary for describing complex data structures in a standard, generic way.
Implementing it lets you use the HTTP protocol to such information among application server
platforms, application servers, and browsers.
This tag generates JavaScript statements to instantiate JavaScript objects equivalent to the
contents of a WDDX packet or CFML data structure. Interoperates with Unicode.
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax

See also
cfcollection, cfdump, cfexecute, cfindex, cfobject, cfreport, cfsearch, ToScript;
Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX

• Changed column name case behavior: ColdFusion preserves the case of column names in
JavaScript. (Earlier releases converted query column names to lowercase.)

• Changed encoding format support: this tag supports several encoding formats. The default
encoding format is UTF-8. The tag interoperates with Unicode.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required

•
•
•
•

input

Required

A value to process.

output

Required if

Name of variable for output. If action = "WDDX2JS" or
"CFML2JS", and this attribute is omitted, result is output

action =
"wddx2cfml"

444

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

Default Description
cfml2wddx: serializes CFML to WDDX.
wddx2cfml: deserializes WDDX to CFML.
cfml2js: serializes CFML to JavaScript.
wddx2js: deserializes WDDX to JavaScript.

in HTML stream.

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

topLevelVariable Required if

Name of top-level JavaScript object created by
deserialization. The object is an instance of the
WddxRecordset object.

action =
"wddx2js" or
"cfml2js"

useTimeZoneInfo Optional

Yes

Whether to output time-zone information when
serializing CFML to WDDX.
• Yes: the hour-minute offset, represented in
ISO8601 format, is output.
• No: the local time is output.

validate

No

Applies if action = "wddx2cfml" or "wddx2js".
• yes: validates WDDX input with an XML parser
using WDDX DTD. If parser processes input without
error, packet is deserialized. Otherwise, an error is
thrown.
• no: does not perform input validation.

Optional

Usage

ColdFusion preserves the case of column names cases in JavaScript.
The wddx2js and cfml2js actions create a WddxRecordset javascript object when they encounter
a RecordSet java object. The serialized JavaScript code requires a wddx.js file.
This tag performs the following conversions:
From

To

CFML

WDDX

CFML

JavaScript

WDDX

CFML

WDDX

JavaScript

For more information, and a list of the ColdFusion array and structure functions that you can use
to manage XML document objects and functions, see Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Note: The cfwddx tag throws an exception if you attempt to serialize a CFC or user-defined function
(UDF).
Example





select Message_Id, Thread_id, Username from messages

The recordset data is:...


cfwddx

445

#Message_ID# #Thread_ID# #Username#



Serializing CFML data...



Resulting WDDX packet is:
<cfoutput>#wddxText#</cfoutput>

Deserializing WDDX packet...

The recordset data is:...


#Message_ID# #Thread_ID# #Username#



446

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

cfxml
Description

Creates a ColdFusion XML document object that contains the markup in the tag body. This tag
can include XML and CFML tags. ColdFusion processes the CFML code in the tag body, and
then assigns the resulting text to an XML document object variable, which is always stored in
Unicode.
Category

Extensibility tags
Syntax

See also
IsXmlDoc, IsXmlElem, IsXmlRoot, ToString, XmlChildPos, XmlNew, XmlParse, XmlSearch,
XmlTransform;

Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added support for using an XML declaration at the start of the text.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default Description

variable
caseSensitive

Name of the document object.
Optional

no

• yes: maintains the case of document elements and
attributes.
• no

Usage

If your XML object is case-sensitive, you cannot use dot notation to reference an element or
attribute name. Use the name in associative array (bracket) notation, or a reference that does not
use the case-sensitive name (such as xmlChildren[1]) instead. In the following code, the first line
will work with a case-sensitive XML object. The second and third lines cause errors:
MyDoc.xmlRoot.XmlAttributes["Version"] = "12b";
MyDoc.xmlRoot.XmlAttributes.Version = "12b";
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlAttributes["Version"] = "12b";

Use the XmlFormat function to escape special characters such as &, > and <.
To convert an XML document object back into a string, use the ToString function, at which
time ColdFusion automatically prepends the  XML
declaration.

cfxml

447

To change the declaration to specify another encoding, use the Replace function. To specify the
encoding of the text that is returned to a browser or other application, use the cfcontent tag.
The following example illustrates this process:





Belgian Waffles
Our famous Belgian Waffles







#mynewvar#


The cfprocessingdirective tag prevents ColdFusion from putting white space characters in
front of the XML declaration.
Example

This following example creates a document object whose root element is MyDoc. The object
includes text that displays the value of the ColdFusion variable testVar. The code creates four
nested child elements, which are generated by an indexed cfloop tag. The cfdump tag displays
the XML document object.





The value of testVar is True.

The value of testVar is False.



This is Child node #LoopCount#.






448

Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags

CHAPTER 3
ColdFusion Functions

This chapter lists and categorizes ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) functions.
Contents
Function list. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Functions by category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
Function changes since ColdFusion 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
Tag descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461

Function list
ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) includes a set of functions that you use in Macromedia
ColdFusion MX 7 pages to perform logical and arithmetic operations and manipulate data.
The following table lists CFML functions:
Abs

GetFunctionList

Max

ACos

GetGatewayHelper

Mid

AddSOAPRequestHeader

GetHttpRequestData

Min

AddSOAPResponseHeader

GetHttpTimeString

Minute

ArrayAppend

GetLocale

Month

ArrayAvg

GetLocaleDisplayName

MonthAsString

ArrayClear

GetMetaData

Now

ArrayDeleteAt

GetMetricData

NumberFormat

ArrayInsertAt

GetPageContext

ParagraphFormat

ArrayIsEmpty

GetProfileSections

ParseDateTime

ArrayLen

GetProfileString

Pi

ArrayMax

GetSOAPRequest

PreserveSingleQuotes

ArrayMin

GetSOAPRequestHeader

Quarter

ArrayNew

GetSOAPResponse

QueryAddColumn

449

450

ArrayPrepend

GetSOAPResponseHeader

QueryAddRow

ArrayResize

GetTempDirectory

QueryNew

ArraySet

GetTempFile

QuerySetCell

ArraySort

GetTickCount

QuotedValueList

ArraySum

GetTimeZoneInfo

Rand

ArraySwap

GetToken

Randomize

ArrayToList

Hash

RandRange

Asc

Hour

REFind

ASin

HTMLCodeFormat

REFindNoCase

Atn

HTMLEditFormat

ReleaseComObject

BinaryDecode

IIf

RemoveChars

BinaryEncode

IncrementValue

RepeatString

BitAnd

InputBaseN

Replace

BitMaskClear

Insert

ReplaceList

BitMaskRead

Int

ReplaceNoCase

BitMaskSet

IsArray

REReplace

BitNot

IsBinary

REReplaceNoCase

BitOr

IsBoolean

Reverse

BitSHLN

IsCustomFunction

Right

BitSHRN

IsDate

RJustify

BitXor

IsDebugMode

Round

Ceiling

IsDefined

RTrim

CharsetDecode

IsLeapYear

Second

CharsetEncode

IsNumeric

SendGatewayMessage

Chr

IsNumericDate

SetEncoding

CJustify

IsObject

SetLocale

Compare

IsQuery

SetProfileString

CompareNoCase

IsSimpleValue

SetVariable

Cos

IsSOAPRequest

Sgn

CreateDate

IsStruct

Sin

CreateDateTime

IsUserInRole

SpanExcluding

CreateObject

IsValid

SpanIncluding

CreateODBCDate

IsWDDX

Sqr

CreateODBCDateTime

IsXML

StripCR

CreateODBCTime

IsXmlAttribute

StructAppend

CreateTime

IsXmlDoc

StructClear

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CreateTimeSpan

IsXmlElem

StructCopy

CreateUUID

IsXmlNode

StructCount

DateAdd

IsXmlRoot

StructDelete

DateCompare

JavaCast

StructFind

DateConvert

JSStringFormat

StructFindKey

DateDiff

LCase

StructFindValue

DateFormat

Left

StructGet

DatePart

Len

StructInsert

Day

ListAppend

StructIsEmpty

DayOfWeek

ListChangeDelims

StructKeyArray

DayOfWeekAsString

ListContains

StructKeyExists

DayOfYear

ListContainsNoCase

StructKeyList

DaysInMonth

ListDeleteAt

StructNew

DaysInYear

ListFind

StructSort

DE

ListFindNoCase

StructUpdate

DecimalFormat

ListFirst

Tan

DecrementValue

ListGetAt

TimeFormat

Decrypt

ListInsertAt

ToBase64

DeleteClientVariable

ListLast

ToBinary

DirectoryExists

ListLen

ToScript

DollarFormat

ListPrepend

ToString

Duplicate

ListQualify

Trim

Encrypt

ListRest

UCase

Evaluate

ListSetAt

URLDecode

Exp

ListSort

URLEncodedFormat

ExpandPath

ListToArray

URLSessionFormat

FileExists

ListValueCount

Val

Find

ListValueCountNoCase

ValueList

FindNoCase

LJustify

Week

FindOneOf

Log

Wrap

FirstDayOfMonth

Log10

WriteOutput

Fix

LSCurrencyFormat

XmlChildPos

FormatBaseN

LSDateFormat

XmlElemNew

GetTempDirectory

LSEuroCurrencyFormat

XmlFormat

GetAuthUser

LSIsCurrency

XmlGetNodeType

GetBaseTagData

LSIsDate

XmlNew

Function list

451

GetBaseTagList

LSIsNumeric

XmlParse

GetBaseTemplatePath

LSNumberFormat

XmlSearch

GetClientVariablesList

LSParseCurrency

XmlTransform

GetCurrentTemplatePath

LSParseDateTime

XmlValidate

GetDirectoryFromPath

LSParseEuroCurrency

Year

GetEncoding

LSParseNumber

YesNoFormat

GetException

LSTimeFormat

GetFileFromPath

LTrim

Functions by category
The following tables list functions by their category or purpose.
Array functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
Conversion functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Conversion functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Date and time functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Decision functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Display and formatting functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Dynamic evaluation functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Extensibility functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Full-text search functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
International functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
List functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Mathematical functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
Other functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
Query functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
String functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
Structure functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
System functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
XML functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
Array functions

452

ArrayAppend

ArrayIsEmpty

ArrayPrepend

ArraySwap

ArrayAvg

ArrayLen

ArrayResize

ArrayToList

ArrayClear

ArrayMax

ArraySet

IsArray

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ArrayDeleteAt

ArrayMin

ArraySort

ListToArray

ArrayInsertAt

ArrayNew

ArraySum

ArrayToList

Hash

ToScript

BinaryDecode

LCase

ToString

XmlParse

BinaryEncode

ListToArray

URLDecode

XmlTransform

CharsetDecode

ToBase64

URLEncodedFormat

CharsetEncode

ToBinary

Val

Conversion functions
XmlFormat

Date and time functions
CreateDate

DateFormat

GetTimeZoneInfo

MonthAsString

CreateDateTime

DatePart

Hour

Now

CreateODBCDate

Day

IsDate

ParseDateTime

CreateODBCDateTime

DayOfWeek

IsLeapYear

Quarter

CreateODBCTime

DayOfWeekAsString

IsNumericDate

Second

CreateTime

DayOfYear

LSDateFormat

TimeFormat

CreateTimeSpan

DaysInMonth

LSIsDate

Week

DateAdd

DaysInYear

LSParseDateTime

Year

DateCompare

FirstDayOfMonth

LSTimeFormat

DateConvert

GetHttpTimeString

Minute

DateDiff

GetTickCount

Month

Decision functions
DirectoryExists

IsDefined

IsSimpleValue

IsXmlNode

FileExists

IsK2ServerABroker

IsStruct

IIf

IsK2ServerDocCountExceeded IsUserInRole

LSIsCurrency

IsArray

IsK2ServerOnline

IsValid

LSIsDate

IsBinary

IsLeapYear

IsWDDX

LSIsNumeric

IsBoolean

IsNumeric

IsXmlRoot

IsXML

StructIsEmpty

IsCustomFunction IsNumericDate

IsXmlAttribute

StructKeyExists

IsDate

IsObject

IsXmlDoc

YesNoFormat

IsDebugMode

IsQuery

IsXmlElem

Functions by category

453

Display and formatting functions
CJustify

HTMLCodeFormat

LSIsDate

NumberFormat

DateFormat

HTMLEditFormat

LSNumberFormat

ParagraphFormat

DecimalFormat

LJustify

LSParseCurrency

RJustify

DollarFormat

LSCurrencyFormat

LSParseDateTime

StripCR

FormatBaseN

LSDateFormat

LSParseEuroCurrency TimeFormat

GetLocale

LSEuroCurrencyFormat LSParseNumber

GetLocaleDisplayName LSIsCurrency

YesNoFormat

LSTimeFormat

Dynamic evaluation functions
DE

Evaluate

IIf

SetVariable

Extensibility functions
CreateObject

ReleaseComObject

ToScript

GetGatewayHelper

SendGatewayMessage

Full-text search functions
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: These functions are deprecated. They might not work, and might cause
errors, in a future release.
GetK2ServerDocCount

IsK2ServerABroker

GetK2ServerDocCountLimit

IsK2ServerDocCountExceeded

IsK2ServerOnline

International functions
DateConvert

GetTimeZoneInfo

LSIsDate

LSParseEuroCurrency

GetEncoding

LSIsCurrency

LSParseDateTime LSParseNumber

GetHttpTimeString

LSCurrencyFormat

LSIsNumeric

LSTimeFormat

GetLocale

LSDateFormat

LSNumberFormat

SetEncoding

GetLocaleDisplayName LSEuroCurrencyFormat LSParseCurrency SetLocale

List functions

454

ArraySort

FindNoCase

ListContainsNoCase ListQualify

ArrayToList

FindOneOf

ListDeleteAt

ListRest

Asc

FormatBaseN

ListFind

ListSetAt

Chr

GetClientVariablesList ListFindNoCase

ListSort

CJustify

LCase

ListToArray

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ListFirst

Compare

Left

ListGetAt

ListValueCount

CompareNoCase

Len

ListInsertAt

ListValueCountNoCase

Decrypt

ListAppend

ListLast

ReplaceList

Encrypt

ListChangeDelims

ListLen

Find

ListContains

ListPrepend

Mathematical functions
Abs

BitNot

FormatBaseN

Randomize

ACos

BitOr

IncrementValue

RandRange

ArrayAvg

BitSHLN

InputBaseN

Round

ArraySum

BitSHRN

Int

Sgn

ASin

BitXor

Log

Sin

Atn

Ceiling

Log10

Sqr

BitAnd

Cos

Max

Tan

BitMaskClear

DecrementValue

Min

BitMaskRead

Exp

Pi

BitMaskSet

Fix

Rand

Other functions
CreateUUID

GetBaseTagList

PreserveSingleQuotes

DeleteClientVariable

GetBaseTemplatePath

URLSessionFormat

GetBaseTagData

GetClientVariablesList

WriteOutput

Query functions
IsQuery

QueryAddRow

QuerySetCell

QueryAddColumn

QueryNew

QuotedValueList

ValueList

Security functions
Decrypt

GetAuthUser

GetTempDirectory IsUserInRole

Encrypt

GenerateSecretKey

Hash

String functions
History

ColdFusion MX: ColdFusion now supports the Java UCS-2 representation of Unicode character
values 0–65535. (Earlier releases supported ASCII values.)

Functions by category

455

String-processing functions process any of these characters (including ASCII 0 (NUL)
characters), and continue counting subsequent characters of the string, if any. (In earlier releases,
some string-processing functions processed the ASCII 0 (NUL) character, but did not process
subsequent characters of the string.)
Asc

GetToken

LSParseDateTime

BinaryDecode

Hash

LSParseEuroCurrency Right

Reverse

BinaryEncode

HTMLCodeFormat

LSParseNumber

RJustify

CharsetDecode

HTMLEditFormat

LTrim

RTrim

CharsetEncode

Insert

Mid

SpanExcluding

Chr

JavaCast

MonthAsString

SpanIncluding

CJustify

JSStringFormat

ParagraphFormat

StripCR

Compare

LCase

ParseDateTime

ToBase64

CompareNoCase

Left

REFind

ToBinary

DayOfWeekAsString

Len

REFindNoCase

ToString

Decrypt

LJustify

RemoveChars

Trim

Encrypt

ListValueCount

RepeatString

UCase

Find

ListValueCountNoCase Replace

URLDecode

FindNoCase

LSIsDate

ReplaceNoCase

URLEncodedFormat

FindOneOf

LSIsNumeric

REReplace

Val

FormatBaseN

LSParseCurrency

REReplaceNoCase

Wrap

GenerateSecretKey

LSIsCurrency

ReplaceList

XmlFormat

See also “Conversion functions” on page 453.
Structure functions
Duplicate

StructCount

StructGet

StructKeyList

IsStruct

StructDelete

StructInsert

StructNew

StructAppend

StructFind

StructIsEmpty

StructSort

StructClear

StructFindKey

StructKeyArray

StructUpdate

StructCopy

StructFindValue

StructKeyExists

System functions

456

DirectoryExists

GetFileFromPath

GetTempDirectory

Duplicate

GetFunctionList

GetTempFile

ExpandPath

GetHttpRequestData

GetTemplatePath

FileExists

GetLocale

GetTickCount

GetBaseTemplatePath

GetLocaleDisplayName

SetEncoding

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

GetContextRoot

GetMetaData

SetLocale

GetCurrentTemplatePath

GetMetricData

SetProfileString

GetDirectoryFromPath

GetPageContext

WriteOutput

GetEncoding

GetProfileSections

GetException

GetProfileString

XML functions
AddSOAPRequestHeader

IsSOAPRequest

IsXmlRoot

XmlGetNodeType

AddSOAPResponseHeader IsXML

IsWDDX

XmlNew

GetSOAPRequest

IsXmlAttribute

ToString

XmlParse

GetSOAPRequestHeader

IsXmlDoc

XmlChildPos

XmlSearch

GetSOAPResponse

IsXmlElem

XmlElemNew

XmlTransform

XmlFormat

XmlValidate

GetSOAPResponseHeader IsXmlNode

Function changes since ColdFusion 5
The following tables list functions, parameters and values that have changed since ColdFusion 5.0
and indicate the specific release in which the change was made.
New functions, parameters, and values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
Deprecated functions, parameters, and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Obsolete functions, parameters, and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
New functions, parameters, and values
Function

Parameter or value

Added in this ColdFusion
release

BinaryDecode

All

ColdFusion MX 7

BinaryEncode

All

ColdFusion MX 7

CharsetDecode

All

ColdFusion MX 7

CharsetEncode

All

ColdFusion MX 7

CreateObject

portName parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

All

ColdFusion MX

DateAdd

l key of datepart parameter

ColdFusion MX 6.1

DatePart

l key of datepart parameter

ColdFusion MX 6.1

Decrypt

algorithm and encoding parameters

ColdFusion MX 7

Encrypt

algorithm and encoding parameters

ColdFusion MX 7

GenerateSecretKey

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetGatewayHelper

All

ColdFusion MX 7

Function changes since ColdFusion 5

457

Function

Parameter or value

Added in this ColdFusion
release

GetAuthUser

All

ColdFusion MX

GetContextRoot

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetEncoding

All

ColdFusion MX

GetLocaleDisplayName

458

ColdFusion MX 7

GetMetaData

All

ColdFusion MX

GetPageContext

All

ColdFusion MX

GetProfileSections

All

ColdFusion MX

GetSOAPRequest

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetSOAPRequestHeader

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetSOAPResponse

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetSOAPResponseHeader

All

ColdFusion MX 7

Hash

algorithm and encoding parameters

ColdFusion MX 7

IsObject

All

ColdFusion MX

IsSOAPRequest

All

ColdFusion MX 7

IsUserInRole

All

ColdFusion MX

IsValid

All

ColdFusion MX 7

IsXML

All

ColdFusion MX 7

IsXmlAttribute

All

ColdFusion MX 7

IsXmlDoc

All

ColdFusion MX

IsXmlElem

All

ColdFusion MX

IsXmlNode

All

ColdFusion MX 7

IsXmlRoot

All

ColdFusion MX

LSTimeFormat

l key of mask parameter

ColdFusion MX 6.1

QueryAddColumn

datatype parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

QueryNew

columntypelist parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

Rand

algorithm parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

Randomize

algorithm parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

RandRange

algorithm parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

ReleaseComObject

All

ColdFusion MX 6.1

SendGatewayMessage

All

ColdFusion MX 7

SetEncoding

All

ColdFusion MX

TimeFormat

l key of mask parameter

ColdFusion MX 6.1

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Function

Parameter or value

Added in this ColdFusion
release

ToScript

All

ColdFusion MX 7

URLDecode

charset parameter

ColdFusion MX

URLEncodedFormat

charset parameter

ColdFusion MX

URLSessionFormat

All

ColdFusion MX

Wrap

All

ColdFusion MX 6.1

XmlChildPos

All

ColdFusion MX

XmlElemNew

All

ColdFusion MX

XmlElemNew

namespace parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

XmlGetNodeType

All

ColdFusion MX 7

XmlNew

All

ColdFusion MX

XmlParse

All

ColdFusion MX

XmlParse

validator parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

XmlSearch

All

ColdFusion MX

XmlTransform

All

ColdFusion MX

XmlTransform

parameters parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

XmlValidate

All

ColdFusion MX 7

Deprecated functions, parameters, and values
The following functions, parameters, and values are deprecated. Do not use them in ColdFusion
applications. They might not work, and might cause an error, in releases later than
ColdFusion MX.
Function

Parameter or value

Deprecated as of this ColdFusion release

GetMetricData

cachepops parameter

ColdFusion MX

GetK2ServerDocCount All

ColdFusion MX 6.1

GetK2ServerDocCount All
Limit

ColdFusion MX 6.1

GetTemplatePath

All

ColdFusion MX

IsK2ServerABroker

All

ColdFusion MX 6.1

IsK2ServerDocCount
Exceeded

All

ColdFusion MX 6.1

IsK2ServerOnLine

All

ColdFusion MX 6.1

ParameterExists

All

ColdFusion MX. Use the IsDefined function.

SetLocale

locale = "Spanish
(Mexican)" value

ColdFusion MX. Use Spanish (Standard).

Function changes since ColdFusion 5

459

Obsolete functions, parameters, and values
The following functions, parameters, and values are obsolete. Do not use them in ColdFusion
applications. They do not work in releases later than ColdFusion 5.

460

Function

Parameter or value

Obsolete as of this ColdFusion release

AuthenticatedContext

All

ColdFusion MX

AuthenticatedUser

All

ColdFusion MX

isAuthenticated

All

ColdFusion MX

isAuthorized

All

ColdFusion MX

isProtected

All

ColdFusion MX

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CHAPTER 3
ColdFusion Functions

Abs
Description

Absolute-value function. The absolute value of a number is the number without its sign.
Returns

The absolute value of a number.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Abs(number)
See also
Sgn
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

A number

Example
Abs Example
The absolute value of the following numbers:
1,3,-4,-3.2,6 is

#Abs(1)#,#Abs(3)#,#Abs(-4)#,#Abs(-3.2)#,#Abs(6)#

The absolute value of a number is the number without its sign.

Abs

461

ACos
Description

Arccosine function. The arccosine is the angle whose cosine is number.
Returns

The arccosine, in radians, of a number.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
ACos(number)
See also
Cos, Sin, ASin, Tan, Atn, Pi
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Cosine of an angle. The value must be between -1.0 and 1.0, inclusive.

Usage

The range of the result is 0 to π.
To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by π/180. To convert radians to degrees, multiply
radians by 180/π.
Example
ACos Example




ACos(#FORM.CosNum#) = #ACos(FORM.cosNum)# Radians

or

ACos(#FORM.CosNum#) = #ACos(FORM.cosNum) * 180/PI()#


Enter a number between -1 and 1




Enter a number to get its arccosine in Radians and Degrees.


 


462

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

AddSOAPRequestHeader
Description

Adds a SOAP header to a web service request before making the request.
Returns

Nothing.
Category

XML functions
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Function syntax
AddSOAPRequestHeader(webservice, namespace, name, value [, mustunderstand])
See also
AddSOAPResponseHeader, GetSOAPRequest, GetSOAPRequestHeader, GetSOAPResponse,
GetSOAPResponseHeader, IsSOAPRequest;

“Basic web service concepts” in Chapter 36, “Using
Web Services,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

webservice

A web service object as returned from the cfobject tag or the CreateObject
function.

namespace

A string that is the namespace for the header.

name

A string that contains the name of the SOAP header in the request.

value

The value for the SOAP header; this can be a CFML XML value.

mustunderstand

Optional. True or False (default). Sets the SOAP mustunderstand value for
this header.

Usage

Used within CFML code by a consumer of a web service before it calls the web service.
If you pass XML in the value parameter, ColdFusion ignores the namespace and name
parameters. If you require a namespace, define it within the XML itself.
Example

There are two parts to this example. The first part is the web service CFC that this function (as
well as the other ColdFusion SOAP functions) uses to demonstrate its interaction with a web
service. To implement the web service for this function, see the example for
AddSOAPResponseHeader.
Execute the following example as a client to see how the AddSOAPRequestHeader function
operates.

AddSOAPRequestHeader

463


AddSOAPRequestHeader Example

// Create the web service object.
ws = CreateObject("webservice", "http://localhost/soapheaders/
headerservice.cfc?WSDL");
// Set the username header as a string.
addSOAPRequestHeader(ws, "http://mynamespace/", "username", "tom", false);
// Set the password header as a CFML XML object.
doc = XmlNew();
doc.password = XmlElemNew(doc, "http://mynamespace/", "password");
doc.password.XmlText = "My Voice is my Password";
doc.password.XmlAttributes["xsi:type"] = "xsd:string";
addSOAPRequestHeader(ws, "ignoredNameSpace", "ignoredName", doc);
// Invoke the web service operation.
ret = ws.echo_me("argument");
// Get the first header as an object (string) and as XML.
header = getSOAPResponseHeader(ws, "http://www.tomj.org/myns",
"returnheader");
XMLheader = getSOAPResponseHeader(ws, "http://www.tomj.org/myns",
"returnheader", true);
// Get the second header as an object (string) and as XML.
header2 = getSOAPResponseHeader(ws, "http://www.tomj.org/myns",
"returnheader2");
XMLheader2 = getSOAPResponseHeader(ws, "http://www.tomj.org/myns",
"returnheader2", true);



Soap Header value: #HTMLCodeFormat(header)#

Soap Header XML value: #HTMLCodeFormat(XMLheader)#

Soap Header 2 value: #HTMLCodeFormat(header2)#

Soap Header 2 XML value: #HTMLCodeFormat(XMLheader2)#

Return value: #HTMLCodeFormat(ret)#





Cfinvoke returned: #ret#

464

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

AddSOAPResponseHeader
Description

Adds a SOAP response header to a web service response. Call only from within a CFC web service
function that is processing a request as a SOAP web service.
Returns

Nothing
Category

XML functions
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Function syntax
AddSOAPResponseHeader(namespace, name, value [, mustunderstand])
See also
AddSOAPRequestHeader, GetSOAPRequest, GetSOAPRequestHeader, GetSOAPResponse,
GetSOAPResponseHeader, IsSOAPRequest;

“Basic web service concepts” in Chapter 36, “Using
Web Services,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

namespace

A string that is the namespace for the header.

name

A string that contains the name of the SOAP header in the request.

value

The value for the SOAP header; this can be a CFML XML value.

mustunderstand Optional. True or False (default). Sets the SOAP mustunderstand value for this
header.
Usage

Call this function only from within a CFC web service function. It throws an error if it is invoked
in a context that is not a web service request.
If you pass XML in the value parameter, ColdFusion ignores the namespace and name
parameters. If you require a namespace, define it within the XML itself.
Use the IsSOAPRequest function to determine if the CFC is running as a web service.
Example

This example creates a CFC web service that illustrates the operation of the
AddSOAPResponseHeader function and also provides a web service that illustrates the operation
of other ColdFusion SOAP functions.

AddSOAPResponseHeader

465

Save the following code as headerservice.cfc in a folder called soapheaders under your web root.
Test its operation, and specifically the operation of the AddSOAPResponseHeader function, by
executing the examples that invoke this web service. For example, see the example for
AddSOAPRequestHeader.
AddSOAPResponseHeader Example










 as XML: " & xmlusername>




 as XML: " & xmlpassword>
















466

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ArrayAppend
Description

Appends an array element to an array.
Returns

True, on successful completion.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayAppend(array, value)
See also
ArrayPrepend;

“Adding elements to an array” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

value

Value to add at end of array

Example
ArrayAppend Example

SELECT FirstName, LastName FROM Employees







#ArrayAppend(myArray, "#FirstName# #LastName#")#
, Array was appended






The contents of the array are as follows:
#myList#


ArrayAppend

467

ArrayAvg
Description

Calculates the average of the values in an array.
Returns

Number. If the array parameter value is an empty array, returns zero.
Category

Array functions, Mathematical functions
Function syntax
ArrayAvg(array)
See also

“Basic array techniques” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in ColdFusion
MX Developer’s Guide

ArraySum;

Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

Usage

The following example uses the ColdFusion built-in variable Form.fieldNames, which is
available on the action page of a form. It contains a comma-delimited list of the names of the
fields on the form.
Example










ArrayAvg Example


ArrayAvg Example
 This example uses ArrayAvg to find the average of the numbers that you
enter
into an array.

To enter more than two numbers press the more button.


468

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions








Number #LoopItem#



















The average of the numbers that you entered is
#ArrayAvg(myNumberArray)#.

Try again. You must enter at least two numeric values.






ArrayAvg

469

ArrayClear
Description

Deletes the data in an array.
Returns

True, on successful completion.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayClear(array)
See also
ArrayDeleteAt;

“Functions for XML object management” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

Example
ArrayClear Example






Your array contents are:
#ArrayToList(MyArray)#

Is the array empty?:
#ArrayIsEmpty(MyArray)#
Now, clear the array:



Is the array empty?:
#ArrayIsEmpty(MyArray)#

470

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ArrayDeleteAt
Description

Deletes an element from an array.
When an element is deleted, ColdFusion recalculates index positions. For example, in an array
that contains the months of the year, deleting the element at position 5 removes the entry for
May. After this, to delete the entry for June, you would delete the element at position 5 (not 6).
Returns

True, on successful completion.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayDeleteAt(array, position)
See also
ArrayInsertAt;

“Functions for XML object management” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
• Changed thrown exceptions: this function can throw the InvalidArrayIndexException error.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

position

Array position

Throws

If this function attempts to delete an element at position 0, or specifies a value for position that
is greater than the size of array, this function throws an InvalidArrayIndexException error.
Example
ArrayDeleteAt Example










This is what the array looks like before delete:


ArrayDeleteAt

471


#DaysArray[1][1]#  #DaysArray[1][2]#

#DaysArray[2][1]#  #DaysArray[2][2]#

#DaysArray[3][1]#  #DaysArray[3][2]#



We delete this element of the array:

#ArrayDeleteAt(DaysArray,2)#



This is what the array looks like after delete:


#DaysArray[1][1]#  #DaysArray[1][2]#

#DaysArray[2][1]#  #DaysArray[2][2]#



472

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ArrayInsertAt
Description

Inserts a value into an array. Array elements whose indexes are equal to or greater than the new
position are incremented by one. The array length increases by one.
Returns

True, on successful completion.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayInsertAt(array, position, value)
See also

“Functions for XML object management” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

ArrayDeleteAt;

History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
• Changed thrown exceptions: this function can throw the InvalidArrayIndexException error.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

position

Index position at which to insert value

value

Value to insert

Usage

To apply the ArrayInsert() function to a multidimensional array, you must specify all but the
last index in the array parameter. For example, the following code inserts an element at
myarray[2][4]:

Throws

If this function attempts to insert an element at position 0, or specifies a value for position that
is greater than the size of array, this function throws an InvalidArrayIndexException error.
Example
ArrayInsertAt Example





ArrayInsertAt

473





Add an element before position 3:
#ArrayInsertAt(DaysArray,3,"Wednesday")#
Now output the array as a list:
#ArrayToList(DaysArray)#


474

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ArrayIsEmpty
Description

Determines whether an array is empty of data elements.
Returns

True, if the array is empty; False, otherwise.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayIsEmpty(array)
See also
ArrayLen, “Functions for XML object management” in Chapter

35, “Using XML and WDDX,”

in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

Example
ArrayIsEmpty Example






Your array contents are:
#ArrayToList(MyArray)#

Is the array empty?:
#ArrayIsEmpty(MyArray)#
Now, clear the array:



Is the array empty?:
#ArrayIsEmpty(MyArray)#

ArrayIsEmpty

475

ArrayLen
Description

Determines the number of elements in an array.
Returns

The number of elements in an array.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayLen(array)
See also
ArrayIsEmpty; “Functions for XML object management” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on child XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

Example
ArrayLen Example

SELECT FirstName, LastName FROM Employees













The contents of the array are as follows:
#myList#
This array has #ArrayLen(MyArray)# elements.


476

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ArrayMax
Description

Array maximum function.
Returns

The largest numeric value in an array. If the array parameter value is an empty array, returns
zero.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayMax(array)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

Example
ArrayMax Example
This example uses ArrayMax to find the largest number in an array.
 







The largest number that you entered is
#ArrayMax(myNumberArray)#.













ArrayMax

477

ArrayMin
Description

Array minimum function.
Returns

The smallest numeric value in an array. If the array parameter value is an empty array, returns
zero.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayMin(array)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

Example
ArrayMin Example
This example uses ArrayMin to find the smallest number in an array.








The smallest number that you entered is
#ArrayMin(myNumberArray)#.













478

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ArrayNew
Description

Creates an array of 1–3 dimensions. Index array elements with square brackets: [ ].
ColdFusion arrays expand dynamically as data is added.
Returns

An array
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayNew(dimension)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

dimension

Number of dimensions in new array:
1, 2, or 3

Example
ArrayNew Example










Is this an array? #IsArray(MyNewArray)#
It has #ArrayLen(MyNewArray)# elements.
Contents: #ArrayToList(MyNewArray)#



ArrayNew

479

ArrayPrepend
Description

Inserts an array element at the beginning of an array.
Returns

True, on successful completion.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayPrepend(array, value)
See also
ArrayAppend;

“Adding elements to an array” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

value

Value to insert at beginning of array

Example
ArrayPrepend Example

SELECT FirstName, LastName FROM Employees







#ArrayPrepend(myArray, "#FirstName# #LastName#")#
, Array was prepended






The contents of the array are as follows:
#myList#


480

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ArrayResize
Description

Resets an array to a specified minimum number of elements. This can improve performance, if
used to size an array to its expected maximum. For more than 500 elements, use ArrayResize
immediately after using the ArrayNew tag.
ColdFusion arrays expand dynamically as data is added.
Returns

True, on successful completion.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayResize(array, minimum_size)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

minimum_size

Minimum array size

Example
ArrayResize Example


SELECT * FROM Courses






The array is now #ArrayLen(MyArray)# elements, to match
the query of #GetCourses.RecordCount# records.


ArrayResize

481

ArraySet
Description

In a one-dimensional array, sets the elements in a specified index range to a value. Useful for
initializing an array after a call to ArrayNew.
Returns

True, on successful completion.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArraySet(array, start_pos, end_pos, value)
See also
ArrayNew;

“Populating arrays with data” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array.

start_pos

Starting index position of range to set.

end_pos

Ending index position of range to set. If this value is greater than array length,
ColdFusion adds elements to array.

value

Value to which to set each element in the range.

Example
ArraySet Example








...

482

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ArraySort
Description

Sorts array elements numerically or alphanumerically.
Returns

True, if sort is successful; False, otherwise.
Category

Array functions, List functions
Function syntax
ArraySort(array, sort_type [, sort_order ])
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed thrown exceptions: this function can throw the ArraySortSimpleValueException
error and ValueNotNumeric error.

• Changed the order in which sorted elements are returned: in a textnocase, descending sort,
this function might return elements in a different sort order than in earlier releases. If
and sort_order = "desc", ColdFusion MX processes
elements that differ only in case differently from earlier releases, as follows:

sort_type = "textnocase"

■

ColdFusion MX reverses the elements’ original order.

■

Earlier releases of ColdFusion do not change the elements’ original order.

For example, in a textnocase, desc sort of d,a,a,b,A, the following occurs:
■

ColdFusion MX returns d,b,A,a,a

■

Earlier ColdFusion releases return d,b,a,a,A

Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

ArraySort

483

Parameter

Description

sort_type

• numeric: sorts numbers
• text: sorts text alphabetically, taking case into account (also known as case
sensitive). All letters of one case precede the first letter of the other case:
- aabzABZ, if sort_order = "asc" (ascending sort)
- ZBAzbaa, if sort_order = "desc" (descending sort)
• textnocase: sorts text alphabetically, without regard to case (also known as caseinsensitive). A letter in varying cases precedes the next letter:
- aAaBbBzzZ, in an ascending sort; preserves original intra-letter order
- ZzzBbBaAa, in a descending sort; reverses original intra-letter order

sort_order

• asc - ascending sort order. Default.
- aabzABZ or aAaBbBzzZ, depending on value of sort_type, for letters
- from smaller to larger, for numbers
• desc - descending sort order.
- ZBAzbaa or ZzzBbBaAa, depending on value of sort_type, for letters
- from larger to smaller, for numbers

Throws

If an array element is other than a simple element, this function throws an
ArraySortSimpleValueException error. If sort_type is numeric and an array element is not
numeric, this function throws a ValueNotNumeric error.
Example


SELECT FirstName, LastName FROM Employees











...

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ArraySum
Description

Array sum function.
Returns

The sum of values in an array. If the array parameter value is an empty array, returns zero.
Category

Array functions, Mathematical functions
Function syntax
ArraySum(array)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

Example
ArraySum Example
This example uses ArraySum to add two numbers together.
 







The sum of the numbers is
#ArraySum(myNumberArray)#.















ArraySum

485

ArraySwap
Description

Swaps array values of an array at specified positions. This function is more efficient than multiple
cfset tags.
Returns

True, on successful completion.
Category

Array functions
Function syntax
ArraySwap(array, position1, position2)
See also

“Functions for XML object management” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

position1

Position of first element to swap

position2

Position of second element to swap

Example
ArraySwap Example

month[1] = "February">
month[2] = "January">
temp = ArraySwap(month, 1, 2)>
temp = ArrayToList(month)>

Show the results: #temp#

486

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ArrayToList
Description

Converts a one-dimensional array to a list.
Returns

Delimited list, as a string.
Category

Array functions, Conversion functions, List functions
Function syntax
ArrayToList(array [, delimiter ])
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of array

delimiter

Character or multicharacter string to separate list elements. The default value is
comma.

Example
ArrayToList Example

SELECT FirstName, LastName FROM Employees















The contents of the array are as follows:
#myList#
This array, alphabetized by first name (descending):
#myAlphaList#
This array has #ArrayLen(MyArray)# elements.


ArrayToList

487

Asc
Description

Determines the value of a character.
Returns

The value of the first character of a string; if string is empty, returns zero.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Asc(string)
See also
Chr
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed Unicode support: ColdFusion supports the Java UCS-2
representation of Unicode characters, up to a value of 65536. (Earlier releases supported 1-255.)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string

Example
Asc Example



#Left(FORM.charVals,1)# =
#Asc(FORM.charVals)#


Enter a character



Enter a character to see its ASCII value


 


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ASin
Description

Determines the arcsine of a number. The arcsine is the angle whose sine is number.
Returns

The arcsine, in radians, of a number.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
ASin(number)
See also
Sin, Cos, ACos, Tan, Atn, Pi
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Sine of an angle. The value must be between -1 and 1, inclusive.

Usage

The range of the result is -π/2 to π/2 radians. To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by
π/180. To convert radians to degrees, multiply radians by 180/π.
Example
ASin Example





ASin(#FORM.SinNum#) =
#ASin(FORM.sinNum)# Radians

 or 
ASin(#FORM.SinNum#) =

#ASin(FORM.sinNum) * 180/Pi()# Degrees



Enter the sine of the angle to calculate, in degrees and radians.
The value must be between 1 and -1, inclusive.



Enter the sine of the angle to calculate, in degrees and radians. The
value must be between 1 and -1, inclusive.


ASin

489



Enter the sine of the angle to calculate, in degrees and radians. The
value must be between 1 and -1,inclusive.



Enter a number to get its arcsine in Radians and Degrees.


 


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Atn
Description

Arctangent function. The arctangent is the angle whose tangent is number.
Returns

The arctangent, in radians, of a number.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Atn(number)
See also
Atn, Sin, ASin, Cos, ACos, Pi
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Tangent of an angle

Usage

The range of the result is -π/2 to π/2 radians. To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by
π/180. To convert radians to degrees, multiply radians by 180/π.
Example
Atn Example



Atn(#FORM.AtnNum#) is
#Atn(FORM.AtnNum)# radians is #Atn(FORM.AtnNum * 180/PI())#
Degrees


Enter a number



Enter a number to get its arctangent in Radians and Degrees


 


Atn

491

AuthenticatedContext
Description

This function is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 453
and Chapter 16, “Securing Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
History

ColdFusion MX: This function is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later
ColdFusion releases.

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AuthenticatedUser
Description

This function is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 453
and Chapter 16, “Securing Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
History

ColdFusion MX: This function is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later
ColdFusion releases.

AuthenticatedUser

493

BinaryDecode
Description

Converts a string to a binary object. Used to convert binary data that has been encoded into
string format back into binary data.
Returns

A binary object.
Category

Conversion functions, String functions
Function syntax
BinaryDecode(string, binaryencoding)
See also
BinaryEncode, CharsetEncode, CharsetDecode
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string containing encoded binary data.

binaryencoding A string specifying the algorithm used to encode the original binary data into a
string; must be one of the following:
• Hex: the characters 0-9 and A-F represent the hexadecimal value of each byte;
for example, 3A.
• UU: data is encoded using the UNIX UUencode algorithm.
• Base64: data is encoded using the Base64 algorithm, as specified by IETF RFC
2045, at www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2045.txt.
Usage

Use this function to convert a binary-encoded string representation of binary data back to a
binary object for use in your application. Binary data is often encoded as a string for transmission
over many Internet protocols, such as HTTP and SMTP, or for storage in a database.
Macromedia recommends that you use the BinaryDecode function, not the
ToBinary(base64data) function, to convert Base64-encoded data to binary data in all new
applications.
See the following pages for additional information on handling binary data:

•
•
•
•

494

cffile

for loading and reading binary data in files

cfwddx

for serializing and deserializing binary data

IsBinary
Len

for checking variables for binary format

for determining the length of a binary object

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Example

The following example reads a GIF file as binary data, converts it to a binary-encoded string,
converts the binary-encoded data back to binary data and writes the result to a file. It displays the
encoded string and the image in the output file.
Binary Encoding Conversion Example






binencode=BinaryEncode(binimage, Form.binEncoding);
bindecode=BinaryDecode(binencode, Form.binEncoding);





The binary encoding: #Form.binEncoding#
The image converted into a binary-encoded string by BinaryEncode


#binencode#
The image as written back to a file after converting back to binary
using BinaryDecode







Select binary encoding








BinaryDecode

495

BinaryEncode
Description

Converts binary data to a string.
Returns

An encoded string representing the binary data.
Category

Conversion functions, String functions
Function syntax
BinaryEncode(binarydata, encoding)
See also
BinaryDecode, CharsetEncode, CharsetDecode
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

binarydata

A variable containing the binary data to encode.

encoding

A string specifying the encoding method to use to represent the data; one of the
following:
• Hex: use the characters 0-9 and A-F to represent the hexadecimal value of each
byte; for example, 3A.
• UU: use the UNIX UUencode algorithm to convert the data.
• Base64: use the Base64 algorithm to convert the data, as specified by IETF
RFC 2045, at www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2045.txt.

Usage

Binary objects and, in some cases, 8-bit characters, cannot be transported over many Internet
protocols, such as HTTP and SMTP, and might not be supported by some database systems. By
Binary encoding the data, you convert the data into a format that you can transfer over any
Internet protocol or store in a database as character data. To convert the data back to a binary
format, use the BinaryDecode function.
Macromedia recommends that you use the BinaryEncode function, and not the
function, to convert binary data to Base64 data in all new applications.

ToBase64(binarydata)

This function provides a superset of the functionality of the ToBase64(binarydata) function.
See the following pages for additional information on handling binary data:

•
•

496

cffile

for loading and reading binary data

cfwddx

for serializing and deserializing binary data

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

•
•

IsBinary
Len

for checking variables for binary format

for determining the length of a binary object

Example

The following example reads a GIF file as binary data, converts it to a binary-encoded string,
converts the binary-encoded data back to binary data, and writes the result to a file. It displays the
encoded string and the image in the output file.
Binary Encoding Conversion Example






binencode=BinaryEncode(binimage, Form.binEncoding);
bindecode=BinaryDecode(binencode, Form.binEncoding);





The binary encoding: #Form.binEncoding#
The image converted into a binary-encoded string by BinaryEncode


#binencode#
The image as written back to a file after converting back to binary
using BinaryDecode







Select binary encoding








BinaryEncode

497

BitAnd
Description

Performs a bitwise logical AND operation.
Returns

The bitwise AND of two long integers.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
BitAnd(number1, number2)
See also
BitNot, BitOr, BitXor
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number1

32-bit signed integer

number2

32-bit signed integer

Usage

Bit functions operate on 32-bit signed integers, in the range -2147483648 – 2147483647.
Example
BitAnd Example
Returns the bitwise AND of two long integers.
BitAnd(5,255): #BitAnd(5,255)#
BitAnd(5,0): #BitAnd(5,0)#
BitAnd(128,128): #BitAnd(128,128)#

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BitMaskClear
Description

Performs a bitwise mask clear operation.
Returns

A number, bitwise cleared, with length bits beginning at start.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
BitMaskClear(number, start, length)
See also
BitMaskRead, BitMaskSet
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

32-bit signed integer

start

Integer, in the range 0-31, inclusive; start bit for mask

length

Integer, in the range 0-31, inclusive; length of mask

Usage

Bit functions operate on 32-bit signed integers, in the range -2147483648 – 2147483647.
Example
BitMaskClear Example
Returns number bitwise cleared with length bits beginning from start.
BitMaskClear(255, 4, 4): #BitMaskClear(255, 4, 4)#

BitMaskClear(255, 0, 4): #BitMaskClear(255, 0, 4)#

BitMaskClear(128, 0, 7): #BitMaskClear(128, 0, 7)#


BitMaskClear

499

BitMaskRead
Description

Performs a bitwise mask read operation.
Returns

An integer, created from length bits of number, beginning at start.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
BitMaskRead(number, start, length)
See also
BitMaskClear, BitMaskSet
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

32-bit signed integer to mask

start

Integer, in the range 0-31, inclusive; start bit for read

length

Integer, in the range 0-31, inclusive; length of mask

Usage

Bit functions operate on 32-bit signed integers, in the range -2147483648 – 2147483647.
Example
BitMaskRead Example
Returns integer created from length bits of number,
beginning
with start.
BitMaskRead(255, 4, 4): #BitMaskRead(255, 4, 4)#

BitMaskRead(255, 0, 4): #BitMaskRead(255, 0, 4)#

BitMaskRead(128, 0, 7): #BitMaskRead(128, 0, 7)#


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BitMaskSet
Description

Performs a bitwise mask set operation.
Returns

A number, bitwise masked with length bits of mask beginning at start.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
BitMaskSet(number, mask, start, length)
See also
BitMaskClear, BitMaskRead
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

32-bit signed integer

mask

32-bit signed integer; mask

start

Integer, in the range 0-31, inclusive; start bit for mask

length

Integer, in the range 0-31, inclusive; length of mask

Usage

Bit functions operate on 32-bit signed integers, in the range -2147483648 – 2147483647.
Example
BitMaskSet Example
Returns number bitwise masked with length bits of mask beginning at start.
BitMaskSet(255, 255, 4, 4):
#BitMaskSet(255, 255, 4, 4)#
BitMaskSet(255, 0, 4, 4):
#BitMaskSet(255, 0, 4, 4)#
BitMaskSet(0, 15, 4, 4):
#BitMaskSet(0, 15, 4, 4)#

BitMaskSet

501

BitNot
Description

Performs a bitwise logical NOT operation.
Returns

A number; the bitwise NOT of a long integer.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
BitNot(number)
See also
BitAnd, BitOr, BitXor
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

32-bit signed integer

Usage

Bit functions operate on 32-bit signed integers, in the range -2147483648 – 2147483647.
Example
BitNot Example
Returns the bitwise NOT of a long integer.
BitNot(0): #BitNot(0)#
BitNot(255): #BitNot(255)#

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

BitOr
Description

Performs a bitwise logical OR operation.
Returns

A number; the bitwise OR of two long integers.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
BitOr(number1, number2)
See also
BitAnd, BitNot, BitXor
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number1

32-bit signed integer

number2

32-bit signed integer

Usage

Bit functions operate on 32-bit signed integers, in the range -2147483648 – 2147483647.
Example
BitOr Example
Returns the bitwise OR of two long integers.
BitOr(5,255): #BitOr(5,255)#
BitOr(5,0): #BitOr(5,0)#
BitOr(7,8): #BitOr(7,8)#

BitOr

503

BitSHLN
Description

Performs a bitwise shift-left, no-rotation operation.
Returns

A number, bitwise shifted without rotation to the left by count bits.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
BitSHLN(number, count)
See also
BitSHRN
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

32-bit signed integer

count

Integer, in the range 0-31, inclusive; number of bits to shift the number

Usage

Bit functions operate on 32-bit signed integers, in the range -2147483648 – 2147483647.
Example
BitSHLN Example
Returns the number, bitwise shifted, without rotation, to the left by count
bits.
BitSHLN(1,1): #BitSHLN(1,1)#
BitSHLN(1,30): #BitSHLN(1,30)#
BitSHLN(1,31): #BitSHLN(1,31)#
BitSHLN(2,31): #BitSHLN(2,31)#

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

BitSHRN
Description

Performs a bitwise shift-right, no-rotation operation.
Returns

A number, bitwise shifted, without rotation, to the right by count bits.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
BitSHRN(number, count)
See also
BitSHLN
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

32-bit signed integer

count

Integer, in the range 0-31, inclusive. Number of bits to shift the number

Usage

Bit functions operate on 32-bit signed integers, in the range -2147483648 – 2147483647.
Example
BitSHRN Example
Returns a number, bitwise shifted, without rotation, to the right, by count
bits.
BitSHRN(1,1): #BitSHRN(1,1)#
BitSHRN(255,7): #BitSHRN(255,7)#
BitSHRN(-2147483548,1): #BitSHRN(-2147483548,1)#


BitSHRN

505

BitXor
Description

Performs a bitwise logical XOR operation.
Returns

Bitwise XOR of two long integers.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
BitXor(number1, number2)
See also
BitAnd, BitNot, BitOr
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number1

32-bit signed integer

number2

32-bit signed integer

Usage

Bit functions operate on 32-bit signed integers, in the range -2147483648 – 2147483647.
Example
BitXOr Example
Returns the bitwise XOR of two long integers.
BitXOr(5,255): #BitXOr(5,255)#
BitXOr(5,0): #BitXOr(5,0)#
BitXOr(128,128): #BitXOr(128,128)#

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Ceiling
Description

Determines the closest integer that is greater than a specified number.
Returns

The closest integer that is greater than a given number.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Ceiling(number)
See also
Int, Fix, Round
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

A real number

Example
Ceiling Example

The ceiling
The ceiling
The ceiling
The ceiling


of
of
of
of

3.4 is #ceiling(3.4)#
3 is #ceiling(3)#
3.8 is #ceiling(3.8)#
-4.2 is #ceiling(-4.2)#

Ceiling

507

CharsetDecode
Description

Converts a string to a binary representation.
Returns

A binary object that represents the string.
Category

Conversion functions, String functions
Function syntax
CharsetDecode(string, encoding)
See also
BinaryDecode, BinaryEncode, CharsetEncode;

“Determining the page encoding of server
output” in Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parametersc
Parameter

Description

string

A string containing data to encode in binary format.

encoding

A string specifying encoding of the input data. Must be a character encoding name
recognized by the Java runtime. The following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For a complete list of character encoding names supported by Sun Java runtimes,
see http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/docs/guide/intl/encoding.doc.html and
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4/docs/guide/intl/encoding.doc.html.

Usage

This function converts a string directly to a binary object. In releases of ColdFusion through
ColdFusion MX 6.1, you had to use the ToBase64 function to convert the string to Base64 and
then use the ToBinary function to convert strings to binary data.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Example

The following example uses the CharsetDecode function to convert a string from a form to a
binary object, and uses the CharsetEncode function to convert it back to the original value. You
can change the character encoding that ColdFusion uses for the conversion. Notice that if you
select the Asian language encodings, characters that are not in the specified character set do get
successfully converted.
Character Encoding Conversion Example




chardecode=CharsetDecode(Form.myString, Form.charEncoding);
charencode=CharsetEncode(chardecode, Form.charEncoding);



Parameter Settings
The string:

#Form.myString#
The character encoding: #Form.charEncoding#
Results of the operations:
Dump of the string converted to a binary object by CharsetDecode:



The binary object converted back to a string by CharsetEncode:


#charencode#




Select the character encoding






Enter a string


CharsetDecode

509

The following four characters are not in all character encodings: ½àç÷







510

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CharsetEncode
Description

Uses the specified encoding to convert binary data to a string.
Returns

A string representation of the binary object.
Category

Conversion functions, String functions
Function syntax
CharsetEncode(binaryobject, encoding)
See also
BinaryDecode, BinaryEncode, CharsetDecode;

“Determining the page encoding of server
output” in Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parametersc
Parameter

Description

binaryobject

A variable containing binary data to decode into text.

encoding

The character encoding that was used to encode the string into binary format. It
must be a character encoding name recognized by the Java runtime. The following
list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For a complete list of character encoding names supported by Sun Java runtimes,
see http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/docs/guide/intl/encoding.doc.html and http://
java.sun.com/j2se/1.4/docs/guide/intl/encoding.doc.html.

Usage

Macromedia recommends that you use this function, and not the ToString function, to convert
binary data to strings in all new applications.

CharsetEncode

511

Example

The following example uses the CharsetDecode function to convert a string from a form to a
binary object, and uses the CharsetEncode function to convert it back to the original value. You
can change the character encoding that ColdFusion uses for the conversion. Notice that if you
select the Asian language encodings, characters that are not in the specified character set do get
successfully converted.
Character Encoding Conversion Example




chardecode=CharsetDecode(Form.myString, Form.charEncoding);
charencode=CharsetEncode(chardecode, Form.charEncoding);



Parameter Settings
The string:

#Form.myString#
The character encoding: #Form.charEncoding#
Results of the operations:
Dump of the string converted to a binary object by CharsetDecode:



The binary object converted back to a string by CharsetEncode:


#charencode#




Select the character encoding






Enter a string


512

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

The following four characters are not in all character encodings: ½àç÷







CharsetEncode

513

Chr
Converts a numeric value to a UCS-2 character.
Returns

A character with the specified UCS-2 character code.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Chr(number)
See also
Asc
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed Unicode support: ColdFusion supports the Java UCS-2
representation of Unicode characters, up to a value of 65535. (Earlier releases supported 1-255.)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

A value (a number in the range 0 to 65535, inclusive)

Usage

The values 0 – 31 are standard, nonprintable codes. For example:

• Chr(10) returns a linefeed character
• Chr(13) returns a carriage return character
• The two-character string Chr(13) & Chr(10) returns a Windows newline
Note: For a complete list of the Unicode characters and their codes, see www.unicode.org/charts/.
Example


#form.charVals# = #Chr(form.charVals)#


Type an integer character code from 1 to 65535

to see its corresponding character.


 


Chr

515

CJustify
Description

Centers a string in a field length.
Returns

String, center-justified by adding spaces before or after the input parameter. If length is less than
the length of the input parameter string, the string is returned unchanged.
Category

Display and formatting functions, String functions
Function syntax
Cjustify(string, length)
See also
LJustify, RJustify
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one. May be empty. If it is a variable that is
defined as a number, the function processes it as a string.

length

A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Length of field.
Can be coded as:
• A number; for example, 6
• A string representation of a number; for example, "6"
Any other value causes ColdFusion to throw an error.

Example








CJustify Example


CJustify
Enter a string; it will be center-justified within the sample field.








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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Compare
Description

Performs a case-sensitive comparison of two strings.
Returns

• -1, if string1 is less than string2
• 0, if string1 is equal to string2
• 1, if string1 is greater than string2
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Compare(string1, string2)
See also
CompareNoCase, Find
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string1

A string or a variable that contains one

string2

A string or a variable that contains one

Usage

Compares the values of corresponding characters in string1 and string2.
Example
Compare Example
The compare function performs a case-sensitive comparison of two
strings.





String 1 is less than String 2
The strings are not equal


String 1 is equal to String 2
The strings are equal!


String 1 is greater than String 2
The strings are not equal



Compare

517

This is the default case




String 1


String 2






518

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CompareNoCase
Description

Performs a case-insensitive comparison of two strings.
Returns

An indicator of the difference:

• A negative number, if string1 is less than string2
• 0, if string1 is equal to string2
• A positive number, if string1 is greater than string2
Category

String functions
Function syntax
CompareNoCase(string1, string2)
See also
Compare, FindNoCase;

“Ambiguous type expressions and strings” in Chapter 3, “Using
ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

string1

A string or a variable that contains one

string2

A string or a variable that contains one

Example
CompareNoCase Example
This function performs a case-insensitive comparison of two strings.





String 1 is less than String 2
The strings are not equal


String 1 is equal to String 2
The strings are equal!


String 1 is greater than String 2
The strings are not equal


This is the default case


CompareNoCase

519




String 1


String 2






520

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Cos
Description

Calculates the cosine of an angle that is entered in radians.
Returns

A number; the cosine of the angle.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Cos(number)
See also
ACos, Sin, ASin, Tan, Atn, Pi
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Angle, in radians, for which to calculate the cosine

Usage

The range of the result is -1 to 1.
To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by π/180. To convert radians to degrees, multiply
radians by 180/π.
Note: Because the function uses floating point arithmetic, it returns a very small number (such as
6.12323399574E-017) for angles that should produce 0. To test for a 0 value, check whether the
value is less than 0.0000000000001.
Example
Cos Example











Cos(#FORM.cosNum#) = #cosValue#





You must enter a numeric angle in degrees.

Cos

521




Enter an angle in degrees to get its cosine:





  


522

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CreateDate
Description

Creates a date/time object.
Returns

A date/time value.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
CreateDate(year, month, day)
See also
CreateDateTime, CreateODBCDate;

“Date-time functions and queries when ODBC is not
supported” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

year

Integer in the range 0-9999. Integers in the range 0-29 are converted to 20002029. Integers in the range 30-99 are converted to 1930-1999. You cannot
specify dates before AD 100.

month

Integer in the range 1 (January)-12 (December)

day

Integer in the range 1-31

Usage
CreateDate

is a subset of CreateDateTime.

The time in the returned object is set to 00:00:00.
Example
CreateDate Example

Your date value, generated with CreateDate:



Formatted with CreateDate: #CreateDate(form.year, form.month, form.day)#
Formatted with CreateDateTime: #CreateDateTime(form.year, form.month,
form.day, 12,13,0)#
Formatted with CreateODBCDate: #CreateODBCDate(yourDate)#
Formatted with CreateODBCDateTime: #CreateODBCDateTime(yourDate)#

The same value can be formatted with DateFormat:


CreateDate

523

Formatted with CreateDate and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateDate(form.year, form.month, form.day), "mmm-ddyyyy")#
Formatted with CreateDateTime and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateDateTime(form.year, form.month, form.day, 12,13,0))#
Formatted with CreateODBCDate and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateODBCDate(yourDate), "mmmm d, yyyy")#
Formatted with CreateODBCDateTime and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateODBCDateTime(yourDate), "d/m/yy")#




Enter the year, month and day, as integers:
Year
Month
Day

 


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CreateDateTime
Description

Creates a date-time object.
Returns

A date/time value.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
CreateDateTime(year, month, day, hour, minute, second)
See also
CreateDate, CreateTime, CreateODBCDateTime, Now;

“Date-time functions and queries when
ODBC is not supported” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

year

Integer in the range 0-9999. Integers in the range 0-29 are converted to 20002029. Integers in the range 30-99 are converted to 1930-1999. You cannot
specify dates before AD 100.

month

Integer in the range 1 (January)–12 (December)

day

Integer in the range 1–31

hour

Integer in the range 0–23

minute

Integer in the range 0–59

second

Integer in the range 0–59

Example
CreateDateTime Example

Your date value, generated with CreateDateTime:



Formatted with CreateDate: #CreateDate(form.year, form.month, form.day)#
Formatted with CreateDateTime: #CreateDateTime(form.year, form.month,
form.day, form.hour, form.minute, form.second)#
Formatted with CreateODBCDate: #CreateODBCDate(yourDate)#
Formatted with CreateODBCDateTime: #CreateODBCDateTime(yourDate)#


CreateDateTime

525

The same value can be formatted with DateFormat:

Formatted with CreateDate and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateDate(form.year, form.month, form.day), "mmm-dd-yyyy")#
Formatted with CreateDateTime and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateDateTime(form.year, form.month, form.day,
form.hour, form.minute, form.second))#
Formatted with CreateODBCDate and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateODBCDate(yourDate), "mmmm d, yyyy")#
Formatted with CreateODBCDateTime and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateODBCDateTime(yourDate), "d/m/yy")#




Please enter the year, month, and day, in integer format, for a date to
view:
Year
Month
Day
Hour
Minute
Second

 


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CreateObject
Description

Creates a ColdFusion object, of a specified type.
Returns

An object, of the specified type.
Note: You can enable and disable this function in the ColdFusion Administrator, ColdFusion Basic
Security, Tag Restrictions page.
Category

Extensibility functions
History

ColdFusion MX 7: For web service object: added the portName parameter, which specifies a port
named in the service element of the WSDL.
ColdFusion MX:

• Changed instantiation behavior: this function, and the cfobject tag, can instantiate
ColdFusion components and web services. Executing operations on a CFC object executes
CFML code that implements the CFC’s method in the CFC file.
For more information, see ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

• For CORBA object: changed the Naming Service separator format for addresses from a dot to
a forward slash. For example, if "context=NameService", for a class, use either of the
following formats for the class parameter:
■

"Macromedia/Eng/CF"

■

"Macromedia.current/Eng.current/CF"

(In earlier releases, the format was "Macromedia.Eng.CF".)

• For CORBA object: changed the locale parameter; it specifies the Java config that contains
the properties file.
CreateObject object types
For information about using this function, see these sections:

•
•
•
•
•

“CreateObject: COM object” on page 528
“CreateObject: component object” on page 530
“CreateObject: CORBA object” on page 531
“CreateObject: Java or EJB object” on page 533
“CreateObject: web service object” on page 534

Note: On UNIX, this function does not support COM objects.

CreateObject

527

CreateObject: COM object
Description

The CreateObject function can create a Component Object Model (COM) object.
To create a COM object, you must provide this information:

• The object’s program ID or filename
• The methods and properties available to the object through the IDispatch interface
• The arguments and return types of the object's methods
For most objects, you can get this information from the OLEView utility.
Note: On UNIX, this function does not support COM objects.
Returns

A COM object.
Function syntax
CreateObject(type, class, context, serverName)
See also
ReleaseComObject, cfobject; Chapter 38, “Integrating COM and CORBA Objects in CFML
Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Parameters

528

Parameter

Description

type

Type of object to create.
• com
• corba
• java
• component
• webservice

class

Component ProgID for the object to invoke

context

• InProc
• Local
• Remote

serverName

Server name, using UNC or DNS convention, in one of these forms:
• \\lanserver
• lanserver
• http://www.servername.com
• www.servername.com
• 127.0.0.1
If context = "remote", this parameter is required.

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Usage

The following example creates the Windows Collaborative Data Objects (CDO) for NTS
NewMail object to send mail. You would use this code within a cfscript tag.
Mailer = CreateObject("COM", "CDONTS.NewMail");

CreateObject

529

CreateObject: component object
Description

The CreateObject function can create an instance of a ColdFusion component (CFC) object.
Returns

A component object.
Function syntax
CreateObject(type, component-name)
See also

Chapter 10, “Building and Using ColdFusion Components” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

type

Type of object to create.
• com
• corba
• java
• component
• webservice

component-name

The CFC name; corresponds to the name of the file that defines the
component; for example, use engineComp to specify the component defined
in the engineComp.cfc file

Usage

On UNIX systems, ColdFusion searches first for a file with a name that matches the specified
component name, but is all lowercase. If it does not find the file, it looks for a file name that
matches the component name exactly, with the identical character casing.
In the following example, the CFScript statements assign the tellTimeCFC variable to the
tellTime component using the CreateObject function. The CreateObject function references
the component in another directory. To invoke component methods, you use function syntax.
Server's Local Time:

tellTimeCFC=CreateObject("component","appResources.components.
tellTime");
tellTimeCFC.getLocalTime();



Calculated UTC Time:

tellTimeCFC.getUTCTime();


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CreateObject: CORBA object
Description

The CreateObject function can call a method on a CORBA object. The object must be defined
and registered for use.
Returns

A handle to a CORBA interface.
Function syntax
CreateObject(type, context, class, locale)
See also

Chapter 38, “Integrating COM and CORBA Objects in CFML Applications” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide
History

See the History section of the main CreateObject function page.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

type

Type of object to create.
• com
• corba
• java
• component
• webservice

context

• IOR: ColdFusion uses IOR to access CORBA server
• NameService: ColdFusion uses naming service to access server. Valid only with
the InitialContext of a VisiBroker ORB.

class

• If context = "ior": absolute path of file that contains string version of the
Interoperable Object Reference (IOR). ColdFusion must be able to read file; it
should be local to ColdFusion server or accessible on network
• If context = "nameservice": forward slash-delimited naming context for naming
service. For example: Allaire//Doc/empobject

locale

The name of the Java config that holds the properties file. For more information,
see Configuring and Administering ColdFusion MX.

Usage

In the class parameter, if "context=NameService", use a dot separator for the first part of the
string. Use either of the following formats:

• "Macromedia/Eng/CF"
• "Macromedia.current/Eng.current/CF"

CreateObject

531

ColdFusion Enterprise supports CORBA through the Dynamic Invocation Interface (DII). To
use this function with CORBA objects, you must provide the name of the file that contains a
string version of the IOR, or the object’s naming context in the naming service. You must provide
the object’s attributes, method names and method signatures.
This function supports user-defined types (structures, arrays, and sequences).
Example
myobj = CreateObject("corba", "d:\temp\tester.ior", "ior",
"visibroker") //
uses IOR
myobj = CreateObject("corba", "Macromedia/Eng/CF",
"nameservice", "visibroker")
// uses nameservice
myobj = CreateObject("corba", "d:\temp\tester.ior",
"nameservice")
// uses nameservice and default configuration

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CreateObject: Java or EJB object
Description

The CreateObject function can create a Java object, and, by extension, an EJB object.
Returns

A Java object.
Function syntax
CreateObject(type, class)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

type

Type of object to create.
• com
• corba
• java
• component
• webservice

class

A Java class name

Usage

Any Java class available in the class path that is specified in the ColdFusion Administrator can be
loaded and used from ColdFusion with the CreateObject function.
To access Java methods and fields:
1. Call the CreateObject function or the cfobject tag to load the class.
2. Use the init method, with appropriate arguments, to call an instance of the class. For example:


Calling a public method on the object without first calling the "init" method invokes a static
method. Arguments and return values can be any Java type (simple, array, object). If strings are
passed as arguments, ColdFusion does the conversions; if strings are received as return values,
ColdFusion does no conversion.
Overloaded methods are supported if the number of arguments is different. Future enhancements
will let you use cast functions that allow method signatures to be built more accurately.

CreateObject

533

CreateObject: web service object
Description

This function can create a web service object.
Returns

A web service object.
Function syntax
CreateObject(type, urltowsdl [, portname ])
Parameters
Parameter

Description

type

Type of object to create.
• com
• corba
• java
• component
• webservice

urltowsdl

WSDL file URL; location of web service

portname

The port name for the web service. This value is case-sensitive and corresponds to
the port element’s name attribute under the service element.
Specify this parameter if the web service contains multiple ports. If no port name is
specified, ColdFusion uses the first port found in the WSDL.

Usage

You can use the CreateObject function to create a web service.
Example

ws = CreateObject("webservice",
"http://www.xmethods.net/sd/2001/TemperatureService.wsdl");
xlatstring = ws.getTemp(zipcode = "55987");
writeoutput("The temperature at 55987 is " & xlatstring);


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CreateODBCDate
Description

Creates an ODBC date object.
Returns

A date object, in normalized ODBC date format.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
CreateODBCDate(date)
See also
CreateDate, CreateODBCDateTime
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

Date or date/time object in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

This function does not parse or validate values. To ensure that dates are entered and processed
correctly (for example, to ensure that a day/month/year entry is not confused with a month/day/
year entry, and so on), Macromedia recommends that you parse entered dates with the
DateFormat function, using the mm-dd-yyyy mask, into three elements. Ensure that values are
within appropriate ranges; for example, to validate a month value, use the attributes validate =
"integer" and range = "1,12".
Example
CreateODBCDate Example

Your date value, generated with CreateDateTime:



Formatted with CreateDate: #CreateDate(form.year, form.month, form.day)#
Formatted with CreateDateTime:
#CreateDateTime(form.year, form.month, form.day, form.hour, form.minute,
form.second)#
Formatted with CreateODBCDate: #CreateODBCDate(yourDate)#
Formatted with CreateODBCDateTime: #CreateODBCDateTime(yourDate)#

The same value can be formatted with DateFormat:

Formatted with CreateDate and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateDate(form.year,form.month, form.day), "mmm-dd-yyyy")#
Formatted with CreateDateTime and DateFormat:

CreateODBCDate

535

#DateFormat(CreateDateTime(form.year, form.month, form.day, form.hour,
form.minute, form.second))#
Formatted with CreateODBCDate and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateODBCDate(yourDate), "mmmm d, yyyy")#
Formatted with CreateODBCDateTime and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateODBCDateTime(yourDate), "d/m/yy")#




Enter the year, month and day, as integers:
Year 
Month
Day

Hour 
Minute
Second

 


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CreateODBCDateTime
Description

Creates an ODBC date-time object.
Returns

A date-time object, in ODBC timestamp format.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
CreateODBCDateTime(date)
See also
CreateDateTime, CreateODBCDate, CreateODBCTime, Now;

“Evaluation and type conversion
issues” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

Date-time object in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date-time value as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a number representation of a date-time object.
Example

CreateODBCDateTime Example

Your date value, generated using CreateDateTime:



Formatted with CreateDate: #CreateDate(form.year, form.month,form.day)#
Formatted with CreateDateTime: #CreateDateTime(form.year,form.month,
form.day,form.hour,form.minute,form.second)#
Formatted with CreateODBCDate: #CreateODBCDate(yourDate)#
Formatted with CreateODBCDateTime: #CreateODBCDateTime(yourDate)#

The same value can be formatted with DateFormat:

Formatted with CreateDate and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateDate(form.year,form.month,form.day), "mmm-dd-yyyy")#
Formatted with CreateDateTime and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateDateTime(form.year,form.month,form.day,
form.hour,form.minute,form.second))#

CreateODBCDateTime

537

Formatted with CreateODBCDate and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateODBCDate(yourDate), "mmmm d, yyyy")#
Formatted with CreateODBCDateTime and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateODBCDateTime(yourDate), "d/m/yy")#




Enter a year, month and day, as integers:
Year 

NAME="year" VALUE="1998" VALIDATE="integer"

Month
Day 
Hour 
Minute
Second

 


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CreateODBCTime
Description

Creates an ODBC time object.
Returns

A time object, in ODBC timestamp format.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
CreateODBCTime(date)
See also
CreateODBCDateTime, CreateTime, “Evaluation and type conversion issues” in Chapter 3,
“Using ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

Date/time object in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date-time value as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a number representation of a date-time object.
Example
CreateODBCTime Example

Your time value, created with CreateTime...



Formatted with CreateODBCTime: #CreateODBCTime(yourTime)#
Formatted with TimeFormat: #TimeFormat(yourTime)#



Hour 
Minute
second

 


CreateODBCTime

539

CreateTime
Description

Creates a time variable.
Returns

A time variable.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
CreateTime(hour, minute, second)
See also
CreateODBCTime, CreateDateTime;

“Evaluation and type conversion issues” in Chapter 3,
“Using ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

hour

Number in the range 0–23

minute

Number in the range 0–59

second

Number in the range 0–59

Usage
CreateTime

is a subset of CreateDateTime.

A time variable is a special case of a date-time variable. The date part of a time variable is set to
December 30, 1899.
Example
CreateTime Example

Your time value, presented using CreateTime time function:


Formatted with timeFormat: #TimeFormat(yourTime)#
Formatted with timeFormat and hh:mm:ss: #TimeFormat(yourTime,
'hh:mm:ss')#



Hour
Minute 
Second 

 


CreateTime

541

CreateTimeSpan
Description

Creates a date/time object that defines a time period. You can add or subtract it from other datetime objects and use it with the cachedWithin attribute of cfquery.
Returns

A date-time object.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
CreateTimeSpan(days, hours, minutes, seconds)
See also
CreateDateTime, DateAdd, DateConvert;

“Defining application-level settings and variables” in
Chapter 13, “Designing and Optimizing a ColdFusion Application,” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

days

Integer in the range 0–32768; number of days in time period

hours

Number of hours in time period

minutes

Number of minutes in time period

seconds

Number of seconds in time period

Usage

Creates a special date-time object that should be used only to add and subtract from other datetime objects or with the cfquery cachedWithin attribute.
If you use the cachedWithin attribute of cfquery, and the original query date falls within the
time span you define, cached query data is used. In this case, the CreateTimeSpan function is
used to define a period of time from the present backwards. The cachedWithin attribute takes
effect only if you enable query caching in the ColdFusion Administrator. For more information,
see cfquery.
Example

CreateTimeSpan Example






SELECT
PARKNAME, REGION, STATE
FROM
Parks
ORDER by ParkName, State







Park Name


Region


State





#GetParks.CurrentRow#


#ParkName#


#Region#


#State#







See next #MaxRows# rows





CreateTimeSpan

543

CreateUUID
Description

Creates a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID). A UUID is a 35-character string representation
of a unique 128-bit integer.
Returns

A ColdFusion format UUID, in the format xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, where x
is a hexadecimal digit (0-9 or A-F). (The character groups are 8-4-4-16.)
Category

Other functions
Function syntax
CreateUUID()
Usage

The ColdFusion UUID generation algorithm uses the unique time-of-day value, the IEEE 802
Host ID, and a cryptographically strong random number generator to generate UUIDs that
conform to the principles laid out in the draft IEEE RFC "UUIDs and GUIDs."
The ColdFusion UUID format is as follows:
xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(8-4-4-16).

This does not conform to the Microsoft/DCE standard, which is as follows:
xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx

(8-4-4-4-12)

There are UUID test tools and a user-defined function called CreateGUID, which converts
CFML UUIDs to UUID/Microsoft GUID format, available on the web at www.cflib.org.
Use this function to generate a persistent identifier in a distributed environment. To a very high
degree of certainty, this function returns a unique value; no other invocation on the same or any
other system returns the same value.
UUIDs are used by distributed computing frameworks, such as DCE/RPC, COM+, and
CORBA. In ColdFusion, you can use UUIDs as primary table keys for applications in which data
is stored in shared databases. In such cases, using numeric keys can cause primary-key constraint
violations during table merges. Using UUIDs, you can eliminate these violations.
Example
CreateUUID Example
 This example uses CreateUUID to generate a UUID when you submit the form.
You can submit the form more than once. 



Your new UUID is: #CreateUUID()#


 


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

DateAdd
Description

Adds units of time to a date.
Returns

A date/time object.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
DateAdd("datepart", number, "date")
See also
DateConvert, DatePart, CreateTimeSpan
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added the datepart character L or l to represent milliseconds.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

datepart

String:
• yyyy: Year
• q: Quarter
• m: Month
• y: Day of year
• d: Day
• w: Weekday
• ww: Week
• h: Hour
• n: Minute
• s: Second
• l: Millisecond

number

Number of units of datepart to add to date (positive, to get dates in the future;
negative, to get dates in the past). Number must be an integer.

date

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

The datepart specifiers y, d, and w add a number of days to a date.
When passing a date/time object as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a numeric representation of a date/time object.
Example




DateAdd

545










SELECT
UserName, Subject, Posted
FROM
Messages

This example uses DateAdd to determine when a message in
the database will expire. Currently, messages older
than #value#

years
quarters
months
days of year
weekdays
weeks
hours
minutes
seconds
years

are expired.



UserName
Subject
Posted


#UserName#
#Subject#
#Posted# EXPIRED




Select an expiration value:




DateAdd

547

DateCompare
Description

Performs a full date/time comparison of two dates.
Returns

• -1, if date1 is earlier than date2
• 0, if date1 is equal to date2
• 1, if date1 is later than date2
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
DateCompare("date1", "date2" [, "datePart"])
See also
CreateDateTime, DatePart
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date1

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

date2

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

datePart

Optional. String. Precision of the comparison.
• s Precise to the second (default)
• n Precise to the minute
• h Precise to the hour
• d Precise to the day
• m Precise to the month
• yyyy Precise to the year

Usage

When passing a date/time object as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a numeric representation of a date/time object.
Example
DateCompare Example
The DateCompare function compares two date/time values.






#DateFormat(FORM.date1)#
#TimeFormat(FORM.date1)# (Date 1) is
earlier than #DateFormat(FORM.date2)#

548

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

#TimeFormat(FORM.date2)# (Date
The dates are not equal


#DateFormat(FORM.date1)#
#TimeFormat(FORM.date1)# (Date
to #DateFormat(FORM.date2)#
#TimeFormat(FORM.date2)# (Date
The dates are equal!


#DateFormat(FORM.date1)#
#TimeFormat(FORM.date1)# (Date
than #DateFormat(FORM.date2)#
#TimeFormat(FORM.date2)# (Date
The dates are not equal


This is the default case



Enter two valid date values



2)

1) is equal
2)

1) is later
2)



Date 1


Date 2


Specify precision to the:






550

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

DateConvert
Description

Converts local time to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or UTC to local time. The function
uses the daylight savings settings in the executing computer to compute daylight savings time, if
required.
Returns

UTC- or local-formatted time object.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
DateConvert("conversion-type", "date")
See also
GetTimeZoneInfo, CreateDateTime, DatePart
Parameters
Parameter

Description

conversion-type

• local2Utc: Converts local time to UTC time.
• utc2Local: Converts UTC time to local time.

date

Date and time string or a variable that contains one.
To create, use CreateDateTime.

Usage

When passing a date/time object as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a numeric representation of a date/time object.
Note: You can pass the CreateDate or Now function as the date parameter of this function; for
example: #DateConvert(CreateDate(2001, 3, 3))#
Example
DateConvert Example


The current date and time: #curDate#. 


The current date and time converted to UTC time: #utcDate#.




Your date value, presented as a ColdFusion date/time
string:#yourdate#.

DateConvert

551


Your date and time value, converted to Coordinated Universal
Time
(UTC): #yourUTC#.
Your UTC date and time, converted back to local date and time:
#DateConvert("utc2local", yourUTC)#.


Type the date and time, and press Enter to see the conversion.



Enter year, month and day in integer format for date value to view:


Year


Month


Day


Hour


Minute


Second






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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

DateDiff
Description

Determines the integer number of units by which date1 is less than date2.
Returns

A number of units, of type datepart.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
DateDiff("datepart", "date1", "date2")
See also
DateAdd, DatePart, CreateTimeSpan
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed how negative date differences are calculated: this function calculates negative date
differences correctly; its output may be different from that in earlier releases.

• Changed the w and ww masks; they determine the number of full weeks between the two dates.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

datepart

String specifying the units in which to count; for example yyyy requests a date
difference in whole years.
• yyyy: Years
• q: Quarters
• m: Months
• y: Days of year (same as d)
• d: Days
• w: Weekdays (same as ww)
• ww: Weeks
• h: Hours
• n: Minutes
• s: Seconds

date1

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

date2

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

The DateDiff function determines the number of complete datepart units between the two
dates; for example, if the datepart parameter is "m" and the dates differ by 55 days, the function
returns 1.

DateDiff

553

Enclose string constant dates in quotation marks. If the text contains only numbers (such 1932),
and is not surrounded by quotation marks, ColdFusion interprets it as a date/time object,
resulting in an incorrect value.
Example








This example uses DateDiff to determine the difference
in

years
quarters
months
days
days
weekdays
weeks
hours
minutes
seconds
years

dateparts between date1 and date2.

The difference is #Abs(DateDiff(type, form.date2,
form.date1))#

years
quarters
months
days
days
weekdays
weeks
hours
minutes
seconds
years
.

The two dates are equal! Try changing one of the values ...



554

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Please enter two valid date/time values, formatted like this:
#DateFormat(Now())#



Date 1

Date 2

What kind of unit to show difference?




.

DateDiff

555

DateFormat
Description

Formats a date value using U.S. date formats. For international date support, use LSDateFormat.
Returns

A text string representing the date formatted according to the mask. If no mask is specified,
returns the value in dd-mmm-yy format.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
DateFormat("date" [, "mask" ])
See also
Now, CreateDate, LSDateFormat, LSParseDateTime, LSTimeFormat, TimeFormat,
ParseDateTime
History

ColdFusion MX: Added support for the following mask parameter options: short, medium, long,
and full.
Parameters

556

Parameter

Description

date

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

mask

Characters that show how ColdFusion displays a date:
• d: Day of the month as digits; no leading zero for single-digit days.
• dd: Day of the month as digits; leading zero for single-digit days.
• ddd: Day of the week as a three-letter abbreviation.
• dddd: Day of the week as its full name.
• m: Month as digits; no leading zero for single-digit months.
• mm: Month as digits; leading zero for single-digit months.
• mmm: Month as a three-letter abbreviation.
• mmmm: Month as its full name.
• yy: Year as last two digits; leading zero for years less than 10.
• yyyy: Year represented by four digits.
• gg: Period/era string. Ignored. Reserved.
The following masks tell how to format the full date and cannot be combined with
other masks:
• short: equivalent to m/d/y
• medium: equivalent to mmm d, yyyy
• long: equivalent to mmmm d, yyyy
• full: equivalent to dddd, mmmm d, yyyy

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Usage

When passing a date/time object as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a numeric representation of a date/time object.
Note: You can pass the CreateDate function or Now function as the date parameter of this function;
for example: #DateFormat(CreateDate(2001, 3, 3))#

Date and time values in database query results can vary in sequence and formatting unless you use
functions to format them. To ensure that application users correctly understand displayed dates
and times, Macromedia recommends that you use this function and the LSDateFormat,
TimeFormat, and LSTimeFormat functions to format resultset values. For more information and
examples, see TechNote 22183, "ColdFusion Server (5 and 4.5.x) with Oracle: Formatting Date and
Time Query Results," on the Macromedia website at www.coldfusion.com/Support/
KnowledgeBase/SearchForm.cfm.
Note: The DateFormat function is best used for formatting output, not for formatting input. For
formatting input, use one of the date/time creation functions (for example, CreateDate) instead.
Example


DateFormat Example
Today’s date is #todayDate#.
Using DateFormat, we can display that date in different ways:


#DateFormat(todayDate)#
#DateFormat(todayDate, "mmm-dd-yyyy")#
#DateFormat(todayDate, "mmmm d, yyyy")#
#DateFormat(todayDate, "mm/dd/yyyy")#
#DateFormat(todayDate, "d-mmm-yyyy")#
#DateFormat(todayDate, "ddd, mmmm dd, yyyy")#
#DateFormat(todayDate, "short")#
#DateFormat(todayDate, "medium")#
#DateFormat(todayDate, "long")#
#DateFormat(todayDate, "full")#



DateFormat

557

DatePart
Description

Extracts a part from a date value.
Returns

Part of a date, as an integer.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
DatePart("datepart", "date")
See also
DateAdd, DateConvert
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added the datepart character L or l to represent milliseconds.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

datepart

String:
• yyyy: Year
• q: Quarter
• m: Month
• y: Day of year
• d: Day
• w: Weekday
• ww: Week
• h: Hour
• n: Minute
• s: Second
• l: Millisecond

date

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date/time object as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a numeric representation of a date/time object.
Example


DatePart Example
Today’s date is #todayDate#.
Using datepart, we extract an integer representing the dateparts from that
value


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions


year: #DatePart("yyyy", todayDate)#
quarter: #DatePart("q", todayDate)#
month: #DatePart("m", todayDate)#
day of year: #DatePart("y", todayDate)#
day: #DatePart("d", todayDate)#
weekday: #DatePart("w", todayDate)#
week: #DatePart("ww", todayDate)#
hour: #DatePart("h", todayDate)#
minute: #DatePart("n", todayDate)#
second: #DatePart("s", todayDate)#



DatePart

559

Day
Description

Determines the day of the month, in a date.
Returns

The ordinal for the day of the month, ranging from 1 to 31.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
Day("date")
See also
DayOfWeek, DayOfWeekAsString, DayOfYear, DaysInMonth, DaysInYear, FirstDayOfMonth
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date/time object as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a numeric representation of a date/time object.
Note: You can pass the CreateDate function or Now function as the date parameter of this function;
for example: #Day(CreateDate(2001, 3, 3))#
Example
Day Example

More information about your date:


Date: #DateFormat(yourDate)#. 

It is #DayofWeekAsString(DayOfWeek(yourDate))#,
day #DayOfWeek(yourDate)# in the week.

This is day #Day(YourDate)#
in the month of #MonthAsString(Month(yourDate))#,
which has #DaysInMonth(yourDate)# days.

We are in week #Week(yourDate)# of #Year(YourDate)#
(day #DayofYear(yourDate)# of #DaysinYear(yourDate)#).

This is a leap year
This is not a leap year



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

DayOfWeek
Description

Determines the day of the week, in a date.
Returns

The ordinal for the day of the week, as an integer in the range 1 (Sunday) to 7 (Saturday).
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
DayOfWeek("date")
See also
Day, DayOfWeekAsString, DayOfYear, DaysInMonth, DaysInYear, FirstDayOfMonth
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date/time object as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a numeric representation of a date/time object.
Note: You can pass the CreateDate function or Now function as the date parameter of this function; for
example, #DayOfWeek(CreateDate(2001, 3, 3))#
Example
DayOfWeek Example

More information about your date:


Your date, #DateFormat(yourDate)#.

It is #DayofWeekAsString(DayOfWeek(yourDate))#, day
#DayOfWeek(yourDate)# in the week.

This is day #Day(YourDate)# in the month of
#MonthAsString(Month(yourDate))#, which has
#DaysInMonth(yourDate)# days.

We are in week #Week(yourDate)# of #Year(YourDate)# (day
#DayofYear(yourDate)# of #DaysinYear(yourDate)#).

This is a leap year
This is not a leap year



DayOfWeek

561

DayOfWeekAsString
Description

Determines the day of the week, in a date, as a string function.
Returns

The day of the week, as a string in the current locale, that corresponds to day_of_week.
Category

Date and time functions, String functions
Function syntax
DayOfWeekAsString(day_of_week)
See also
Day, DayOfWeek, DayOfYear, DaysInMonth, DaysInYear, FirstDayOfMonth
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Changed behavior. The returned string is now in the language of the current
locale.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

day_of_week

Integer, in the range 1 (Sunday) - 7 (Saturday).

Example

The following example shows the use of the DayOfWeekAsString function. It is the action page
for a form that submits year, month, and day fields.
DayOfWeekAsString Example

More information about your date:


Your date, #DateFormat(yourDate)#.

It is #DayofWeekAsString(DayOfWeek(yourDate))#, day
#DayOfWeek(yourDate)# in the week.

This is day #Day(YourDate)# in the month of
#MonthAsString(Month(yourDate))#, which has
#DaysInMonth(yourDate)# days.

We are in week #Week(yourDate)# of #Year(YourDate)# (day
#DayofYear(yourDate)#
of #DaysinYear(yourDate)#).

This is a leap year
This is not a leap year



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

DayOfYear
Description

Determines the day of the year, in a date.
Returns

The ordinal value of day of the year, as an integer.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
DayOfYear("date")
See also
Day, DayOfWeek, DayOfWeekAsString, DaysInMonth, DaysInYear, FirstDayOfMonth
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

This function accounts for leap years.
When passing a date/time object as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a numeric representation of a date/time object.
Note: You can pass the CreateDate function or Now function as the date parameter of this function;
for example, #DayOfYear(CreateDate(2001, 3, 3))#
Example
Day7OfYear Example

More information about your date:


Your date, #DateFormat(yourDate)#.

It is #DayofWeekAsString(DayOfWeek(yourDate))#,
day #DayOfWeek(yourDate)# in the week.

This is day #Day(yourDate)# in the month of
#MonthAsString(Month(yourDate))#, which has
#DaysInMonth(yourDate)# days.

We are in week #Week(yourDate)# of #Year(yourDate)#
(day #DayofYear(yourDate)# of #DaysinYear(yourDate)#).

This is a leap year
This is not a leap year



DayOfYear

563

DaysInMonth
Description

Determines the number of days in a month.
Returns

The number of days in the month in Date.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
DaysInMonth("date")
See also
Day, DayOfWeek, DayOfWeekAsString, DayOfYear, DaysInYear, FirstDayOfMonth
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date/time object as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a numeric representation of a date/time object.
Note: You can pass the Now function or the CreateDate function as the date parameter of this function;
for example: #DaysInMonth(CreateDate(2001, 3, 3))#
Example
DaysInMonth Example

More information about your date:


Your date, #DateFormat(yourDate)#.

It is #DayofWeekAsString(DayOfWeek(yourDate))#, day
#DayOfWeek(yourDate)# in the week.

This is day #Day(YourDate)# in the month of
#MonthAsString(Month(yourDate))#, which has
#DaysInMonth(yourDate)# days.

We are in week #Week(yourDate)# of #Year(YourDate)#
(day #DayofYear(yourDate)# of #DaysinYear(yourDate)#).

This is a leap year
This is not a leap year



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

DaysInYear
Description

Determines the number of days in a year.
Returns

The number of days in a year.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
DaysInYear("date")
See also
Day, DayOfWeek, DayOfWeekAsString, DayOfYear, DaysInMonth, DaysInYear,
FirstDayOfMonth, IsLeapYear
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

• Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage
DaysInYear

accounts for leap years.

When passing a date/time object as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a numeric representation of a date/time object.
Note: You can pass the CreateDate function or the Now function as the date parameter of this function;
for example: #DaysInYear(CreateDate(2001, 3, 3))#
Example
DaysInYear Example

More information about your date:


Your date, #DateFormat(yourDate)#.

It is #DayofWeekAsString(DayOfWeek(yourDate))#, day
#DayOfWeek(yourDate)# in the week.

This is day #Day(YourDate)# in the month of
#MonthAsString(Month(yourDate))#, which has
#DaysInMonth(yourDate)# days.

We are in week #Week(yourDate)# of #Year(yourDate)# (day
#DayofYear(yourDate)# of #DaysinYear(yourDate)#).


DaysInYear

565

DE
Description

Escapes any double-quotation marks in the parameter and wraps the result in double-quotation
marks.
Returns

Parameter, surrounded by double-quotation marks, with any inner double-quotation marks
escaped.
Category

Dynamic evaluation functions
Function syntax
DE(string)
See also
Evaluate, IIf, Chapter

4, “Using Expressions and Number Signs” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s

Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

String to evaluate, after delay

Usage

The DE function postpones evaluation of a string that is passed as a parameter to the IIf or
Evaluate functions.
This function is especially useful with the IIf function, which automatically evaluates its second
and third parameters as expressions. You can use the DE function to prevent the function from
evaluating a string parameter that is to be output as a variable, and should not be treated as an
expression. The following example show this use; it uses IIF to alternate table-row background
colors, white and gray, and uses the DE function to prevent ColdFusion from evaluating the color
strings.





hello #i#






The DE function does not delay evaluation of variable names that are surrounded by number signs
(#). ColdFusion function evaluates the variable regardless of whether the DE function is present.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

The following example shows how you can use the DE function and number signs together, and
shows how the function works with an IIF function:




The expression is #myresult#


ColdFusion processes this code as follows:
1. ColdFusion sets the variables var1 and var2 to be the strings Blue and Green.
2. In the fourth line, ColdFusion evaluates the variables surrounded by number signs first,

replacing them with the strings Blue and Green, the values of the variables.
3. The IIF function evaluates the test expression, determines that it is False, and then evaluates

the third parameter.
4. The third parameter is a DE function, which takes the string Green and surrounds it in quotation

marks
5. The IIF function returns the string "Green", including the quotation marks.
6. The cfset tag gets the expression result="Green", and sets the value of the myresult variable

to the string Green.
7. ColdFusion evaluates #myresult# in the output text, replaces the variable with its value, the

string Green, and displays the result.
Example

DE Example




Evaluate the Expression #FORM.MyExpression#

The code:

#Evaluate(FORM.myExpression)#



The result:


#Evaluate(FORM.myExpression)#

Use DE to prevent the Evaluate function from evaluating
The code:

#Evaluate(DE(FORM.MyExpression))#


The result:


#Evaluate(DE(FORM.MyExpression))#




DE

567


Sorry, there’s been an Error.
Try a simple expression, such as "2+2".


#cfcatch.message#




Enter any valid ColdFusion expression





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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

DecimalFormat
Description

Converts a number to a decimal-formatted string.
Returns

A number as a string formatted with two decimal places and a thousands separator.
Category

Display and formatting functions
Function syntax
DecimalFormat(number)
See also
DollarFormat, NumberFormat
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Number to format

Example
DecimalFormat Function
Returns a number to two decimal places.



#counter# * Square Root of 2:
#DecimalFormat(counter * sqr(2))#





DecimalFormat

569

DecrementValue
Description

Decrements the integer part of a number.
Returns

Integer part of number, decremented by one.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
DecrementValue(number)
See also
IncrementValue
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Number to decrement

Example
DecrementValue Example
Returns the integer part of a number decremented by one.
DecrementValue(0):
#DecrementValue(0)#
DecrementValue("1"):
#DecrementValue("1")#
DecrementValue(123.35):
#DecrementValue(123.35)#

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Decrypt
Description

Decrypts a string that is encrypted using a standard encryption technique, including strings
encrypted by the Encrypt function.
Returns

An unencrypted string.
Category

Security functions, String functions
Function syntax
Decrypt(encrypted_string, key[, algorithm[, encoding]])
See also
Duplicate, Encrypt

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the algorithm and encoding parameters.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

encrypted_string

String to decrypt.

key

String. For the CFMX_COMPAT algorithm, the seed that was used to encrypt
the string; for all other algorithms, the key that was used to encrypt the string.

algorithm

(Optional) The algorithm to use to decrypt the string. Must be the same as the
algorithm used to encrypt the string. ColdFusion MX installs a cryptography
library with the following algorithms:
• CFMX_COMPAT: the algorithm used in ColdFusion MX and prior releases.
This algorithm is the least secure option (default).
• AES: the Advanced Encryption Standard specified by the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST) FIPS-197.
• BLOWFISH: the Blowfish algorithm defined by Bruce Schneier.
• DES: the Data Encryption Standard algorithm defined by NIST FIPS-46-3.
• DESEDE: the "Triple DES" algorithm defined by NIST FIPS-46-3.
If you install a security provider with additional cryptography algorithms, you
can also specify any of its string encryption and decryption algorithms.

encoding

(Optional; if you specify this parameter, you must also specify the algorithm
parameter.) The binary encoding used to represent the data as a string. Must
be the same as the algorithm used to encrypt the string.
• Base64: the Base64 algorithm, as specified by IETF RFC 2045.
• Hex: the characters A-F and 0-9 represent the hexadecimal byte values.
• UU: the UNIX standard UUEncode algorithm (default) .

Decrypt

571

Usage

This function uses a symmetric key-based algorithm, in which the same key is used to encrypt
and decrypt a string. The parameter values must match the values used to encode string. The
security of the encrypted string depends on maintaining the secrecy of the key.
ColdFusion MX 7 uses the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) and installs a Sun Java 1.4.2
runtime that includes the Sun JCE default security provider. This provider includes the
algorithms listed in the Parameters section. The JCE framework includes facilities for using other
provider implementations; however, Macromedia cannot provide technical support for thirdparty security providers.
Example
Decrypt Example



/* GenerateSecretKey does not generate key for the CFMX_COMPAT algorithm,
so use the key from the form.
*/
if (Form.myAlgorithm EQ "CFMX_COMPAT")
theKey=Form.MyKey;
// For all other encryption techniques, generate a secret key.
else
theKey=generateSecretKey(Form.myAlgorithm);
//Encrypt the string
encrypted=encrypt(Form.myString, theKey, Form.myAlgorithm,
Form.myEncoding);
//Decrypt it
decrypted=decrypt(encrypted, theKey, Form.myAlgorithm, Form.myEncoding);



The algorithm: #Form.myAlgorithm#

The key: #theKey#



The string: #Form.myString# 



Encrypted: #encrypted#



Decrypted: #decrypted#





Select the encoding





Select the algorithm





Input your key (used for CFMX_COMPAT encryption only)





Enter string to encrypt

This
string will be encrypted (you can replace it with more typing).





Decrypt

573

DeleteClientVariable
Description

Deletes a client variable. (To test for the existence of a variable, use IsDefined.)
Returns

True, if the variable is successfully deleted; false, otherwise.
Category

Other functions
Function syntax
DeleteClientVariable("name")
See also
GetClientVariablesList
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: if the variable is not present, this function now returns False.
(In earlier releases, it threw an error.)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Name of a client variable to delete, surrounded by double-quotation marks

Example

DeleteClientVariable Example
This view-only example deletes a client variable called "User_ID", if it
exists in the list of client variables returned by GetClientVariablesList.
This example requires the existence of an Application.cfm file and client
management to be in effect.


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

DirectoryExists
Description

Determines whether a directory exists.
Returns

Yes, if the specified directory exists; No, otherwise.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
DirectoryExists(absolute_path)
See also
FileExists
Parameters
Parameter

Description

absolute_path

An absolute path

Example
DirectoryExists Example
Enter a directory to check for existence.











Your directory exists. Directory name: #yourDirectory#


Your directory does not exist.




DirectoryExists

575

DollarFormat
Description

Formats a string in U.S. format. (For other currencies, use LSCurrencyFormat or
LSEuroCurrencyFormat.)
Returns

A number as a string, formatted with two decimal places, thousands separator, and dollar sign. If
number is negative, the return value is enclosed in parentheses. If number is an empty string,
returns zero.
Category

Display and formatting functions
Function syntax
DollarFormat(number)
See also
DecimalFormat, NumberFormat
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Number to format

Example

...
DollarFormat Example






bill#DollarFormat(full)##DollarFormat(quarter)#
#DollarFormat(half)# #DollarFormat(threefourth)#
18% tip#DollarFormat(full * (18/100))#
#DollarFormat(quarter * (18/100))#
#DollarFormat(half * (18/100))#
#DollarFormat(threefourth * (18/100))#



...

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Duplicate
Description

Returns a clone, also known as a deep copy, of a variable. There is no reference to the original
variable.
Returns

A clone of a variable.
Category

Structure functions, System functions
Function syntax
Duplicate(variable_name)
See also
StructCopy,

other Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35,
“Using XML and WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

variable_name

Name of a variable to duplicate

Usage

Use this function to duplicate complex structures, such as nested structures and queries.
Note: The Duplicate function throws an exception if you attempt to duplicate a CFC.
Note: With this function, you cannot duplicate a COM, CORBA, or JAVA object returned from the
cfobject tag or the CreateObject function. If an array element or structure field is a COM, CORBA, or

JAVA object, you cannot duplicate the array or structure.
Example
Duplicate Example








The copy contains the modified value: #copy.nested.item#
The duplicate contains the original value: #clone.nested.item#


Duplicate

577

Encrypt
Description

Encrypts a string using a specific algorithm and encoding method.
Returns

String; can be much longer than the original string.
Category

Security functions, String functions
Function syntax
Encrypt(string, key[, algorithm[, encoding]]))
See also
Decrypt
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the algorithm and encoding parameters.
Parameters

578

Parameter

Description

string

String to encrypt.

key

String. Key or seed used to encrypt the string.
• For the CFMX_COMPAT algorithm, any combination of any number of
characters; used as a seed used to generate a 32-bit encryption key.
• For all other algorithms, a key in the format used by the algorithm. For these
algorithms, use the GenerateSecretKey function to generate the key.

algorithm

(Optional) The algorithm to use to decrypt the string.ColdFusion MX installs a
cryptography library with the following algorithms:
• CFMX_COMPAT: the algorithm used in ColdFusion MX and prior releases. This
algorithm is the least secure option (default).
• AES: the Advanced Encryption Standard specified by the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) FIPS-197.
• BLOWFISH: the Blowfish algorithm defined by Bruce Schneier.
• DES: the Data Encryption Standard algorithm defined by NIST FIPS-46-3.
• DESEDE: the "Triple DES" algorithm defined by NIST FIPS-46-3.
If you install a security provider with additional cryptography algorithms, you can
also specify any of its string encryption and decryption algorithms.

encoding

(Optional; if you specify this parameter, you must also specify the algorithm
parameter) The binary encoding in which to represent the data as a string.
• Base64: the Base64 algorithm, as specified by IETF RFC 2045.
• Hex: the characters !-F0-9 represent the hexadecimal byte values.
• UU: the UUEncode algorithm (default).

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Usage

This function uses a symmetric key-based algorithm, in which the same key is used to encrypt
and decrypt a string. The security of the encrypted string depends on maintaining the secrecy of
the key.
For all algorithms except the default algorithm, ColdFusion MX 7 uses the Java Cryptography
Extension (JCE) and installs a Sun Java 1.4.2 runtime that includes the Sun JCE default security
provider. This provider includes the algorithms listed in the Parameters section. The JCE
framework includes facilities for using other provider implementations; however, Macromedia
cannot provide technical support for third-party security providers.
The default algorithm, which is the same as was used in ColdFusion 5 and ColdFusion MX, uses
an XOR-based algorithm that uses a pseudo-random 32-bit key, based on a seed passed by the
user as a function parameter. This algorithm is less secure than the other available algorithms.
Example

The following example encrypts and decrypts a text string. It lets you specify the encryption
algorithm and encoding technique. It also has a field for a key seed to use with the
CFMX_COMPAT algorithm. For all other algorithms, it generates a secret key.
Encrypt Example



/* GenerateSecretKey does not generate key for the CFMX_COMPAT algorithm,
so use the key from the form.
*/
if (Form.myAlgorithm EQ "CFMX_COMPAT")
theKey=Form.MyKey;
// For all other encryption techniques, generate a secret key.
else
theKey=generateSecretKey(Form.myAlgorithm);
//Encrypt the string
encrypted=encrypt(Form.myString, theKey, Form.myAlgorithm,
Form.myEncoding);
//Decrypt it
decrypted=decrypt(encrypted, theKey, Form.myAlgorithm, Form.myEncoding);



The algorithm: #Form.myAlgorithm#

The key: #theKey#



The string: #Form.myString# 



Encrypted: #encrypted#



Decrypted: #decrypted#




Encrypt

579



Select the encoding





Select the algorithm





Input your key (used for CFMX_COMPAT encryption only)





Enter string to encrypt

This
string will be encrypted (you can replace it with more typing).





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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Evaluate
Description

Evaluates one or more string expressions, dynamically, from left to right. (The results of an
evaluation on the left can have meaning in an expression to the right.) Returns the result of
evaluating the rightmost expression.
Returns

An object; the result of the evaluation(s).
Category

Dynamic evaluation functions
Function syntax
Evaluate(string_expression1 [, string_expression2 [, … ] ] )
See also
DE, IIf
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string_expression1,
string_expression2...

Expressions to evaluate

Usage

String expressions can be complex. If a string expression contains a single- or double-quotation
mark, the mark must be escaped.
This function is useful for forming one variable from multiple variables. For example, to reference
a column of the query qNames with a variable, var, using an index value to traverse rows, you
could use the following code:


For more information, see Chapter 4, “Using Expressions and Number Signs” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide.
Example

Evaluate Example






The value of the expression #Evaluate(DE(FORM.MyExpression))#
is #MyExpression#.

...

Evaluate

581

Exp
Description

Calculates the exponent whose base is e that represents number. The constant e equals
2.71828182845904, the base of the natural logarithm. This function is the inverse of Log, the
natural logarithm of number.
Returns

The constant e, raised to the power of number.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Exp(number)
See also
Log, Log10
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Exponent to apply to the base e

Usage

To calculate powers of other bases, use the exponentiation operator (^).
Example
Exp Example


Your number, #FORM.number#

#FORM.number# raised to the E power: #exp(FORM.number)#


You must enter a positive real number to see its natural logarithm


The natural logarithm of #FORM.number#: #log(FORM.number)#



You must enter a positive real number to see its logarithm to base 10


The logarithm of #FORM.number# to base 10: #log10(FORM.number)#




Enter a number to see its value raised to the E power, its natural logarithm,
and the logarithm of number to base 10.




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ExpandPath
Description

Creates an absolute, platform-appropriate path that is equivalent to the value of relative_path,
appended to the base path. This function (despite its name) can accept an absolute or relative
path in the relative_path parameter
The base path is the currently executing page’s directory path. It is stored in
pageContext.getServletContext().
Returns

A string. If the relative path contains a trailing forward slash or backward slash, the return value
contains the same trailing character.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
ExpandPath(relative_path)
See also
FileExists, GetCurrentTemplatePath, GetFileFromPath
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior for the relative_path parameter: this function can now
accept an absolute or relative path in the relative_path parameter. To resolve a path, this
function uses virtual mappings that are defined in the ColdFusion Administrator. This function
does not reliably use virtual mappings that are defined in IIS, Apache, or other web servers.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

relative_path

Relative or absolute directory reference or file name, within the current directory,
(.\ and ..\) to convert to an absolute path. Can include forward or backward slashes.

Usage

If the parameter or the returned path is invalid, the function throws an error.
These examples show the valid constructions of relative_path:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

ExpandPath( "*.*")
ExpandPath( "/")
ExpandPath( "\")
ExpandPath( "/mycfpage.cfm")
ExpandPath( "mycfpage.cfm")
ExpandPath( "myDir/mycfpage.cfm")
ExpandPath( "/myDir/mycfpage.cfm")
ExpandPath( "../../mycfpage.cfm")

ExpandPath

583

Example
ExpandPath Example - View Only










Please enter a file name



Enter the name of a file in this directory 
(try expandpath.cfm)



--->

584

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

FileExists
Description

Determines whether a file exists.
Returns

Yes, if the file specified in the parameter exists; No, otherwise.
Category

System functions, Decision functions
Function syntax
FileExists(absolute_path)
See also
DirectoryExists, ExpandPath, GetTemplatePath
Parameters
Parameter

Description

absolute_path

An absolute path

Usage

To access a file on a remote system, the account (for Windows) or user (for UNIX and Linux) that
is running ColdFusion must have permission to access the file, directory, and remote system. For
example, if you run ColdFusion MX in the Server Configuration as a Windows service, by default
it runs under the local system account, which does not have sufficient privileges to access remote
systems. You can change this, however, on the Log On page of the Services Properties dialog box.
Example
FileExists Example



The current directory is: #GetDirectoryFromPath(thisPath)#




Your file exists in this directory. You entered
the correct file name, #GetFileFromPath("#thisPath#/#yourfile#")#


FileExists

585

Find
Description

Finds the first occurrence of a substring in a string, from a specified start position. The search is
case-sensitive.
Returns

A number; the position of substring in string; or 0, if substring is not in string.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Find(substring, string [, start ])
See also
FindNoCase, Compare, FindOneOf, REFind, Replace
Parameters
Parameter

Description

substring

A string or a variable that contains one. String for which to search.

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String in which to search.

start

Start position of search.

Example


#find("the",stringToSearch)#

#find("the",stringToSearch,35)#

#find("no such substring",stringToSearch)#



#findnocase("the",stringToSearch)#

#findnocase("the",stringToSearch,5)#

#findnocase("no such substring",stringToSearch)#



#findoneof("aeiou",stringToSearch)#

#findoneof("aeiou",stringToSearch,4)#

#findoneof("@%^*()",stringToSearch)#



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

FindNoCase
Description

Finds the first occurrence of a substring in a string, from a specified start position. If substring is
not in string, returns zero. The search is case-insensitive.
Returns

The position of substring in string; or 0, if substring is not in string.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
FindNoCase(substring, string [, start ])
See also
Find, CompareNoCase, FindOneOf, REFind, Replace
Parameters
Parameter

Description

substring

A string or a variable that contains one. String for which to search.

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String in which to search.

start

Start position of search.

Example

In the following example, the Find function returns 33 as the first position found because "the" is
lowercase. The FindNoCase function returns 1 as the first postion because the case is ignored.

stringToSearch = #stringToSearch#


Find Function:

Find("the",stringToSearch) returns #find("the",stringToSearch)#


FindNoCase Function:

FindNoCase("the",stringToSearch) returns
#FindNoCase("the",stringToSearch)#

FindNoCase

587

FindOneOf
Description

Finds the first occurrence of any one of a set of characters in a string, from a specified start position.
The search is case-sensitive.
Returns

The position of the first member of set found in string; or 0, if no member of set is found in string.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
FindOneOf(set, string [, start ])
See also
Find, Compare, REFind
Parameters
Parameter

Description

set

A string or a variable that contains one. String that contains one or more characters
to search for.

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String in which to search.

start

Start position of search.

Example

#find("the",stringToSearch)#

#find("the",stringToSearch,35)#

#find("no such substring",stringToSearch)#



#findnocase("the",stringToSearch)#

#findnocase("the",stringToSearch,5)#

#findnocase("no such substring",stringToSearch)#



#findoneof("aeiou",stringToSearch)#

#findoneof("aeiou",stringToSearch,4)#

#findoneof("@%^*()",stringToSearch)#


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

FirstDayOfMonth
Description

Determines the ordinal (day number, in the year) of the first day of the month in which a given
date falls.
Returns

A number corresponding to a day-number in a year.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
FirstDayOfMonth(date)
See also
Day, DayOfWeek, DayOfWeekAsString, DayOfYear, DaysInMonth, DaysInYear
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date/time value as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a number representation of a date/time object.
Example
FirstDayOfMonth Example

The first day of #MonthAsString(Month(Now()))#, #Year(Now())# was
day #FirstDayOfMonth(Now())# of the year.


FirstDayOfMonth

589

Fix
Description

Converts a real number to an integer.
Returns

If number is greater than or equal to 0, the closest integer less than number.
If number is less than 0, the closest integer greater than number.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Fix(number)
See also
Ceiling, Int, Round
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

A number

Example
Fix Example
Fix returns the closest integer less than the number if the number is
greater than or equal to 0. Fix returns the closest integer greater than
the number if number is less than 0.

The fix of 3.4 is #Fix(3.4)#
The fix of 3 is #Fix(3)#
The fix of 3.8 is #Fix(3.8)#
The fix of -4.2 is #Fix(-4.2)#


590

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

FormatBaseN
Description

Converts number to a string, in the base specified by radix.
Returns

String that represents number, in the base radix.
Category

Display and formatting functions, Mathematical functions, String functions
Function syntax
FormatBaseN(number, radix)
See also
InputBaseN
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Number to convert

radix

Base of the result

Example
FormatBaseN Example
Converts a number to a string in the base specified by Radix.



FormatBaseN(10,2): #FormatBaseN(10,2)#

FormatBaseN(1024,16): #FormatBaseN(1024,16)#

FormatBaseN(125,10): #FormatBaseN(125,10)#

FormatBaseN(10.75,2): #FormatBaseN(10.75,2)#

InputBaseN Example
InputBaseN returns the number obtained by converting a string,
using base specified by Radix (an integer from 2 to 36).


InputBaseN("1010",2): #InputBaseN("1010",2)#

InputBaseN("3ff",16): #InputBaseN("3ff",16)#

InputBaseN("125",10): #InputBaseN("125",10)#

InputBaseN(1010,2): #InputBaseN(1010,2)#


FormatBaseN

591

GenerateSecretKey
Description

Gets a secure key value for use in the Encrypt function.
Returns

A string containing the encryption key.
Category

Security functions, String functions
Function syntax
GenerateSecretKey(algorithm)
See also
Decrypt, Encrypt
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

algorithm

The encryption algorithm for which to generate the key. ColdFusion MX
installs a cryptography library with the following algorithms:
• AES: the Advanced Encryption Standard specified by the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST) FIPS-197.
• BLOWFISH: the Blowfish algorithm defined by Bruce Schneier.
• DES: the Data Encryption Standard algorithm defined by NIST FIPS-46-3.
DESEDE: the "Triple DES" algorithm defined by NIST FIPS-46-3.

Usage

You cannot use the GenerateSecretKey function to generate a key for the ColdFusion default
encryption algorithm (CFMX_COMPAT) of the Encrypt and Decrypt functions.
ColdFusion MX 7 uses the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) and installs a Sun Java 1.4.2
runtime that includes the Sun JCE default security provider. This provider includes the
algorithms listed in the Parameters section. The JCE framework includes facilities for using other
provider implementations; however, Macromedia cannot provide technical support for thirdparty security providers.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Example

The following example encrypts and decrypts a text string. It lets you specify the encryption
algorithm and encoding technique. It also has a field for a key seed to use with the
CFMX_COMPAT algorithm. For all other algorithms, it uses the GenerateSecretKey function
to generate a secret key.
Decrypt Example



/* GenerateSecretKey does not generate keys for the CFMX_COMPAT algorithm,
so we use a key from the form.
*/
if (Form.myAlgorithm EQ "CFMX_COMPAT")
theKey=Form.MyKey;
// For all other encryption techniques, generate a secret key.
else
theKey=generateSecretKey(Form.myAlgorithm);
//Encrypt the string.
encrypted=encrypt(Form.myString, theKey, Form.myAlgorithm,
Form.myEncoding);
//Decrypt it.
decrypted=decrypt(encrypted, theKey, Form.myAlgorithm, Form.myEncoding);



The algorithm: #Form.myAlgorithm#

The key: #theKey#



The string: #Form.myString# 



Encrypted: #encrypted#



Decrypted: #decrypted#





Select the encoding





Select the algorithm





Input your key (used for CFMX_COMPAT encryption only)





Enter string to encrypt

This
string will be encrypted (you can replace it with more typing).





594

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

GetAuthUser
Description

Gets the name of an authenticated user.
Returns

The name of an authenticated user.
Category

Security functions
Function syntax
GetAuthUser()
See also
IsUserInRole, cflogin, cfloginuser; Chapter

16, “Securing Applications” in ColdFusion MX

Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Usage

This function works with cflogin authentication or web server authentication. It checks for a
logged-in user as follows:
1. It checks for a login made with cfloginuser.
2. If no user was logged in with cfloginuser, it checks for a web server login (cgi.remote_user).
Example
GetAuthUser Example
Authenticated User: #GetAuthUser()#

GetAuthUser

595

GetBaseTagData
Description

Used within a custom tag. Finds calling (ancestor) tag by name and accesses its data.
Returns

An object that contains data (variables, scopes, and so on) from an ancestor tag. If there is no
ancestor by the specified name, or if the ancestor does not expose data (for example, cfif ), an
exception is thrown.
Category

Other functions
Function syntax
GetBaseTagData(tagname [, instancenumber ] )
See also
GetBaseTagList;

“High-level data exchange” in Chapter 11, “Creating and Using Custom
CFML Tags,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Req/Opt Description

tagname

Required

Ancestor tag name for which to return data

instancenumber

Optional

Number of ancestor levels to jump before returning data. The default
value is 1 (closest ancestor).

Example

...


Running in the context of a custom
tag named #inCustomTag#.





Located inside the

template

BODY


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

GetBaseTagList
Description

Gets ancestor tag names, starting with the parent tag.
Returns

A comma-delimited list of uppercase ancestor tag names, as a string. The first list element is the
current tag. If the current tag is nested, the next element is the parent tag. If the function is called
for a top-level tag, it returns an empty string. If an ancestor does not expose data (see
GetBaseTagData), its name might not be returned.
Category

Other functions
Function syntax
GetBaseTagList()
See also
GetBaseTagData; “High-level data exchange” in Chapter 11, “Creating and Using Custom
CFML Tags,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Usage

This function does not display the following tags or end tags in the ancestor tag list:

•
•
•

cfif, cfelseif, cfelse
cfswitch, cfcase, cfdefaultcase
cftry, cfcatch

This function displays the following tags only under the following conditions:

•
•
•

cfloop:

if it uses a query attribute

cfoutput:

if at least one of its children is a complex expression

cfprocessingdirective:

if it has at least one other attribute besides pageencoding

Example






Dump of GetBaseTagList output:





This is custom tag #ListGetAt(ancestorList,1)#




Running in the context of a cfloop tag.




GetBaseTagList

597

GetBaseTemplatePath
Description

Gets the absolute path of an application’s base page.
Returns

The absolute path of the application base page, as a string.
Category

Other functions, System functions
Function syntax
GetBaseTemplatePath()
See also
GetCurrentTemplatePath, FileExists, ExpandPath
Example
GetBaseTemplatePath Example
The template path of the current page is:
#GetBaseTemplatePath()#

598

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

GetClientVariablesList
Description

Finds the client variables to which a page has write access.
Returns

Comma-delimited list of non-read-only client variables, as a string.
Category

List functions, Other functions
Function syntax
GetClientVariablesList()
See also
DeleteClientVariable
Usage

The list of variables returned by this function is compatible with ColdFusion list functions.
Example

GetClientVariablesList Example
This view-only example deletes a client variable called "User_ID", if it
exists
in the list of client variables returned by GetClientVariablesList().
This example requires the existence of an Application.cfm file and that
client
management be in effect.


GetClientVariablesList

599

GetContextRoot
Description

Returns path to the J2EE server context root for the current request.
Returns

The path from the web root to the context root for the current page. The path starts with a
forward slash character (/) but does not end with a forward slash character (/). For applications in
the default (root) context, returns the empty string.
Category

System functions
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Function syntax
GetContextRoot()
See also
GetPageContext
Usage

This function is equivalent to calling GetPageContext().GetRequest().GetContextPath().
On J2EE configurations, it returns the path from the Web root to the J2EE context root of the
ColdFusion MX J2EE application. On server configurations, it returns the empty string, because
the context root is at the web root.
This function is useful in applications that might be installed at varying J2EE context roots.
Example

The ColdFusion MX Administrator uses the following line to get the location of the
administrator directory:


The Administrator uses the returned value in places where it uses a URL to access Administrator
resources, such as images, as in the following line:


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

GetCurrentTemplatePath
Description

Gets the path of the page that calls this function.
Returns

The absolute path of the page that contains the call to this function, as a string.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetCurrentTemplatePath()
See also
GetBaseTemplatePath, FileExists, ExpandPath
Usage

If the function call is made from a page included with a cfinclude tag, this function returns the
page path of an included page. Contrast this with the GetBaseTemplatePath function, which
returns the path of the top-level page, even if it is called from an included page.
Example

GetCurrentTemplatePath Example
The template path of the current page is:
#GetCurrentTemplatePath()#

GetCurrentTemplatePath

601

GetDirectoryFromPath
Description

Extracts a directory from an absolute path.
Returns

Absolute path, without the filename. The last character is a forward or backward slash, depending
on the operating system.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetDirectoryFromPath(path)
See also
ExpandPath, GetFileFromPath
Parameters
Parameter

Description

path

Absolute path (drive, directory, filename, and extension)

Example
GetDirectoryFromPath Example



The current directory is: #GetDirectoryFromPath(thisPath)#




Your file exists in this directory. You entered the correct file
name,
#GetFileFromPath("#thisPath#/#yourfile#")#

Your file was not found in this directory:

Here is a list of the other files in this directory:










Please enter a file name


602

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions



Enter the name of a file in this directory 
(try expandpath.cfm)


 --->

GetDirectoryFromPath

603

GetEncoding
Description

Returns the encoding (character set) of the Form or URL scope.
Returns

String; the character encoding of the specified scope.
Category

International functions, System functions
Function syntax
GetEncoding(scope_name)
See also
SetEncoding, cfcontent, cfprocessingdirective, URLDecode, URLEncodedFormat
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

scope_name

• Form
• URL.

Usage

Use this function to determine the character encoding of the URL query string or the fields of a
form that was submitted to the current page. The default encoding, if none has been explicitly set,
is UTF-8.
For more information, see www.iana.org/assignments/character-sets.
Example









SetEncoding("url", "big5");
WriteOutput("URL.XXX is " & URL.xxx & "
");
WriteOutput("URL.YYY is " & URL.yyy & "
");
theEncoding = GetEncoding("URL");
WriteOutput("The URL variables were decoded using '" & theEncoding & "'
encoding.");

604

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

WriteOutput("The encoding is " & theEncoding);



GetEncoding

605

GetException
Description

Used with the cftry and cfcatch tags. Retrieves a Java exception object from a Java object.
Returns

Any Java exception object raised by a previous method call on the Java object.
Category

System functions
Syntax
GetException(object)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

A Java object.

Usage

ColdFusion stores a Java exception object for each method call on a Java object. Subsequent
method calls reset the exception object. To get the current exception object, you must call
GetException on the Java object before other methods are invoked on it.
Example











Error

I got exception 


 The exception message is: #message# 





606

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

GetFileFromPath
Description

Extracts a filename from an absolute path.
Returns

Filename, as a string.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetFileFromPath(path)
See also
ExpandPath, GetCurrentTemplatePath
Parameters
Parameter

Description

path

Absolute path (drive, directory, filename, and extension)

Example
GetFileFromPath Example



The current directory is: #GetDirectoryFromPath(thisPath)#




Your file exists in this directory. You entered the correct file
name, #GetFileFromPath("#thisPath#/#yourfile#")#

Your file was not found in this directory:

Here is a list of the other files in this directory:






...

GetFileFromPath

607

GetFunctionList
Description

Displays a list of the functions that are available in ColdFusion.
Returns

A structure of functions.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetFunctionList()
Example


#StructCount(fList)# functions




#key#




608

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

GetGatewayHelper
Description

Gets a Java GatewayHelper object that provides methods and properties for use with a
ColdFusion event gateway.
Returns

A Java GatewayHelper object.
Category

Extensibility functions
Function syntax
GetGatewayHelper(gatewayID)
See also
SendGatewayMessage
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

gatewayID

Identifier of the gateway that provides the GatewayHelper object. Must be the
Gateway ID of one of the ColdFusion event gateway instances configured on the
ColdFusion MX Administrator Event Gateways section’s Gateways page.

Usage

The ColdFusion GetGatewayHelper function returns a Java GatewayHelper object that provides
event gateway-specific helper methods and properties. To use this function, the event gateway
must provide access to a class that implements the GatewayHelper class. For example, an instant
messaging event gateway might make buddy-list management functions available in a
GatewayHelper object.
An event gateway listener CFC can get the gatewayID value from the CFEvent structure of the
incoming message.
You access the GatewayHelper object’s methods and properties using standard ColdFusion Java
object access techniques. For more information, see “The role of the GatewayHelper object” in
Chapter 42, “Using Event Gateways,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

GetGatewayHelper

609

Example

If an event gateway’s helper class includes an addBuddy method that takes a single String
parameter, you could use the following code to get the GatewayHelper object and add a buddy to
the buddies list:
GetGatewayHelper Example

myHelper = getGatewayHelper(myGatewayID);
status = myHelper.addBuddy(“jsmith”);


610

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

GetHttpRequestData
Description

Makes HTTP request headers and body available to CFML pages. Useful for capturing SOAP
request data, which can be delivered in an HTTP header.
Returns

A ColdFusion structure.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetHttpRequestData()
Returns

The function returns a structure containing the following entries:
Parameter

Description

content

Raw content from form submitted by client, in string or binary format. For content to
be considered string data, the FORM request header "CONTENT_TYPE" must
start with "text/" or be special case "application/x-www-form-urlencoded". Other
types are stored as a binary object.

headers

Structure that contains HTTP request headers as value pairs. Includes custom
headers, such as SOAP requests.

method

String that contains the CGI variable Request_Method.

protocol

String that contains the Server_Protocol CGI variable.

Usage

To determine whether data is binary, use IsBinary(x.content). To convert data to a string
value, if it can be displayed as a string, use ToString(x.content).
Example

The following example shows how this function can return HTTP header information.





GetHttpRequestData

611



HTTP Request item
Value  

#http_item#
#StructFind(x.headers, http_item)#


request_method
#x.method#

server_protocol
#x.protocol#

http_content --- #x.content#


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

GetHttpTimeString
Description

Gets the current time, in the Universal Time code (UTC).
Returns

The time, as a string, according to the HTTP standard described in RFC 1123 and its underlying
RFC, 822. This format is commonly used in Internet protocols, including HTTP.
Category

Date and time functions, International functions
Function syntax
GetHttpTimeString(date_time_object)
See also
GetLocale, GetTimeZoneInfo, SetLocale
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date_time_object

A ColdFusion date-time object string or Java Date object

Usage

The time in the returned string is UTC, consistent with the HTTP standard.
Example

#GetHttpTimeString(now())#


GetHttpTimeString

613

GetK2ServerDocCount
Description

This function is deprecated.
Returns

The number of collection metadata items stored in Verity collections.
Category

Full-text search functions, Query functions
Function syntax
GetK2ServerDocCount()
See also
GetK2ServerDocCountLimit
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Deprecated this function. It might not work, and it might cause an error, in
later releases.
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Example
GetK2ServerDocCount =
$*#GetK2ServerDocCount()#*$

614

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

GetK2ServerDocCountLimit
Description

This function is deprecated.
Returns

Number of collection metadata items that the K2 server permits, as an integer
Category

Full-text search functions, Query functions
Function syntax
GetK2ServerDocCountLimit()
See also
GetK2ServerDocCount
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Deprecated this function. It might not work, and it might cause an error, in
later releases.
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Usage

If a search generates a larger number of documents than the limit, ColdFusion puts a warning
message in the Administrator and in the log file.
Example
GetK2ServerDocCountLimit =
$*#GetK2ServerDocCountLimit()#*$

GetK2ServerDocCountLimit

615

GetLocale
Description

Gets the current ColdFusion MX geographic/language locale value.
To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values in a ColdFusion
application session, you use the SetLocale function.
Returns

The current locale value, as an English string. If a locale has a Java name and a name that
ColdFusion MX used prior to the ColdFusion MX 7 release (for example, en_US and English
(US)), ColdFusion MX returns the ColdFusion name (for example, English (US)).
Category

Display and formatting functions, International functions, System functions
Function syntax
GetLocale()
See also
GetLocaleDisplayName, SetLocale
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added support for all Java locales and locale names.
ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior to that described in usage.
Usage

This function returns the locale name as it is represented in ColdFusion MX; for example,
Portuguese (Brazilian), or ca_ES. To get a locale name in the language of the locale, use the
GetLocaleDisplayName function, which returns português (Brasil) and català (Espanya).
This function determines whether a locale value is set for ColdFusion MX. (The value is set with
the SetLocale function.)

• If the ColdFusion MX locale value is present, the function returns it.
• If the ColdFusion MX locale has not been explicitly set, ColdFusion now determines whether
the default locale of the ColdFusion server computer operating system is among the locale
values it supports. (The default locale is stored in the user environment variables user.language
and user.region.)
If the default locale value is not supported, the function returns English (US). ColdFusion sets
the locale in the JVM to this value; it persists until the server is restarted or it is reset with the
SetLocale function.
This function does not access a web browser’s Accept-Language HTTP header setting.
Note: When ColdFusion is started, it stores the supported locale values in the variable
Server.ColdFusion.SupportedLocales. ColdFusion MX supports the locales supported by its Java
runtime environment. The SupportedLocales value lists the Java names for the supported locales
and the corresponding names that ColdFusion MX used prior to the ColdFusion MX 7 release.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

For more information, see “Locales” in Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized Applications,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example
Example: Using SetLocale and GetLocale


Initial locale's ColdFusion name: #GetLocale()#





Changing locale to #form.mylocale#






New locale: #GetLocale()#




Please select the new locale:













GetLocale

617

GetLocaleDisplayName
Description

Gets a locale value and displays the name in a manner that is appropriate to a specific locale. By
default, gets the current locale in the current locale’s language.
Returns

The localized display name of the locale, in the language of the specified locale.
Category

Display and formatting functions, International functions, System functions
Function syntax
GetLocaleDisplayName([locale[, inLocale]])
See also
GetLocale, SetLocale
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

locale

The locale whose name you want. The default is the current ColdFusion locale, or if
no ColdFusion locale has been set, the JVM locale.

inlocale

The locale in which to return the name. The default is the current ColdFusion locale,
or if no ColdFusion locale has been set, the JVM locale.

Example

The following example expands on the GetLocale example to show the use of the
GetLocaleDisplayName function to display locale names in the current locale and in other
locales. It lets you select a locale from all supported locales, changes the ColdFusion MX locale to
the selected locales, and displays the old and new locale names.


Displaying locales


Example: Changing and Displaying Locales


Initial locale's ColdFusion name: #GetLocale()#

Initial locale's display name: #GetLocaleDisplayName()#





Changing locale to #form.mylocale#


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions







New locale's ColdFusion name: #newlocale#

New locale's display name in current locale: #GetLocaleDisplayName()#

New locale's display name in old locale:
#GetLocaleDisplayName(newlocale, oldlocale)#

New locale's display name in en_US:
#GetLocaleDisplayName(newlocale, "en_US")#



Old locale's display name in current locale:
#GetLocaleDisplayName(oldlocale)#

Old locale's display name in en_US:
#GetLocaleDisplayName(oldlocale, "en_US")#




Please select the new locale:
















GetLocaleDisplayName

619

GetMetaData
Description

Gets metadata (such as the methods, properties, and parameters of a component) associated with
an object that is deployed on the ColdFusion server.
Returns

Structured metadata information: for ColdFusion components (CFCs) and user defined
functions (UDFs), a structure; for query objects, an array of structures.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetMetaData(object)
See also
CreateObject, QueryAddColumn, QueryNew
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added support for getting query object metadata.
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

A ColdFusion component, user-defined function, or query object.
Within a CFC, the parameter can also specify the This scope.

Usage

This function provides information about application data, and lets applications dynamically
determine the structure of an object and how to use it. This function is useful for CFCs and
query objects. The metadata for a CFC includes information on the component and its
functions, arguments, and properties. The getMetaData function also returns metadata for userdefined functions that not part of CFCs.

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The following table lists the data returned by the function for supported object types:
Object

Field

Component

Description
A structure containing the following fields:

displayname

Value of the cfcomponent tag displayname attribute, if any.

extends

Metadata for the component’s ancestor component.
Components that do not explicitly extend another component
extend the WEB-INF.cftags.component.

functions

Array of metadata structures for the component’s functions.

hint

Value of the cfcomponent tag displayname attribute, if any.

name

Component name, including the period-delimited path from a
component search root such as the web root or a directory
specified in the administrator Custom Tag Paths page.

output

Value of the cfcomponent tag output attribute, if any

path

Absolute path to the component.

properties

Array of structures containing metadata specified by the
component’s cfproperty tags, if any.

type

Always, component.

userMetadata

User-specified attributes in the cfcomponent tag

Function

A structure containing the following fields.
access

Value of the cffunction tag access attribute, if any.

displayname

Value of the cffunction tag displayname attribute, if any.

hint

Value of the cffunction tag hint attribute, if any.

name

Function name.

output

Value of the cffunction tag output attribute, if any.

parameters

Array of structures containing metadata for the function
parameters.

returntype

Value of the cffunction tag returntype attribute, if any.

roles

Value of the cffunction tag output attribute, if any.

userMetadata

User-specified attributes in the cffunction tag.

GetMetaData

621

Object

Field

Parameter or Property

Description
A structure containing the following fields:

default

Value of the cfargument or cfproperty tag default attribute, if
any.

displayname

Value of the cfargument or cfproperty tag displayname
attribute, if any.

hint

Value of the cfargument or cfproperty tag hint attribute, if
any.

name

Function parameter or CFC propery name.

required

Value of the cfargument or cfproperty tag required attribute, if
any.

type

Value of the cfargument or cfproperty tag type attribute, if
any.

userMetadata

User-specified attributes in the argument tag.

Query

An array of structures containing the following elements:
IsCaseSensitive

Boolean value indicating whether character data must be case
correct.

Name

The column name.

TypeName

The SQL data type (Omitted if the query object is created with
QueryNew without specifying types.)

Note: Use the This scope to access component metadata inside the CFC. The This scope is available
at runtime in the component body and in the CFC methods. It is used to read and write variables that
are present during the life of the component.

For more information, see “Using introspection to get information about components” in
Chapter 10, “Building and Using ColdFusion Components,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide.
Example

The following example uses the cfdump tag to display metadata for the utilities CFC that is used
by the ColdFusion component browser. It also displays the names and data types of the fields in
the cfdocexamples database Employees table.


componentutils = createObject("component", "cfide.componentutils.utils");
utilmetadata = getMetaData(componentutils);

Metadata for the CFC component utilities



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SELECT
*
FROM
Employees


The Employees table has the following columns


#employeemeta[i].name# #employeemeta[i].TypeName#
#employeemeta[i].isCaseSensitive#




GetMetaData

623

GetMetricData
Description

Gets server performance metrics.
Returns

ColdFusion structure that contains metric data, depending on the mode value.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetMetricData(mode)
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated the cachepops parameter. It might not work, and it might cause an
error, in later releases.
Parameters
Parameter Option

Description

mode

perf_monitor

Returns internal data, in a structure.
To receive data, you must enable PerfMonitor in ColdFusion
Administrator before executing the function.
On Windows, this data is otherwise displayed in the Windows
PerfMonitor.

simple_load

Returns an integer value that is computed from the state of the
server's internal queues. Indicates the overall server load.

prev_req_time

Returns the time, in milliseconds, that it took the server to process the
previous request.

avg_req_time

Returns the average time, in milliseconds, that it takes the server to
process a request.
Changing the setting to 0 prevents the server from calculating the
average and removes overhead associated with gathering data.
The default value is 120 seconds.

Usage

If mode = "perf_monitor", the function returns a structure with these data fields:

624

Field

Description

InstanceName

The name of the ColdFusion server. The default value is cfserver.

PageHits

Number of HTTP requests received since ColdFusion MX was started.

ReqQueued

Number of HTTP requests in the staging queue, waiting for processing.

DBHits

Number of database requests since the server was started.

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Field

Description

ReqRunning

Number of HTTP requests currently running.
In the ColdFusion Administrator, you can set the maximum number of requests
that run concurrently.

ReqTimedOut

Number of HTTP requests that timed out while in the staging queue or during
processing.

BytesIn

Number of bytes in HTTP requests to ColdFusion MX.

BytesOut

Number of bytes in HTTP responses from ColdFusion MX.

AvgQueueTime

For the last two HTTP requests (current and previous), the average length of time
the request waited in the staging queue.

AvgReqTime

For the last two HTTP requests (current and previous), the average length of time
the server required to process the request

AvgDBTime

For the last two HTTP requests (current and previous), the average length of time
the server took to process CFQueries in the request.

cachepops

This parameter is deprecated. ColdFusion automatically sets its value to -1.

Example



Current PerfMonitor data is: 
InstanceName:#pmData.InstanceName# 

PageHits:#pmData.PageHits# 

ReqQueued: #pmData.ReqQueued# 

DBHits: #pmData.DBHits# 

ReqRunning: #pmData.ReqRunning# 

ReqTimedOut: #pmData.ReqTimedOut# 

BytesIn: #pmData.BytesIn# 

BytesOut: #pmData.BytesOut# 

AvgQueueTime: #pmData.AvgQueueTime# 

AvgReqTime: #pmData.AvgReqTime# 

AvgDBTime: #pmData.AvgDBTime# 



GetMetricData

625

GetPageContext
Description

Gets the current ColdFusion MX PageContext object that provides access to page attributes and
configuration, request, and response objects.
Returns

The current ColdFusion MX Java PageContext Java object.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetPageContext()
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Usage

The ColdFusion MX PageContext class is a wrapper class for the Java PageContext object that
can resolve scopes and perform case-insensitive variable lookups.
The PageContext object exposes fields and methods that can be useful in J2EE integration. It
includes the include and forward methods that provide the equivalent of the corresponding
standard JSP tags. You use these methods to call JSP pages and servlets. For example, you use the
following code in CFScript to include the JSP page hello.jsp and pass it a name parameter:
GetPageContext().include("hello.jsp?name=Bobby"); ===

When you use GetPageContext to include a JSP page in a CFML page on WebLogic, you may
need to flush the output of the CFML page with cfflush before calling the JSP page. Otherwise,
the ColdFusion output appears after the JSP output.
For more information, see your Java Server Pages (JSP) documentation.
Example



name: #variables.name#

Language of the current locale is
#pc.getRequest().getLocale().getDisplayLanguage()#>.

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GetProfileSections
Description

Gets all the sections of an initialization file.
An initialization file assigns values to configuration variables, also known as entries, that are set
when the system boots, the operating system comes up, or an application starts. An initialization
file has the suffix INI; for example, boot.ini, Win32.ini.
Returns

An initialization file, as a struct whose format is as follows:

• Each initialization file section name is a key in the struct
• Each list of entries in a section of an initialization file is a value in the struct
If there is no value, returns an empty string.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetProfileSections(iniFile)
See also
GetProfileString, SetProfileString
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter Description
iniFile

Absolute path (drive, directory, filename, extension) of initialization file; for example,
C:\boot.ini

GetProfileSections

627

GetProfileString
Description

Gets an initialization file entry.
An initialization file assigns values to configuration variables, also known as entries, that are set
when the system boots, the operating system comes up, or an application starts. An initialization
file has the suffix INI; for example, boot.ini, Win32.ini.
Returns

An entry in an initialization file, as a string. If there is no value, returns an empty string.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetProfileString(iniPath, section, entry)
See also
GetProfileSections, GetProfileString, SetProfileString
Parameters
Parameter Description
iniPath

Absolute path (drive, directory, filename, extension) of initialization file; for example,
C:\boot.ini

section

Section of initialization file from which to extract information

entry

Name of value to get

Example
GetProfileString Example
Uses GetProfileString to get the value of timeout in an initialization file.
Enter
the full path of your initialization file, and submit the form.





Boot Loader

Timeout is set to: #timeout#.




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Full Path of Init File








GetProfileString

629

GetSOAPRequest
Description

Returns an XML object that contains the entire SOAP request. Usually called from within a web
service CFC.
Returns

An XML object that contains the entire SOAP request.
Category

XML functions
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Function syntax
GetSOAPRequest()
See also
AddSOAPRequestHeader, AddSOAPResponseHeader, GetSOAPRequestHeader,
GetSOAPResponse, GetSOAPResponseHeader, IsSOAPRequest;

“Basic web service concepts” in
Chapter 36, “Using Web Services,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

webservice

Optional. A webservice object as returned from the cfobject tag or the
CreateObject function.
Required if the function is called from the client.

Usage

Call this function to obtain a web service request object after the web service has been invoked. If
you call this function from outside a web service CFC without the webservice parameter, it
throws the following expression error:
Unable to use getSOAPRequest: not processing a web service request.

If you call this function from within a web service CFC, you can omit the webservice argument.
The function executes against the request that it is currently processing.
You can use CFML XML functions to examine the returned XML object.
Example

This example makes a request to execute the echo_me function of the headerservice.cfc web
service. For information on implementing the headerservice.cfc web service and also to see the
echo_me function and the content of the web service CFC, see the example for either the
AddSOAPResponseHeader function or the GetSOAPRequestHeader function.


ws = CreateObject("webservice",
"http://localhost/soapheaders/headerservice.cfc?WSDL");
ws.echo_me("hello world");
req = getSOAPRequest(ws);



GetSOAPRequest

631

GetSOAPRequestHeader
Description

Obtains a SOAP request header. Call only from within a CFC web service function that is
processing a request as a SOAP web service.
Returns

A SOAP request header.
Category

XML functions
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Function syntax
GetSOAPRequestHeader(namespace, name [, asXML])
See also
AddSOAPRequestHeader, AddSOAPResponseHeader, GetSOAPRequest, GetSOAPResponse,
GetSOAPResponseHeader, IsSOAPRequest;

“Basic web service concepts” in Chapter 36, “Using
Web Services,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

namespace

A String that is the namespace for the header.

name

A String that is the name of the header.

asXML

If True, the header is returned as a CFML XML object; if False (default), the header
is returned as a Java object.

Usage

If you specify False for the asXML parameter, ColdFusion first attempts to retrieve the header
using the data type specified in the header’s xsi:type attribute. If the xsi:type attribute is not
available, ColdFusion attempts to retrieve the header as a string. If you specify True for the asXML
parameter, ColdFusion retrieves the header as raw XML.
This function throws an error if it is invoked in a context that is not a web service request. Use the
function to determine whether the CFC is running as a web service.

IsSOAPRequest
Example

This example creates a CFC web service that illustrates the operation of the
GetSOAPRequestHeader function and also provides a web service that illustrates the operation of
other ColdFusion SOAP functions.
Save the following code as headerservice.cfc in a folder called soapheaders under your web root.
Test its operation, and specifically the operation of the GetSOAPRequestHeader function, by
executing the examples that invoke this web service. For example, see the example for
AddSOAPRequestHeader.

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GetSOAPRequestHeader Example









 as XML: " & xmlusername>




 as XML: " & xmlpassword>
















GetSOAPRequestHeader

633

GetSOAPResponse
Description

Returns an XML object that contains the entire SOAP response after invoking a web service.
Returns

An XML object that contains the entire SOAP response.
Category

XML functions
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Function syntax
GetSOAPResponse(webservice)
See also
AddSOAPRequestHeader, AddSOAPResponseHeader, GetSOAPRequest,
GetSOAPRequestHeader, GetSOAPResponseHeader, IsSOAPRequest;

“Basic web service
concepts” in Chapter 36, “Using Web Services,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

webservice

A webservice object as returned from the cfobject tag or the CreateObject function.

Usage

You must first invoke the web service before attempting to get the response. You can use CFML
XML functions to examine the XML response.
Example

This example makes a request to execute the echo_me function of the headerservice.cfc web
service. Following the request, the example calls the GetSOAPResponse function to get the SOAP
response, and then calls cfdump to display its content.
for information on implementing the headerservice.cfc web service and also to see the echo_me
function and the content of the web service CFC, see the example for either the
AddSOAPResponseHeader function or the GetSOAPRequestHeader function.


ws = CreateObject("webservice",
"http://localhost/soapheaders/headerservice.cfc?WSDL");
ws.echo_me("hello world");
resp = getSOAPResponse(ws);



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GetSOAPResponseHeader
Description

Returns a SOAP response header. Call this function from within code that is invoking a web
service after making a web service request.
Returns

A SOAP response header.
Category

XML functions
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Function syntax
GetSOAPResponseHeader(webservice, namespace, name [, asXML])
See also
AddSOAPRequestHeader, AddSOAPResponseHeader, GetSOAPRequest,
GetSOAPRequestHeader, GetSOAPResponse, IsSOAPRequest;

“Basic web service concepts” in
Chapter 36, “Using Web Services,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

webservice

A webservice object as returned from the cfobject tag or the CreateObject
function.

namespace

A String that is the namespace for the header.

name

A String that is the name of the SOAP header.

asXML

If True, the header is returned as a CFML XML object. If False (default), the header
is returned as a Java object.

Usage

If you specify false for the asXML parameter, ColdFusion first attempts to retrieve the header using
the data type specified in the header’s xsi:type attribute. If the xsi:type attribute is not
available, ColdFusion attempts to retrieve the header as a string. If you specify True for the asXML
parameter, ColdFusion retrieves the header as raw XML.
Used within CFML code by a consumer of a web service after it calls the web service with
cfinvoke.
Example

There are two parts to this example. The first part is the web service CFC that this function (as
well as the other ColdFusion SOAP functions) uses to demonstrate its interaction with a web
service. To implement the web service for this function, see the example for either the
AddSOAPResponseHeader function or the GetSOAPRequestHeader function.

GetSOAPResponseHeader

635

Execute the following example to see how the GetSOAPResponseHeader function operates:

GetSOAPResponseHeader Example

// Create the web service object
ws = CreateObject("webservice", "http://localhost/soapheaders/
headerservice.cfc?WSDL");
// Set the username header as a string
addSOAPRequestHeader(ws, "http://mynamespace/", "username", "tom", false);
// Set the password header as a CFML XML object
doc = XmlNew();
doc.password = XmlElemNew(doc, "http://mynamespace/", "password");
doc.password.XmlText = "My Voice is my Password";
doc.password.XmlAttributes["xsi:type"] = "xsd:string";
addSOAPRequestHeader(ws, "ignoredNameSpace", "ignoredName", doc);
// Invoke the web service operation
ret = ws.echo_me("argument");
// Get the first header as an object (string) and as XML
header = getSOAPResponseHeader(ws, "http://www.tomj.org/myns",
"returnheader");
XMLheader = getSOAPResponseHeader(ws, "http://www.tomj.org/myns",
"returnheader", true);
// Get the second header as an object (string) and as XML
header2 = getSOAPResponseHeader(ws, "http://www.tomj.org/myns",
"returnheader2");
XMLheader2 = getSOAPResponseHeader(ws, "http://www.tomj.org/myns",
"returnheader2", true);



Soap Header value: #HTMLCodeFormat(header)#

Soap Header XML value: #HTMLCodeFormat(XMLheader)#

Soap Header 2 value: #HTMLCodeFormat(header2)#

Soap Header 2 XML value: #HTMLCodeFormat(XMLheader2)#

Return value: #HTMLCodeFormat(ret)#





Cfinvoke returned: #ret#

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GetTempDirectory
Description

Gets the path of the directory that ColdFusion uses for temporary files. The directory depends on
the account under which ColdFusion is running and other factors. Before using this function in
an application, test to determine the directory it returns under your account.
Returns

The absolute pathname of a directory, including a trailing slash, as a string.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetTempDirectory()
See also
GetTempFile
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: on Windows, this function now returns the temporary
directory of the embedded Java application server. On other platforms, it returns the temporary
directory of the operating system.
Example
GetTempDirectory Example
The temporary directory for this ColdFusion server is
#GetTempDirectory()#.
We have created a temporary file called:
#GetTempFile(GetTempDirectory(),"testFile")#

GetTempDirectory

637

GetTempFile
Description

Creates a temporary file in a directory whose name starts with (at most) the first three characters
of prefix.
Returns

Name of a temporary file, as a string.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
GetTempFile(dir, prefix)
See also
GetTempDirectory
Parameters
Parameter

Description

dir

Directory name

prefix

Prefix of a temporary file to create in the dir directory

Example
GetTempFile Example
The temporary directory for this ColdFusion Server is
#GetTempDirectory()#.
We have created a temporary file called:
#GetTempFile(GetTempDirectory(),"testFile")#

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GetTemplatePath
Description

This function is deprecated. Use the GetBaseTemplatePath function instead.
Gets the absolute path of an application’s base page.
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated this function. It might not work, and it might cause an error, in
later releases.

GetTemplatePath

639

GetTickCount
Description

Returns the current value of an internal millisecond timer.
Returns

A string representation of the system time, in milliseconds.
Category

Date and time functions, System functions
Function syntax
GetTickCount()
Usage

This function is useful for timing CFML code segments or other page processing elements. The
value of the counter has no meaning. To generate useful timing values, take the difference
between the results of two GetTickCount calls.
Example








Loop time (#iterationCount# iterations) was: #loopTime#
milliseconds

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GetTimeZoneInfo
Description

Gets local time zone information for the computer on which it is called, relative to Universal
Time Coordinated (UTC). UTC is the mean solar time of the meridian of Greenwich, England,
used as the basis for calculating standard time throughout the world.
ColdFusion stores date and time values as date-time objects: real numbers on a universal time
line. It converts an object to a time zone when it formats an object; it converts a date/time value
from a time zone to a real number when it parses a value.
Returns

Structure that contains these elements and keys:

• utcTotalOffset: offset of local time, in seconds, from UTC
■

A plus sign indicates a time zone west of UTC (such as a zone in North America)

■

A minus sign indicates a time zone east of UTC (such as a zone in Germany)

• utcHourOffset: offset, in hours of local time, from UTC
• utcMinuteOffset: offset, in minutes, beyond the hours offset. For North America, this is 0. For
countries that are not exactly on the hour offset, the number is between 0 and 60. For example,
standard time in Adelaide, Australia is offset 9 hours and 30 minutes from UTC.

• isDSTOn: True, if Daylight Savings Time (DST) is on in the host; False, otherwise
Category

Date and time functions, International functions
Function syntax
GetTimeZoneInfo()
See also
DateConvert, CreateDateTime, DatePart
Example
GetTimeZoneInfo Example


The local date and time are #now()#.



Total offset in seconds is #info.utcTotalOffset#.
Offset in hours is #info.utcHourOffset#.
Offset in minutes minus the offset in hours is
#info.utcMinuteOffset#.
Is Daylight Savings Time in effect? #info.isDSTOn#.


GetTimeZoneInfo

641

GetToken
Description

Determines whether a token of the list in the delimiters parameter is present in a string.
Returns

The token found at position index of the string, as a string. If index is greater than the number of
tokens in the string, returns an empty string.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
GetToken(string, index [, delimiters ])
See also
Left, Right, Mid, SpanExcluding, SpanIncluding
Parameters
Parameter Description
string

A string or a variable that contains one. String in which to search.

index

Positive integer or a variable that contains one. The position of a token.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. A delimited list of delimiters. Elements may
consist of multiple characters.
Default list of delimiters: space character, tab character, newline character; or their
codes: "chr(32)", "chr(9)", chr(10).
Default list delimiter: comma character.

Usage

The following examples show how this function works.
Example A: Consider the following code:
GetToken("red,blue:;red,black,tan:;red,pink,brown:;red,three", 2, ":;")

This function call requests element number 2 from the string, using the delimiter ":;". The
output is as follows:
red,black,tan

Example B: Consider the following code:


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions


#mystring#




The output is as follows:
four,
,five, nine,zero:;
nine,ten:, eleven:;twelve:;thirteen,
,four

The GetToken function recognizes explicit spaces, tabs, or newline characters as the parameter
delimiters (To specify a space character, the code is chr(32); a tab character, chr(9); and a
newline character, chr(10).)
In the example string mystring, there is:

•
•
•
•

A forced space between the substrings "four," and ",five"
A literal space between "five," and "nine"
A literal space between "ten:," and "eleven,"
A forced space between "thirteen," and ",four"

In the following call against mystring, no spaces are specified in delimiters (it is omitted), so
the function uses the space character as the string delimiter:



GetToken(mystring, 3) is : #GetToken(mystring, 3)#



The output of this code is as follows:
GetToken(mystring, 3) is : nine,zero:;

The function finds the third delimiter, and returns the substring just before it that is between the
second and third delimiter. This substring is "nine,zero:;".
Example C: Consider the following code:


#mystring2#



The output is as follows:
four,
,five,nine,zero:;
nine,ten:,eleven:;twelve:;thirteen,
,four

GetToken

643

The following is a call against mystring2:

GetToken(mystring2, 2) is : #GetToken(mystring2, 2)#


The output is as follows:
GetToken(mystring2, 2) is : ,five,nine,zero:;

The function finds the second delimiter, and returns the substring just before it that is between
the first and second delimiter. This substring is ",five,nine,zero:;".
Example
GetToken Example










Element #FORM.ReturnElement# in #FORM.yourString#,
delimited by "#yourDelimiter#"

is:#GetToken(FORM.yourString, FORM.returnElement, yourDelimiter)#

...

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Hash
Description

Converts a variable-length string to a fixed-length string that can act as a “fingerprint” or unique
identifier for the original string. It is not possible to convert the hash result back to the source
string.
Returns

A string.
Category

Conversion functions, Security functions, String functions
Function syntax
Hash(string[, algorithm[, encoding]] )
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the algorithm and encoding parameters.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

String to hash.

algorithm

(Optional) The algorithm to use to hash the string. ColdFusion MX installs a
cryptography library with the following algorithms:
• CFMX_COMPAT: Generates a hash string identical to that generated by
ColdFusion MX and ColdFusion MX 6.1 (default).
• MD5: (Default) Generates a 32-character, hexadecimal string, using the MD5
algorithm (The algorithm used in ColdFusion MX and prior releases).
• SHA: Generates a 28-character string using the Secure Hash Standard SHA-1
algorithm specified by Nation Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
FIPS-180-2.
• SHA-256: Generates a 44-character string using the SHA-256 algorithm
specified by FIPS-180-2.
• SHA-384: Generates a 64-character string using the SHA-384 algorithm
specified by FIPS-180-2.
• SHA-512: Generates an 88-character string using the SHA-1 algorithm specified
by FIPS-180-2.
If you install a security provider with additional cryptography algorithms, you can
also specify any of its hashing algorithms.

encoding

(Optional; to use this attribute you must also specify the algorithm parameter) A
string specifying the encoding to use when converting the string to byte data used
by the hash algorithm. Must be a character encoding name recognized by the Java
runtime. The default value is the value specified by the defaultCharset entry in the
neo-runtime.xml file, which is normally UTF-8. Ignored when using the
CFMX_COMPAT algorithm.

Hash

645

Usage

The result of this function is useful for comparison and validation. For example, you can store the
hash of a password in a database without exposing the password. You can check the validity of the
password by hashing the entered password and comparing the result with the hashed password in
the database.
ColdFusion MX 7 uses the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) and installs a Sun Java 1.4.2
runtime that includes the Sun JCE default security provider. This provider includes the
algorithms listed in the Parameters section. The JCE framework includes facilities for using other
provider implementations; however, Macromedia cannot provide technical support for thirdparty security providers.
The encoding attrbute is normally not required. It provides a mechanism for generating identical
hash values on systems with different default encodings. ColdFusion uses a default encoding of
UTF-8 unless you modify the defaultCharset entry in the neo-runtime.xml file.
Example

The following example lets you enter a password and compares the hashed password with a hash
value saved in the SecureData table of the cfdocexamples database. This table has the following
three entries:
User ID

Password

12

abc

14

def

15

ghi

Hash Example




SELECT PasswordHash
FROM SecureData
WHERE UserID = 




User ID #Form.userID# or password is not valid. Try again.

Password is valid for User ID #Form.userID#.




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User ID: 


Password: 






Hash

647

Hour
Description

Gets the current hour of the day.
Returns

Ordinal value of the hour, in the range 0 - 23.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
Hour(date)
See also
DatePart, Minute, Second
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date/time value as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a number representation of a date/time object.
Example

Hour Example

The time is currently #TimeFormat(Now())#.
We are in hour #Hour(Now())#, Minute #Minute(Now())#
and Second #Second(Now())# of the day.


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HTMLCodeFormat
Description

Replaces special characters in a string with their HTML-escaped equivalents and inserts and  tags at the beginning and end of the string.
Returns

HTML-escaped string string, enclosed in  and  tags. Return characters are removed;
line feed characters are preserved. Characters with special meanings in HTML are converted to
HTML character entities such as >.
Category

Display and formatting functions
Function syntax
HTMLCodeFormat(string [, version ])
See also
HTMLEditFormat
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one.

version

HTML version to use; currently ignored.
• -1: The latest implementation of HTML
• 2.0: HTML 2.0 (Default)
• 3.2: HTML 3.2

Usage

This function converts the following characters to HTML character entities:
Text character

Encoding

<

<

>

>

&

&

“

"

This function typically increases the length of a string. This can cause unpredictable results when
performing certain string functions (Left, Right, and Mid, for example) against the expanded
string.
The only difference between this function and HTMLEditFormat is that HTMLEditFormat does
not surround the text in an HTML pre tag.

HTMLCodeFormat

649

Example



The text without processing
#testString#

Using HTMLCodeFormat
#HTMLCodeFormat(testString)#
Using HTMLEditFormat
#HTMLEditFormat(testString)#


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

HTMLEditFormat
Description

Replaces special characters in a string with their HTML-escaped equivalents.
Returns

HTML-escaped string string. Return characters are removed; line feed characters are preserved.
Characters with special meanings in HTML are converted to HTML character entities such as
>.
Category

Display and formatting functions
Function syntax
HTMLEditFormat(string [, version ])
See also
HTMLCodeFormat, cfapplication
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one.

version

HTML version to use; currently ignored.
• -1: The latest implementation of HTML
• 2.0: HTML 2.0 (Default)
• 3.2: HTML 3.2

Usage

This function converts the following characters to HTML character entities:
Text character

Encoding

<

<

>

>

&

&

“

"

This function can usefed to help protect ColdFusion pages that return user-provided data to the
client browser from cross-site scripting attacks. However, the scriptprotect attribute of the
cfapplication tag or the equivalent This.scriptProtect variable setting in Application.cfc can be
preferable in most instances, because you only need to specify it once for an application.
This function typically increases the length of a string. This can cause unpredictable results when
performing certain string functions (Left, Right, and Mid, for example) against the expanded
string.

HTMLEditFormat

651

The only difference between this function and HTMLCodeFormat is that HTMLCodeFormat
surrounds the text in an HTML pre tag.
Example



The text without processing
#testString#

Using HTMLCodeFormat
#HTMLCodeFormat(testString)#
Using HTMLEditFormat
#HTMLEditFormat(testString)#


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IIf
Description

Evaluates a Boolean conditional dynamic expression. Depending on whether the expression is
true or false, dynamically evaluates one of two string expressions and returns the result. This
function is convenient for incorporating a cfif tag in-line in HTML.
For general conditional processing, see cfif. For error handling, see cftry. For more
information, see ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Returns

If result is True, returns the value of Evaluate(string_expression1); otherwise, returns the
value of Evaluate(string_expression2).
Category

Decision functions, Dynamic evaluation functions
Function syntax
IIf(condition, string_expression1, string_expression2)
See also
DE, Evaluate
Parameters
Parameter

Description

condition

An expression that can be evaluated as a Boolean.

string_expression1

A string or a variable that contains one. Expression to evaluate and return if
condition is True.

string_expression2

A string or a variable that contains one. Expression to evaluate and return if
condition is False.

Usage

The IIf function is a shortcut for the following construct:






The expressions string_expression1 and string_expression2 must be string expressions, so that they
are not evaluated immediately as the parameters of IIf. For example:
IIf(y is 0, DE("Error"), x/y)

If y = 0, this generates an error, because the third expression is the value of x/0 (invalid
expression).
ColdFusion evaluates string_expression1 and string_expression2. To return the string itself, use the
function.

DE

IIf

653

Note: If you use number signs (#) in string_expression1 or string_expression2, ColdFusion evaluates
the part of the expression in number signs first. If you misuse the number signs, you can cause
unexpected results from the IIf function. For example, if you use number signs around the whole
expression in string_expression1, and if there is an undefined variable in string_expression1, the
function might fail, with the error 'Error Resolving Parameter,'

If a variable is undefined, ColdFusion throws an error when it processes this function. The
following example shows this problem:
#IIf(IsDefined("Form.Deliver"), DE(Form.Deliver), DE("no"))#

This returns "Error resolving parameter FORM.DELIVER".
To avoid this problem, use the DE and Evaluate functions in code such as the following:
#IIf(IsDefined("Form.Deliver"), Evaluate(DE("Form.Deliver")), DE("no"))#

This returns "no"; ColdFusion does not throw an error.
In the following example, LocalVar is undefined; however, if you omit number signs around
LocalVar, the code works properly:

#IIf(IsDefined("LocalVar"), "LocalVar",
DE("The variable is not defined."))#


The output is:
The variable is not defined.

The number signs around LocalVar in the following code cause it to fail with the error message
'Error Resolving Parameter', because ColdFusion never evaluates the original condition
IsDefined("LocalVar").
Here is another example:

#IIf(IsDefined("LocalVar"), DE("#LocalVar#"), DE("The variable is not
defined."))#


The error message would be as follows:
Error resolving parameter LOCALVAR

The DE function has no effect on the evaluation of LocalVar, because the number signs cause it to
be evaluated immediately.
Example
IIf Function Example
IIf evaluates a condition, and does an Evaluate on string
expression 1 or string expression 2 depending on the Boolean
outcome (True: run expression 1; False: run expression 2).
The result of the expression
IIf( Hour(Now()) GTE 12,
DE("It is afternoon or evening"),
DE("It is morning"))
is:


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions


#IIf( Hour(Now()) GTE 12,
DE("It is afternoon or evening"),
DE("It is morning"))#



IIf

655

IncrementValue
Description

Adds one to an integer.
Returns

The integer part of number, incremented by one.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
IncrementValue(number)
See also
DecrementValue
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Number to increment

Example
IncrementValue Example
Returns the integer part of a number incremented by one.
IncrementValue(0): #IncrementValue(0)#
IncrementValue("1"): #IncrementValue("1")#
IncrementValue(123.35): #IncrementValue(123.35)#

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

InputBaseN
Description

Converts string, using the base specified by radix, to an integer.
Returns

A number in the range 2-36, as a string.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
InputBaseN(string, radix)
See also
FormatBaseN
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String that represents a number, in the base
specified by radix.

radix

Base of the number represented by string, in the range 2—36.

Example
InputBaseN Example
FormatBaseN converts a number to a string in the base specified by Radix.



FormatBaseN(10,2): #FormatBaseN(10,2)#

FormatBaseN(1024,16): #FormatBaseN(1024,16)#

FormatBaseN(125,10): #FormatBaseN(125,10)#

FormatBaseN(10.75,2): #FormatBaseN(10.75,2)#

InputBaseN Example
InputBaseN returns the number obtained by converting a string,
using the base specified by Radix,.


InputBaseN("1010",2): #InputBaseN("1010",2)#

InputBaseN("3ff",16): #InputBaseN("3ff",16)#

InputBaseN("125",10): #InputBaseN("125",10)#

InputBaseN(1010,2): #InputBaseN(1010,2)#


InputBaseN

657

Insert
Description

Inserts a substring in a string after a specified character position. If position = 0, prefixes the
substring to the string.
Returns

A string.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Insert(substring, string, position)
See also
RemoveChars, Len
Parameters
Parameter

Description

substring

A string or a variable that contains one. String to insert.

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String into which to insert substring.

position

Integer or variable; position in string after which to insert substring.

Example
Insert Example




This string only has #Len(MyString)# characters; therefore,
you cannot insert the substring #FORM.mySubString# at position
#FORM.insertPosition#.




You inserted the substring #FORM.MySubstring# into the string
#FORM.MyString#, resulting in the following string:

#Insert(FORM.MySubString, FORM.myString,
FORM.insertposition)#



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Int
Description

Calculates the closest integer that is smaller than number. For example, it returns 3 for Int(3.3)
and for Int(3.7); it returns -4 for Int(-3.3) and for Int(-3.7).
Returns

An integer, as a string.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Int(number)
See also
Ceiling, Fix, Round
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Real number to round down to an integer.

Example
Int Example
Int returns the closest integer smaller than a number.
Int(11.7) : #Int(11.7)#
Int(-11.7) : #Int(-11.7)#
Int(0) : #Int(0)#

Int

659

IsArray
Description

Determines whether a value is an array.
Returns

True, if value is an array, or a query column object.
Category

Array functions, Decision functions
Function syntax
IsArray(value [, number ])
See also

Array functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed behavior: if the value parameter contains a reference to a query result column, this
function now returns True. For example: isArray(MyQuery[’Column1’]) returns True. (In
earlier releases, it returns False.)

• Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

Variable or array name

number

Dimension; function tests whether the array has exactly this dimension

Usage

Use this function to determine whether a value is an array or query column. This function
evaluates a Java array object, such as a vector object, as having one dimension.
Example
IsArray Example








Is this an array? #IsArray(MyNewArray)#
It has #ArrayLen(MyNewArray)# elements.
Contents: #ArrayToList(MyNewArray)#


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IsAuthenticated
Description

This function is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 453
and Chapter 16, “Securing Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
History

ColdFusion MX: This function is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later
ColdFusion releases.

IsAuthenticated

661

IsAuthorized
Description

This function is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 453
and Chapter 16, “Securing Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: This function is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later
releases.

662

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IsBinary
Description

Determines whether a value is stored as binary data.
Returns

True, if the value is binary; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions
Function syntax
IsBinary(value)
See also
ToBinary, ToBase64, IsNumeric, YesNoFormat
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

Number or string

Example






The following string is the concatenation of all characters (32 to 255) from
the ASCII table.


#htmleditformat(charData)#









The binaryData variable is binary!





The another64 variable is NOT binary!




Base 64 representation of binary data is identical to the Base 64
representation of string data.

IsBinary

663


Conversion error.


664

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IsBoolean
Description

Determines whether a value can be converted to Boolean
Returns

True, if the parameter can be converted to Boolean; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions
Function syntax
IsBoolean(value)
See also
IsNumeric, IsValid, YesNoFormat
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

Number or string

Example
IsBoolean Example


The expression #DE(FORM.theTestValue)# is
Boolean

The expression #DE(FORM.theTestValue)# is not
Boolean



Enter an expression, and discover whether it can be evaluated to a
Boolean value.




IsBoolean

665

IsCustomFunction
Description

Determines whether a name represents a custom function.
Returns

True, if name can be called as a custom function; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions
Function syntax
IsCustomFunction(name)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Name of a custom function. Must not be in quotation marks. If not a defined variable
or function name, ColdFusion generates an error.

Usage

The IsCustomFunction function returns True for any function that can be called as a custom
function, including functions defined using CFScript function declarations and cffunction
tags, and functions that are ColdFusion component methods. For CFC methods, you must first
instantiate the component.
Note: To prevent undefined variable exceptions, always precede IsCustomFunction with an
IsDefined test, as shown in the example.
Example
IsCustomFunction Example

function realUDF() {
return 1;
}




Foo is a UDF.




X is a UDF.




realUDF is a function.



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions




myTestCFCobject.testFunc is a function.


IsCustomFunction

667

IsDate
Description

Determines whether a string or Java object can be converted to a date/time value.
Returns

True, if string can be converted to a date/time value; False, otherwise. ColdFusion converts the
Boolean return value to its string equivalent, "Yes" or "No."
Category

Date and time functions, Decision functions
Function syntax
IsDate(string)
See also
CreateDateTime, IsNumericDate, IsValid, LSDateFormat, LSIsDate, ParseDateTime
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one.

Usage

This function checks against U.S. date formats only. For other date support, see LSDateFormat.
A date/time object falls in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.
Example
IsDate Example


The string #DE(FORM.theTestValue)#
is a valid date

The string #DE(FORM.theTestValue)#
is not a valid date



Enter a string, find whether it can be evaluated to a date value.




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IsDebugMode
Description

Determines whether debugging output is enabled.
Returns

True, if debugging mode is set in the ColdFusion Administrator; False if debugging mode is
disabled.
Category

Decision functions
Function syntax
IsDebugMode()
See also
cfsetting
Description

If debugging output is enabled in ColdFusion Administrator and has not been overridden by
setting the cfsetting tag showDebugOutput attribute to No, the IsDebugMode function returns
Yes; No, otherwise.
Example
IsDebugMode Example

Debugging is set in the ColdFusion Administrator

Debugging is disabled


IsDebugMode

669

IsDefined
Description

Evaluates a string value to determine whether the variable named in it exists.
This function is an alternative to the ParameterExists function, which is deprecated.
Returns

True, if the variable is found, or, for a structure, if the specified key is defined; False, otherwise.
The return value is False for an array or structure element referenced using bracket notation. For
example, IsDefined("myArray[3]") always returns False, even if the array element myArray[3]
has a value.
Category

Decision functions
Function syntax
IsDefined("variable_name")
See also
Evaluate
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can process only the following constructs:

• A simple variable
• A named variable with dot notation
• A named structure with dot notation (for example: mystruct.key)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

variable_name

String, enclosed in quotation marks. Name of variable to test for.

Usage

When working with scopes that ColdFusion exposes as structures, the StructKeyExists
function can sometimes replace this function. The following lines are equivalent:
if(isDefined("form.myVariable"))
if(structKeyExists(form,"myVariable"))
Example

The variable form.myString has been defined, so show its contents.
This construction allows us to place a form and its resulting action code
on the same page and use IsDefined to control the flow of execution.
The value of "form.myString" is 
#form.myString#


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

During the first time through this template, the variable "form.myString"
has not yet been defined, so we do not try to evaluate it.






IsDefined

671

IsK2ServerABroker
Description

This function is deprecated.
Returns

True, if K2Broker is in configured with ColdFusion; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions, Full-text search functions, Query functions
Function syntax
IsK2ServerABroker()
See also
GetK2ServerDocCountLimit, IsK2ServerDocCountExceeded, IsK2ServerOnline
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Deprecated this function. It might not work, and it might cause an error, in
later releases.
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Example
IsK2ServerABroker =
$*#IsK2ServerABroker()#*$

672

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IsK2ServerDocCountExceeded
Description

This function is deprecated.
Returns

True, if the document count limit is exceeded; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions, Full-text search functions, Query functions
Function syntax
IsK2ServerDocCountExceeded()
See also
GetK2ServerDocCountLimit, IsK2ServerABroker
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Deprecated this function. It might not work, and it might cause an error, in
later releases.
ColdFusion 5: Added this function.
Example
IsK2ServerDocCountExceeded =
$*#IsK2ServerDocCountExceeded()#*$

IsK2ServerDocCountExceeded

673

IsK2ServerOnline
Description

This function is deprecated because the K2Server is always running when ColdFusion is running.
Returns

True, if the K2Server is available to perform a search; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions, Full-text search functions, Query functions
Function syntax
IsK2ServerOnline()
See also
IsK2ServerABroker
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Deprecated this function. It might not work, and it might cause an error, in
later releases.
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Example
IsK2ServerOnline =
$*#IsK2ServerOnline()#*$

674

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IsLeapYear
Description

Determines whether a year is a leap year.
Returns

True, if year is a leap year; False, otherwise.
Category

Date and time functions, Decision functions
Function syntax
IsLeapYear(year)
See also
DaysInYear
Parameters
Parameter

Description

year

Number representing a year

Example
IsLeapYear Example


The year value #DE(FORM.theTestValue)# is a Leap
Year

The year value #DE(FORM.theTestValue)# is not a
Leap Year



Enter a year value, and find out whether it is a Leap Year.




IsLeapYear

675

IsNumeric
Description

Determines whether a string can be converted to a numeric value. Supports numbers in U.S.
number format. For other number support, use LSIsNumeric.
Returns

True, if string can be converted to a number; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions
Function syntax
IsNumeric(string)
See also
IsBinary, IsValid
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one.

Example
IsNumeric Example


The string #DE(FORM.theTestValue)# can be
converted to a number

The string #DE(FORM.theTestValue)# cannot be
converted to a number



Enter a string, and find out whether it can be evaluated to a numeric value.




676

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IsNumericDate
Description

Evaluates whether a real number is a valid representation of a date (date/time object).
Returns

True, if the parameter represents a valid date/time object; False, otherwise.
Category

Date and time functions, Decision functions
Function syntax
IsNumericDate(number)
See also
IsDate, ParseDateTime
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

A real number

Usage

ColdFusion, by default, evaluates any input parameter and attempts to convert it to a real number
before it passes the parameter to the IsNumericDate function. As a result, parameter values such
as 12/12/03 and {ts '2003-01-14 10:04:13'} return True, because ColdFusion converts valid date
string formats to date/time objects, which are real numbers.
Example
IsNumericDate Example





The string #DE(form.theTestValue)# can be
converted to a valid numeric date

The string #DE(form.theTestValue)# can not be
converted to a valid numeric date


The string #DE(form.theTestValue)# is not a valid
numeric date



Enter a value, and discover if it can be evaluated to a date value.

IsNumericDate

677






678

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IsObject
Description

Determines whether a value is an object.
Returns

True, if the value represents a ColdFusion object. False if the value is any other type of data, such
as an integer, string, date, or struct.
Category

Decision functions
Function syntax
IsObject(value)
See also
IsDate, IsNumeric, IsNumericDate, IsQuery, IsSimpleValue, IsStruct, IsWDDX, IsXmlDoc,
IsXmlElem, IsXmlRoot
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

A value, typically the name of a variable.

Usage

This function returns False for query and XML objects.
Example






--->








The value of myColor = #myColor#



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IsProtected
Description

This function is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 453
and Chapter 16, “Securing Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: This function is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later
releases.

IsProtected

681

IsQuery
Description

Determines whether value is a query.
Returns

True, if value is a query.
Category

Decision functions, Query functions
Function syntax
IsQuery(value)
See also
QueryAddRow
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

Query variable

Example

IsQuery Example


Before the query is run, the value of GetEmployees is
#GetEmployees#

GetEmployees is currently a simple value



SELECT *
FROM employees

After the query is run, GetEmployees contains a number of rows
that look like this (display limited to three rows):

#Emp_ID# #FirstName# #LastName#


GetEmployees is no longer a simple value, but the name of a query


682

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IsSimpleValue
Description

Determines the type of a value.
Returns

True, if value is a string, number, Boolean, or date/time value; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions
Function syntax
IsSimpleValue(value)
See also
IsValid
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

Variable or expression

Example

IsSimpleValue Example


Before the query is run, the value of GetEmployees is
#GetEmployees#

GetEmployees is currently a simple value



SELECT *
FROM employees

After the query is run, GetEmployees contains a number of rows
that look like this (display limited to three rows):

#Emp_ID# #FirstName# #LastName#


GetEmployees is no longer a simple value, but the name of a query


IsSimpleValue

683

IsSOAPRequest
Description

Determines whether a CFC is being called as a web service.
Returns

True if CFC is being called as a web service; False, otherwise.
Category

XML functions
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Function syntax
IsSOAPRequest()
See also
AddSOAPRequestHeader, AddSOAPResponseHeader, GetSOAPRequest,
GetSOAPRequestHeader, GetSOAPResponse, GetSOAPResponseHeader;

“Basic web service
concepts” in Chapter 36, “Using Web Services,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

Usage

Call this function within a CFC to determine if it is running as a web service.
Example

This example creates a CFC web service that illustrates the operation of the IsSOAPRequest
function and also provides a web service that illustrates the operation of other ColdFusion SOAP
functions.
Save the following code as headerservice.cfc in a folder called soapheaders under your web root.
Test its operation, and specifically the operation of the IsSOAPRequest function, by executing the
examples that invoke this web service. For example, see the example for AddSOAPRequestHeader.
IsSOAPRequest Example








684

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions



 as XML: " & xmlusername>




 as XML: " & xmlpassword>
















IsSOAPRequest

685

IsStruct
Description

Determines whether a variable is a structure.
Returns

True, if variable is a ColdFusion structure or is a Java object that implements the java.lang.Map
interface. The return value is False if the object in variable is a user-defined function (UDF).
Category

Decision functions, Structure functions
Function syntax
IsStruct(variable)
See also

Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

variable

Variable name

Example

This file is similar to addemployee.cfm, which is called by StructNew,
StructClear, and StructDelete. It is an example of a custom tag used to
add employees. Employee information is passed through the employee
structure (the EMPINFO attribute). In UNIX, you must also add the Emp_ID.


IsStruct

687

IsUserInRole
Description

Determines whether an authenticated user belongs to the specified Role.
Returns

True, if the authenticated user, belongs to the specified Role; False, otherwise.
Category

Security functions, Decision functions
Function syntax
IsUserInRole("role_name")
See also
GetAuthUser, cflogin, cfloginuser;

Chapter 16, “Securing Applications,” in ColdFusion MX

Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

role_name

Name of a security role

Usage

Role names are case-sensitive.
To check if a user is in multiple roles, specify them in a comma-delimited list, such as
"Admin,HR". Lists with multiple roles cannot contain spaces as separators; for example, do not
use "Admin, HR".
Example

Authenticated user is an administrator

Authenticated user is a user


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

IsValid
Description

Tests whether a value meets a validation or data type rule.
Returns

True, if the value conforms to the rule; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions
Function syntax
IsValid(type, value)
isValid("range", value, min, max)
isValid("regex" or "regular_expression", value, pattern)
See also
cfparam, cfform, IsBoolean, IsDate, IsNumeric, IsSimpleValue;

“Validating data with the
IsValid function and the cfparam tag” in Chapter 28, “Validating Data,” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.

IsValid

689

Parameters
Parameter

Description

type

The valid format for the data; one of the following. For detailed information on
validation algorithms, see “Validating form data using hidden fields” in Chapter 28,
“Validating Data,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
• any: any simple value. Returns false for complex values, such as query objects;;
equivalent to the IsSimpleValue function.
• array: an ColdFusion array; equivalent to the IsArray function.
• binary: a binary value;; equivalent to the IsBinary function.
• boolean: a Boolean value: yes, no, true, false, or a number; equivalent to the
IsBoolean function.
• creditcard: a 13-16 digit number conforming to the mod10 algorithm.
• date or time: any date-time value, including dates or times;; equivalent to the
IsDate function..
• email: a valid email address.
• eurodate: any date-time value, including US date formats and time values,
• float or numeric: a numeric value; equivalent to the IsNumeric function.
• guid: a Universally Unique Identifier of the form "XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" where ‘X’ is a hexadecimal number.
• integer: an integer.
• query: a query object; equivalent to the IsQuery function.
• range: a numeric range, specified by the min and max attributes.
• regex or regular_expression: matches input against pattern attribute.
• ssn or social_security_number: A U.S. social security number.
• string: a string value, including single characters and numbers
• struct: a structure; equivalent to the IsStruct function.
• telephone: a standard US telephone number.
• URL: an http, https, ftp, file, mailto, or news URL,
• UUID: a ColdFusion Universally Unique Identifier, formatted ‘XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX’, where ‘X’ is a hexadecimal number. See CreateUUID.
• USdate: a U.S. date of the format mm/dd/yy, with 1-2 digit days and months, 1-4
digit years.
• variableName: a string formatted according to ColdFusion variable naming
conventions.
• zipcode: U.S., 5- or 9-digit format ZIP codes.
•

value

The value to test

min

The minimum valid value; used only for range validation

max

The maximum valid value; used only for range validation

pattern

A JavaScript regular expression that the parameter must match; used only for
regex or regular_expression validation.

Usage

The IsValid function lets you assure that validation is performed on the server. You can use the
cfparam tag to perform equivalent validation.

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Example

The following example checks whether a user has submitted a numeric ID and a valid email
address and phone number. If any of the submitted values does not meet the validation test, it
displays an error message.




The email address and phone number for user #Form.UserID#
have been added


You must supply a valid User ID, phone number, and email address.




User ID:

Phone: 

email: 





IsValid

691

IsWDDX
Description

Determines whether a value is a well-formed WDDX packet.
Returns

True, if the value is a well-formed WDDX packet; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions, XML functions
Syntax
IsWDDX(value)
See also

“Using WDDX” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: if the value parameter is not a WDDX packet, ColdFusion
returns False. (In earlier releases, ColdFusion threw an error.)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

A WDDX packet

Usage

This function processes a WDDX packet with a validating XML parser, which uses the WDDX
Document Type Definition (DTD).
To prevent CFWDDX deserialization errors, you can use this function to validate WDDX
packets from unknown sources.
Example



<cfoutput>#packet#

IsWDDX() returns #IsWDDX(packet)#



IsWDDX

693

IsXML
Description

Determines whether a string is well-formed XML text.
Returns

True, if the function parameter is a string that contains well-formed XML text; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions, XML functions
Function syntax
IsXML(value)
See also
IsXmlAttribute, IsXmlDoc, IsXmlElem, IsXmlNode, IsXmlRoot, XmlParse, XmlValidate;
Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

A string containing the XML document text

Usage

This function determines whether text is well-formed XML, that is, it conforms to all XML
syntax and structuring rules. The string does not have to be a complete XML document. The
function does not validate against a Document Type Definition (DTD) or XML Schema.
Example

The following example creates two strings, and tests whether they are well-formed XML text:






xmlString1 contains the following text:


#HTMLCodeFormat(xmlstring1)#
Is it well formed XML text? #IsXML(xmlString1)#



xmlString2 contains the following text:


#HTMLCodeFormat(xmlstring2)#
Is it well formed XML text? #IsXML(xmlString2)#


IsXML

695

IsXmlAttribute
Description

Determines whether the function parameter is an XML Document Object Model (DOM)
attribute node.
Returns

True, if the function argument is an XML attribute node; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions, XML functions
Function syntax
IsXmlAttribute(value)
See also
IsXML, IsXmlDoc, IsXmlElem, IsXmlNode, IsXmlRoot, XmlGetNodeType, XmlValidate,
Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

Name of an XML attribute

Usage

This function determines whether the parameter is an XML DOM attribute node, a node with an
XMLType value of ATTRIBUTE. It is useful for determining whether a value returned by the
XmlSearch function is an XML attribute.
The DOM, and therefore ColdFusion MX, treats XML attributes as properties of an element and
does not directly expose them as DOM nodes. For this reason, the XmlAttributes entries in
ColdFusion XML document objects do not represent DOM attribute nodes, and tests such as the
following always return False:
IsXmlAttribute(myxmlelement.XMlAttributes);
IsXmlAttribute(myxmlelement.XMlAttributes.myattribute);

The XmlSearch function does return attributes as XML DOM attribute nodes. For example, the
following line returns an array of attribute nodes containing the quantity attributes in the
xmlobject document object:
quantities = XmlSearch(xmlobject, '//@quantity');
Example

The following example creates an XML document object and gets parts of it. It then tests whether
these parts are attribute nodes.

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15.95








Are the following XML Attribute nodes?

node.xmlobject.order.XmlAttributes.id:
#IsXmlAttribute(xmlobject.order.XmlAttributes.id)#


xmlobject.order.items: #IsXmlAttribute(xmlobject.order.items)#

lastnames[1] returned by XmlSearch:
#isXmlAttribute(lastnames[1])#



IsXmlAttribute

697

IsXmlDoc
Description

Determines whether the function parameter is a ColdFusion XML document object.
Returns

True, if the function argument is an XML document object; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions, XML functions
Function syntax
IsXmlDoc(value)
See also
IsXML, IsXmlAttribute, IsXmlElem, IsXmlNode, IsXmlRoot, XmlValidate; Chapter 35,
“Using XML and WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

Name of an XML document object

Example

The following example creates an XML Document object and a Java object and tests whether they
are XML document objects:






1
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Is xmlobject an XML document object? #IsXmlDoc(xmlobject)#

Is javaobject an XML document object? #IsXmlDoc(javaobject)#



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IsXmlElem
Description

Determines whether the function parameter is an XML document object element.
Returns

True, if the function argument is an XML document object element; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions, XML functions
Function syntax
IsXmlElem(value)
See also
IsXML, IsXmlAttribute, IsXmlDoc, IsXmlNode, IsXmlRoot, XmlGetNodeType, XmlValidate;

Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

Name of an XML document object element

Example

The following example tests whether an XML document object, the document root, and an
element are elements:






1
15.95






Are the following XML document object elements?
xmlobject: #IsXmlElem(xmlobject)#

xmlobject.XMLRoot: #IsXmlElem(xmlobject.XMLRoot)#

xmlobject.order.items: #IsXmlElem(xmlobject.order.items)#



IsXmlElem

699

IsXmlNode
Description

Determines whether the function parameter is an XML document object node.
Returns

True, if the function argument is an XML document object node, including an element; False,
otherwise.
Category

Decision functions, XML functions
Function syntax
IsXmlNode(value)
See also
IsXML, IsXmlAttribute, IsXmlDoc, IsXmlElem, IsXmlRoot, XmlGetNodeType, XmlSearch,
XmlValidate;

Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

Name of an XML document object node.

Usage

This function returns True for the following components of an XML document object:

• The document object
• Elements in the object
• XmlNode objects in an element’s XmlNodes array
It also returns True for XML node objects returned by the XmlSearch function. It does not return
True for most entries in an element, including XmlText, XmlComment, XmlCdata, or the
XmlAttributes array (or individual XML attributes).
Example

The following example tests whether an XML document object, an element, an attribute in the
object, and an attribute returned by an XmlSearch function are nodes:








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Are the following XML nodes?
xmlobject: #IsXmlNode(xmlobject)#


xmlobject.order.items: #IsXmlNode(xmlobject.order.items)#


xmlobject.order.XmlAttributes.id:
#IsXmlNode(xmlobject.order.XmlAttributes.id)#

lastnames[1] returned by XmlSearch:
#isXmlNode(lastnames[1])#


IsXmlNode

701

IsXmlRoot
Description

Determines whether the function parameter is the root element of an XML document object.
Returns

True, if the function argument is the root object of an XML document object; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions, XML functions
Function syntax
IsXmlRoot(value)
See also
IsXML, IsXmlAttribute, IsXmlDoc, IsXmlElem, IsXmlNode, XmlGetNodeType, XmlValidate;

Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

Name of an XML document object

Example

The following example tests whether an XML document object, its root element, and a child
element are XML root elements:







1
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Are the following the XML Root?
xmlobject: #IsXmlRoot(xmlobject)#

xmlobject.order: #IsXmlRoot(xmlobject.order)#


xmlobject.order.XmlAttributes.id:
#IsXmlRoot(xmlobject.order.XmlAttributes.id)#



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JavaCast
Description

Converts the data type of a ColdFusion variable to pass as an argument to an overloaded method
of a Java object. Use only for scalar and string arguments.
Returns

The variable, as type type.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
JavaCast(type, variable)
See also
CreateObject, cfobject
Parameters
Parameter

Description

type

Data type to which to convert variable:
• boolean
• int
• long
• float
• double
• string
• null

variable

A ColdFusion variable that holds a scalar or string type. Must be "" if type is null.

Usage

Use after creating a Java object with the cfobject tag, before calling one of its methods. If the
method takes more than one overloaded argument, you must call JavaCast for each one. Use
JavaCast only when a method is overloaded (because its arguments can take more than one data
type, not because the method can take a variable number of arguments).
JavaCast

cannot be used to cast between complex objects, nor to cast to a super-class.

Use the result of this function only on calls to Java objects, as shown in the following example:

x = CreateObject("java", "test.Hello");
x.init();
ret = x.sayHello(JavaCast("null", ""));

Warning: Do not assign the results of JavaCast("null","") to a ColdFusion variable. Unexpected
results will occur.

JavaCast

703

Because there is not a one-to-one correspondence between internally stored ColdFusion types and
Java scalar types, some conversions cannot be performed.
Example

The method fooMethod in the class fooClass takes one overloaded argument. The fooClass class
is defined as follows:
public class fooClass {
public fooClass () {
}
public String fooMethod(String arg) {
return "Argument was a String";
}
public String fooMethod(int arg) {
return "Argument was an Integer";
}

}
Within ColdFusion, you use the following code:



Perform an explicit cast to an int and call fooMethod:


#obj.fooMethod(myInt)#



Perform an explicit cast to a string and call fooMethod:


#obj.fooMethod(myString)#

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JSStringFormat
Description

Escapes special JavaScript characters, such as single-quotation mark, double-quotation mark, and
newline.
Returns

A string that is safe to use with JavaScript.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
JSStringFormat(string)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one.

Usage

Escapes special JavaScript characters, so you can put arbitrary strings safely into JavaScript.
Example

JSStringFormat

This is the string we have created:

#stringValue#





JSStringFormat

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ColdFusion Functions

LCase
Description

Converts the alphabetic characters in a string to lowercase.
Returns

A string, converted to lowercase.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
LCase(string)
See also
UCase
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Example
LCase Example



Your text, #FORM.sampleText#, returned in lowercase is
#LCase(FORM.sampleText)#.
< /cfoutput>

< p>Please enter some text.


Enter your text. Press "submit" to see it returned in lowercase: 





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Left
Description

Returns the leftmost count characters in a string.
Returns

String; the first count characters in the string parameter.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Left(string, count)
See also
Right, Mid, Len
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one.

count

A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Number of characters to return.

Example
Left Example




Your string
#Form.myText# only has #Len(Form.myText)# characters. You cannot output
the #Form.removeChars# leftmost characters of this string because it is
not long enough.

Your original string: #Form.myText#
Your changed string, showing only the #Form.removeChars#
 leftmost characters:
#Left(Form.myText, Form.removeChars)#



Please enter a string of more
than 0 (zero) characters.



Type in some text


How many characters from the left do you want to show?

Left

707





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Len
Description

Determines the length of a string or binary object.
Returns

Number; length of a string or a binary object.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Len(string or binary object)
See also
ToBinary, Left, Right, Mid
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed Unicode support: ColdFusion supports the Java UCS-2
representation of Unicode character values 0–65535. (ColdFusion 5 and earlier releases supported
ASCII values 1–255. When calculating a length, some string-processing functions processed the
ASCII 0 (NUL) character, but did not process subsequent characters of the string.)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string, the name of a string, or a binary object

Example
Len Example



Your string, "#FORM.myText#",
has #Len(FORM.myText)# characters.

Please enter a string of more
than 0 characters.



Type in some text to see the length of your string.






Len

709

ListAppend
Description

Concatenates a list or element to a list.
Returns

A copy of the list, with value appended. If delimiter = "", returns a copy of the list, unchanged.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListAppend(list, value [, delimiters ])
See also
ListPrepend, ListInsertAt, ListGetAt, ListLast, ListSetAt;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using

ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

value

An element or a list of elements.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion uses only the first
character.

Usage

ColdFusion inserts a delimiter character before value.
The following table shows examples of ListAppend processing:
Statement

Output

Comment

ListAppend('elem1,elem2', '' ) elem1,elem2,

Appended element is empty; delimiter is last
character in list; list length is 2.

ListAppend('', 'elem1,elem2' ) elem1,elem2

List length is 2.

ListAppend
("one___two", "three",
"___")

"one___two_three" Inserted the first character of delimiters
before "three."

Example
ListAppend Example


SELECT PARKNAME,CITY,STATE
FROM PARKS WHERE PARKNAME LIKE ‘AL%’



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The original list: #temp#



...

ListAppend

711

ListChangeDelims
Description

Changes a list delimiter.
Returns

A copy of the list, with each delimiter character replaced by new_delimiter.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListChangeDelims(list, new_delimiter [, delimiters ])
See also
ListFirst, ListQualify;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion

MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

new_delimiter

Delimiter string or a variable that contains one. Can be an empty string. ColdFusion
processes the string as one delimiter.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Example
ListChangeDelims Example
ListChangeDelims lets you change the delimiters of a list.


SELECT PARKNAME,CITY,STATE
FROM Parks
WHERE PARKNAME LIKE 'BA%'



The original list: 
#temp#




After executing the statement
ListChangeDelims(Temp, "|:P|", ","),
the updated list: 
#temp2#


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ListContains
Description

Determines the index of the first list element that contains a specified substring.
Returns

Index of the first list element that contains substring. If not found, returns zero.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListContains(list, substring [, delimiters ])
See also
ListContainsNoCase, ListFind;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in

ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

substring

A string or a variable that contains one. The search is case-sensitive.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Usage

ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example





Here is a list: #aList#
ListContains checks for substring "wo" in the list
elements:

   Substring "wo" is in
element #ListContains(aList, "wo")# of list.

ListFind cannot check for a substring within an element; therefore, in the
code, it does not find substring "wo" (it returns 0):

   Substring "wo" is in element #ListFind(aList, "wo")#
 of the list.
If you specify a string that exactly equals an entire list element, such

ListContains

713

as "two", both ListContains and ListFind find it, in the second element:
   ListContains:

The string "two" is in element #ListContains(aList, "two")# of the list.

   
ListFind:

The string "two" is in element #ListFind(aList, "two")# of the list.


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ListContainsNoCase
Description

Determines the index of the first list element that contains a specified substring.
Returns

Index of the first list element that contains substring, regardless of case. If not found, returns zero.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListContainsNoCase(list, substring [, delimiters ])
See also
ListContains, ListFindNoCase; “Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

substring

A string or a variable that contains one. The search is case-insensitive.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Usage

ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example
ListContainsNoCase Example



SELECT PARKNAME,CITY,STATE
FROM Parks
WHERE PARKNAME LIKE '#form.letter#%'



There are parks in your city!

Sorry, there were no parks found for your city.
Try searching under a different letter.



ListContainsNoCase

715

ListDeleteAt
Description

Deletes an element from a list.
Returns

A copy of the list, without the specified element.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListDeleteAt(list, position [, delimiters ])
See also
ListGetAt, ListSetAt, ListLen;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in

ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

position

A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Position at which to delete
element. The first list position is 1.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Usage

To use this and other functions with the default delimiter (comma), you can code as follows:


To specify another delimiter, you code as follows:


ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example


SELECT PARKNAME,CITY,STATE
FROM Parks
WHERE PARKNAME LIKE 'CHI%'




The original list: #temp#

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The changed list: #temp2#
This list element:
#deleted_element#
 is no longer present
at position three of the list. 

ListDeleteAt

717

ListFind
Description

Determines the index of the first list element in which a specified value occurs. Case-sensitive.
Returns

Index of the first list element that contains value, with matching case. If not found, returns zero.
The search is case-sensitive.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListFind(list, value [, delimiters ])
See also
ListContains, ListFindNoCase;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in

ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one

value

A string, a number, or a variable that contains one. Item for which to search. The
search is case-sensitive.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Usage

ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example


Try changing the case in Leary's last name:


Pick a search type:






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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions


SELECT FirstName, RTrim(LastName) AS LName, Phone, Department
FROM
Employees






An employee with that exact last name was not found


Employee #ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.FirstName), temp)#
#ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.LName), temp)#, of the
#ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.Department), temp)# Department,
can be reached at #ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.Phone),
temp)#.
This was the first employee found under this case-sensitive last name
search.





An employee with that exact last name was not found


Employee #ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.FirstName), temp)#
#ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.LName), temp)#, of the
#ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.Department), temp)#
Department, can be reached at
#ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.Phone), temp)#.
This was the first employee found under this case-insensitive last
name search.





ListFind

719

ListFindNoCase
Description

Determines the index of the first list element in which a specified value occurs.
Returns

Index of the first list element that contains value. If not found, returns zero. The search is caseinsensitive.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListFindNoCase(list, value [, delimiters ])
See also
ListContains, ListFind;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion

MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

value

Number or string for which to search. The search is case-insensitive.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Usage

ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example


Try changing the case in Leary's last name:


Pick a search type:







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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

SELECT FirstName, RTrim(LastName) AS LName, Phone, Department
FROM
Employees






An employee with that exact last name was not found


Employee #ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.FirstName), temp)#
#ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.LName), temp)#, of the
#ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.Department), temp)# Department,
can be reached at #ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.Phone),
temp)#.
This was the first employee found under this case-sensitive last name
search.





An employee with that exact last name was not found


Employee #ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.FirstName), temp)#
#ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.LName), temp)#, of the
#ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.Department), temp)#
Department, can be reached at
#ListGetAt(ValueList(SearchEmpLastName.Phone), temp)#.
This was the first employee found under this case-insensitive last
name search.





ListFindNoCase

721

ListFirst
Description

Gets the first element of a list.
Returns

The first element of a list. If the list is empty, returns an empty string.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListFirst(list [, delimiters ])
See also
ListGetAt, ListLast, ListQualify;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in

ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains a list.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Usage

ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example
ListFirst Example


SELECT Username, Subject, Posted
FROM Messages


Before editing the list, it is: 
#ValueList(GetMessageUser.Username)#.
(Users who posted more than once are listed more than once.)

The first user in the list is:
#ListFirst(temp)#
The rest of the list is: #ListRest(temp)#.
(Users who posted more than once are listed more than once.)
The last user in the list is: #ListLast(temp)#

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ListGetAt
Description

Gets a list element at a specified position.
Returns

Index of the list element at position position.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListGetAt(list, position [, delimiters ])
See also
ListFirst, ListLast, ListQualify, ListSetAt;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion

Variables,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

position

A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Position at which to get element.
The first list position is 1.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Usage

If you use list functions on strings that are delimited by a delimiter character and a space, a
returned list element might contain a leading space; you use the trim function to remove such
spaces from a returned element. For example, consider this list:


To get a value from this list, use the trim function to remove the space before the returned value:


With this usage, MyValue = "two hundred", not " two hundred", and spaces within a list
element are preserved.
ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example
ListGetAt Example


SELECT Username, Subject, Posted
FROM Messages

ListGetAt

723




This list of usernames who have posted messages numbers
#ListLen(temp)# users.


Username #Counter#: #ListGetAt(temp, Counter)# 



724

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ListInsertAt
Description

Inserts an element in a list.
Returns

A copy of the list, with value inserted at the specified position.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListInsertAt(list, position, value [, delimiters ])
See also
ListDeleteAt, ListAppend, ListPrepend, ListSetAt;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using
ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

position

A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Position at which to insert
element. The first list position is 1.

value

An element or a list of elements.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Usage

When inserting an element, ColdFusion inserts a delimiter. If delimiters contains more than
one delimiter, ColdFusion uses the first delimiter in the string; if delimiters is omitted,
ColdFusion uses a comma.
ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example


SELECT PARKNAME,CITY,STATE
FROM PARKS
WHERE PARKNAME LIKE ‘DE%’




The original list: #temp#



ListInsertAt

725

ListLast
Description

Gets the last element of a list.
Returns

The last element of the list.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListLast(list [, delimiters ])
See also
ListGetAt, ListFirst;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX

Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains a list.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter; you cannot specify a multicharacter
delimiter.

Usage

If you use list functions on strings that separated by a delimiter character and a space, a returned
list element might contain a leading space; use the trim function to remove leading and trailing
spaces from a returned element. For example, consider this list:


To get a value from this list, use the trim function to remove the space before the returned value:


With this usage, the MyValue variable gets the value "three hundred", not " three hundred", and
spaces within a list element are preserved.
ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example
ListFirst, ListLast, and ListRest Example


SELECT Username, Subject, Posted
FROM Messages



726

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Before editing the list, it is: 
#ValueList(GetMessageUser.Username)#.
(Users who posted more than once are listed more than once.)

The first user in the list is: #ListFirst(temp)#
The rest of the list is: #ListRest(temp)#.
(Users who posted more than once are listed more than once.)
The last user in the list is: #ListLast(temp)#

ListLast

727

ListLen
Description

Determines the number of elements in a list.
Integer; the number of elements in a list.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListLen(list [, delimiters ])
See also
ListAppend, ListDeleteAt, ListInsertAt, ListPrepend;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using

ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Usage

ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Here are some examples of ListLen processing:
Statement

Output

Comment

ListLen('a,b, c,,,d')

4

Third element is " c"

ListLen('a,b, c,,,d',',')

4

Fourth element is "d'"

ListLen('elem_1___elem_2___elem_3')

1

ListLen('elem*1***elem*2***elem*3')

1

ListLen('elem_1___elem_2___elem_3','_')

6

Example
ListLen Example


SELECT Username, Subject, Posted
FROM Messages



This is a list of usernames who have posted messages

728

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

#ListLen(temp)# users.


Username #Counter#:
#ListGetAt(temp, Counter)#



ListLen

729

ListPrepend
Description

Inserts an element at the beginning of a list.
Returns

A copy of the list, with value inserted at the first position.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListPrepend(list, value [, delimiters ])
See also
ListAppend, ListInsertAt, ListSetAt; “Lists” in Chapter

3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in

ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

value

An element or a list of elements.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion only uses the first
character and ignores the others.

Usage

When prepending an element to a list, ColdFusion inserts a delimiter. If delimiters contains more
than one delimiter character, ColdFusion uses the first delimiter in the string; if delimiters is
omitted, ColdFusion uses a comma.
ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
If the delimiters parameter is the empty string (""), ColdFusion returns the contents of the
value parameter.
Example


SELECT PARKNAME,CITY,STATE
FROM PARKS
WHERE PARKNAME LIKE ‘DE%’



The original list: #temp#



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ListQualify
Description

Inserts a string at the beginning and end of list elements.
Returns

A copy of the list, with qualifier before and after the specified element(s).
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListQualify(list, qualifier [, delimiters ] [, elements ])
See also

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: as the elements parameter value, you must specify "all" or
"char"; otherwise, ColdFusion throws an exception. (In earlier releases, the function ignored an
invalid value, and used "all"; this was inconsistent with other functions.)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

qualifier

A string or a variable that contains one. Character or string to insert before and after
the list elements specified in the elements parameter.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion uses the first
character as the delimiter and ignores the remaining characters.

elements

• all: all elements
• char: elements that are composed of alphabetic characters

Usage

The new list might not preserve all of the delimiters in the list.
ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example

SELECT FirstName, LastName
FROM Employees

ListQualify Example
This example uses ListQualify to put the full names of the
employees in the query within quotation marks.

ListQualify

731











The contents of the unqualified list are as follows:
#myList#





The contents of the qualified list are as follows:
#qualifiedList1#





The contents of the second qualified list are:
#qualifiedList2#


732

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ListRest
Description

Gets a list, without its first element.
Returns

A copy of list, without the first element. If list has one element, returns an empty list.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListRest(list [, delimiters ])
See also
ListFirst, ListGetAt, ListLast;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in

ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Usage

If the list begins with one or more empty entries, this function drops them, as well as the first
element.
ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example
ListFirst, ListLast, and ListRest Example


SELECT Username, Subject, Posted
FROM Messages


Before editing the list, it is: 
#ValueList(GetMessageUser.Username)#.
(Users who posted more than once are listed more than once.)
The first user in the list is:
#ListFirst(temp)# 
The rest of the list is: #ListRest(temp)#.
(Users who posted more than once are listed more than once.)
The last user in the list is: #ListLast(temp)#

ListRest

733

ListSetAt
Description

Replaces the contents of a list element.
Returns

A copy of a list, with a new value assigned to the element at a specified position.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListSetAt(list, position, value [, delimiters ])
See also
ListDeleteAt, ListGetAt, ListInsertAt;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,”

in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed delimiter modification: ColdFusion MX does not modify delimiters
in the list. (In earlier releases, in some cases, replaced delimiters with the first character in the
delimiters parameter.)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

position

A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Position at which to set a value.
The first list position is 1.

value

An element or a list of elements.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Usage

When assigning an element to a list, ColdFusion inserts a delimiter. If delimiters contains more
than one delimiter, ColdFusion uses the first delimiter in the string, or, if delimiters was
omitted, a comma.
ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example
ListSetAt Example


SELECT Username, Subject, Posted
FROM Messages

734

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions




This is a list of #ListLen(temp)#
subjects posted in messages.




(#Counter#) SUBJECT: #ListGetAt(temptoo, Counter)#



Note that element 2, "#changedElement#",
has been altered to "I changed this subject" using ListSetAt.

ListSetAt

735

ListSort
Description

Sorts list elements according to a sort type and sort order.
Returns

A copy of a list, sorted.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListSort(list, sort_type [, sort_order] [, delimiters ])
See also

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed the order in which sorted elements are returned: in a textnocase,
descending sort, this function might return elements in a different sort order than in earlier
releases. If sort_type = "textnocase" and sort_order = "desc", ColdFusion MX processes
elements that differ only in case differently from earlier releases. ColdFusion MX outputs the
elements in the reverse of the ascending order. Earlier releases do not change order of elements
that differ only in case. Both operations are correct. The new operation ensures that an ascending
and descending sort output elements in exactly reverse order.
For example, in a textnocase, desc sort of d,a,a,b,A, the following occurs:

• ColdFusion MX returns d,b,A,a,a
• Earlier ColdFusion releases return d,b,a,a,A
(In a textnocase, asc sort, all ColdFusion releases return a,a,A,b,d.)
Parameters
Parameter Description

736

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

sort_type

• numeric: sorts numbers
• text: sorts text alphabetically, taking case into account (also known as case sensitive).
All letters of one case precede the first letter of the other case:
- aabzABZ, if sort_order = "asc" (ascending sort)
- ZBAzbaa, if sort_order = "desc" (descending sort)
• textnocase: sorts text alphabetically, without regard to case (also known as caseinsensitive). A letter in varying cases precedes the next letter:
- aAaBbBzzZ, in an ascending sort; preserves original intra-letter order
- ZzzBbBaAa, in a descending sort; reverses original intra-letter order

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Parameter Description
sort_order

• asc - ascending sort order. Default.
- aabzABZ or aAaBbBzzZ, depending on value of sort_type, for letters
- from smaller to larger, for numbers
• desc - descending sort order.
- ZBAzbaa or ZzzBbBaAa, depending on value of sort_type, for letters
- from larger to smaller, for numbers

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements. The
default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion uses the first character
in the string as the delimiter, and ignores the rest.

Usage

ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
Example
ListSort Example


SELECT
Username, Subject, Posted
FROM
Messages


Here is the unsorted list. 
#myList#

Here is the list sorted alphabetically:

#sortedList#

Here is a numeric list that is to be sorted in descending order.

#sortedNums# 
Here is a list that must be sorted numerically, since it contains
negative and positive numbers, and decimal numbers. 

#sortedNums2# 
Here is a list to be sorted alphabetically without consideration of case.

#sortedMix# 

ListSort

737

ListToArray
Description

Copies the elements of a list to an array.
Returns

An array
Category

Array functions, Conversion functions, List functions
Function syntax
ListToArray(list [, delimiters ])
See also
ArrayToList;

Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.
You define a list variable with a cfset statement.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. ColdFusion treats each character in the
string as a delimiter. The default value is comma.

Usage

ColdFusion ignores empty list elements; thus, the list "a,b,c,,,d" has four elements.
ColdFusion treats each character in the delimiters parameter as a separate delimiter. Therefore,
if the parameter is ",+" ColdFusion will break the list at either a comma or a plus sign.
Example
ListToArray Example


SELECT Username, Subject, Posted
FROM Messages


My list is a list with #ListLen(myList)#
elements.

My array list is an array with #ArrayLen(myArrayList)#
 elements.

738

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ListValueCount
Description

Counts instances of a specified value in a list. The search is case-sensitive.
Returns

The number of instances of value in the list.
Category

List functions, String functions
Function syntax
ListValueCount(list, value [, delimiters ])
See also
ListValueCountNoCase;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX

Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

value

String or number, or a variable that contains one. Item for which to search. The
search is case-sensitive.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Example

SELECT Department
FROM Employees

ListValueCount Example
This example uses ListValueCount to count employees in a department.

Select a department:








There are no employees in #FORM.departmentName#

There is only one person in #FORM.departmentName#.


There are #numberInDepartment# people in
#FORM.departmentName#.




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ListValueCountNoCase
Description

Counts instances of a specified value in a list. The search is case-insensitive.
Returns

The number of instances of value in the list.
Category

List functions
Function syntax
ListValueCountNoCase(list, value [, delimiters ])
See also
ListValueCount;

“Lists” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in ColdFusion MX

Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

list

A list or a variable that contains one.

value

String or number, or a variable that contains one. Item for which to search. The
search is case-insensitive.

delimiters

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate list elements.
The default value is comma.
If this parameter contains more than one character, ColdFusion processes each
occurrence of each character as a delimiter.

Example

SELECT Department
FROM Employees

ListValueCountNoCase Example
This example uses ListValueCountNoCase to count employees in a department.

Select a department:









There are no employees in #FORM.departmentName#

There is only one person in #FORM.departmentName#.


There are #numberInDepartment# people in
#FORM.departmentName#.




742

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

LJustify
Description

Left justifies characters in a string of a specified length.
Returns

A copy of a string, left-justified.
Category

Display and formatting functions, String functions
Function syntax
LJustify(string, length)
See also
CJustify, RJustify
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

length

Length of field in which to justify string

Example







LJustify Example


LJustify Function
Enter a string, and it will be left justified within the sample field


 


LJustify

743

Log
Description

Calculates the natural logarithm of a number. Natural logarithms are based on the constant e
(2.71828182845904).
Returns

The natural logarithm of a number.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Log(number)
See also
Exp, Log10
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Positive real number for which to calculate the natural logarithm

Example
Log Example


Your number, #FORM.number#

#FORM.number# raised to the E power: #exp(FORM.number)#

Enter a positive real number to get its
natural logarithm

The natural logarithm of #FORM.number#: #log(FORM.number)#


Enter a positive real number to get its
logarithm to base 10

The logarithm of #FORM.number# to base 10:
#log10(FORM.number)#




Enter a number to see its value raised to the E power, its natural logarithm,
and the logarithm of number to base 10.




744

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Log10
Description

Calculates the logarithm of number, to base 10.
Returns

Number; the logarithm of number, to base 10.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Log10(number)
See also
Exp, Log
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Positive real number for which to calculate the logarithm

Example
Log10 Example


Your number, #FORM.number#

#FORM.number# raised to the E power: #exp(FORM.number)#

You must enter a positive real number to
see the natural logarithm of that number

The natural logarithm of #FORM.number#: #log(FORM.number)#


You must enter a positive real number to
see the logarithm of that number to base 10

The logarithm of #FORM.number# to base 10:
#log10(FORM.number)#




Enter a number to find its value raised to the E power, its natural
logarithm, and the logarithm of number to base 10.




Log10

745

LSCurrencyFormat
Description

Formats a number in a locale-specific currency format. For countries that use the euro, the result
depends on the JVM.
Returns

A formatted currency value.
Category

Display and formatting functions, International functions
Function syntax
LSCurrencyFormat(number [, type ])
See also
LSEuroCurrencyFormat, LSIsCurrency, LSParseCurrency, LSParseEuroCurrency,
SetLocale;

“Handling data in ColdFusion MX” in Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized
Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX: Changed formatting behavior: this function might return different formatting
than in earlier releases. If a negative number is passed to it, it returns a negative number. If type =
"local", it returns the value in the current locale’s standard format. If type =
"international", it returns the value in the current locale’s international standard format. This
function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Currency value

type

• local: the currency format and currency symbol used in the locale.
- With JDK 1.3, the default for Euro Zone countries is their local currency.
- With JDK 1.4, the default for Euro Zone countries is the euro.
• international: the international standard currency format and currency symbol of the
locale.
• none: the currency format used in the locale; no currency symbol

Usage

This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.
Note: With a Sun 1.3.1-compliant JVM, use the LSEuroCurrencyFormat function to format euro
currency values.

746

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Currency output

The following table shows sample currency output. For locales that use Euro, the Local and
International columns contains two entries. The first is entry is the result with a Sun the 1.4.1compliant JVM, the second entry is the result with a 1.3.1-compliant JVM.
Locale

Type = Local

Type = International

Type = None

Chinese (China)

¥100,000.00

CNY100,000.00

100,000.00

Chinese (Hong Kong)

HK$100,000.00

HKD100,000.00

100,000.00

Chinese (Taiwan)

NT$100,000.00

TWD100,000.00

100,000.00

Dutch (Belgian)

100.000,00 ¤
100.000,00 BF

BEF100.000,00
EUR100.000,00

100.000,00

Dutch (Standard)

¤ 100.000,00
fl 100.000,00

NLG100.000,00
EUR100.000,00

100.000,00

English (Australian)

$100,000.00

AUD100,000.00

100,000.00

English (Canadian)

$100,000.00

CAD100,000.00

100,000.00

English (New Zealand)

$100,000.00

NZD100,000.00

100,000.00

English (UK)

£100,000.00

GBP100,000.00

100,000.00

English (US)

$100,000.00

USD100,000.00

100,000.00

French (Belgian)

100.000,00 ¤
100.000,00 FB

EUR100.000,00
BEF100.000,00

100.000,00

French (Canadian)

100 000,00 $

CAD100 000,00

100 000,00

French (Standard)

100 000,00 ¤
100 000,00 F

EUR100 000,00
FRF100 000,00

100 000,00

French (Swiss)

SFr. 100'000.00

CHF100'000.00

100'000.00

German (Austrian)

¤ 100.000,00
öS 100.000,00

EUR100.000,00
ATS100.000,00

100.000,00

German (Standard)

100.000,00 ¤
100.000,00 DM

EUR100.000,00
DEM100.000,00

100.000,00

German (Swiss)

SFr. 100'000.00

CHF100'000.00

100'000.00

Italian (Standard)

¤ 100.000,00
L. 10.000.000

EUR10.000.000
ITL10.000.000

10.000.000

Italian (Swiss)

SFr. 100'000.00

CHF100'000.00

100'000.00

Japanese

¥100,000

JPY100,000

JPY100,000

Korean

W100,000

KRW100,000

100,000

Norwegian (Bokmal)

kr 100 000,00

NOK100 000,00

100 000,00

Norwegian (Nynorsk)

kr 100 000,00

NOK100 000,00

100 000,00

Portuguese (Brazilian)

R$100.000,00

BRC100.000,00

100.000,00

LSCurrencyFormat

747

Locale

Type = Local

Type = International

Type = None

Portuguese (Standard)

100.000,00 ¤
R$100.000,00

EUR100.000,00
BRC100.000,00

100.000,00

Spanish (Mexican)

$100,000.00

MXN100,000.00

100,000.00

Spanish (Modern)

100.000,00 ¤
10.000.000 Pts

EUR10.000.000
ESP10.000.000

10.000.000

Spanish (Standard)

100.000,00 ¤
10.000.000 Pts

ESP10.000.000
EUR10.000.000

10.000.000

Swedish

100.000,00 kr

SEK100.000,00

100.000,00

Note: ColdFusion maps Spanish (Modern) to the Spanish (Standard) format.

To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values, use the SetLocale
function.
Example
LSCurrencyFormat Example
LSCurrencyFormat returns a currency value using the locale
convention. Default value is "local."



#locale#

Local: #LSCurrencyFormat(100000, "local")#

International: #LSCurrencyFormat(100000, "international")#

None: #LSCurrencyFormat(100000, "none")#





748

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

LSDateFormat
Description

Formats the date part of a date/time value in a locale-specific format.
Returns

A formatted date/time value. If no mask is specified, the value is formatted according to the locale
setting of the client computer.
Category

Date and time functions, Display and formatting functions, International functions
Function syntax
LSDateFormat(date [, mask ])
See also
LSParseDateTime, LSTimeFormat, DateFormat, SetLocale;

“Handling data in
ColdFusion MX” in Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed formatting behavior: this function might return different formatting than in earlier
releases. This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.

• Added support for the following mask parameter options: short, medium, long, and full.

LSDateFormat

749

Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

A date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

mask

Characters that show how ColdFusion displays the date:
• d: Day of month. Digits; no leading zero for single-digit days
• dd: Day of month. Digits; leading zero for single-digit days
• ddd: Day of week, abbreviation
• dddd: Day of week. Full name
• m: Month. Digits; no leading zero for single-digit months
• mm: Month. Digits; leading zero for single-digit months
• mmm: Month. abbreviation (if appropriate)
• mmmm: Month. Full name
• y: Year. Last two digits; no leading zero for years less than 10
• yy: Year. Last two digits; leading zero for years less than 10
• yyyy: Year. Four digits
• gg: Period/era string. Not processed. Reserved for future use
The following conform to Java locale-specific time encoding standards. Their exact
formats depend on the locale:
• short: dd, mm, and yy separated by / marks
• medium: text format using mmm, d, and yyyy
• long: text format using mmmm, d, and yyyy
• full: text format using dddd, mmmm, d, and yyyy
The default value is medium
For more information on formats, see LSParseDateTime.

Usage

This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.
When passing date/time value as a string, enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it is
interpreted as a number representation of a date/time object.
To calculate a difference between time zones, use the GetTimeZoneInfo function.
Example
LSDateFormat Example
LSDateFormat formats the date part of a date/time value using the
locale convention.



#locale#

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "mmm-dd-yyyy")#

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "mmmm d, yyyy")#

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "mm/dd/yyyy")#

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "d-mmm-yyyy")#

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "ddd, mmmm dd, yyyy")#

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "d/m/yy")#

#LSDateFormat(Now())#


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions





LSDateFormat

751

LSEuroCurrencyFormat
Description

Formats a number in a locale-specific currency format.
Returns

A formatted currency value. For countries in the Euro currency zone, the function uses the locale’s
rule’s for formatting currency in euros.
Category

Display and formatting functions, International functions
Function syntax
LSEuroCurrencyFormat(currency-number [, type ])
See also
LSParseEuroCurrency, LSCurrencyFormat, SetLocale; “Locale-specific content” in
Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized Applications,” ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed formatting behavior: this function might return different formatting
than in earlier releases. This function uses Java locale formatting rules on all platforms, except that
it uses the rule detailed in the Usage section for countries in the Euro currency zone. As a result, it
format currencies for non Euro zone locales using the country’s currency, not euros.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

currency-number

Currency value.

type

• local: the currency format used in the locale. (Default.)
• international: the international standard currency format of the locale. For
example, EUR10.00
• none: the currency format used in the locale; no currency symbol

Usage

This function uses euro currency formatting rules for all JVM versions, as follows:

• If the country of the current locale belongs to the Euro Zone (whose members have converted
to the euro) the formatted output for the local type includes the Euro currency sign (€); for the
international type, the output includes the euro currency symbol (EUR). If the value is
negative, the format includes a negative sign before the value or parentheses around the value,
according to the formatting rules of the current locale.

• If the country of the current locale is not in the Euro Zone, the currency sign or symbol of the
current locale displays. If the value is negative, the format includes a negative sign before the
value or parentheses around the value, according to the formatting rules of the current locale.
For a list of the locale options that ColdFusion supports, and information on setting the default
display format of date, time, number, and currency values, see SetLocale on page 835.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Currency output
The following table shows examples of currency output:
Locale

Type = Local

Type = International

Type = None

Chinese (China)

¥100,000.00

CNY100,000.00

100,000.00

Chinese (Hong Kong)

HK$100,000.00

HKD100,000.00

100,000.00

Chinese (Taiwan)

NT$100,000.00

TWD100,000.00

100,000.00

Dutch (Belgian)

100.000,00 ¤

EUR100.000,00

100.000,00

Dutch (Standard)

¤ 100.000,00

EUR100.000,00

100.000,00

English (Australian)

$100,000.00

AUD100,000.00

100,000.00

English (Canadian)

$100,000.00

CAD100,000.00

100,000.00

English (New Zealand)

$100,000.00

NZD100,000.00

100,000.00

English (UK)

£100,000.00

GBP100,000.00

100,000.00

English (US)

$100,000.00

USD100,000.00

100,000.00

French (Belgian)

100.000,00 ¤

EUR100.000,00

100.000,00

French (Canadian)

100 000,00 $

CAD100 000,00

100 000,00

French (Standard)

100 000,00 ¤

EUR100 000,00

100 000,00

French (Swiss)

SFr. 100'000.00

CHF100'000.00

100'000.00

German (Austrian)

¤ 100.000,00

EUR100.000,00

100.000,00

German (Standard)

100.000,00 ¤

EUR100.000,00

100.000,00

German (Swiss)

SFr. 100'000.00

CHF100'000.00

100'000.00

Italian (Standard)

¤ 100.000,00

EUR10.000.000

10.000.000

Italian (Swiss)

SFr. 100'000.00

CHF100'000.00

100'000.00

Japanese

¥100,000

JPY100,000

JPY100,000

Korean

W100,000

KRW100,000

100,000

Norwegian (Bokmal)

kr 100 000,00

NOK100 000,00

100 000,00

Norwegian (Nynorsk)

kr 100 000,00

NOK100 000,00

100 000,00

Portuguese (Brazilian)

R$100.000,00

BRC100.000,00

100.000,00

Portuguese (Standard)

100.000,00 ¤

EUR100.000,00

100.000,00

Spanish (Mexican)

$100,000.00

MXN100,000.00

100,000.00

Spanish (Modern)

100.000,00 ¤

EUR10.000.000

10.000.000

Spanish (Standard)

100.000,00 ¤

ESP10.000.000

10.000.000

Swedish

100.000,00 kr

SEK100.000,00

100.000,00

Note: ColdFusion uses the Spanish (Standard) formats for Spanish (Modern) and Spanish
(Standard).

LSEuroCurrencyFormat

753

The following example shows how the function formats negative values. The format includes a
negative sign before the value, or parentheses around the value, according to the formatting rules
of the current locale.
Input value

Output if locale = French (Standard) Output if locale = English (US)

-1234.56

-1 234,56 ¤

($1,234.56)

Example
LSEuroCurrencyFormat Example
LSEuroCurrencyFormat returns a currency value using the locale
convention. Default value is "local."



#locale#

Local: #LSEuroCurrencyFormat(100000, "local")#

International: #LSEuroCurrencyFormat(100000, "international")#

None: #LSEuroCurrencyFormat(100000, "none")#





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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

LSIsCurrency
Description

Determines whether a string is a valid representation of a currency amount in the current locale.
Returns

True, if the parameter is formatted as a valid currency amount, including the appropriate currency
indicator. The return value is True for amounts in the local, international, or none currency
formats.
Category

Display and formatting functions, Decision functions, International functions
Function syntax
LSIsCurrency(string)
See also
GetLocale, SetLocale, LSCurrencyFormat
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed formatting behavior: this function might return a different result than
in earlier releases. This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms; the
results might vary depending upon the JVM; for example, Sun JVM 1.4.1 requires euro format
the local currency if the current locale’s country belongs to the Euro Zone.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A currency string or a variable that contains one.

Usage

For examples of ColdFusion code and output that shows differences between earlier ColdFusion
releases and ColdFusion MX in accepting input formats and displaying output, see
LSCurrencyFormat.
Note: If the locale belongs to a Euro zone country and the currency is a correctly formatted euro value
for the locale, this function returns True for all JVMs, including Sun 1.3.1. As a result, with 1.3.1compliant JVMs, the LSIsCurrency function does not ensure that LSParseCurrency returns a value. If a
currency uses the older country-specific format for Euro Zone locales, the LSIsCurrency function
returns False for newer JVMs, such as Sun 1.4.1, and True for older JVMs, such as Sun 1.3.1.
Note: To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values, use the SetLocale
function.
Example
LSIsCurrency Example




LSIsCurrency

755

Is the value "#FORM.myValue#"
a proper currency value for #GetLocale()#?
Answer: #LSIsCurrency(FORM.myValue)#


Select a locale for which you would like to check a currency value:



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

LSIsDate
Description

Determines whether a string is a valid representation of a date/time value in the current locale.
Returns

True, if the string can be formatted as a date/time value in the current locale; False, otherwise.
Category

Date and time functions, Display and formatting functions, International functions
Function syntax
LSIsDate(string)
See also
CreateDateTime, GetLocale, IsNumericDate, LSDateFormat, ParseDateTime, SetLocale;
“Handling data in ColdFusion MX” in Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized Applications,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed formatting behavior: this function might return a different result than in earlier
releases. This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.

• Changed behavior: this function accepts a dash or hyphen character only in the
Dutch(Standard) and Portuguese (Standard) locales. If called this way (for example,
LsIsDate("3-1-2002") in any other locale, this function returns False. (Earlier releases returned
True.)

• Changed behavior: when using the SUN JRE 1.3.1 on an English(UK) locale, this function
returns False for a date that has a one-digit month or day (for example, 1/1/01). To work
around this, insert a zero in a one-digit month or day (for example, 01/01/01).
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Usage

A date/time object is in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.
To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values, use the SetLocale
function.
Example
LSIsDate Example




LSIsDate

757

Is the value "#FORM.myValue#" a proper date
value for #GetLocale()#?
Answer: #LSIsDate(FORM.myValue)#


Select a locale for which you would like to check a date value:



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

LSIsNumeric
Description

Determines whether a string is a valid representation of a number in the current locale.
Returns

True, if the string represents a number the current locale; False, otherwise.
Category

Decision functions, International functions, String functions
Function syntax
LSIsNumeric(string)
See also
GetLocale, SetLocale; “Handling data in ColdFusion MX” in Chapter 17, “Developing
Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed formatting behavior: this function might return a different result than
in earlier releases. This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Usage

To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values, use the SetLocale
function.
Example
LSIsNumeric Example



Is the value "#FORM.myValue#"
a proper numeric value for #GetLocale()#?
Answer: #LSIsNumeric(FORM.myValue)#


Select a locale for which to check a numeric value:
...

LSIsNumeric

759

LSNumberFormat
Description

Formats a number in a locale-specific format.
Returns

A formatted number.

•
•
•
•

If no mask is specified, it returns the number formatted as an integer
If no mask is specified, truncates the decimal part; for example, it truncates 34.57 to 35
If the specified mask cannot correctly mask a number, it returns the number unchanged
If the parameter value is "" (an empty string), it returns 0.

Category

Display and formatting functions, International functions
Function syntax
LSNumberFormat(number [, mask ])
See also
GetLocale, SetLocale;

“Handling data in ColdFusion MX” in Chapter 17, “Developing
Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed behavior: if the specified mask format cannot correctly mask a number, this function
returns the number unchanged. (In earlier releases, it truncated the number or threw an error.)
(If no mask is specified, ColdFusion MX truncates the decimal part as ColdFusion 5 does. For
example, it truncates 1234.567 to 1235.)

• Changed formatting behavior: this function might return different formatting than in earlier
releases. This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Number to format

mask

LSNumberFormat mask characters apply, except: dollar sign, comma, and dot are
mapped to their locale-specific equivalents.

The following table lists the LSNumberFormat mask characters:

760

Character

Meaning

_

(Underscore.) Digit placeholder.

9

Digit placeholder. (Shows decimal places more clearly than _ .)

.

Location of a mandatory decimal point (or locale-appropriate symbol).

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Character

Meaning

0

Located to the left or right of a mandatory decimal point. Pads with zeros.

()

If number is less than zero, puts parentheses around the mask.

+

Puts plus sign before positive number; minus sign before negative number.

-

Puts space before positive number; minus sign before negative number.

,

Separates every third decimal place with a comma (or locale-appropriate symbol).

L,C

Left-justifies or center-justifies number within width of mask column. First
character of mask must be L or C. The default value is right-justified.

$

Puts a dollar sign (or locale-appropriate symbol) before formatted number. First
character of mask must be the dollar sign ($).

^

Separates left and right formatting.

Note: If you do not specify a sign for the mask, positive and negative numbers do not align in
columns. To put a plus sign or space before positive numbers and a minus sign before negative
numbers, use the plus or hyphen mask character, respectively.
Usage

This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.
The position of symbols in format masks determines where the codes take effect. For example, if
you put a dollar sign at the far left of a format mask, ColdFusion displays a dollar sign at the left
edge of the formatted number. If you separate the dollar sign on the left edge of the format mask
by at least one underscore, ColdFusion displays the dollar sign just to the left of the digits in the
formatted number.
These examples show how symbols determine formats:
Number

Mask

Result

4.37

$____.__

"$ 4.37"

4.37

_$___.__

" $4.37"

The positioning can also show where to put a minus sign for negative numbers:
Number

Mask

Result

-4.37

-____.__

"- 4.37"

-4.37

_-___.__

" -4.37"

The positions for a symbol are: far left, near left, near right, and far right. The left and right
positions are determined by the side of the decimal point on which the code character is shown.
For formats that do not have a fixed number of decimal places, you can use a caret (^) to separate
the left fields from the right.

LSNumberFormat

761

An underscore determines whether the code is placed in the far or near position. Most code
characters’ effect is determined by the field in which they are located. This example shows how to
specify where to put parentheses to display negative numbers:
Number

Mask

Result

3.21

C(__^__)

"( 3.21 )"

3.21

C__(^__)

" (3.21 )"

3.21

C(__^)__

"( 3.21) "

3.21

C__(^)__

" (3.21) "

To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values, use the SetLocale
function.
When converting from string to double, to prevent rounding errors, this function adds a
rounding factor of 1.5543122344752E-014 to the converted number. For example, without
adding the rounding factor, converting the string value 1.275 to double with two digits of
precision results in a value of 1.27499999999999999, which would be rounded up to 1.27. By
adding the rounding factor, the conversion correctly results in a value of 1.28.
If you round off a double, such as 1.99499999999999999999999999999, where the last decimal
is 10E-14, the rounding factor can cause an incorrect result.
Example
LSNumberFormat Example
LSNumberFormat returns a number value using the locale convention.



#locale#

#LSNumberFormat(-1234.5678, "_________")#

#LSNumberFormat(-1234.5678, "_________.___")#

#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "_________")#

#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "_________.___")#

#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "$_(_________.___)")#

#LSNumberFormat(-1234.5678, "$_(_________.___)")#

#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "+_________.___")#

#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "-_________.___")#




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

LSParseCurrency
Description

Converts a locale-specific currency string into a formatted number. Attempts conversion by
comparing the string with each the three supported currency formats (none, local, international)
and using the first that matches.
Returns

A formatted number (string representation of a number) that matches the value of the parameter.
Category

International functions, String functions
Function syntax
LSParseCurrency(string)
See also
LSParseEuroCurrency, LSCurrencyFormat, LSEuroCurrencyFormat, LSIsCurrency;

“Locale-specific content” in Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion
MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed formatting behavior: this function might return different formatting
than in earlier releases. This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A locale-specific string a variable that contains one

Usage

This function uses the locale formatting rules of the JVM (specified in the ColdFusion
Administrator Java and JVM page) on all platforms. These rules changed between Sun JVM 1.3.1
and JVM 1.4.1:

• JVM 1.3.1 requires that the local and international versions of currencies of countries in the
Euro zone be formatted using the older, country-specific designations, such as 100.000,00 DM
or DEM100.000,00 for the German (Standard) locale. Use the LSParseEuroCurrency
function to parse euro currencies in these locales with JVM 1.3.1.

• JVM 1.4.1 requires that currencies for Euro zone countries be expressed as euros; for example
100.000,00 € or EUR100.000,00.
Note: The LSIsCurrency function always returns True if the locale is in the Euro currency zone and the
currency is expressed in euros, including when using JVM 1.3.1. As a result, with older JVMs,
LSIsCurrency does not ensure that LSParseCurrency returns a value.

To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values, use the SetLocale
function.

LSParseCurrency

763

For a list of the locale-specific formats used to parse the currency, see LSCurrencyFormat.
Example
LSParseCurrency Example
LSParseCurrency coverts a locale-specific currency string to a number.
Attempts conversion through each of the three default currency formats.



#locale#

Local: #LSCurrencyFormat(123456.78, "local")#

Parsed local Currency:
#LSParseCurrency(LSCurrencyFormat(123456,"local"))#

International: #LSCurrencyFormat(123456.78999, "international")#

Parsed International Currency:
#LSParseCurrency(LSCurrencyFormat(123456.78999,"international"))#

None: #LSCurrencyFormat(123456.78999, "none")#

Parsed None formatted currency:
#LSParseCurrency(LSCurrencyFormat(123456.78999,"none"))#





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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

LSParseDateTime
Description

Converts a string that is a valid date/time representation in the current locale into a date/time
object.
Returns

A date/time object.
Category

Date and time functions, Display and formatting functions, International functions, String
functions
Function syntax
LSParseDateTime(date/time-string)
See also
LSDateFormat, ParseDateTime, SetLocale, GetLocale; “Locales” in Chapter 17, “Developing
Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed formatting behavior: this function might not parse string formats that worked with
earlier releases. This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.

• Changed how the date/time-string parameter value is processed: ColdFusion processes the
parameter value time zone information differently than in earlier releases,
as described in the Usage section.

date/time-string

Parameters
Parameter

Description

date/time-string

A string a variable that contains one, in a format that is readable in the current
locale.

Usage

This function can parse any date, time, or date/time combination that conforms to Java standard
locale formatting rules for the current locale.
The following table lists some of the date/time values you can pass to this function in the English
(US) locale. You can also pass only the date or the time parts of these formats:
Format

Example

m/dd/yy h:mm:ss

1/30/02 7:02:33

m/dd/yy h:mm tt

1/30/02 7:02 AM

m/dd/yyyy h:mm

1/30/2002 7:02 AM

LSParseDateTime

765

Format

Example

mmm dd, yyyy h:mm:ss tt

Jan 30, 2002 7:02:12 AM

mmmm dd, yyyy h:mm:ss tt zzz

January 30, 2002 7:02:23 AM PST

ddd, mmm dd, yyyy hh:mm:ss

Wed, Jan 30, 2002 07:02:12

dddd, mmmm dd, yyyy h:mm:ss tt zzz

Wednesday, January 30, 2002 7:02:12 AM PST

Valid dates are in the range 100 AD–9999 AD. Two digit years in the range 00-29 are interpreted
as being 2000-2029. Two digit years in the range 30-99 are interpreted as being 1930-1999
This function corrects for differences between the current time zone and any time zone specified
in the input parameter.

• If a time zone specified in the date/time-string parameter is different from the time zone
setting of the computer, ColdFusion adjusts the time value to its equivalent in the computer
time zone.

• If a time zone is not specified in the date/time-string parameter, ColdFusion does not
adjust the time value.
Note: This function does not accept POP dates, which include a time zone offset value.
Example
LSParseDateTime Example - returns a locale-specific date/time object



#locale#

Locale-specific formats:

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "mmm-dd-yyyy")# #LSTimeFormat(Now())#

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "mmmm d, yyyy")# #LSTimeFormat(Now())#

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "mm/dd/yyyy")# #LSTimeFormat(Now())#

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "d-mmm-yyyy")# #LSTimeFormat(Now())#

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "ddd, mmmm dd, yyyy")# #LSTimeFormat(Now())#

#LSDateFormat(Now(), "d/m/yy")# #LSTimeFormat(Now())#

#LSDateFormat(Now())# #LSTimeFormat(Now())#

Standard Date/Time:
#LSParseDateTime("#LSDateFormat(Now())# #LSTimeFormat(Now())#")#




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

LSParseEuroCurrency
Description

Formats a locale-specific currency string as a number. Attempts conversion through each of the
default currency formats (none, local, international). Ensures correct handling of euro currency
for Euro zone countries.
Returns

A formatted number that matches the value of the string.
Category

International functions, String functions
Function syntax
LSParseEuroCurrency(currency-string)
See also
LSParseCurrency, LSEuroCurrencyFormat, SetLocale; “Locale-specific content” in
Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed formatting behavior: this function might return different formatting
than in earlier releases. This function uses Java locale formatting rules on all platforms, except that
it uses the rule detailed in the Usage section for countries in the Euro currency zone.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

currency-string

Locale-specific string or a variable that contains one.

Usage

This function determines whether the current locale’s country belongs to the Euro Zone, whose
members have converted to the euro; if so, the currency-string parameter must be formatted
in euros on all JVMs, including Sun JVM 1.3.1. If the country is not in the Euro zone, the string
must follow the locale formatting rules of the JVM. For examples of valid currency formats in all
supported locales, see LSEuroCurrencyFormat on page 752.
For a list of the locale options that ColdFusion supports, and information on setting the default
display format of date, time, number, and currency values, see SetLocale.
Example
LSParseEuroCurrency Example
Loop through all available locales. Create string representations of the
value
123,456 in the three supported currency formats,
and parse the results back to numbers.




LSParseEuroCurrency

767

Current Locale: #locale#


Value in local currency: #localCurrency#

Parsed using LSParseEuroCurrency:
#LSParseEuroCurrency(localCurrency)#


Value with International currency formatting: #IntlCurrency#

Parsed using LSParseEuroCurrency:
#LSParseEuroCurrency(IntlCurrency)#


Value with no currency formatting: #currency#

Parsed using LSParseEuroCurrency:
#LSParseEuroCurrency(Currency)#





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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

LSParseNumber
Description

Converts a string that is a valid numeric representation in the current locale into a formatted
number.
Returns

A formatted number that matches the value of the string.
Category

International functions, String functions
Function syntax
LSParseNumber(string)
See also
LSParseDateTime, SetLocale; “Locales” in Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized Applications”
in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed formatting behavior: this function might return different formatting
than in earlier releases. This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Usage

This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.
To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values, use the SetLocale
function.
Example
LSParseNumber Example
LSParseNumber converts a locale-specific string to a number.
Returns the number matching the value of string.



#locale#

#LSNumberFormat(-1234.5678, "_________")#

#LSNumberFormat(-1234.5678, "_________.___")#

#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "_________")#

#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "_________.___")#

#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "$_(_________.___)")#

#LSNumberFormat(-1234.5678, "$_(_________.___)")#


LSParseNumber

769

#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "+_________.___")#

#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "-_________.___")#

The actual number:
#LSParseNumber(LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "_________"))#





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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

LSTimeFormat
Description

Formats the time part of a date/time string into a string in a locale-specific format.
Returns

A string representing the time value.
Category

Date and time functions, Display and formatting functions, International functions
Function syntax
LSTimeFormat(time [, mask ])
See also
LSParseDateTime, LSDateFormat, TimeFormat;

“Locales” in Chapter 17, “Developing
Globalized Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added the mask character L or l to represent milliseconds.
ColdFusion MX:

• Changed formatting behavior: this function might return different formatting than in earlier
releases. This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.

• Added support for the following mask parameter options: short, medium, long, and full.

LSTimeFormat

771

Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

• A date/time value
• A string that is convertible to a time value
A date/time object is in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

mask

Masking characters that determine the format:
• h: Hours; no leading zero for single-digit hours (12-hour clock)
• hh: Hours; leading zero for single-digit hours. (12-hour clock)
• H: Hours; no leading zero for single-digit hours (24-hour clock)
• HH: Hours; leading zero for single-digit hours (24-hour clock)
• m: Minutes; no leading zero for single-digit minutes
• mm: Minutes; leading zero for single-digit minutes
• s: Seconds; no leading zero for single-digit seconds
• ss: Seconds; leading zero for single-digit seconds
• l: Milliseconds
• t: One-character time marker string, such as A or P.
• tt: Multiple-character time marker string, such as AM or PM
The following conform to Java locale-specific time encoding standards. Their exact
formats depend on the locale:
• short: includes hours, minutes; may include AM or PM
• medium: includes hours, minutes; may include AM or PM
• long: medium plus time zone
• full: long, may also include an hour designator
The default value is short.

Usage

This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.
When passing date/time value as a string, enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it is
interpreted as a number representation of a date/time object.
To calculate a difference between time zones, use the GetTimeZoneInfo function.
To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values, use the SetLocale
function.
If no seconds value is passed to this function, and the mask value is s, the default output seconds
format is one zero; for example, lstimeformat(6:39, "h:m:s") returns 6:39:0. If the mask
value is ss, it returns 6:39:00.
Example
LSTimeFormat Example
LSTimeFormat returns a time value using the locale convention.




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

#locale#

#LSTimeFormat(Now())#

#LSTimeFormat(Now(), ‘hh:mm:ss’)#

#LSTimeFormat(Now(), ‘hh:mm:sst’)#

#LSTimeFormat(Now(), ‘hh:mm:sstt’)#

#LSTimeFormat(Now(), ‘HH:mm:ss’)#





LSTimeFormat

773

LTrim
Description

Removes leading spaces from a string.
Returns

A copy of the string, without leading spaces.
Category

Display and formatting functions, String functions
Function syntax
LTrim(string)
See also
RTrim, ToBase64
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Example
LTrim Example


Your string:"#FORM.myText#"
Your string:"#LTrim(FORM.myText)#"
(left trimmed)




Type in some text, and it will be modified by LTrim to remove
leading spaces from the left




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Max
Description

Determines the greater of two numbers.
Returns

The greater of two numbers.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Max(number1, number2)
See also
Min
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number1, number2

Numbers

Example
Max Example


The maximum of the two numbers is #Max(FORM.myNum1,
FORM.myNum2)#
The minimum of the two numbers is #Min(FORM.myNum1,
FORM.myNum2)#

Please enter two numbers



Enter two numbers, see the maximum and minimum of them
Number 1 

Number 2 




Max

775

Mid
Description

Extracts a substring from a string.
Returns

A string; the set of characters from string, beginning at start, of length count.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Mid(string, start, count)
See also
Left, Len, Right
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one. Must be single-quotation mark or doublequotation mark delimited.

start

A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Position at which to start count.
Positions start with 1, not 0.

count

A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Number of characters to return.
(Zero is not valid, but it does not throw an error.)

Example
Mid Example




Your string
#Form.myText# only has #Len(Form.myText)# characters. You cannot output
the #Form.removeChars# middle characters of this string because it is
not long enough.

Your string
#Form.myText# only has #Len(Form.myText)# characters. You cannot start
at position #Form.startPos#.

Your original string: #Form.myText#
Your changed string, showing only the #Form.removeChars#
 middle characters: #Mid(Form.myText,
Form.startPos, Form.removeChars)#


Please enter a string of more
than 0 (zero) characters.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions




Type in some text


Enter a starting position (from the beginning of the entered text)


How many characters do you want to show?




Mid

777

Min
Description

Determines the lesser of two numbers.
Returns

The lesser of two numbers.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Min(number1, number2)
See also
Max
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number1, number2

Numbers

Example
Min Example


The maximum of the two numbers is #Max(FORM.myNum1,
FORM.myNum2)#
The minimum of the two numbers is #Min(FORM.myNum1,
FORM.myNum2)#

Please enter two numbers



Enter two numbers, and see the maximum and minimum of the two numbers
Number 1 

Number 2 




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Minute
Description

Extracts the minute value from a date/time object.
Returns

The ordinal value of the minute, in the range 0–59.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
Minute(date)
See also
DatePart, Hash, Second
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

• A date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date/time value as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a number representation of a date/time object.
Example
Minute Example

The time is currently #TimeFormat(Now())#.
We are in hour #Hour(Now())#, Minute #Minute(Now())#
and Second #Second(Now())# of the day.


Minute

779

Month
Description

Extracts the month value from a date/time object.
Returns

The ordinal value of the month, in the range 1 (January) – 12 (December).
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
Month(date)
See also
DatePart, MonthAsString, Quarter
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

Date/time object, in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date/time value as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a number representation of a date/time object.
Note: You can pass the CreateDate function or the Now function as the date parameter of this
function; for example: #Month(CreateDate(2001, 3, 3))#.
Example
Month Example

More information about your date:


Your date, #DateFormat(yourDate)#.

It is #DayofWeekAsString(DayOfWeek(yourDate))#, day
#DayOfWeek(yourDate)# in the week.

This is day #Day(yourDate)# in the month of
#MonthAsString(Month(yourDate))#, which has
#DaysInMonth(yourDate)# days.

We are in week #Week(yourDate)# of #Year(yourDate)#
(day #DayofYear(yourDate)# of #DaysinYear(yourDate)#). 

This is a leap year
This is not a leap year




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

MonthAsString
Description

Determines the name of the month that corresponds to month_number.
Returns

A string; the name of the specified month, in the current locale.
Category

Date and time functions, String functions
Function syntax
MonthAsString(month_number)
See also
DatePart, Month, Quarter
Parameters
Parameter

Description

month_number

An integer in the range 1 – 12.

Example
MonthAsString Example

More information about your date:


Your date, #DateFormat(yourDate)#.

It is #DayofWeekAsString(DayOfWeek(yourDate))#, day
#DayOfWeek(yourDate)# in the week.

This is day #Day(YourDate)# in the month of
#MonthAsString(Month(yourDate))#, which has
#DaysInMonth(yourDate)# days.

We are in week #Week(yourDate)# of #Year(yourDate)#
(day #DayofYear(yourDate)# of #DaysinYear(yourDate)#). 

This is a leap year
This is not a leap year




MonthAsString

781

Now
Description

Gets the current date and time of the computer running the ColdFusion server. The return value
can be passed as a parameter to date functions such as DaysInYear or FirstDayOfMonth.
Returns

A date/time object; the current date and time of the computer running the ColdFusion server.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
Now()
See also
CreateDateTime, DatePart
Example
Now Example
Now returns the current date and time as a valid date/time object.
The current date/time value is #Now()#
You can also represent this as #DateFormat(Now())#,
#TimeFormat(Now())#

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

NumberFormat
Description

Creates a custom-formatted number value. Supports the numeric formatting used in the U.S. For
international number formatting, see LSNumberFormat.
Returns

A formatted number value:

• If no mask is specified, returns the value as an integer with a thousands separator.
• If the parameter value is "" (an empty string), returns 0.
Category

Display and formatting functions
Function syntax
NumberFormat(number [, mask ])
See also
DecimalFormat, DollarFormat, IsNumeric, LSNumberFormat
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: if the mask format cannot correctly mask a number, this
function returns the number unchanged. (It does not truncate the number nor throw an error.)
(If no mask is selected, ColdFusion MX rounds the decimal part as ColdFusion 5 does. For
example, it rounds 34.567 to 35.)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

A number.

mask

A string or a variable that contains one. Set of characters that determine how
ColdFusion displays the number

The following table explains mask characters:
Mask character Meaning
_ (underscore)

Optional. Digit placeholder.

9

Optional. Digit placeholder. (Shows decimal places more clearly than _.)

.

Location of a mandatory decimal point.

0

Located to the left or right of a mandatory decimal point. Pads with zeros.

()

If number is less than zero, puts parentheses around the mask.

+

Puts plus sign before positive number; minus sign before negative number.

-

Puts a space before positive number; minus sign before negative number.

NumberFormat

783

Mask character Meaning
,

Separates every third decimal place with a comma.

L,C

Left-justifies or center-justifies number within width of mask column. First
character of mask must be L or C. The default value is right-justified.

$

Puts a dollar sign before formatted number. First character of mask must be the
dollar sign ($).

^

Separates left and right formatting.

Note: If you do not specify a sign for the mask, positive and negative numbers do not align in
columns. To put a plus sign or space before positive numbers and a minus sign before negative
numbers, use the plus or minus sign, respectively.
Usage

This function uses Java standard locale formatting rules on all platforms.
The position of symbols in format masks determines where the codes take effect. For example, if
you put a dollar sign at the far left of a format mask, ColdFusion displays a dollar sign at the left
edge of the formatted number. If you separate the dollar sign on the left edge of the format mask
by at least one underscore, ColdFusion displays the dollar sign just to the left of the digits in the
formatted number.
These examples show how symbols determine formats:
Number

Mask

Result

4.37

$____.__

"$ 4.37"

4.37

_$___.__

" $4.37"

The positioning can also show where to place the minus sign for negative numbers:
Number

Mask

Result

-4.37

-____.__

"- 4.37"

-4.37

_-___.__

" -4.37"

The positions for a symbol are: far left, near left, near right, and far right. The left and right
positions are determined by the side of the decimal point on which the code character is shown.
For formats that do not have a fixed number of decimal places, you can use a caret (^) to separate
the left fields from the right.
An underscore determines whether the code is placed in the far or near position. Most code
characters’ effect is determined by the field in which they are located. This example shows how to
specify where to put parentheses to display negative numbers:

784

Number

Mask

Result

3.21

C(__^__)

"( 3.21 )"

3.21

C__(^__)

" (3.21 )"

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Number

Mask

Result

3.21

C(__^)__

"( 3.21) "

3.21

C__(^)__

" (3.21) "

When converting from string to double, to prevent rounding errors, this function adds a
rounding factor of 1.5543122344752E-014 to the converted number. For example, without
adding the rounding factor, converting the string value 1.275 to double with two digits of
precision results in a value of 1.27499999999999999, which would be rounded up to 1.27. By
adding the rounding factor, the conversion correctly results in a value of 1.28.
If you round off a double such as 1.99499999999999999999999999999, where the last decimal
is 10E-14, the rounding factor can cause an incorrect result.
To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values, use the SetLocale
function.
Example
NumberFormat Example




#counter# * Square Root of 2: #NumberFormat(CounterRoot2,
‘_____.__’)#
#counter# * Square Root of 2: #NumberFormat(CounterRoot2)#



NumberFormat

785

ParagraphFormat
Description

Replaces characters in a string:

• Single newline characters (CR/LF sequences) with spaces
• Double newline characters with HTML paragraph tags ()
Returns

A copy of the string, with characters converted.
Category

Display and formatting functions, String functions
Function syntax
ParagraphFormat(string)
See also
StripCR
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Usage

This function is useful for displaying data entered in textarea fields.
Example
ParagraphFormat Example
Enter text into this textarea, and see it returned as HTML.

Your text area, formatted
#ParagraphFormat(FORM.myTextArea)#



This is sample text and you see how it scrolls
<cfoutput>#Chr(10)##Chr(13)#</cfoutput>
From one line
<cfoutput>#Chr(10)##Chr(13)##Chr(10)##Chr(13)#</cfoutput>
to the next




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ParameterExists
Description

This function is deprecated. Use the IsDefined function.
Determines whether a parameter exists. ColdFusion does not evaluate the argument.
History

ColdFusion MX: Deprecated this function. It might not work, and might cause an error, in later
releases.

ParameterExists

787

ParseDateTime
Description

Parses a date/time string according to the English (U.S.) locale conventions. (To format a date/
time string for other locales, use the LSParseDateTime function.)
Returns

A date/time object
Category

Date and time functions, Display and formatting functions
Function syntax
ParseDateTime(date/time-string [, pop-conversion ] )
See also
IsDate, IsNumericDate, SetLocale
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date/time string

A string containing a date/time value formatted according to U.S. locale
conventions. Can represent a date/time in the range 100 AD–9999 AD. Years
0-29 are interpreted as 2000-2029; years 30-99 are interpreted as 19301999.

pop-conversion

• pop: specifies that the date/time string is in POP format, which includes the
local time of the sender and a time-zone offset from UTC. ColdFusion applies
the offset and returns a value with the UTC time.
• standard: (the default) function does no conversion.

Usage

This function is similar to CreateDateTime, but it takes a string instead of enumerated date/time
values. These functions are provided primarily to increase the readability of code in compound
expressions.
To calculate a difference between time zones, use the GetTimeZoneInfo function.
To set the default display format of date, time, number, and currency values, use the SetLocale
function.
Example
ParseDateTime Example


The expression #DE(form.theTestValue)# is a valid
date
The parsed date/time is:
#ParseDateTime(form.theTestValue)#


788

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

The expression #DE(form.theTestValue)# is not a
valid date



Enter an expression, and discover if it can be evaluated to a date value.




ParseDateTime

789

Pi
Description

Gets the mathematical constant π, accurate to 15 digits.
Returns

The number 3.14159265358979.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Pi()
See also
ASin, Cos, Sin, Tan
Example
Pi Example

The Pi function Returns the number

#NumberFormat(Pi(), "_._______________")#,
 the mathematical constant pi, accurate to 15 digits.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

PreserveSingleQuotes
Description

Prevents ColdFusion from automatically escaping single-quotation mark characters that are
contained in a variable. ColdFusion does not evaluate the argument.
Returns

(None)
Category

Other functions
Function syntax
PreserveSingleQuotes(variable)
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: ColdFusion automatically escapes simple-variable, arrayvariable, and structure-variable references within a cfquery tag body or block. (Earlier releases
did not automatically escape array-variable references.)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

variable

Variable that contains a string in which to preserve single-quotation marks.

Usage

This function is useful in SQL statements to defer evaluation of a variable reference until
runtime. This prevents errors that result from the evaluation of a single-quote or apostrophe data
character (for example, "Joe’s Diner") as a delimiter.
Example A: Consider this code:

PreserveSingleQuotes(#mystring#) is

#PreserveSingleQuotes(mystring)#


The output is as follows:
PreserveSingleQuotes(#mystring#) is 'Newton's Law', 'Fermat's Theorem'

Example B: Consider this code:



ColdFusion escapes the single-quote characters in the list as follows:
""1"", ""2"", ""3""

The cfquery tag throws an error.

PreserveSingleQuotes

791

You code this function correctly as follows:


This function ensures that ColdFusion evaluates the code as follows:
'1', '2', '3'
Example
PreserveSingleQuotes Example
This is a useful function for
creating lists of information to return from a query. In this example,
we pick the list of Centers in Suisun, San Francisco, and San Diego,
using the SQL grammar IN to modify a WHERE clause, rather than looping
through the result set after the query is run.


SELECT Name, Address1, Address2, City, Phone
FROM Centers
WHERE City IN (#PreserveSingleQuotes(List)#)

We found #GetCenters.RecordCount# records.

#Name#

#Address1#

#Address2#

#City#

#Phone#



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Quarter
Description

Calculates the quarter of the year in which a date falls.
Returns

An integer, 1–4.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
Quarter(date)
See also
DatePart, Month
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

A date/time object in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date/time value as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a number representation of a date/time object.
Example
Quarter Example
Today, #DateFormat(Now())#,
is in Quarter #Quarter(Now())#.

Quarter

793

QueryAddColumn
Description

Adds a column to a query and populates its rows with the contents of a one-dimensional array.
Pads query columns, if necessary, to ensure that all columns have the same number of rows.
Returns

The number of the column that was added.
Category

Query functions
Function syntax
QueryAddColumn(query, column-name[, datatype], array-name)
See also
QueryNew, QueryAddRow, QuerySetCell;

“Managing data types for columns” in Chapter 22,
“Using Query of Queries,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the datatype parameter.
ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: if a user attempts to add a column whose name is invalid,
ColdFusion throws an error. (In earlier releases, ColdFusion permitted the add operation, but the
user could not reference the column after adding it.)
Parameters

794

Parameter

Description

query

Name of a query object.

column-name

Name of the new column.

datatype

(Optional) Column data type. ColdFusion generates an error if data you add to
the column is not of this type, or if it cannot convert the data to this type. The
following data types are valid:
• Integer: 32-bit integer
• BigInt: 64-bit integer
• Double: 64-bit decimal number
• Decimal: Variable length decimal, as specified by java.math.BigDecimal
• VarChar: String
• Binary: Byte array
• Bit: Boolean (1=True, 0=False)
• Time: Time
• Data: Date (can include time information)

array-name

Name of an array whose elements populate the new column.

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Usage

You can add columns to query objects, such as queries retrieved with the cfquery tag or queries
created with the QueryNew function. You cannot use the QueryAddColumn function on a cached
query. This function is useful for generating a query object from the arrays of output parameters
that Oracle stored procedures can generate.
Macromedia recommends that you use the optional datatype parameter. Without this
parameter, ColdFusion must try to determine the column’s data type when it uses the query
object in a query of queries. Determining the data type requires additional processing, and can
result in errors if ColdFusion does not guess the type correctly.
Example

The following example creates a new query object, uses the QueryAddColumn function to add
three columns to the object, and displays the results. Because two of the arrays that provide the
data are shorter than the third, QueryAddColumn adds padding to the corresponding columns in
the query.


























QueryAddColumn

795




Fast Food
Fine Cuisine Health Food


#FastFood#
#FineCuisine#
#HealthFood#




796

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

QueryAddRow
Description

Adds a specified number of empty rows to a query.
Returns

The number of rows in the query
Category

Query functions
Function syntax
QueryAddRow(query [, number ])
See also
QueryAddColumn, QueryAddRow, QuerySetCell, QueryNew;

“Creating a record set with a
function” in Chapter 22, “Using Query of Queries,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

query

Name of an executed query.

number

Number of rows to add to the query. The default value is 1.

Example
QueryAddRow Example


SELECT Course_ID, Descript
FROM Courses

The Query "GetCourses" has #GetCourses.RecordCount#
rows.








After the QueryAddRow action, the query has
#GetCourses.RecordCount#
records.

#Course_ID# #Course_Number# #Descript#
 

QueryAddRow

797

QueryNew
Description

Creates an empty query (query object).
Returns

An empty query with a set of named columns, or an empty query.
Category

Query functions
Function syntax
QueryNew(columnlist [, columntypelist])
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added columntypelist parameter.
See also
QueryAddColumn, QueryAddRow, QuerySetCell; “Managing data types for columns” in
Chapter 22, “Using Query of Queries,” ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

columnlist

Comma-delimited list of column names, or an empty string.

columntypelist (Optional) Comma-delimited list specifying column data types. ColdFusion
generates an error if the data you add to the column is not of this type, or if it cannot
convert the data to this type. The following data types are valid:
• Integer: 32-bit integer
• BigInt: 64-bit integer
• Double: 64-bit decimal number
• Decimal: Variable length decimal, as specified by java.math.BigDecimal
• VarChar: String
• Binary: Byte array
• Bit: Boolean (1=True, 0=False)
• Time: Time
• Date: Date (can include time information)
Usage

If you specify an empty string in the columnlist parameter, you must use the QueryAddColumn
function to add columns to the query.
Macromedia recommends that you use the optional columntypelist parameter. Without this
parameter, ColdFusion must try to determine data types when it uses the query object in a query
of queries. Determining data types requires additional processing, and can result in errors if
ColdFusion does not guess a type correctly.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Example

The following example uses the QueryNew function to create an empty query with three columns.
It populates two rows of the query and displays the contents of the query object and its metadata.











The query object contents

#Name# #Time# #Advanced#





Using individual query data values

#MyQuery.name[2]# is at #MyQuery.Time[2]#





The query metadata



QueryNew

799

QuerySetCell
Description

Sets a cell to a value. If no row number is specified, the cell on the last row is set.
Returns

True, if successful; False, otherwise.
Category

Query functions
Function syntax
QuerySetCell(query, column_name, value [, row_number ])
See also
QueryAddColumn, QueryAddRow, QueryNew;

“Creating a record set with a function” in
Chapter 22, “Using Query of Queries,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

query

Name of an executed query.

column_name

Name of a column in the query.

value

Value to set in the cell.

row_number

Row number. The default value is last row.

Example



SELECT Course_ID, Descript
FROM Courses

The Query "GetCourses" has #GetCourses.RecordCount#
rows.








After the QueryAddRow action, the query has
#GetCourses.RecordCount#
records.

#Course_ID# #Course_Number# #Descript#
 

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

QuotedValueList
Description

Gets the values of each record returned from an executed query. ColdFusion does not evaluate the
arguments.
Returns

A delimited list of the values of each record returned from an executed query. Each value is
enclosed in single-quotation marks.
Category

Query functions, List functions
Function syntax
QuotedValueList(query.column [, delimiter ])
See also
ValueList
Parameters
Parameter

Description

query.column

Name of an executed query and column. Separate query name and column name
with a period.

delimiter

A string or a variable that contains one. Character(s) that separate column data.

Example




SELECT Dept_ID FROM Departments
WHERE Dept_ID IN (#PreserveSingleQuotes(List)#)



SELECT *
FROM CourseList
WHERE Dept_ID IN ('#GetDepartments.Dept_ID#')


List the course numbers that are in BIOL and CHEM (uses semicolon (;) as the
delimiter):


#QuotedValueList(GetCourseList.CorNumber,";")#



QuotedValueList

801

Rand
Description

Generates a pseudo-random number.
Returns

A pseudo-random decimal number, in the range 0 – 1.
Category

Mathematical functions, Security functions
Function syntax
Rand([algorithm])
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the algorithm parameter.
See also
Randomize, RandRange
Parameters
Parameter

Description

algorithm

(Optional) The algorithm to use to generated the random number. ColdFusion MX
installs a cryptography library with the following algorithms:
• CFMX_COMPAT: the algorithm used in ColdFusion MX (default).
• SHA1PRNG: generates a number using the Sun Java SHA1PRNG algorithm.
This algorithm provides greater randomness than the default algorithm
• IBMSecureRandom: for IBM WebSphere (IBM JVM does not support the
SHA1PRNG algorithm).

Usage

Call the Randomize function before calling this function to seed the random number generator.
Seeding the generator ensures that the Rand function always generates the same sequence of
pseudo-random numbers. This behavior is useful if you must reproduce a pattern consistently.
ColdFusion MX 7 uses the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) and installs a Sun Java 1.4.2
runtime that includes the Sun JCE default security provider. This provider includes the
algorithms listed in the Parameters section (except the default algorithm). The JCE framework
includes facilities for using other provider implementations; however, Macromedia cannot
provide technical support for third-party security providers.
Example

The following example uses the SHA1PRNG algorithm to generate a single random number:
Rand Example

Rand("SHA1PRNG") returned: #Rand("SHA1PRNG")#
Try again


802

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Randomize
Description

Seeds the pseudo-random number generator with an integer number, ensuring repeatable number
patterns.
Returns

A pseudo-random decimal number, in the range 0–1.
Category

Mathematical functions, Security functions
Function syntax
Randomize(number[, algorithm])
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the algorithm parameter.
See also
Rand, RandRange
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Integer number. If the number is not in the range -2,147,483,648 – 2,147,483,647,
ColdFusion generates an error.

algorithm

(Optional) The algorithm to use to generate the seed number. ColdFusion MX
installs a cryptography library with the following algorithms:
• CFMX_COMPAT: the algorithm used in ColdFusion MX (default).
• SHA1PRNG: generates a number using the Sun Java SHA1PRNG algorithm.
This algorithm provides greater randomness than the default algorithm.
• IBMSecureRandom: for IBM WebSphere (IBM JVM does not support the
SHA1PRNG algorithm).

Usage

Call this function before calling Rand to seed the random number generator. Seeding the
generator ensures that the Rand function always generates the same sequence of pseudo-random
numbers. This behavior is useful if you must reproduce a pattern consistently.
ColdFusion MX 7 uses the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) and installs a Sun Java 1.4.2
runtime that includes the Sun JCE default security provider. This provider includes the
algorithms listed in the Parameters section (except the default algorithm). The JCE framework
includes facilities for using other provider implementations; however, Macromedia cannot
provide technical support for third-party security providers.

Randomize

803

Example

The following example calls the Randomize function to seed the random number generator and
generates 10 random numbers. To show the effect of the seed, submit the form with the same
value multiple times.
Randomize Example





Seed value is #FORM.myRandomInt#






Random number returned by Randomize(#Form.myRandomInt#,
"SHA1PRNG"):

#r#



10 random numbers generated using the SHA1PRNG algorithm:


#Rand("SHA1PRNG")#





Please enter a number.




Enter a number to seed the randomizer:




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

RandRange
Description

Generates a pseudo-random integer in the range between two specified numbers.
Returns

A pseudo-random integer.
Category

Mathematical functions, Security functions
Function syntax
RandRange(number1, number2[, algorithm])
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the algorithm parameter.
See also
Rand, Randomize
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number1, number2

Integer numbers. If the numbers are not in the range -2,147,483,648 –
2,147,483,647, ColdFusion generates an error.

algorithm

(Optional) The algorithm to use to generated the random number.
ColdFusion MX installs a cryptography library with the following algorithms:
• CFMX_COMPAT: the algorithm used in ColdFusion MX (default).
• SHA1PRNG: generates a number using the Sun Java SHA1PRNG
algorithm. This algorithm provides greater randomness than the default
algorithm
• IBMSecureRandom: for IBM WebSphere (IBM JVM does not support
the SHA1PRNG algorithm.)

Usage

Very large positive or negative values for the number1 and number2 parameters might result in
poor randomness in the results. To prevent this problem, do not specify numbers outside the
range -1,000,000,000 – 1,000,000,000.
ColdFusion MX 7 uses the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) and installs a Sun Java 1.4.2
runtime that includes the Sun JCE default security provider. This provider includes the
algorithms listed in the Parameters section (except the default algorithm). The JCE framework
includes facilities for using other provider implementations; however, Macromedia cannot
provide technical support for third-party security providers.

RandRange

805

Example

The following example contains a form that requires random number range values, and lets you
optionally specify a random number seed value. It uses cfform controls and attributes to specify a
default range, ensure that the range fields have values, and validate that the field values are in a
specified integer range. When you submit the form, it checks whether the seed field has an empty
string; if the field has a value, the code uses the number to seed the random number generator. It
then generates and displays the random number.
RandRange Example





Seed value is #FORM.mySeed#







No Seed value submitted




RandRange returned: #RandRange(FORM.myInt, FORM.myInt2, "SHA1PRNG")#




Enter the random number Range: From

To

Enter a number to seed the randomizer:




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

REFind
Description

Uses a regular expression (RE) to search a string for a pattern. The search is case sensitive.
For more information on regular expressions, including escape sequences, anchors, and modifiers,
see Chapter 7, “Using Regular Expressions in Functions,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Returns

Depends on the value of the returnsubexpressions parameter:

• If returnsubexpressions =

"False":

■

The position in the string where the match begins

■

0, if the regular expression is not matched in the string

• If returnsubexpressions

= "True":

a structure that contains two arrays, len and pos. The

array elements are as follows:
■

■

If the regular expression is found in the string, the first element of the len and pos arrays
contains the length and position, respectively, of the first match of the entire regular
expression.
If the regular expression contains parentheses that group subexpressions, each subsequent
array element contains the length and position, respectively, of the first occurrence of each
group.
If the regular expression is not found in the string, the first element of the len and pos
arrays contains 0.

Category

String functions
Function syntax
REFind(reg_expression, string [, start ] [, returnsubexpressions ] )
See also
Find, FindNoCase, REFindNoCase, REReplace, REReplaceNoCase
Parameters
Parameter

Description

reg_expression

Regular expression for which to search. Case-sensitive.

string

A string, or a variable that contains one, in which to search.

REFind

807

Parameter

Description

start

Optional. A positive integer, or a variable that contains one. Position in the
string at which to start search. The default value is 1.

returnsubexpressions

Optional. Boolean. Whether to return substrings of reg_expression, in arrays
named len and pos:
• True: if the regular expression is found, the first array element contains the
length and position, respectively, of the first match.
If the regular expression contains parentheses that group subexpressions,
each subsequent array element contains the length and position,
respectively, of the first occurrence of each group.
If the regular expression is not found, the arrays each contain one element
with the value 0.
• False: the function returns the position in the string where the match
begins. Default.

Usage

This function finds the first occurrence of a regular expression in a string. To find the second and
subsequent instances of the expression or of subexpressions in it, you call this function more than
once, each time with a different start position. To determine the next start position, use the
returnsubexpressions parameter, and add the value returned in the first element of the length
array to the value in the first element of the position array.
Example
REFind Example
This example shows the use of the REFind function with and without the
returnsubexpressions parameter set to True.
If you do not use the returnsubexpressions parameter,
REFind returns the position of the first occurrence of a regular
expression in a string starting from the specified position.
Returns 0 if no occurrences are found.
REFind("a+c+", "abcaaccdd"):
#REFind("a+c+", "abcaaccdd")#
REFind("a+c*", "abcaaccdd"):
#REFind("a+c*", "abcaaccdd")#
REFind("[[:upper:]]", "abcaacCDD"):
#REFind("[[:upper:]]", "abcaacCDD")#
REFind("[\?&]rep = ", "report.cfm?rep = 1234&u = 5"):
#REFind("[\?&]rep = ", "report.cfm?rep = 1234&u = 5")#




If you use the returnssubexpression parameter, REFind returns the
position and length of the first occurrence of a regular expression
in a string starting from the specified position. The position and
length variables are stored in a structure. To access position and length
information, use the keys pos and len, respectively.

The string in which the function is to search is:
#teststring#.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

The first call to REFind to search this string is:
REFind("[A-Za-z]+",testString,1,"TRUE")
This function returns a structure that contains two arrays: pos and len.
To create this structure you can use a CFSET statement, for example: 
<CFSET st = REFind("[[:alpha:]]",testString,1,"TRUE")>



The number of elements in each array: #ArrayLen(st.pos)#.

The number of elements in the pos and len arrays is always one
if you do not use parentheses in the regular expression.
The value of st.pos[1] is: #st.pos[1]#.
The value of st.len[1] is: #st.len[1]#.


Substring is [#Mid(testString,st.pos[1],st.len[1])#]


However, if you use parentheses in the regular expression, the first
element contains the position and length of the first instance
of the whole expression. The position and length of the first instance
of each parenthesized subexpression within is included in additional
array elements.
For example:
<CFSET st1 = REFind("([[:alpha:]])[ ]+(\1)",testString,1,"TRUE")>

The number of elements in each array is #ArrayLen(st1.pos)#
.
First whole expression match; position is
#st1.pos[1]#;
length is #st1.len[1]#; whole expression match is
[#Mid(testString,st1.pos[1],st1.len[1])#]

Subsequent elements of the arrays provide the position and length of
the first instance of each parenthesized subexpression therein.

Position is #st1.pos[i]#; Length is #st1.len[i]#;
Substring is [#Mid(testString,st1.pos[i],st1.len[i])#]




REFind

809

REFindNoCase
Description

Uses a regular expression (RE) to search a string for a pattern, starting from a specified position.
The search is case-insensitive.
For more information on regular expressions, including escape sequences, anchors, and modifiers,
see Chapter 7, “Using Regular Expressions in Functions,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Returns

Depends on the value of the returnsubexpressions parameter:

• If returnsubexpressions =

"False":

■

The position in the string where the match begins

■

0, if the regular expression is not matched in the string

• If returnsubexpressions

= "True":

a structure that contains two arrays, len and pos. The

array elements are as follows:
■

■

■

If the regular expression is found in the string, the first element of the len and pos arrays
contains the length and position, respectively, of the first match of the entire regular
expression.
If the regular expression contains parentheses that group subexpressions, each subsequent
array element contains the length and position, respectively, of the first occurrence of each
group.
If the regular expression is not found in the string, the first element of the len and pos
arrays contains 0.

Category

String functions
Function syntax
REFindNoCase(reg_expression, string [, start] [, returnsubexpressions] )
See also
Find, FindNoCase, REFind, REReplace, REReplaceNoCase
Parameters

810

Parameter

Description

reg_expression

Regular expression for which to search. Case-insensitive.
For more information, see Chapter 7, “Using Regular Expressions in
Functions,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String in which to search.

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Parameter

Description

start

Optional. A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Position at which
to start search. The default value is 1.

returnsubexpressions

Optional. Boolean. Whether to return substrings of reg_expression, in arrays
named len and pos:
• True: if the regular expression is found, the first array element contains the
length and position, respectively, of the first match.
If the regular expression contains parentheses that group subexpressions,
each subsequent array element contains the length and position,
respectively, of the first occurrence of each group.
If the regular expression is not found, the arrays each contain one element
with the value 0.
• False: the function returns the position in the string where the match
begins. Default.

Usage

This function finds the first occurrence of a regular expression in a string. To find the second and
subsequent instances of the expression or of subexpressions in it, you call this function more than
once, each time with a different start position. To determine the next start position, use the
returnsubexpressions parameter, and add the value returned in the first element of the length
array to the value in the first element of the position array.
Example
REFindNoCase Example
This example demonstrates the use of the REFindNoCase function with and
without the returnsubexpressions parameter set to True.
If you do not use the returnsubexpressions parameter, REFindNoCase
returns the position of the first occurrence of a regular expression
in a string starting from the specified position. Returns 0 if no
occurrences are found. 
REFindNoCase("a+c+", "abcaaccdd"):
#REFindNoCase("a+c+", "abcaaccdd")#
REFindNoCase("a+c*", "abcaaccdd"):
#REFindNoCase("a+c*", "abcaaccdd")#
REFindNoCase("[[:alpha:]]+", "abcaacCDD"):
#REFindNoCase("[[:alpha:]]+", "abcaacCDD")#
REFindNoCase("[\?&]rep = ", "report.cfm?rep = 1234&u = 5"):
#REFindNoCase("[\?&]rep = ", "report.cfm?rep = 1234&u = 5")#



If you do use the returnssubexpression parameter, REFindNoCase
returns
the position and length of the first occurrence of a regular expression
in a string starting from the specified position. The position and length
variables are stored in a structure. To access position and length
information, use the keys pos and len, respectively.

The string in which the function is to search is:
#teststring#.

REFindNoCase

811

The first call to REFindNoCase to search this string is:
REFindNoCase("[[:alpha:]]+",testString,1,"True")
This function returns a structure that contains two arrays: pos and len.
To create this structure you can use a CFSET statement,
for example:
<CFSET st = REFindNoCase("[[:alpha:]]+",testString,1,"True")>



The number of elements in each array: #ArrayLen(st.pos)#.

The number of elements in the pos and len arrays will always be one,
if you do not use parentheses to denote subexpressions in the regular
expression.
The value of st.pos[1] is: #st.pos[1]#.
The value of st.len[1] is: #st.len[1]#.


Substring is [#Mid(testString,st.pos[1],st.len[1])#]


However, if you use parentheses to denote subexpressions in the regular
expression, the first element contains the position and length of
the first instance of the whole expression. The position and length
of the first instance of each subexpression within will be included
in additional array elements.
For example:
<CFSET st1 = REFindNoCase("([[:alpha:]]+)[
]+(\1)",testString,1,"True")>

The number of elements in each array is

#ArrayLen(st1.pos)#
.
First whole expression match; position is

#st1.pos[1]#; length is #st1.len[1]#;
whole expression match is [#Mid(testString,st1.pos[1],st1.len[1])#]

Subsequent elements of the arrays provide the position and length of the
first instance of each parenthesized subexpression therein.

Position is #st1.pos[i]#; Length is #st1.len[i]#;
Substring is [#Mid(testString,st1.pos[i],st1.len[i])#]




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ReleaseComObject
Description

Releases a COM Object and frees up resources that it used.
Returns

Nothing.
Category

Extensibility functions
Function syntax
ReleaseComObject(objectName)
See also
CreateObject, cfobject
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

objectName

Variable name of a COM object that was created using the CreateObject function
or cfobject tag.

Usage

This function forcefully terminates and releases the specified COM object and all COM objects
that it created. Use this function when the object is no longer in use, to quickly free up resources.
If the COM object has a method, such as a quit method, that terminates the program, call this
method before you call the ReleaseComObject function.
This function can improve processing efficiency, but is not required for an application to work. If
you do not use this function, the Java garbage collection mechanism eventually frees the
resources. If you use this function on an object that is in use, the object is prematurely released
and your application will get exceptions.
Example
ReleaseComObject Example

obj = CreateObject("Com", "excel.application.9");
//code that uses the object goes here
obj.quit();
ReleaseComObject(obj);


ReleaseComObject

813

RemoveChars
Description

Removes characters from a string.
Returns

A copy of the string, with count characters removed from the specified start position. If no
characters are found, returns zero.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
RemoveChars(string, start, count)
See also
Insert, Len
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String in which to search.

start

A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Position at which to start search.

count

Number of characters to remove.

Example
RemoveChars Example
Returns a string with count characters removed from the
start position. Returns 0 if no characters are found.


Your string is only #Len(FORM.myString)#
 characters long.
Please enter a longer string, select fewer characters to remove or
begin earlier in the string.


Your original string: #FORM.myString#
Your modified string:#RemoveChars(FORM.myString,
FORM.start, FORM.numChars)#




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

RepeatString
Description

Creates a string that contains a specified number of repetitions of the specified string.
Returns

A string.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
RepeatString(string, count)
See also
CJustify, LJustify, RJustify
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one.

count

Number of repeats.

Example
RepeatString Example
RepeatString returns a string created from string, repeated
a specified number of times.

RepeatString("-", 10): #RepeatString("-", 10)#
RepeatString("<BR>", 3): #RepeatString("
", 3)#

RepeatString("", 5): #RepeatString("", 5)#
RepeatString("abc", 0): #RepeatString("abc", 0)#
RepeatString("Lorem Ipsum", 2):
#RepeatString("Lorem Ipsum", 2)#


RepeatString

815

Replace
Description

Replaces occurrences of substring1 in a string with substring2, in a specified scope. The search is
case-sensitive.
Returns

The string, after making replacements.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Replace(string, substring1, substring2 [, scope ])
See also
Find, REFind, ReplaceNoCase, ReplaceList, REReplace
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String in which to search.

substring1

A string or a variable that contains one. String for which to search

substring2

String that replaces substring1

scope

• one: replaces the first occurrence (default)
• all: replaces all occurrences

Usage

To remove a string, specify the empty string ("") as substring2.
You do not need to escape comma characters in strings. For example, the following code deletes
the commas from the sentence:
replace("The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy cow, dog, and
cat.",",","","All")
Example
Replace Example
The Replace function returns string with substring1
replaced by substring2 in the specified scope. This
is a case-sensitive search.

Your original string, #FORM.MyString#
You wanted to replace the substring #FORM.MySubstring1#

with the substring #FORM.MySubstring2#.
The result: #Replace(FORM.myString,
FORM.MySubstring1, FORM.mySubString2)#


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ReplaceList
Description

Replaces occurrences of the elements from a delimited list in a string with corresponding elements
from another delimited list. The search is case-sensitive.
Returns

A copy of the string, after making replacements.
Category

List functions, String functions
Function syntax
ReplaceList(string, list1, list2)
See also
Find, REFind, Replace, REReplace
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string, or a variable that contains one, within which to replace substring

list1

Comma-delimited list of substrings for which to search

list2

Comma-delimited list of replacement substrings

Usage

The list of substrings to replace is processed sequentially. If a list1 element is contained in list2
elements, recursive replacement might occur. The second example shows this.
Example
The ReplaceList function returns string with
substringlist1 (e.g. "a,b") replaced by substringlist2
(e.g. "c,d") in the specified scope.

Your original string, #FORM.MyString#
You wanted to replace the substring #FORM.MySubstring1#

with the substring #FORM.MySubstring2#.
The result: #Replacelist(FORM.myString,
FORM.MySubstring1, FORM.mySubString2)#


String 1


Substring 1 (find this list of substrings)


Substring 2 (replace with this list of substrings)





ReplaceList

817

Replacelist Example Two


#ReplaceList(stringtoreplace,"dog,brown,fox,black",
"cow,black,ferret,white")#


818

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

ReplaceNoCase
Description

Replaces occurrences of substring1 with substring2, in the specified scope. The search is caseinsensitive.
Returns

A copy of the string, after making replacements.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
ReplaceNoCase(string, substring1, substring2 [, scope ])
See also
Find, REFind, Replace, ReplaceList, REReplace
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string (or variable that contains one) within which to replace substring.

substring1

String (or variable that contains one) to replace, if found.

substring2

String (or variable that contains one) that replaces substring1.

scope

• one: replaces the first occurrence (default).
• all: replaces all occurrences.

Example
ReplaceNoCase Example
The ReplaceNoCase function returns string with substring1
replaced by substring2 in the specified scope.
The search/replace is case-insensitive.

Your original string, #FORM.MyString#
You wanted to replace the substring #FORM.MySubstring1#

with the substring #FORM.MySubstring2#.
The result: #ReplaceNoCase(FORM.myString,
FORM.MySubstring1, FORM.mySubString2)#


ReplaceNoCase

819

REReplace
Description

Uses a regular expression (RE) to search a string for a string pattern and replace it with another.
The search is case-sensitive.
Returns

If the scope parameter is set to one, returns a string with the first occurrence of the regular
expression replaced by the value of substring.
If the scope parameter is set to all, returns a string with all occurrences of the regular expression
replaced by the value of substring.
If the function finds no matches, it returns a copy of the string unchanged.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
REReplace(string, reg_expression, substring [, scope ])
See also
REFind, Replace, ReplaceList, REReplaceNoCase
History

ColdFusion MX: Added supports for the following special codes in a replacement substring, to
control case conversion:

•
•
•
•
•

\u - uppercase the next character
\l - lowercase the next character
\U - uppercase until \E
\L - lowercase until \E
\E - end \U or \L

For more information on new features, see REFind.
Parameters

820

Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String within which to search.

reg_expression

Regular expression to replace. The search is case-sensitive.

substring

A string or a variable that contains one. Replaces reg_expression.

scope

• one: replaces the first occurrence (default).
• all: replaces all occurrences.

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Usage

For details on using regular expressions, see Chapter 7, “Using Regular Expressions in Functions,”
in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example
The REReplace function returns string with a regular expression
replaced
with substring in the specified scope. Case-sensitive search.
REReplace("CABARET","C|B","G","ALL"):
#REReplace("CABARET","C|B","G","ALL")#
REReplace("CABARET","[A-Z]","G","ALL"):
#REReplace("CABARET","[A-Z]","G","ALL")#
REReplace("I love jellies","jell(y|ies)","cookies"):
#REReplace("I love jellies","jell(y|ies)","cookies")#

REReplace("I love jelly","jell(y|ies)","cookies"):
#REReplace("I love jelly","jell(y|ies)","cookies")#

REReplace

821

REReplaceNoCase
Description

Uses a regular expression to search a string for a string pattern and replace it with another. The
search is case-insensitive.
Returns

• If scope

= "one": returns a string with the first occurrence of the regular expression replaced
by the value of substring.

• If scope

= "all": returns a string with all occurrences of the regular expression replaced by
the value of substring.

• If the function finds no matches: returns a copy of the string, unchanged.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
REReplaceNoCase(string, reg_expression, substring [, scope ])
See also
REFind, REFindNoCase, Replace, ReplaceList
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function inserts the following special characters in
regular expression replacement strings, to control case conversion: \u, \U, \l, \L, and \E. If any of
these strings is present in a ColdFusion 5 application, you must insert a backslash before it (for
example, change "\u" to "\\u").
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one.

reg_expression

Regular expression to replace. For more information, see Chapter 7, “Using
Regular Expressions in Functions,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

substring

A string or a variable that contains one. Replaces reg_expression.

scope

• one: replaces the first occurrence of the regular expression. Default.
• all: replaces all occurrences of the regular expression.

Usage

For details on using regular expressions, see Chapter 7, “Using Regular Expressions in Functions,”
in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example
The REReplaceNoCase function returns string with a regular
expression replaced with substring in the specified scope.
This is a case-insensitive search.
REReplaceNoCase("cabaret","C|B","G","ALL"):

822

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

#REReplaceNoCase("cabaret","C|B","G","ALL")#
REReplaceNoCase("cabaret","[A-Z]","G","ALL"):
#REReplaceNoCase("cabaret","[A-Z]","G","ALL")#
REReplaceNoCase("I LOVE JELLIES","jell(y|ies)","cookies"):
#REReplaceNoCase("I LOVE JELLIES","jell(y|ies)","cookies")#

REReplaceNoCase("I LOVE JELLY","jell(y|ies)","cookies"):
#REReplaceNoCase("I LOVE JELLY","jell(y|ies)","cookies")#


REReplaceNoCase

823

Reverse
Description

Reverses the order of items, such as the characters in a string, the digits in a number, or the
elements in an array.
Returns

A copy of string, with the characters in reverse order.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Reverse(string)
See also
Left, Mid, Right
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Usage

You can call this function on a number with code such as the following:
reverse(6*2) equals #reverse(6*2)#

This code outputs the following:
reverse(6*2) equals 21
Example
Reverse Example
Reverse returns your string with the positions of the characters reversed.


Reverse returned:
#Reverse(FORM.myString)#

Please enter a string to be reversed.



Enter a string to be reversed:




824

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Right
Description

Gets a specified number of characters from a string, beginning at the right.
Returns the specified number of characters from the end (or right side) of the specified string.
Returns

• If the length of the string is greater than or equal to count, the rightmost count characters of
the string

• If count is greater than the length of the string, the whole string
• If count is greater than 1, and the string is empty, an empty string
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Right(string, count)
See also
Left, Mid, Reverse
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one.

count

A positive integer that specifies the number of characters to return.

Example


#Right("See the quick red fox jump over the fence", 9)#


#Right("ColdFusion", 6)#


Right Example




Your string
#FORM.myText# only has #Len(FORM.myText)# characters. You cannot output
the #FORM.removeChars# rightmost characters of this string because it
is not long enough.

Your original string: #FORM.myText#
Your changed string, showing only the #FORM.removeChars#
 rightmost characters:
#right(Form.myText, FORM.removeChars)#

Right

825




Please enter a string of more
than 0 (zero) characters.



Type in some text


How many characters from the right do you want to show?




826

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

RJustify
Description

Right justifies characters of a string.
Returns

A copy of a string, right-justified in the specified field length.
Category

Display and formatting functions, String functions
Function syntax
RJustify(string, length)
See also
CJustify, LJustify
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string enclosed in quotation marks, or a variable that contains one.

length

A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Length of field in which to justify
string.

Example







RJustify Example


RJustify Function
Enter a string. It will be right justified within the sample field


 


RJustify

827

Round
Description

Rounds a number to the closest integer that is larger than the input parameter.
Returns

An integer.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Round(number)
See also
Ceiling, Fix, Int
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Number to round

Usage

Use this function to round a number. This function rounds numbers that end with .5 up to the
nearest integer. It rounds 3.5 to 4 and -3.5 to -3.
Example
Round Example
This function rounds a number to the closest integer.

Round(7.49) : #Round(7.49)#
Round(7.5) : #Round(7.5)#
Round(-10.775) : #Round(-10.775)#
Round(-35.5) : #Round(-35.5)#
Round(35.5) : #Round(35.5)#
Round(1.2345*100)/100 : #Round(1.2345*100)/100#


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

RTrim
Description

Removes spaces from the end of a string.
Returns

A copy of string, after removing trailing spaces.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
RTrim(string)
See also
LTrim, Trim
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Example
RTrim Example


Your string:"#FORM.myText#"
Your string:"#RTrim(FORM.myText)#"
(right trimmed)




Enter some text. It will be modified by Rtrim to remove spaces from the
right.




RTrim

829

Second
Description

Extracts the ordinal for the second from a date/time object.
Returns

An integer in the range 0–59.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
Second(date)
See also
DatePart, Hash, Minute
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

A date/time object

Usage

When passing a date/time object as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a number representation of a date/time object.
Example

Second Example

The time is currently #TimeFormat(Now())#.
We are in hour #Hour(Now())#, Minute #Minute(Now())#
and Second #Second(Now())# of the day.


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

SendGatewayMessage
Description

Sends an outgoing message through a ColdFusion MX event gateway.
Returns

String. The value returned depends on the gateway type.
Category

Extensibility functions
Function syntax
SendGatewayMessage(gatewayID, data)
See also
GetGatewayHelper; “IM gateway message sending commands”, “SMS Gateway CFEvent
structure and commands”, “CFML event gateway SendGatewayMessage data parameter”, and
“Sending a message using the SendGatewayMessage function” in Chapter 42, “Using Event
Gateways,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

gatewayID

Identifier of the gateway to send the message. Must be the Gateway ID of one of
the ColdFusion event gateway instances configured on the ColdFusion MX
Administrator Event Gateways section’s Gateways page.

data

A ColdFusion structure. The contents of the structure depend on the event
gateway type, but typically include a MESSAGE field that contains the message to
send and a field that contains the destination address.

Usage

The SendGatewayMessage function calls the specified gateway’s outgoingMessage method. The
value returned by the function depends on the gateway type. The following table describes the
return values for standard ColdFusion MX gateway types:
Gateway type

Return values

Asynchronous CFML

If the message was queued for delivery to the CFC, returns True; False,
otherwise.

Lotus SameTime

If the message or command was successful, returns OK.
If an error occurred, returns a string indicating the cause.

SendGatewayMessage

831

Gateway type

Return values

SMS

If the gateway is in asynchronous mode, returns the empty string
immediately.
If the gateway is in synchronous mode, the function waits for the gateway
to return a response. If the message was succesfully sent to the short
message service center (SMSC), returns the message ID from the SMSC.
If an error occured, returns a string indicating the cause.

XMPP

If the message or command was successful, returns OK
If an error occured, returns a string indicating the cause.

Example

The following example uses an instance of the CFML gateway to log messages asynchronously to
a file. To use this example, you must configure an instance of the CFML gateway with the name
“Asynch Logger” in the ColdFusion MX Administrator. This gateway instance must use a CFC
that takes the message and logs it. For sample CFC code, see “Using the CFML event gateway for
asynchronous CFCs” in Chapter 42, “Using Event Gateways,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide.
Sending an event to the CFML event gateway that is registered in the
ColdFusion MX Administrator as Asynch Logger.


status = false;
props = structNew();
props.message = "Replace me with a variable with data to log";
status = SendGatewayMessage("Asynch Logger", props);
if (status IS True) WriteOutput(’Event Message "#props.message#" has been
sent.’);


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

SetEncoding
Description

Sets the character encoding (character set) of Form and URL scope variable values; used when the
character encoding of the input to a form, or the character encoding of a URL, is not in UTF-8
encoding.
Returns

None
Category

International functions, System functions
Function syntax
SetEncoding(scope_name,charset)
See also
GetEncoding, cfcontent, cfprocessingdirective, URLDecode, URLEncodedFormat;

“Locales” in Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s
Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

scope_name

• url
• form

charset

The character encoding in which text in the scope variables is encoded. The
following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16

SetEncoding

833

Usage

Use this function when the character encoding of the input to a form or the character encoding of
a URL is not in UTF-8 encoding. For example, Traditional Chinese characters are often in Big5
encoding. This function resets URL and Form variables, so you should call it before using these
variables (typically, in the Application.cfm page or Application.cfc file). Calling this function first
also avoids interpreting the characters of the variables incorrectly.
For more information on character encoding, see the following web pages:

• www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html provides general information on character
encoding and the web, and has several useful links.

• www.iana.org/assignments/character-sets is a complete list of character sets names used on the
Internet, maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.

• java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.1/docs/guide/intl/encoding.doc.html lists the character encoding that
Java 1.4.1, and therefore the default ColdFusion configuration, can interpret. If you use a JVM
that does not conform to the Sun Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition, v 1.4.1, the supported
locales may differ. The list uses Java internal names, not the IANA character encoding names
that you normally use in the SetEncoding charset parameter and other ColdFusion
attributes and parameters. Java automatically converts standard IANA names to its internal
names as needed.
Example









SetEncoding("url", "big5");
WriteOutput("URL.XXX is " & URL.xxx & "
");
WriteOutput("URL.YYY is " & URL.yyy & "
");
theEncoding = GetEncoding("URL");
WriteOutput("The URL variables were decoded using '" &
theEncoding & "' encoding.");



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

SetLocale
Description

Sets the country/language locale for ColdFusion processing and the page returned to the client.
The locale value determines the default format of date, time, number, and currency values,
according to language and regional conventions.
Returns

The locale value prior to setting the new locale, as a string.
Category

International functions, System functions
Function syntax
SetLocale(new_locale)
See also
GetHttpTimeString, GetLocale, GetLocaleDisplayName; “Locales” in Chapter 17,
“Developing Globalized Applications” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added support for all locales supported by the ColdFusion MX Java runtime.
ColdFusion MX:

• Changed formatting behavior: this function might return a different value than in earlier
releases. This function uses Java standard locale determination and formatting rules on all
platforms.

• Deprecated the Spanish (Mexican) locale option. It might not work, and it might cause an
error, in later releases.

• Changed the Spanish (Modern) option: it now sets the locale to Spanish (Standard).
Parameters
Parameter

Description

new_locale

The name of a locale; for example, "English (US)"

Usage

You can specify any locale name that is listed in the Server.Coldfusion.SupportedLocales variable.
This variable is a comma-delimited list of all locale names supported by the JVM, plus the locale
names that were required by ColdFusion MX prior to ColdFusion MX 7.
The following locale names were used in ColdFusion releases through ColdFusion MX 6.1, and
continue to be supported. If you use any of these values in the SetLocale function, the
GetLocale function returns the name you set, not the corresponding Java locale name.
Chinese (China)

French (Belgian)

Korean

Chinese (Hong Kong)

French (Canadian)

Norwegian (Bokmal)

SetLocale

835

Chinese (Taiwan)

French (Standard)

Norwegian (Nynorsk)

Dutch (Belgian)

French (Swiss)

Portuguese (Brazilian)

Dutch (Standard)

German (Austrian)

Portuguese (Standard)

English (Australian)

German (Standard)

Spanish (Modern)

English (Canadian)

German (Swiss)

Spanish (Standard)

English (New Zealand)

Italian (Standard)

Swedish

English (UK)

Italian (Swiss)

English (US)

Japanese

ColdFusion determines the locale value as follows:

• By default, ColdFusion uses the JVM locale, and the default JVM locale is the operating
system locale. You can set JVM locale value explicitly in ColdFusion MX in the ColdFusion
Administrator Java and JVM Settings page JVM Arguments field; for example:
-Duser.language=de -Duser.region=DE.

• A locale set using the SetLocale function persists for the current request or until it is reset by
another SetLocale function in the request.

• If a request has multiple SetLocale functions, the current locale setting affects how localesensitive ColdFusion tags and functions, such as the functions that start with LS format data.
The last SetLocale function that ColdFusion processes before sending a response to the
requestor (typically the client browser) determines the value of the response ContentLanguage HTTP header. The browser that requested the page displays the response according
to the rules for the language specified by the Content-Language header.

• ColdFusion ignores any SetLocale functions that follow a cfflush tag.
Because this function returns the previous locale setting, you can save the original locale value.
You can restore the original locale by calling SetLocale again with the saved variable. For
example, the following line saves the original locale ins a Session variable:


The variable server.ColdFusion.SupportedLocales is initialized at startup with a commadelimited list of the locales that ColdFusion and the operating system support. If you call
SetLocale with a locale that is not in the list, the call generates an error.
Note: ColdFusion uses the Spanish (Standard) formats for Spanish (Modern) and Spanish
(Standard).
Example
SetLocale Example
SetLocale sets the locale to the specified new locale for the current
session.
A locale encapsulates the set of attributes that govern the display and
formatting of date, time, number, and currency values.
The locale for this system is #GetLocale()#
the old locale was #SetLocale("English (UK)")#
The locale is now #GetLocale()#

836

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

SetProfileString
Description

Sets the value of a profile entry in an initialization file.
Returns

An empty string, upon successful execution; otherwise, an error message.
Category

System functions
Function syntax
SetProfileString(iniPath, section, entry, value)
See also
GetProfileSections, GetProfileString, SetProfileString
Parameters
Parameter

Description

iniPath

Absolute path of initialization file

section

Section of the initialization file in which the entry is to be set

entry

Name of the entry to set

value

Value to which to set the entry

Example
SetProfileString Example
This example uses SetProfileString to set the timeout value in an
initialization file. Enter the full path of your initialization
file, specify the timeout value, and submit the form.



"boot loader">
= FORM.MyTimeout>
GetProfileString(IniPath, Section, "timeout")>




Setting the timeout value to #MyTimeout#


Value returned from SetProfileString:
#code#


SetProfileString

837


Timeout value should be greater than zero in order to
provide time for user response.



The timeout value in your initialization file is already
#MyTimeout#.



Boot Loader
Timeout is set to: #timeout#.
Default directory is: #default#.





Full Path of Init File



Timeout









838

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

SetVariable
Description

This function is no longer required in well-formed ColdFusion pages.
Sets a variable in the name parameter to the value of the value parameter.
Returns

The new value of the variable.
Category

Dynamic evaluation functions
Function syntax
SetVariable(name, value)
See also
DE, Evaluate, IIf
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Variable name

value

A string, the name of a string, or a number

Usage

You can use direct assignment statements in place of this function to set values of dynamically
named variables. To do so, put the dynamically named variable in quotation marks and number
signs (#); for example:



Also, the following lines are equivalent:

SetVariable("myVar" & i, myVal)

For more information, see Chapter 4, “Using Expressions and Number Signs,” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide.
Example
SetVariable Example







SetVariable

839



Your variable, #varName#
The value of #varName# is #varNameValue#



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Sgn
Description

Determines the sign of a number.
Returns

• 1, if number is positive.
• 0, if number is 0.
• -1, if number is negative.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Sgn(number)
See also
Abs
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

A number

Example
Sgn Example
Sgn determines the sign of a number. Returns 1 if number is positive;
0 if number is 0; -1 if number is negative.
Sgn(14): #Sgn(14)#
Sgn(21-21): #Sgn(21-21)#
Sgn(-0.007): #Sgn(-0.007)#

Sgn

841

Sin
Description

Calculates the sine of an angle that is entered in radians.
Returns

A number; the sine of the angle.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Sin(number)
See also
ASin, Cos, ACos, Tan, Atn, Pi
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Angle, in radians for which to calculate the sine.

Usage

The range of the result is -1 to 1.
To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by π/180. To convert radians to degrees, multiply
radians by 180/π.
Note: Because the function uses floating point arithmetic, it returns a very small number (such as
6.12323399574E-017) for angles that should produce 0. To test for a 0 value, check whether the
value is less than 0.0000000000001.
Example
Sin Example











Sin(#FORM.sinNum#) = #sinValue#





You must enter a numeric angle in degrees.

842

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions




Enter an angle in degrees to get its sine:





  


Sin

843

SpanExcluding
Description

Gets characters from a string, from the beginning to a character that is in a specified set of
characters. The search is case-sensitive.
Returns

A string; characters from string, from the beginning to a character that is in set.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
SpanExcluding(string, set)
See also
GetToken, SpanIncluding; “Caching parts of ColdFusion pages” in Chapter

13, “Designing and

Optimizing a ColdFusion Application,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

set

A string or a variable that contains one. Must contain one or more characters

Example
SpanExcluding Example

Your string was #FORM.myString#
Your set of characters was #FORM.mySet#
Your string up until one of the characters in the set is:
#SpanExcluding(FORM.myString, FORM.mySet)#

Returns all characters from string from beginning to a character
from the set of characters. The search is case-sensitive.

Enter a string:


And a set of characters:






844

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

SpanIncluding
Description

Gets characters from a string, from the beginning to a character that is not in a specified set of
characters. The search is case-sensitive.
Returns

A string; characters from string, from the beginning to a character that is not in set.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
SpanIncluding(string, set)
See also
GetToken, SpanExcluding;

“Caching parts of ColdFusion pages”in Chapter 13, “Designing and
Optimizing a ColdFusion Application,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains the search string.

set

A string or a variable that contains a set of characters. Must contain one or more
characters.

Example
SpanIncluding Example

Your string was #FORM.myString#
Your set of characters was #FORM.mySet#
Your string, until the characters in the set have been found, is:
#SpanIncluding(FORM.myString, FORM.mySet)#

Returns characters of a string, from beginning to a character
that is not in set. The search is case-sensitive.

Enter a string:


And a set of characters:






SpanIncluding

845

Sqr
Description

Calculates the square root of a number.
Returns

Number; square root of number.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Sqr(number)
See also
Abs
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

A positive integer or a variable that contains one. Number whose square root to get.

Usage

The value in number must be greater than or equal to 0.
Example
Sqr Example
Returns the square root of a positive number.
Sqr(2): #Sqr(2)#
Sqr(Abs(-144)): #Sqr(Abs(-144))#
Sqr(25^2): #Sqr(25^2)#

846

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

StripCR
Description

Deletes return characters from a string.
Returns

A copy of string, after removing return characters.
Category

Display and formatting functions, String functions
Function syntax
StripCR(string)
See also
ParagraphFormat
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Usage

Useful for preformatted (between 
 and  tags) HTML display of data entered in
textarea fields.
Example
StripCR Example
Function StripCR is useful for preformatted HTML display of data
(PRE) entered in textarea fields.

#StripCR(Form.myTextArea)#




This is sample text and you see how it scrolls
<cfoutput>#Chr(10)##Chr(13)#</cfoutput>
From one line
<cfoutput>#Chr(10)##Chr(13)##Chr(10)##Chr(13)#</cfoutput>
to the next




StripCR

847

StructAppend
Description

Appends one structure to another.
Returns

True, upon successful completion; False, otherwise.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructAppend(struct1, struct2, overwriteFlag)
See also

Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

struct1

Structure to which struct2 is appended.

struct2

Structure that contains the data to append to struct1

overwriteFlag

• True or "Yes": values in struct2 overwrite corresponding values in struct1.
Default.
• False or "No": values in struct2 do not overwrite corresponding values in
struct1.

Usage

This function appends the fields and values of struct2 to struct1; struct2 is not modified. If
struct1 already contains a field of struct2, overwriteFlag determines whether the value in
struct2 overwrites it.
A structure’s keys are unordered.
Example











848

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions










The person struct before the Append call:



#myItem#







The person struct after the Append call:



#myItem#




StructAppend

849

StructClear
Description

Removes all data from a structure.
Returns

True, on successful execution; False, otherwise.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructClear(structure)
See also

Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

structure

Structure to clear

Usage

Do not call this function on a session variable. For more information, see TechNote 14143,
“ColdFusion 4.5 and the StructClear(Session) function,” at www.coldfusion.com/Support/
KnowledgeBase/SearchForm.cfm. (The article applies to ColdFusion 4.5, 5.x, and
ColdFusion MX.)
Example


Add New Employees







Please fill out the form.



employee = StructNew();
StructInsert(employee, "firstname", Form.firstname);

850

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

StructInsert(employee, "lastname", Form.lastname);
StructInsert(employee, "email", Form.email);
StructInsert(employee, "phone", Form.phone);
StructInsert(employee, "department", Form.department);




StructClear(employee);


StructClear

851

StructCopy
Description

Copies a structure. Copies top-level keys, values, and arrays in the structure by value; copies
nested structures by reference.
Returns

A copy of a structure, with the same keys and values; if structure does not exist, throws an
exception.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructCopy(structure)
See also

Structure functions; “Structure functions” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

structure

Structure to copy

Usage

The following code shows how this function copies a structure that contains a string field, a
number field, and a two-dimensional array at the top level:









The following code shows how StructCopy copies a nested structure:




To copy a structure entirely by value, use Duplicate on page 577.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

The following table shows how variables are assigned:
Variable type

Assigned by

structure.any_simple_value
Boolean
Binary
Base64

Value

structure.array

Value

structure.nested_structure

Reference

structure.object

Reference

structure.query

Reference

Example

// This script creates a structure that StructCopy copies by value. 


// Create elements.
s = StructNew();
s.array = ArrayNew(2);
// Assign simple values to original top-level structure fields.
s.number = 99;
s.string = "hello tommy";
// Assign values to original top-level array.
s.array[1][1] = "one one";
s.array[1][2] = "one two";



Original Values


// Simple values 

s.number = #s.number#

s.string = #s.string#

// Array value 

s.array[1][1] = #s.array[1][1]#

s.array[1][2] = #s.array[1][2]#


// Copy this structure to a new structure. 



// Change the values of the original structure. 

s.number = 100;
s.string = "hello tommy (modified)";
s.array[1][1] = "one one (modified)";
s.array[1][2] = "one two (modified)";


StructCopy

853


Modified Original Values


// Simple values 

s.number = #s.number#

s.string = #s.string#

// Array value 

s.array[1][1] = #s.array[1][1]#

s.array[1][2] = #s.array[1][2]#



Copied structure values should be the same as the original.


// Simple values 

copied.number = #copied.number#

copied.string = #copied.string#

// Array value 

copied.array[1][1] = #copied.array[1][1]#

copied.array[1][2] = #copied.array[1][2]#


// This script creates a structure that StructCopy copies by reference.

// Create elements.
s = StructNew();
s.nested = StructNew();
s.nested.array = ArrayNew(2);
// Assign simple values to nested structure fields.
s.nested.number = 99;
s.nested.string = "hello tommy";
// Assign values to nested array.
s.nested.array[1][1] = "one one";
s.nested.array[1][2] = "one two";



Original Values


// Simple values 

s.nested.number = #s.nested.number#

s.nested.string = #s.nested.string#

// Array values 

s.nested.array[1][1] = #s.nested.array[1][1]#

s.nested.array[1][2] = #s.nested.array[1][2]#


// Use

copied = StructCopy(s)>
Duplicate to clone this structure to a new structure. 

duplicated = Duplicate(s)>


// Change the values of the original structure.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

s.nested.number = 100;
s.nested.string = "hello tommy (modified)";
s.nested.array[1][1] = "one one (modified)";
s.nested.array[1][2] = "one two (modified)";


Modified Original Values


// Simple values 

s.nested.number = #s.nested.number#

s.nested.string = #s.nested.string#

// Array value 

s.nested.array[1][1] = #s.nested.array[1][1]#

s.nested.array[1][2] = #s.nested.array[1][2]#



Copied structure values should reflect changes to original.


// Simple values 

copied.nested.number = #copied.nested.number#

copied.nested.string = #copied.nested.string#

// Array values 

copied.nested.array[1][1] = #copied.nested.array[1][1]#

copied.nested.array[1][2] = #copied.nested.array[1][2]#



Duplicated structure values should remain unchanged.


// Simple values 

duplicated.nested.number = #duplicated.nested.number#

duplicated.nested.string = #duplicated.nested.string#

// Array value 

duplicated.nested.array[1][1] = #duplicated.nested.array[1][1]#

duplicated.nested.array[1][2] = #duplicated.nested.array[1][2]#



StructCopy

855

StructCount
Description

Counts the keys in a structure.
Returns

A number; if structure does not exist, throws an exception.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructCount(structure)
See also

Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

structure

Structure to access

Example

This file is similar to addemployee.cfm, which is called by
StructNew, StructClear, and StructDelete. To test, copy
StructCount function to appropriate place in addemployee.cfm.


StructCount

857

StructDelete
Description

Removes an element from a structure.
Returns

Boolean value. The value depends on the indicatenotexisting parameter value.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructDelete(structure, key [, indicatenotexisting ])
See also

Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

structure

Structure or a variable that contains one. Contains element to remove.

key

Element to remove.

indicatenotexisting

• True: returns Yes if key exists; No if it does not.
• False: returns Yes regardless of whether key exists. Default.

Example
StructDelete Function








Field to be deleted: #form.field#



employee = StructNew();
StructInsert(employee, "firstname", firstname);
StructInsert(employee, "lastname", lastname);
StructInsert(employee, "email", email);

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

StructInsert(employee, "phone", phone);
StructInsert(employee, "department", department);

Before deletion, employee structure looks like this:





Did I delete the field "#form.field#"? The code indicates: #rc#

The structure now looks like this:










Select the field to be deleted: 



Delete this comment to make this page work --->

StructDelete

859

StructFind
Description

Determines the value associated with a key in a structure.
Returns

The value associated with a key in a structure; if structure does not exist, throws an exception.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructFind(structure, key)
See also

Structure functions; “Structure functions” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

structure

Structure that contains the value to return

key

Key whose value to return

Usage

A structure’s keys are unordered.
Example

This file is identical to addemployee.cfm, which is called by StructNew,
StructClear, and StructDelete. It adds employees. Employee information
is passed through the employee structure (EMPINFO attribute). In UNIX,
you must also add the Emp_ID.


StructFind

861

StructFindKey
Description

Searches recursively through a substructure of nested arrays, structures, and other elements, for
structures whose values match the search key in the value parameter.
Returns

An array that contains structures with values that match value.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructFindKey(top, value, scope)
See also

Structure functions; “Structure functions” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

top

ColdFusion object (structure or array) from which to start search. This parameter
requires an object, not a name of an object.

value

String or a variable that contains one for which to search.

scope

• one: returns one matching key. Default.
• all: returns all matching keys.

Usage

Returns an array that includes one structure for each of the specified values it finds. The fields of
each of these structures are:

•
•
•

Value:
Path:

value held in the found key

string that can be used to reach the found key

Owner:

parent object that contains the found key

A structure’s keys are unordered.
Example


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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

StructFindValue
Description

Searches recursively through a substructure of nested arrays, structures, and other elements for
structures with values that match the search key in the value parameter.
Returns

An array that contains structures with values that match the search key value. If none are found,
returns an array of size 0.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructFindValue( top, value [, scope])
See also

Structure functions; “Structure functions” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

top

ColdFusion object (a structure or an array) from which to start search. This
parameter requires an object, not a name of an object.

value

String or a variable that contains one for which to search.
The type must be a simple object. Arrays and structures are not supported.

scope

• one: function returns one matching key (default).
• all: function returns all matching keys.

Usage

The fields of each structure in the returned array are:

•
•
•

Key:

name of the key in which the value was found

Path:

string which could be used to reach the found key

Owner:

parent object that contains the found key

A structure’s keys are unordered.
Example


StructFindValue

863

StructGet
Description

Gets a structure(s) from a specified path.
Returns

An alias to the variable in the pathDesired parameter. If necessary, StructGet creates structures or
arrays to make pathDesired a valid variable "path."
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructGet(pathDesired)
See also

Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
• Changed behavior: if there is no structure or array present in pathDesired, this function creates
structures or arrays to make pathDesired a valid variable "path."
Parameters
Parameter

Description

pathDesired

Pathname of variable that contains structure or array from which ColdFusion
retrieves structure.

Usage

You can inadvertently create invalid structures using this function. For example, if array notation
is used to expand an existing array, the specified new element is created, regardless of the type
currently held in the array.
Example




Dog is not defined



Dog.Myscope is not defined



Dog.Myscope.Test is not defined



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Dog.Myscope.Test.Foo is not defined



#dog.myscope.test.foo#





#request.myscope[1].test.foo#





#request.myscope[1].test[2].foo#



StructGet

865

StructInsert
Description

Inserts a key-value pair into a structure.
Returns

True, upon successful completion. If structure does not exist, or if key exists and
allowoverwrite = "False", ColdFusion throws an exception.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructInsert(structure, key, value [, allowoverwrite ])
See also

Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

structure

Structure to contain the new key-value pair.

key

Key that contains the inserted value.

value

Value to add.

allowoverwrite

Optional. Whether to allow overwriting a key. The default value is False.

Usage

A structure’s keys are unordered.
Example
Add New Employees







Please fill out the form.



employee = StructNew();
StructInsert(employee, "firstname", FORM.firstname);

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

StructInsert(employee,
StructInsert(employee,
StructInsert(employee,
StructInsert(employee,


"lastname", FORM.lastname);
"email", FORM.email);
"phone", FORM.phone);
"department", FORM.department);

First name is #StructFind(employee, "firstname")#
Last name is #StructFind(employee, "lastname")#
EMail is #StructFind(employee, "email")#
Phone is #StructFind(employee, "phone")#
Department is #StructFind(employee, "department")#






First Name: 

Last Name: 

EMail: 

Phone: 

Department: 





StructInsert

867

StructIsEmpty
Description

Determines whether a structure contains data.
Returns

True, if structure is empty; if structure does not exist, ColdFusion throws an exception.
Category

Decision functions, Structure functions
Function syntax
StructIsEmpty(structure)
See also

Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

structure

Structure to test

Example

This file is identical to addemployee.cfm, which is called by StructNew,
StructClear, and StructDelete. It adds employees. Employee information
is passed through employee structure (EMPINFO attribute). In UNIX, you
must also add the Emp_ID.



Error. No employee data was passed.




INSERT INTO Employees
(FirstName, LastName, Email, Phone, Department)
VALUES

(
‘#StructFind(attributes.EMPINFO, "firstname")#’ ,
‘#StructFind(attributes.EMPINFO, "lastname")#’ ,
‘#StructFind(attributes.EMPINFO, "email")#’ ,
‘#StructFind(attributes.EMPINFO, "phone")#’ ,
‘#StructFind(attributes.EMPINFO, "department")#’
)

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions




Employee Add Complete



StructIsEmpty

869

StructKeyArray
Description

Finds the keys in a ColdFusion structure.
Returns

An array of keys; if structure does not exist, ColdFusion throws an exception.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructKeyArray(structure)
See also

Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

structure

Structure from which to extract a list of keys

Usage

A structure’s keys are unordered.
Example

StructKeyArray Example
Extracting the Keys from the Employee Structure













 This example uses the StructNew function to create a structure called
"employee" that supplies employee info. Its fields are filled by
the form. After you enter employee information in structure, the
example uses StructKeyArray function to copy all of the keys from
the structure into an array. 

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions





First Name:



Last Name:



EMail



Phone:



Company:




After you submit the FORM, scroll down to see the array.








Key#i# is #keysToStruct[i]#
Value#i# is #employee[keysToStruct[i]]#




StructKeyArray

871

StructKeyExists
Description

Determines whether a specific key is present in a structure.
Returns

True, if key is in structure; if structure does not exist, ColdFusion throws an exception.
Category

Decision functions, Structure functions
Function syntax
StructKeyExists(structure, "key")
See also

Structure functions; “Structure functions” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

structure

Name of structure to test

key

Key to test

Usage

This function can sometimes be used in place of the IsDefined function, when working with
the URL and Form scopes, which are structures. The following pieces of code are equivalent:
cfif IsDefined("Form.JediMaster")>


A structure’s keys are unordered.
Example

This file is similar to addemployee.cfm, which is called by StructNew,
StructClear, and StructDelete. To test, copy the <CFELSEif>
statement to the appropriate place in addemployee.cfm. It is a custom tag
to add employees. Employee information is passed through the employee
structure (the EMPINFO attribute). In UNIX, you must also add the Emp_ID.



Error. No employee data was passed.


StructUpdate(attributes.EMPINFO, "department",
"Unassigned");




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

StructKeyList
Description

Extracts keys from a ColdFusion structure.
Returns

A list of keys; if structure does not exist, ColdFusion throws an exception.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructKeyList(structure [, delimiter])
See also

Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

structure

Structure from which to extract a list of keys.

delimiter

Optional. Character that separates keys in list. The default value is comma.

Usage

A structure’s keys are unordered.
Example
















StructKeyList Function


StructKeyList

873


StructKeyList Function
Listing the Keys in the Employees Structure
This example uses StructNew function to create structure "employee" that
supplies employee information. The fields are filled with the
contents of the following form.
After you enter employee information into structure, example uses
StructKeyList function to list keys in structure.
This code does not show how to insert information into a database.
See cfquery for more information about database insertion.




First Name:



Last Name:



EMail



Phone:



Company:




After you submit form, scroll down to see the list.





")>
Here are the keys to the structure:

#keysToStruct#

If fields are correct, we can process new employee information.
If they are not correct, consider rewriting application.


874

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

StructNew
Description

Creates a structure.
Returns

A structure.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructNew()
See also

Structure functions; “Structure functions” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters

None
Example

Add New Employees






Please fill out the form.



employee = StructNew();
StructInsert(employee, "firstname", FORM.firstname);
StructInsert(employee, "lastname", FORM.lastname);
StructInsert(employee, "email", FORM.email);
StructInsert(employee, "phone", FORM.phone);
StructInsert(employee, "department", FORM.department);

First name is #StructFind(employee, "firstname")#
Last name is #StructFind(employee, "lastname")#
EMail is #StructFind(employee, "email")#
Phone is #StructFind(employee, "phone")#
Department is #StructFind(employee, "department")#





StructNew

875

StructSort
Description

Returns a sorted array of the top level keys in a structure. Sorts using alphabetic or numeric
sorting, and can sort based on the values of any structure element.
Returns

An array of top-level key names (strings), sorted by the value of the specified subelement.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructSort(base, sortType, sortOrder, pathToSubElement)
See also

Structure functions; “Structure functions” in Chapter 5, “Using Arrays and Structures,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

base

A ColdFusion struct with one field (an associative array).

sortType

• numeric
• text: case-sensitive (all lowercase letters precede the first uppercase letter).
Default.
• textnocase

sortOrder

• asc: ascending (a to z) sort order. Default.
• desc: descending (z to a) sort order

pathToSubElement

String or a variable that contains one.
Path to apply to each top-level key, to reach element value by which to sort.
The default value is nothing (top-level entries sorted by their own values).

Usage

The pathToSubElement string does not support array notation, and only supports substructures
of structures.
This function does not sort or change the structure.
Example

salaries = StructNew() ;
employees = StructNew() ;
departments = StructNew() ;
for ( i=1; i lt 6; i=i+1 )
{
salary = 120000 - i*10000 ;
salaries["employee#i#"] = salary ;

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

employee = StructNew() ;
employee["salary"] = salary ;
// employee.salary = salary ;
employees["employee#i#"] = employee ;
departments["department#i#"] = StructNew() ;
departments["department#i#"].boss = employee ;
}


list of employees based on the salary (text search): 

1) #ArrayToList( StructSort( salaries ) )#

2) #ArrayToList( StructSort( salaries, "text", "ASC" ) )#

3) #ArrayToList( StructSort( salaries, "textnocase", "ASC" ) )#

4) #ArrayToList( StructSort( salaries, "text", "DESC" ) )#

list of employees based on the salary (numeric search): 

5) #ArrayToList( StructSort( salaries, "numeric", "ASC" ) )#

6) #ArrayToList( StructSort( salaries, "numeric", "DESC" ) )#

list of employees based on the salary (subfield search): 

7) #ArrayToList( StructSort( employees, "numeric", "DESC", "salary" ) )#

8) #ArrayToList( StructSort( employees, "text", "ASC", "salary" ) )#

list of departments based on the salary (sub-sub-field search): 

9) #ArrayToList( StructSort( departments, "text", "ASC", "boss.salary" )
)#







We have a problem - this was supposed to throw an exception!




ERROR: This error was expected!

#cfcatch.message# - #cfcatch.detail#





StructSort

877

StructUpdate
Description

Updates a key with a value.
Returns

True, on successful execution; if the structure does not exist, ColdFusion throws an error.
Category

Structure functions
Function syntax
StructUpdate(structure, key, value)
See also

Structure functions; “Modifying a ColdFusion XML object” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

structure

Structure to update

key

Key, the value of which to update

value

New value

Example

This file is similar to addemployee.cfm, which is called by StructNew,
StructClear, and StructDelete. To test this file, copy the
<CFELSEIF> statement to the appropriate place in
addemployee.cfm. It is an example of a custom tag used to add
employees. Employee information is passed through the employee
structure (the EMPINFO attribute). In UNIX, you must also add the Emp_ID.



Error. No employee data was passed.



StructUpdate(attributes.EMPINFO, "department", "Unassigned");




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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Tan
Description

Calculates the tangent of an angle that is entered in radians.
Returns

A number; the tangent of an angle.
Category

Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Tan(number)
See also
Atn, Cos, ACos, Sin, ASin, Pi
Parameters
Parameter

Description

number

Angle, in radians, for which to calculate the tangent.

Usage

To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by π/180. To convert radians to degrees, multiply
radians by 180/π.
Note: Because the function uses floating point arithmetic, it can return a very small number (such as
6.12323399574E-017) for angles that should produce 0 and can return a very large number (such as
1.63312393532E+016) for infinity or not a number. To test for a 0 value, check whether the value is
less than 0.0000000000001. To test for an infinite value, check whether the value is more than
1E15.
Example
Tan Example











Tan(#FORM.tanNum#) = #tanValue#





You must enter a numeric angle in degrees.

Tan

879




Enter an angle in degrees to get its tangent:





  


880

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

TimeFormat
Description

Formats a time value using U.S. English time formatting conventions.
Returns

A custom-formatted time value. If no mask is specified, returns a time value using the hh:mm tt
format. For international time formatting, see LSTimeFormat.
Category

Date and time functions, Display and formatting functions
Function syntax
TimeFormat(time [, mask ])
See also
CreateTime, Now, ParseDateTime, LSTimeFormat, DateFormat
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added the mask character L or l to represent milliseconds.
ColdFusion MX:

• Changed the way extra characters are processed: this function processes extra characters within
the mask value differently than in earlier releases, as follows:
■

■

ColdFusion 5 and earlier: the function returns the time format and an apostrophe-delimited
list of the extra characters. For example, TimeFormat(Now(), "hh:mm:ss dog") returns
8:17:23 d'o'g.
ColdFusion MX: the function returns the time format and the extra characters. For
example, for the call above, it returns 8:17:23 dog.

If the extra characters are single-quoted (for example, hh:mm:ss 'dog'), ColdFusion 5 and
ColdFusion MX return the time format and the extra characters: 8:17:23 dog.

• Added support for the following mask parameter options: short, medium, long, and full.

TimeFormat

881

Parameters
Parameter

Description

time

A date/time value or string to convert

mask

Masking characters that determine the format:
• h: hours; no leading zero for single-digit hours (12-hour clock)
• hh: hours; leading zero for single-digit hours (12-hour clock)
• H: hours; no leading zero for single-digit hours (24-hour clock)
• HH: hours; leading zero for single-digit hours (24-hour clock)
• m: minutes; no leading zero for single-digit minutes
• mm: minutes; a leading zero for single-digit minutes
• s: seconds; no leading zero for single-digit seconds
• ss: seconds; leading zero for single-digit seconds
• l or L: milliseconds. l gives 3 digits. L gives 2 digits.
• t: one-character time marker string, such as A or P
• tt: multiple-character time marker string, such as AM or PM
• short: equivalent to h:mm tt
• medium: equivalent to h:mm:ss tt
• long: medium followed by three-letter time zone; as in, 2:34:55 PM EST
• full: same as long

Usage

When passing a date/time value as a string, you must enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it
is interpreted as a number representation of a date/time object.
Database query results for date and time values can vary in sequence and formatting unless you
use functions to format the results. To ensure that dates and times display with appropriate
formatting, and that users of your ColdFusion application are not confused by dates and times
displayed, Macromedia recommends that you use the DateFormat and TimeFormat functions to
format date and time values from queries. For more information and examples, see TechNote
22183, “ColdFusion Server (5 and 4.5.x) with Oracle: Formatting Date and Time Query Results,” at
www.coldfusion.com/Support/KnowledgeBase/SearchForm.cfm.
Example


TimeFormat Example
Today’s date is #todayDate#.
Using Timeformat, we can display the value in different ways:


#TimeFormat(todayDate)#
#TimeFormat(todayDate, "hh:mm:ss")#
#TimeFormat(todayDate, "hh:mm:sst")#
#TimeFormat(todayDate, "hh:mm:sstt")#
#TimeFormat(todayDate, "HH:mm:ss")#


To generate a standard ISO 8601 W3C Date and Time string like
1997-07-16T19:20, concatenate a DateFormat function, the character T, and a

882

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

TimeFormat function.
For example: dateformat(now(), "yyyy-mm-dd")#T#TimeFormat(now(), "HH:mm:ss")
produces:
#dateformat(now(), "yyyy-mm-dd")#T#TimeFormat(now(), "HH:mm:ss")#


TimeFormat

883

ToBase64
Description

Calculates the Base64 representation of a string or binary object. The Base64 format uses
printable characters, allowing binary data to be sent in forms and e-mail, and stored in a database
or file.
Returns

The Base64 representation of a string or binary object.
Category

Conversion functions, String functions
Function syntax
ToBase64(string or binary_object[, encoding])
See also

•
•
•
•

BinaryEncode

for converstion of binary data to base64

cffile

for information about loading and reading binary data

cfwddx

for information about serializing and deserializing binary data

IsBinary and ToBinary for checking for binary data and converting a Base64 object to binary

format
History

ColdFusion MX: Added the encoding parameter.
Parameters

884

Parameter

Description

string or binary_object

A string, the name of a string, or a binary object.

encoding

For a string, defines how characters are represented in a byte array. The
following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information on character encoding, see:
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.
The default value is the encoding of the page on which the function is
called. See cfcontent. For a binary object, this parameter is ignored.

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Usage

Macromedia recommends that you use the BinaryEncode function to convert binary data to
Base64-encoded data in all new applications.
ToBase64 Example








The following string is the concatenation of all characters (32 to 255)
from the ASCII table.

#charData#









Base64 representations are identical.

Conversion error.


ToBase64

885

ToBinary
Description

Calculates the binary representation of Base64-encoded data.
Returns

The binary representation of Base64-encoded data.
Category

Conversion functions, String functions
Function syntax
ToBinary(string_in_Base64 or binary_value)
See also

• BinaryDecode for conversion of binary-encoded data, including Base64, to binary data
• cffile for information about loading and reading binary data
• cfwddx for information about serializing and deserializing binary data
• IsBinary and ToBase64 for checking format and converting to Base64
• Len for determining the length of a binary object
• “Binary data type and binary encoding” in Chapter 3, “Using ColdFusion Variables,” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string_in_Base64

A string in Base64 format to convert to binary.

Usage

Macromedia recommends that you use the BinaryDecode function to convert Base64 encoded
data to binary data in all new applications.
If you pass a binary value to this function, it returns the input value.
Example
ToBinary Example







The following string is the concatenation of all characters (32 to 255)
from the ASCII table.

#charData#



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions







Base64 representation of binary data is identical to the Base64
representation of string data.

Conversion error.


ToBinary

887

ToScript
Description

Creates a JavaScript or ActionScript expression that assigns the value of a ColdFusion variable to a
JavaScript or ActionScript variable. This function can convert ColdFusion strings, numbers,
arrays, structures, and queries to JavaScript or ActionScript syntax that defines equivalent
variables and values.
Returns

A string that contains a JavaScript or ActionScript variable definition corresponding to the
specified ColdFusion variable value.
Category

Conversion functions, Extensibility functions
Function syntax
ToScript(cfvar, javascriptvar, outputformat, ASFormat)
See also
cfwddx;

Chapter 9, “WDDX JavaScript Objects,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters

888

Parameter

Description

cfvar

A ColdFusion variable. This can contain one of the following:
• String
• Number
• Array
• Structure
• Query

javascriptvar

A string that specifies the name of the JavaScript variable that the ToScript
function creates.

outputformat

Optional. A Boolean value that determines whether to create WDDX (JavaScript)
or ActionScript style output for structures and queries:
• True: creates WDDX-style output (default).
• False: creates ActionScript-style output.

ASFormat

Optional. A Boolean value that specifies whether to use ActionScript shortcuts in
the script:
• True: creates new Objects and Arrays with ActionScript shortcuts: [] for New
Array(), and {} for New Object. Using ActionScript shortcuts allows you to pass
ActionScript into cfform attributes without triggering ActionScript validation.
• False: does not use ActionScript shortcuts to create new Objects and new Arrays
when generating the script. Instead, generates New Object() and New Array() in
the script (default).

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Usage

To use a ColdFusion variable in JavaScript or ActionScript, the ToScript function must be in a
cfoutput region and be surrounded by number signs (#). For example, the following code uses
the ToScript function to convert a ColdFusion variable to a JavaScript variable:



When ColdFusion runs this code, it sends the following to the client:


An HTML script tag must enclose the JavaScript code. The cfoutput tag does not need to be
inside the script block; it can also surround the block.
WDDX-style output generates JavaScript code that creates a WDDXRecordset object, where the
key of each record set entry is a column name, and the value of the recordlist entry is an array of
the corresponding query column entries, as follows:
WDDXQuery = new WddxRecordset();
col0 = new Array();
col0[0] = "John";
col0[1] = "John";
WDDXQuery["firstname"] = col0;
col0 = null;
col1 = new Array();
col1[0] = "Lund";
col1[1] = "Allen";
WDDXQuery["lastname"] = col1;
col1 = null;

To use WDDX-style output, you must first load the cf_webroot/CFIDE/scripts/wddx.js script,
which defines JavaScript WDDX objects, as in the following line:


For more information on WDDX in JavaScript, see Chapter 9, “WDDX JavaScript Objects,” on
page 1091.
ActionScript-style output generates code that creates an array of objects, where the array is
indexed by row number, and the objects consist of column name - column value pairs, as follows:
ActionScriptQuery = new Array();
ActionScriptQuery[0] = new Object();
ActionScriptQuery[0]['firstname'] = "John";
ActionScriptQuery[0]['lastname'] = "Lund";
ActionScriptQuery[1] = new Object();
ActionScriptQuery[1]['firstname'] = "John";
ActionScriptQuery[1]['lastname'] = "Allen";

ToScript

889

An ActionScript-style array does not require you to include the wddx.js file, and creates a variable
that you can use in ActionScript on a Flash format form, for example, in an onChange attribute.
If the outputformat parameter is False, setting ASFormat to True causes ToScript to use the
ActionScript shortcut [] in place of New Array() and the shortcut {} in place of New Object().
Using these shortcuts allows you to pass ActionScript into cfform attributes without triggering
ActionScript validation. If ASFormat is False, ToScript generates New Array() and New
Object() in the script.
Example

The following example shows the results of converting a ColdFusion string, array, and query
object to JavaScript variables. It also uses the string and array in JavaScript code.
ToScript
Converting a string variable


The thisString variable in ColdFusion

#thisString#



The output of ToScript(thisString, "jsVar")

#ToScript(thisString, "jsVar")#



In a JavaScript script, convert thisString Variable to JavaScript
and output the resulting variable:



Converting an array






The ColdFusion myArray Array



myArry[#i#]: #myArray[i]#




The output of ToScript(myArray, "jsArray")

#toScript(myArray, "jsArray")#



In JavaScript, convert myArray to a JavaScript variable and write
it's contents




Converting a query
This section converts the following query object to both WDDX format
and ActionScript type Javascript objects.



SELECT FirstName,LastName
FROM employee
WHERE FirstName = 'John'



The Query in ColdFusion




JavaScript generated by ToScript(thisQuery, "WDDXQuery"):

#toScript(thisQuery, "WDDXQuery")#;



JavaScript generated by ToScript(thisQuery, "ActionScriptQuery",
False):

#toScript(thisQuery, "ActionScriptQuery", False)#








ToScript

891

ToString
Description

Converts a value to a string.
Returns

A string.
Category

Conversion functions, String functions
Function syntax
ToString(value[, encoding])
See also
ToBase64, ToBinary, CharsetEncode;

Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX,” in ColdFusion

MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX:

• Changed Unicode support: ColdFusion supports the Java UCS-2 representation of Unicode
character values 0–65535. (ColdFusion 5 and earlier releases supported ASCII values 1–255.)

• Added the encoding parameter.
• Added ability to convert an XML document object to a string.

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

Value to convert to a string; can be a simple value such as an integer, a binary
object, or an XML document object.

encoding

The character encoding (character set) of the string. Optional for binary data,
Generates an error if used for a simple value or XML document object.
The following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information on character encoding, see:
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.
The default value is the encoding of the page on which the function is called. See
cfcontent.

Usage

This function can convert simple values and binary values that do not contain Byte zero. If this
function cannot convert a value, it throws an exception. This function can also convert an XML
document object to a string XML representation.
Macromedia recommends that you use the CharsetEncode function to convert binary data to a
string.
Example
ToString Example







The following string is the concatenation of characters (32 to 255)
from the ASCII table.

#charData#



The following string is the Base64 representation of the string.

#data64#


ToString

893




The following is the string representation of the binary data.

#dataString#

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Trim
Description

Removes leading and trailing spaces from a string.
Returns

A copy of string, after removing leading and trailing spaces.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Trim(string)
See also
LTrim, RTrim
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Example
Trim Example


Your string:"#FORM.myText#"
Your string:"#Trim(FORM.myText)#"
(trimmed on both sides)




Type in some text, and it will be modified by trim to remove leading
spaces from the left and right




Trim

895

UCase
Description

Converts the alphabetic characters in a string to uppercase.
Returns

A copy of a string, converted to uppercase.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
UCase(string)
See also
LCase
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Example
UCase Example


Your text, #FORM.sampleText#,
returned in uppercase is #UCase(FORM.sampleText)#.

Please enter some text.



Enter your sample text, and press "submit" to see the text returned in
uppercase:




896

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

URLDecode
Description

Decodes a URL-encoded string.
Returns

A copy of a string, decoded.
Category

Conversion functions, Other functions, String functions
Function syntax
URLDecode(urlEncodedString[, charset])
See also
URLEncodedFormat; “Tags and functions for globalizing” in Chapter

17, “Developing Globalized

Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed the default charset: the default charset is the character encoding of
the URL scope.
ColdFusion MX:

• Changed Unicode support: ColdFusion supports the Java UCS-2 representation of Unicode
character values 0–65535. (Earlier releases supported ASCII values.)

• Added the charset parameter.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

urlEncodedString

URL-encoded string or a variable that contains one.

charset

The character encoding in which the URL is encoded. Optional.
The following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information on character encoding, see:
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.
The default value is the character encoding of the URL scope. See
SetEncoding.

URLDecode

897

Usage

URL encoding formats some characters with a percent sign and the two-character hexadecimal
representation of the character. For example, a character whose code is 129 is encoded as %81. A
space is encoded with a plus sign.
Query strings in HTTP are always URL-encoded.
Example

This example creates, encodes, and decodes a string that contains ASCII character codes:

// Build string
s = "";
for (c = 1; c lte 256; c = c + 1)
{
s = s & chr(c);
}
// Encode string and display result
enc = URLEncodedFormat(s);
WriteOutput("Encoded string is: '#enc#'.
");
// Decode and compare result with original
dec = URLDecode(enc);
if (dec neq s)
{
WriteOutput("Decoded is not the same as encoded.");
}
else
{
WriteOutput("All's quiet on the Western front.");
}


898

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

URLEncodedFormat
Description

Generates a URL-encoded string. For example, it replaces spaces with %20, and nonalphanumeric characters with equivalent hexadecimal escape sequences. Passes arbitrary strings
within a URL (ColdFusion automatically decodes URL parameters that are passed to a page).
Returns

A copy of a string, URL-encoded.
Category

Conversion functions, Other functions, String functions
Function syntax
URLEncodedFormat(string [, charset ])
See also
URLDecode;

“Tags and functions for globalizing” in Chapter 17, “Developing Globalized
Applications,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed the default encoding to be the response character encoding.
ColdFusion MX: Added the charset parameter.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

charset

The character encoding in which the string is encoded. Optional.
The following list includes commonly used values:
• utf-8
• iso-8859-1
• windows-1252
• us-ascii
• shift_jis
• iso-2022-jp
• euc-jp
• euc-kr
• big5
• euc-cn
• utf-16
For more information on character encoding, see:
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.
The default value is the character encoding of the response. See cfcontent.

URLEncodedFormat

899

Usage

URL encoding formats some characters with a percent sign and the two-character hexadecimal
representation of the character. For example, a character whose code is 129 is encoded as %81. A
space is encoded with a plus sign.
Query strings in HTTP are always URL-encoded.
Example
URLEncodedFormat Example

The url variable url.myExample was passed from the previous link ...
its value is:

"#url.myExample#"

This function returns a URL encoded string.

 Click me

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

URLSessionFormat
Description

Depending on whether a client computer accepts cookies, this function does the following:

• If the client does not accept cookies: automatically appends all required client identification
information to a URL

• If the client accepts cookies: does not append information
This function automatically determines which identifiers are required, and sends only the
required information. It provides a more secure and robust method for supporting client
identification than manually encoding the information in each URL, because it sends only
required information, when it is required, and it is easier to code.
Returns

A URL; if cookies are disabled for the browser, client and session data are appended.
Category

Other functions; Chapter 15, “Maintaining client identity,” in Chapter 15, “Using Persistent
Data and Locking,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Function syntax
URLSessionFormat(request_URL)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

request_URL

URL of a ColdFusion page

Usage

In the following example, the cfform tag posts a request to another page and sends the client
identification, if required. If cookie support is detected, the function returns the following:
myactionpage.cfm

If the detected cookie is not turned on, or cookie support cannot be reliably detected, the
function return value is as follows:
myactionpage.cfm?jsessionid=xxxx;cfid=xxxx&cftoken=xxxxxxxx
Example



URLSessionFormat

901

Val
Description

Converts numeric characters that occur at the beginning of a string to a number.
Returns

A number. If conversion fails, returns zero.
Category

Conversion functions, String functions
Function syntax
Val(string)
See also
IsNumeric
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Usage

This function works as follows:

•
•
•
•

If TestValue = "234A56?7'", Val(TestValue) returns 234.
If TestValue = "234'5678'9?'", Val(TestValue) returns 234.
If TestValue = "BG234", Val(TestValue) returns the value 0, (not an error).
If TestValue = "0", Val(TestValue) returns the value 0, (not an error).

Example
Val Example


The string #DE(FORM.theTestValue)#
can be converted to a number:
#Val(FORM.theTestValue)#

The beginning of the string #DE(FORM.theTestValue)#
 cannot be converted to a number



Enter a string, and determine whether its beginning can be evaluated
to a numeric value.





Val

903

ValueList
Description

Inserts a delimiter between each value in an executed query. ColdFusion does not evaluate the
arguments.
Returns

A delimited list of the values of each record returned from an executed query.
Category

List functions, Query functions
Function syntax
ValueList(query.column [, delimiter ])
See also
QuotedValueList
Parameters
Parameter

Description

query.column

Name of an executed query and column. Separate query name and column
name with a period.

delimiter

A delimiter character to separate column data items. The default value is comma
(,).

Example
ValueList Example


SELECT Dept_ID FROM Departments
WHERE Dept_ID IN ('BIOL')


SELECT *
FROM CourseList
WHERE Dept_ID IN ('#GetDepartments.Dept_ID#')

Value list of all BIOL Course ID's using (--) as the delimiter:


#ValueList(GetCourseList.Course_ID,"--")#


Value list of all BIOL Course Numbers using (;) as the delimiter:


#ValueList(GetCourseList.CorNumber,";")#



904

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Week
Description

From a date/time object, determines the week number within the year.
Returns

An integer in the range 1–53; the ordinal of the week, within the year.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
Week(date)
See also
DatePart
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

A date/time object in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing date as a string, enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it is interpreted as a
number representation of a date.
Example
Week Example

More information about your date:


Your date, #DateFormat(yourDate)#.

It is #DayOfWeekAsString(DayOfWeek(yourDate))#, day
#DayOfWeek(yourDate)# in the week.

This is day #Day(YourDate)# in the month of
#MonthAsString(Month(yourDate))#, which has #DaysInMonth(yourDate)# days.

We are in week #Week(yourDate)# of #Year(yourDate)# (day
#DayOfYear(yourDate)# of #DaysInYear(yourDate)#). 

This is a leap year
This is not a leap year




Week

905

Wrap
Description

Wraps text so that each line has a specified maximum number of characters.
Returns

String containing the wrapped text.
Category

String functions
Function syntax
Wrap(string, limit[, strip])
See also
cfmail
History

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

String or variable that contains one. The text to wrap.

limit

Positive integer maximum number of characters to allow on a line.

strip

Boolean specifying whether to remove all existing newline and carriage return
characters in the input string with spaces before wrapping the text. The default
value is False.

Usage

Inserts line break at the location of the first white space character (such as a space, tab, or new
line) before the specified limit on a line. If a line has no whitespace characters before the limit,
inserts a line break at the limit. Uses the operating-system specific line break: newline for UNIX,
carriage return and newline on Windows.
If you specify the strip parameter, all existing line breaks are removed, so any paragraph
formatting is lost.
Use this function to limit the length of text lines, such as text to be included in a mail message.
The cfmail and cfmailpart tag wraptext attributes use this function
Example
Wrap Example

#Wrap(inputText, 59)#

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

WriteOutput
Description

Appends text to the page-output stream.
This function writes to the page-output stream regardless of conditions established by the
cfsetting tag.
Category

Other functions, System functions
Function syntax
WriteOutput(string)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Usage

Within the cfquery and cfmail tags, this function does not output to the current page; it writes
to the current SQL statement or mail text. Do not use WriteOutput within cfquery and
cfmail.
Although you can call this function anywhere within a page, it is most useful inside a cfscript
block.
Example
...

employee = StructNew();
StructInsert(employee, "firstname", FORM.firstname);
StructInsert(employee, "lastname", FORM.lastname);
StructInsert(employee, "email", FORM.email);
StructInsert(employee, "phone", FORM.phone);
StructInsert(employee, "department", FORM.department);
WriteOutput("About to add " & FORM.firstname & " " & FORM.lastname);


WriteOutput

907

XmlChildPos
Description

Gets the position of a child element within an XML document object.
Returns

The position, in an XmlChildren array, of the Nth child that has the specified name.
Category

XML functions
Function syntax
XmlChildPos(elem, childName, N)
See also
IsXmlElem, XmlElemNew, XmlSearch, XmlTransform; Chapter

35, “Using XML and WDDX” in

ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

elem

XML element within which to search.

childName

XML child element for which to search. Must be an immediate child of the elem
parameter.

N

Index of XMLchild element for which to search.

Usage

You can use the returned index in the ArrayInsertAt and ArrayDeleteAt functions to change
XML document objects. If the specified child is not found, the function returns -1.
Example

The following example searches XML document element, xmlobject.employee.name[1], for
its second Status element child and uses the position in an ArrayDeleteAt function to remove
the element:





Almanzo
Wilder
Medical Absence
Extended Leave



908

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Laura
Ingalls





elempos=XMLChildPos(xmlobject.employee.name[1], "Status", 2);
ArrayDeleteAt(xmlobject.employee.name[1].XmlChildren, elempos);




XmlChildPos

909

XmlElemNew
Description

Creates an XML document object element.
Returns

An XML document object element.
Category

XML functions
Function syntax
XmlElemNew(xmlObj[, namespace], childName)
See also
cfxml, IsXmlElem, XmlChildPos, XmlFormat, XmlNew, XmlParse; Chapter

35, “Using XML and

WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the namespace parameter.
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

xmlObj

Name of the XML document object in which you are creating the element

namespace

(Optional) URI of the namespace to which this element belongs

childName

Name of the element to create

Usage

The function’s return variable specifies the location of the new element in the document object. It
must specify a valid location in the document object identified by the xmlObj parameter. The
following statements show this use:
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlChildren[2] = XmlElemNew(MyDoc,"childNode");
ArrayAppend(MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlChildren, XmlElemNew(MyDoc,"childNode"));

If you do not specify a namespace URI and use a namespace prefix in the childName parameter,
ColdFusion checks to see if a namespace URI has already been specified for the prefix, and if so,
uses that namespace.
Example

The following example creates and displays a ColdFusion document object:

MyDoc = XmlNew();
MyDoc.xmlRoot = XmlElemNew(MyDoc,"MyRoot");
if (testVar IS TRUE)
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlText = "The value of testVar is True.";

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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

else
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlText = "The value of testVar is False.";
for (i = 1; i LTE 4; i = i + 1)
{
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlChildren[i] = XmlElemNew(MyDoc,"childNode");
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlChildren[i].XmlText = "This is Child node " & i &".";
}



XmlElemNew

911

XmlFormat
Description

Escapes special XML characters in a string so that the string can be used as text in XML.
Returns

A copy of the string parameter that is safe to use as text in XML.
Category

String functions, XML functions
Function syntax
XmlFormat(string)
See also
cfxml, XmlNew, XmlParse, XmlValidate; Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX” in ColdFusion
MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains one

Usage

This function escapes characters as follows:
Text character

Escaped representation

Greater than symbol (>)

>

Less than symbol (<)

<

Single-quotation mark (')

'

Double-quotation mark (")

"

Ampersand symbol (&)

&

Carriage return (but not line feed)

Removed from the text.

High ASCII characters in the range
128-255.

Replaced by unicode escape sequence; for example, É
(capital E with an Acute symbol) is replaced by É.

Example

The following example shows how XmlFormat escapes special XML characters. Use the View
Source command in the browser to see the results. ColdFusion interprets the "" in the second text
string as representing a single-quotation mark in text before it applies the XmlFormat function.



912

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions



#XmlFormat("Body of element with <, >, "" and & goes here.")#




XmlFormat

913

XmlGetNodeType
Description

Determines the type of an XML document object node.
Returns

A string identifying the XML node type. The following values are valid:
ATTRIBUTE_NODE

CDATA_SECTION_NODE

COMMENT_NODE

DOCUMENT_FRAGMENT_NODE

DOCUMENT_NODE

DOCUMENT_TYPE_NODE

ELEMENT_NODE

ENTITY_NODE

ENTITY_REFERENCE_NODE

NOTATION_NODE

PROCESSING_INSTRUCTION_NODE

TEXT_NODE

If the argument is not a document object node, the function generates an error.
Category

XML functions
Function syntax
XmlGetNodeType(xmlNode)
See also
IsXmlAttribute, IsXmlDoc, IsXmlElem, IsXmlNode, IsXmlRoot, XmlChildPos, XmlValidate;

Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

xmlNode

An XML DOM object node

Usage

The XmlGetNodeType function can determine the types of the nodes returned by the XmlSearch
function, or the types of the entries in an element’s XmlNodes array.
Example

The following example checks the node types of various parts of an XML document object:






914

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions




 Imported from France
1
15.95






Node Types
xmlobject: #XMLGetNodeType(xmlobject)#

xmlobject.order: #XMLGetNodeType(xmlobject.order)#



Now check the types of all the nodes in the xmlobject.order.items.item
element’s XmlNodes array.

Note the many apparently empty Text nodes generated by whitespace characters
in the XML text source.




#i# Node type is: #XMLGetNodeType(descnodes[i])#

#i# Node name is: #descnodes[i].XmlName#


#i# Node value is: #descnodes[i].XmlValue#







XmlGetNodeType

915

XmlNew
Description

Creates an XML document object.
Returns

An empty XML document object.
Category

XML functions
Function syntax
XmlNew([caseSensitive])
See also
cfxml, IsXmlDoc, ToString, XmlFormat, XmlParse, XmlValidate; Chapter 35, “Using XML
and WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

caseSensitive

Determines how ColdFusion processes the case of XML document object
component identifiers:
• True: maintains case
• False: ColdFusion ignores case. Default.

Usage

An XML document object is represented in ColdFusion as a structure.
The caseSensitive parameter value determines whether identifiers whose characters are of
varying case, but are otherwise the same, refer to different components; for example:

• If True, the element or attribute names “name” and “NAME” refer to different elements or
attributes.

• If False, these names refer to the same elements or attributes.
If your XML object is case sensitive, you cannot use dot notation to reference an element or
attribute name. Use the name in associative array (bracket) notation, or a reference that does not
use the case-sensitive name (such as xmlChildren[1]) instead. In the following code, the first line
will work with a case-sensitive XML object. The second and third lines cause errors:
MyDoc.xmlRoot.XmlAttributes["Version"] = "12b";
MyDoc.xmlRoot.XmlAttributes.Version = "12b";
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlAttributes["Version"] = "12b";

To convert an XML document object into a string, use the ToString function.

916

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Example

The following example creates and displays a ColdFusion document object:


MyDoc = XmlNew();
MyDoc.xmlRoot = XmlElemNew(MyDoc,"MyRoot");
if (testVar IS TRUE)
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlText = "The value of testVar is True.";
else
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlText = "The value of testVar is False.";
for (i = 1; i LTE 4; i = i + 1){
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlChildren[i] = XmlElemNew(MyDoc,"childNode");
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlChildren[i].XmlText = "This is Child node " & i &".";
}



XmlNew

917

XmlParse
Description

Converts XML text into an XML document object.
Returns

An XML document object.
Category

Conversion functions, XML functions
Function syntax
XmlParse(xmlText [[, caseSensitive ], validator])
See also
cfxml, IsXML, ToString, XmlFormat, XmlNew, XmlSearch, XmlTransform, XmlValidate;

Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7:

• Added the validator parameter.
• Added support for filenames and URLs in the xmlText parameter.
• Added support for relative URLs and path names.
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

xmlText

Any of the following:
• A string containing XML text.
• The name of an XML file.
• The URL of an XML file; valid protocol identifiers include http, https, ftp, and
file.

caseSensitive

• Yes: maintains the case of document elements and attributes.
• No: Default

validator

Any of the following:
• The name of a Document Type Definition (DTD) or XML Schema file.
• The URL of a DTD or Schema file; valid protocol identifiers include http, https,
ftp, and file.
• A string representation of a DTD or Schema.
• An empty string; in this case, the XML file must contain an embedded DTD or
Schema identifier, which is used to validate the document.

Usage

If you specify a relative URL or path name in a parameter, ColdFusion uses the directory (or, for
URLs, the logical directory) that contains the current ColdFusion page as the path root.

918

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

The caseSensitive parameter value determines whether identifiers whose characters are of
varying case, but are otherwise the same, refer to different components; for example:

• If true, the element or attribute names “name” and “NAME” refer to different elements or
attributes.

• If false, these names refer to the same elements or attributes.
If your XML object is case sensitive, you cannot use dot notation to reference an element or
attribute name. Use the name in associative array (bracket) notation, or a reference that does not
use the case-sensitive name (such as xmlChildren[1]) instead. In the following code, the first line
will work with a case-sensitive XML object. The second and third lines cause errors:
MyDoc.xmlRoot.XmlAttributes["Version"] = "12b";
MyDoc.xmlRoot.XmlAttributes.Version = "12b";
MyDoc.MyRoot.XmlAttributes["Version"] = "12b";

The optional validator parameter specifies a DTD or Schema to use to validate the document.
If the parser encounters a validation error, ColdFusion generates an error and stops parsing the
document. You must specify a validator parameter to make the XmlParse function validate
your document. If you do not specify a validator parameter, and the XML file specifies a DTD
or Schema, ColdFusion ignores the DTD or Schema. If you specify a validator parameter, you
must also specify a caseSensitive parameter.
If you do not specify a validator parameter, the xmlText parameter can specify a well-formed
XML fragment, and does not have to specify a complete document.
Note: To convert an XML document object back into a string, use the ToString function.
Example

The following example has three parts: an XML file, a DTD file, and a CFML page that parses
the XML file and uses the DTD for validation. The CFML file displays the returned XML
document object. To show the results of invalid XML, modify the bmenuD.xml.
Note: The DTD used in the following example represents the same XML structure as the Schema
used in the XmlValidate example.

The custorder.xml file is as follows:






Deluxe Carpenter's Hammer
1
15.95


36" Plastic Rake
2
6.95



XmlParse

919

Standard paint thinner
3
8.95




The custorder.dtd file is as follows:











The CFML file is as follows. It uses a filename for the XML file and a URL for the DTD. Note
that the XML and URL paths must be absolute.

Dump of myDoc XML document object



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Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

XmlSearch
Description

Uses an XPath language expression to search an XML document object.
Returns

An array of XML object nodes that match the search criteria.
Category

XML functions
Function syntax
XmlSearch(xmlDoc, xPathString)
See also
cfxml, IsXML, XmlChildPos, XmlParse, XmlTransform; Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX”
in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added support for attribute searches.
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

xmlDoc

XML document object

xPathString

XPath expression

Usage

The XmlSearch function does not support complete XPath syntax. It only supports XPath
expressions that return one or more XML nodes and attribute searches. XPath expressions that
return any other type of value, such as a string, number, or Boolean, generate errors.
XPath is specified by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). For detailed information on
XPath, including XPath expression syntax, see the W3C website at www.w3.org/TR/xpath.
Example

The following example extracts the elements named last, which contain employee last names,
from an XML file, and displays the names.
The employeesimple.xml file contains the following XML:




Almanzo
Wilder


XmlSearch

921


Laura
Ingalls



The CFML file contains the following lines:

myxmldoc = XmlParse("C:\CFusionMX7\wwwroot\examples\employeesimple.xml");
selectedElements = XmlSearch(myxmldoc, "/employee/name/last");
for (i = 1; i LTE ArrayLen(selectedElements); i = i + 1)
writeoutput(selectedElements[i].XmlText & "
");


922

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

XmlTransform
Description

Applies an Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT) to XML. The XML can be in
string format or an XML document object.
Returns

A string containing the results of applying the XSLT to the XML.
Category

Conversion functions, XML functions
Function syntax
XmlTransform(xml, xsl[, parameters])
See also
cfxml, XmlFormat, XmlNew, XmlParse, XmlSearch, XmlValidate; Chapter

35, “Using XML and

WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the parameters parameter and the ability to use a file for the XSL.
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

xml

An XML document in string format, or an XML document object

xsl

XSLT transformation to apply; can be any of the following:
Any of the following:
• A string containing XSL text.
• The name of an XSTLT file. Relative paths start at the directory containing
the current CFML page.
• The URL of an XSLT file; valid protocol identifiers include http, https, ftp,
and file. Relative paths start at the directory containing the current CFML
page.

parameters

A structure containing XSL template parameter name-value pairs to use in
transforming the document. The XSL transform defined in the xslString
parameter uses these parameter values in processing the XML.

Usage

An XSLT converts an XML document to another format or representation by applying an
Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) stylesheet to it. XSL, including XSLT syntax is specified by
the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). For detailed information on XSL and XSLT, see the
W3C website at www.w3.org/Style/XSL/.

XmlTransform

923

If the XSLT code contains include statements with relative paths, ColdFusion resolves them
relative to the location of the XSLT file, or for an XSL string, the location of the current
ColdFusion page.
Example

The following example converts an XML document that represents a customer order into an
HTML document with the customer name and a table with the order items and quantities:
The custorder.xml file that represents a customer order has the following lines:





Deluxe Carpenter's Hammer
1
15.95


36" Plastic Rake
2
6.95


Standard paint thinner
3
8.95




The custorder.xsd XSLT file that transforms the XML to HTML that displays the customer’s
name, and the items and quantities ordered has the following lines:









Name
Price








924

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions










The CFML file has the following lines:


#XmlTransform(xmldoc, xmltrans)#

XmlTransform

925

XmlValidate
Description

Uses a Document Type Definition (DTD) or XML Schema to validate an XML text document or
an XML document object.
Returns

The following validation structure:
Field

Description

Errors

An array containing any validator error messages. These messages indicate that
the document does not conform to the DTD or Schema (is not valid).

FatalErrors

An array containing any validator fatal error messages. Fatal errors indicate that
the document contains XML formatting errors (is not well-formed XML).

Status

A Boolean value:
• True if the document is valid.
• False if the validation check failed.

Warning

An array containing any validator warnings. A well-formed and valid document
can produce warning messages.

Category

XML functions
Function syntax
XmlValidate(xmlDoc[, validator])
See also
cfxml, IsXmlDoc, IsXML, XmlFormat, XmlNew, XmlParse, XmlSearch, XmlTransform;

Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters

926

Parameter

Description

xmlDoc

Any of the following:
• A string containing an XML document.
• The name of an XML file.
• The URL of an XML file; valid protocol identifiers include http, https, ftp, and
file.
• An XML document object, such as one generated by the XmlParse function.

validator

Any of the following:
• A string containing a DTD or Schema.
• The name of a DTD or Schema file.
• The URL of a DTD or Schema file; valid protocol identifiers include http, https,
ftp, and file.

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Usage

If you specify a relative URL or filename in a parameter, ColdFusion uses the directory (or, for
URLs, the virtual directory) that contains the current ColdFusion page as the path root.
The validator parameter specifies a DTD or Schema to use to validate the document. If you
omit the parameter, the XML document must contain one of the following:

• A !DOCTYPE tag to specify the DTD or its location
• An xsi:schemaLocation or xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation tag to specify the Schema
location
If you use a validator parameter and the XML document specifies a DTD or Schema, the
function uses the validator parameter, and ignores the specification in the XML
document.

XmlValidate

If you do not use a validator parameter, and the XML document does not specify a DTD or
Schema, the function returns a structure with an error message in the Errors field.
This function attempts to process the complete XML document, and reports all errors found
during the processing. As a result, the returned structure can have a combination of Warning,
Error, and FatalError fields, and each field can contain multiple error messages.
Example

The following example has three parts: an XML file, an XSD Schema file, and a CFML page that
parses the XML file and uses the Schema for validation. The CFML file displays the value of the
returned structure’s Status field and displays the returned structure. To show the results of invalid
XML, modify the custorder.xml file.
Note: The Schema used in the following example represents the same XML structure as the DTD
used in the XmlParse example.

The custorder.xml file is as follows:





Deluxe Carpenter's Hammer
1
15.95


36" Plastic Rake
2
6.95


Standard paint thinner
3
8.95

XmlValidate

927





The custorder.xsd file is as follows:









































The CFML file is as follows. It uses a filename for the XML file and a URL for the Schema. The
XML and URL paths must be absolute.



928

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Did custorder.xml validate against custorder.xsd? #results.status#



Dump of myResults structure returned by XMLValidate



XmlValidate

929

Year
Description

From a date/time object, gets the year value.
Returns

The year value of date.
Category

Date and time functions
Function syntax
Year(date)
See also
DatePart, IsLeapYear
Parameters
Parameter

Description

date

A date/time object in the range 100 AD–9999 AD.

Usage

When passing a date as a string, enclose it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it is interpreted as a
number representation of a date.
Example
Year Example

More information about your date:


Your date, #DateFormat(yourDate)#.

It is #DayOfWeekAsString(DayOfWeek(yourDate))#,
day #DayOfWeek(yourDate)# in the week.

This is day #Day(yourDate)#
in the month of #MonthAsString(Month(yourDate))#,
which has #DaysInMonth(yourDate)# days.

We are in week #Week(yourDate)# of #Year(YourDate)#
(day #DayOfYear(yourDate)# of #DaysInYear(yourDate)#). 


This is a leap year
This is not a leap year




930

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

YesNoFormat
Description

Evaluates a number or Boolean value.
Returns

Yes, for a nonzero value; No for zero, false, and no Boolean values, and an empty string ("").
Category

Decision functions, Display and formatting functions
Function syntax
YesNoFormat(value)
See also
IsBinary, IsNumeric
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

A number or Boolean value

Example
YesNoFormat Example
The YesNoFormat function returns non-zero values as "Yes"; zero, false and
no Boolean values, and empty strings ("") as "No".


YesNoFormat(1):#YesNoFormat(1)#
YesNoFormat(0):#YesNoFormat(0)#
YesNoFormat("1123"):#YesNoFormat("1123")#
YesNoFormat("No"):#YesNoFormat("No")#
YesNoFormat(True):#YesNoFormat(True)#



YesNoFormat

931

932

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

CHAPTER 4
ColdFusion MX Flash Form Style Reference

This chapter describes the styles that you can specify in Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7 forms
tags when you display the form or form element in Flash format.
Contents
Styles valid for all controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 934
Styles for cfform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 936
Styles for cfformgroup with horizontal or vertical type atributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 936
Styles for box-style cfformgroup elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 937
Styles for cfformgroup with accordion type attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 938
Styles for cfformgroup with tabnavigator type attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 939
Styles for cfformitem with hrule or vrule type attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 939
Styles for cfinput with radioButton, checkbox, button, image, or submit type attributes . . . . 940
Styles for cftextarea tag and cfinput with text, password, or hidden type attributes. . . . . . . . . 941
Styles for cfselect with size attribute value of 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 941
Styles for cfselect with size attribute value greater than 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 942
Styles for cfcalendar tag and cfinput with dateField type attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 942
Styles for the cfgrid tag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 943
Styles for the cftree tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 943
Note: The column labeled Inh indicates whether a style is inherited by child controls, such as the form
controls in a vbox.

933

Styles valid for all controls
The following styles are valid for all ColdFusion Flash format form tags except for cfformitem
tags with the following type attributes, which do not take style attributes:

• html
• space
• text
These styles do not cause errors when used in all other tags. However, many styles do not have
any effect when used in some tags.

934

Style

Inh

Description

backgroundAlpha

N

Alpha (transparency) level of the SWF file or image defined by
backgroundImage. Valid values range from 0 (transparent) to 100
(opaque). The default value is 100.

backgroundColor

Y

Format: color; background color of the control. Has no effect if
specified in a cfform control tag, which uses the background-color
style to control the color. Also ignored by cfinput tags of type
button, img, submit, radiobutton, and checkbox, because they are
completely filled with the button face or other graphics.

backgroundDisabled
Color

Y

Format: color; background color of components when disabled.
The default value is ##EFEEEF (light gray).

backgroundSize

N

Scales the image specified by backgroundImage to different
percentage sizes. By default, the value is auto, which maintains the
original size of the image. A value of 100% stretches the image to
fit the entire screen. You must include the percent sign with the
value.

barColor

Y

Format: color; color of the outer bar.

borderCapColor

Y

Format: color; outside left and outside right color for skins.

borderColor

Y

Format: color; black section of a three-dimensional border or the
color section of a two-dimensional border.

borderSides

N

Bounding box sides. Only used when borderStyle="solid".
Space-delimited string containing the sides of the border to show.
Order is not important. The default value is "left top right bottom".

borderStyle

Y

Bounding box style. The possible values are:
• inset (default)
• none
• outset
• solid

borderThickness

N

Bounding box thickness. Only used when borderStyle="solid". The
default value is 1.

color

Y

Format: color; text color of a component’s label.

cornerRadius

N

Radius of component corners. The default value is 0.

disabledColor

Y

Format: color; color of the component if it is disabled.

Chapter 4: ColdFusion MX Flash Form Style Reference

Style

Inh

Description

dropShadow

N

Format: Boolean; controls the visibility of the component's drop
shadow. The default value is false. This style must be used with
borderStyle="solid". For drop shadows to appear on containers,
set backgroundColor or backgroundImage. Otherwise, since the
default background of a container is transparent, the shadow
appears behind the container.

errorColor

Y

Format: color; color of the error text.

fillColors

N

Format: color; colors used to tint the background of the control.
Pass the same color for both values for "flat" looking control. The
default value is ##E6EEEE,##FFFFFF.

fontFamily

Y

Comma-separated list of fonts to use, in descending order of
desirability. You can use any font family name. If you specify a
generic font name, it is converted to an appropriate device font.
Flash can only use fonts that are installed on the client system.

fontSize

Y

Format: length; size of the text.

fontStyle

Y

Determines whether the text is italic. Recognized values are normal
and italic. The default value is normal.

fontWeight

Y

Determines whether the text is bold. Recognized values are normal
and bold. The default value is normal.

highlightColor

Y

Format: color; color of the control when it is in focus.

horizontalGap

N

Format: length; number of pixels between children in the horizontal
direction.

leading

N

Additional vertical space between lines of text. The default value is
no leading.

marginLeft

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the container’s left
border and its content area.

marginRight

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the container’s right
border and its content area.

scrollTrackColor

Y

Format: color; scroll track for a scroll bar. The default value is
##EFEEEF (light gray).

selectedFillColors

N

Format: colors; two colors used to tint the background of the
control when in its selected state. Pass the same color for both
values for "flat" looking control. The default value is undefined,
which means the colors will be derived from themeColor.

textAlign

Y

Aligns text in a container. Recognized values are left, right, and
center. The default value is right.

textDecoration

N

Determines whether the text is underlined or not. Recognized
values are none and underline. The default value is none.

textIndent

Y

Format: length; offset of first line of text from the left side of the
container. The default value is 0.

Styles valid for all controls

935

Style

Inh

Description

themeColor

Y

Format: color; background color of a component. The possible
values are:
• haloGreen
• haloBlue
• haloOrange
• haloSilver

verticalGap

N

Format: length; number of pixels between children in the vertical
direction.

Styles for cfform
The following styles apply to the cfform tag:
Style

Inh

background-color

Description
Format: color; background color of the form.

indicatorGap

Y

Format: length; number of pixels between the label and child
components. The default value is 14.

labelWidth

Y

Format: length; width of the form labels. The default value is the
length of the longest label in the form.

marginBottom

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the container’s bottom
border and its content area. The default value is 16.

marginTop

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the container’s top
border and its content area. The default value is 16.

verticalGap

N

Format: length; number of pixels between children in the vertical
direction. The default value is 8.

Styles for cfformgroup with horizontal or vertical type atributes
The following styles apply to the cfformgroup tag with type attributes horizontal or
vertical:

936

Style

Inh

Description

horizontalAlign

N

Horizontal alignment of children. Possible values are left, center,
and right. The default value is left.

horizontalGap

N

Format: length; number of pixels between children in the horizontal
direction. The default value is 6.

indicatorGap

Y

Format: length; number of pixels between the label and child
components. The default value is 14.

labelWidth

Y

Format: length; width of the form labels. The default value is the
length of the longest label in the form.

marginBottom

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the container`s bottom
border and its content area. The default value is 0.

Chapter 4: ColdFusion MX Flash Form Style Reference

Style

Inh

Description

marginTop

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the container`s top
border and its content area. The default value is 0.

verticalGap

N

Format: length; number of pixels between children in the vertical
direction. The default value is 6.

Styles for box-style cfformgroup elements
The following styles apply to the cfformgroup tag with the following type attributes. Some types
have additional attributes, which are listed in the following sections.

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

hbox
vbox
hdividedbox
vdividedbox
panel
tile
page

Style

Inh

Description

horizontalAlign

N

Horizontal alignment of children in the container. The default value
is left. Possible values are left, center, and right.

horizontalGap

N

Format: length; number of pixels between children in the horizontal
direction. The default value is 8 (6 for a tile container).

marginBottom

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the container’s bottom
border and its content area. The default value is 0.

marginTop

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the container’s top
border and its content area. The default value is 0.

verticalAlign

N

Vertical alignment of children in the container. The default value is
top. Possible values are top, middle, and bottom.

verticalGap

N

Format: length; number of pixels between children in the vertical
direction. The default value is 8 (6 for a tile container).

Styles specific to cfformgroup with hdividedbox or vdividedbox type attributes

The following additional styles apply to the cfformgroup tag with type="hdividedbox", or
type="vdividedbox":
Style

Inh

Description

dividerAffordance

N

Format: length; width (hdividedbox) or height (vdividedbox) in
pixels of the area of the divider that the user can select with the
mouse pointer. The default value is 6.

Styles for box-style cfformgroup elements

937

Style

Inh

Description

dividerColor

Y

Format: color; color of the dividers in their up state. The default
value is ##AAAAAA.

dividerThickness

N

Format: length; thickness in pixels of the dividers. The default value
is 4.

Styles specific to cfformgroup with panel type attribute

The following additional styles apply to the cfformgroup tag with type="panel":
Style

Inh

Description

cornerRadius

N

Format: length; radius of corners of the window frame. The default
value is 8.

dropShadow

N

Boolean value specifying whether the panel has a drop shadow.
The default value is true.

footerColors

Y

Format: color; comma-delimited list of two colors used to draw the
footer (ControlBar) background. The first color is the top color. The
second color is the bottom color. The default value is ##F4F5F7,
##E1E5EB.

headerColors

Y

Format: color; comma-delimited list of two colors used to draw the
header. The first color is the top color. The second color is the
bottom color. The default value is ##E1E5EB, ##F4F5F7.

headerHeight

N

Format: length; height of the header. The default value is 28.

panelBorderStyle

N

Border style for the bottom two corners of the container. The top
two corners are always round. Possible values are default, which
configures the container to have square corners, and
roundCorners, which defines rounded corners. To configure the
top corners to be square, set cornerRadius to 0. The default value
is default.

shadowDirection

N

Direction of drop shadow. Possible values are "left", "center", and
"right". The default value is "center".

shadowDistance

N

Distance of drop shadow. Negative values move shadow above
the panel. The default value is 2.

Styles for cfformgroup with accordion type attribute
The following styles apply to the cfformgroup tag with type="accordion":

938

Style

Inh

Description

headerHeight

N

Format: length; height of the accordion container buttons, in pixels.
The default value is 22.

marginBottom

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the container`s bottom
border and its content area. The default value is -1.

marginTop

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the container`s top
border and its content area. The default value is -1.

Chapter 4: ColdFusion MX Flash Form Style Reference

Style

Inh

Description

openDuration

N

Format: time; duration, in milliseconds, of the transition from one
child panel to another. The default value is 250.

verticalGap

N

Format: length; number of pixels between children in the vertical
direction. The default value is -1.

Styles for cfformgroup with tabnavigator type attribute
The following styles apply to the cfformgroup tag with the type="tabnavigator":
Style

Inh

Description

horizontalAlign

N

Horizontal alignment of children. The default value is left. Possible
values are left, center, and right. Because the preferred width of
each tab in the tab navigator container is the size of the label text,
you must use the tabWidth style to increase the width of the tab to a
size larger than its preferred width to see different alignments.

horizontalGap

N

Format: length; number of pixels between children in the horizontal
direction. The default value is 6.

tabHeight

N

Format: length; default tab height, in pixels. The default value is 22.

tabWidth

N

Format: length; width of the tabs, in pixels. If undefined, the default
tab widths are automatically calculated from the label text. If the
width of the container is smaller than the width of the label text, the
labels are truncated. If a tab label is truncated, Flash displays a
tooltip with the full label text when a user moves the mouse pointer
over the tab. If you specify an explicit tab width, labels do not
automatically shrink to fit if they do not fit in the available space.

Styles for cfformitem with hrule or vrule type attributes
The following styles apply to the formitem tag with type="hrule" or type="vrule":
Style

Inh

Description

color

Y

Format: color; color of the line. according to the following rules:
• If strokeWidth is 1, the color of the entire line.
• If strokeWidth is 2 (default), the color of the top line.
• If strokeWidth is greater than 2, the color of the top and left
edges of the rectangle.
The default value is ##C4CCCC.

Styles for cfformitem with hrule or vrule type attributes

939

Style

Inh

Description

shadowColor

Y

Format: color; shadow color of the line, as follows:.
• If strokeWidth is 1, does nothing.
• If strokeWidth is 2 (default), the color of the bottom line.
• If strokeWidth is greater than 2, the color of the bottom and right
edges of the rectangle.
The default value is ##D4D0C8.

strokeWidth

Y

Thickness of the rule in pixels, as follows:
• If strokeWidth is 1, the rule is a 1-pixel-wide line.
• If strokeWidth is 2 (default), the rule is two adjacent 1-pixel-wide
horizontal lines.
• If strokeWidth is greater than 2, the rule is a hollow rectangle with
1-pixel-wide edges.
The default value is 2.

Styles for cfinput with radioButton, checkbox, button, image, or
submit type attributes
The following styles apply cfinput tags with the following type attribute values:

•
•
•
•
•

button
checkbox
image
radiobutton
submit

In some cases, a style applies only to the subset of these input types, as specified in the
description.

940

Style

Inh

Description

borderThickness

N

Thickness of border "ring". A value of 0 means no border. Any
value greater than 2 creates a glowing "ring" around the button.
The default value is 3.

cornerRadius

N

Radius of corners. The default value is 5.

horizontalGap

N

Gap between the label and the image in an img input when
labelPlacement = "left" or "right". The default value is 2.

repeatDelay

N

Format: time; number of milliseconds to wait after the first
buttonDown event before repeating buttonDown events at the
repeatInterval. The default value is 500.

repeatInterval

N

Format: time; number of milliseconds between buttonDown events
if you press and hold a button. The default value is 35.

symbolBackgroundColor Y

Format: color; background color of check boxes and radio buttons.
The default value is ##FFFFFF (white).

symbolBackground
DisabledColor

Format: color; background color of check boxes and radio buttons
when disabled. The default value is ##EFEEEF (light gray).

Y

Chapter 4: ColdFusion MX Flash Form Style Reference

Style

Inh

Description

symbolBackground
PressedColor

Y

Format: color; background color of check boxes and radio buttons
when pressed. The default value is ##FFFFFF (white).

symbolColor

Y

Format: color; the check mark of a check box or the dot of a radio
button. The default value is ##000000 (black).

symbolDisabledColor

Y

Format: color; check mark or radio button dot color if the control is
disabled. The default value is ##848384 (dark gray).

texRollOverColor

Y

Format: color; text color of the label as you move the mouse
pointer over the control. The default value is ##2B333C.

textSelectColor

Y

Format: color; text color of the label as you select the control. The
default value is ##000000.

verticalGap

N

Gap between the label and the image in an img input when
labelPlacement = "top" or "bottom". The default value is 2.

Styles for cftextarea tag and cfinput with text, password, or
hidden type attributes
The following style applies to the following tags and tag-attribute combinations:

•
•
•
•

textarea
cfinput type="hidden"
cfinput type="password"
cfinput type="text"

Style

Inh

Description

disabledColor

Y

Format: color; disabled color of the Text Area.

Styles for cfselect with size attribute value of 1
The following styles apply to the cfselect tag when the size attribute is 1; that is, if the control
displays one option at a time, with a drop-down list (also known as a combobox):
Style

Inh

Description

alternatingRowColors

Y

Format: comma delimited list of colors for rows in an alternating
pattern. Value can be a list of two or more colors. Use only if you do
not specify a backgroundColor style.

closeDuration

N

Time to close the drop-down list, in milliseconds. The default value
is 250.

openDuration

N

Time to close the drop-down list, in milliseconds. The default value
is 250.

rollOverColor

Y

Format: color; color of the background when the user rolls over an
item. The default value is ##0EFFD6.

selectionColor

Y

Format: color; color of the background when the user selects an
item. The default value is ##0DFFC1.

Styles for cfselect with size attribute value of 1

941

Styles for cfselect with size attribute value greater than 1
The following styles apply to the cfselect tag when the size attribute is greater than 1; that is,
if the control is a list box that displays two or more options at a time:
Style

Inh

Description

alternatingRowColors

Y

Type: comma-delimited list of colors for rows in an alternating
pattern. Value can be a list of two or more colors.

marginBottom

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the bottom of the row
and the bottom of the text in the row. The default value is 0.

marginTop

N

Format: length; number of pixels between the top of the row and
the top of the text in the row. The default value is 0.

rollOverColor

Y

Format: color; color of the background when the user moves the
mouse pointer over the link. The default value is ##0EFFD6.

selectionColor

Y

Format: color; color of the background when the user selects the
link. The default value is ##0DFFC1.

selectionDuration

N

The duration of the selection animation, in milliseconds. The
default value is 250. Set to 0 to disable animation.

textRollOverColor

Y

Format: color; text color when the user moves the mouse pointer
over the selection. The default value is ##02B33C.

textSelectedColor

Y

Format: color; text color when selected. The default value is
##005F33.

Styles for cfcalendar tag and cfinput with dateField
type attribute
The following styles apply to the cfcalendar tag and dateField type of the cfinput tag:

942

Style

Inh

Description

headerColors

Y

Format: color; colors of the band at the top of the DateChooser
control. Specify two values, separated by a comma. For a solid
band, use the same color for both values. The default value is
##E6EEEE,##FFFFFF.

rollOverColor

Y

Format: color; color of the background when the user moves the
mouse pointer over the DateField. The default value is ##E3FFD6.

selectionColor

Y

Format: color; color of the background when the user selects the
DateField. The default value is ##CDFFC1.

todayColor

Y

Format: color; color of today’s date. The default value is
##2B333C.

Chapter 4: ColdFusion MX Flash Form Style Reference

Styles for the cfgrid tag
The following styles apply to the cfgrid tag:
Style

Inh

Description

horizontalAlign

N

Horizontal alignment of children in the container. The default value is
left. Possible values are left, center, and right.

horizontalGap

N

Number of pixels between children in the horizontal direction. The
default value is 8.

marginBottom

N

Number of pixels between the container’s bottom border and its
content area. The default value is 0.

marginTop

N

Number of pixels between the container’s top border and its content
area. The default value is 0.

verticalAlign

N

Vertical alignment of children in the container. The default value is
top. Possible values are top, middle, and bottom.

verticalGap

N

Number of pixels between children in the vertical direction. The
default value is 8.

Styles for the cftree tag
The following styles apply to the cftree tag:
Style

Inh

Description

alternatingRowColors

Y

Type: Array; colors for rows in an alternating pattern. Value can be
an Array of two or more colors.

depthColors

Y

Type: Array; array of colors used in the Tree control, in descending
order.

indentation

N

Indentation for each tree level, in pixels. The default value is 8.

openDuration

N

Format: time; length of an open or close transition, in milliseconds.
The default value is 250.

rollOverColor

Y

Format: color; color of the background when the user moves the
mouse pointer over the link. The default value is ##E3FFD6.

selectionColor

Y

Format: color; color of the background when the user selects the
link. The default value is ##CDFFC1.

selectionDuration

N

The duration of the selection animation, in milliseconds. The
default value is 250. Set to 0 to disable animation.

textRollOverColor

Y

Format: color; color of the text when the user moves the mouse
pointer over the entry. The default value is ##02B33C.

textSelectedColor

Y

Format: color; color of the text when the user selects the entry. The
default value is ##005F33.

Styles for the cftree tag

943

944

Chapter 4: ColdFusion MX Flash Form Style Reference

CHAPTER 5
Application.CFC Reference

This chapter describes the methods that you implement in Application.cfc to handle Macromedia
ColdFusion MX 7 application events. It also describes the variables that you set in the CFC to
configure application characteristics.
Contents
Application variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 945
Method summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 946
Method descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 948
Note: Although Windows is case-insensitive, Macromedia recommends that you always start the
Application.cfc filename with an uppoercase A. Both application.cfc and Application.cfc are reserved
words.
Note: If your application has an Application.cfc, and an Application.cfm or onRequestend.cfm page,
ColdFusion MX ignores the CFM pages.

Application variables
The This scope for the Application.cfc contains several built-in variables which correspond to the
attributes that you set in the cfapplication tag. You set the values of these variables in the CFC
initialization code, before you define the CFC methods. You can access the variables in any
method.

945

The following table briefly describes the variables that you can set to control the application
behavior. For more details, see the cfapplication tag.
Variable

Default

Description

name

no name

The application name. If you do not set this variable, or set it to
the empty string, your CFC applies to the unnamed application
scope, which is the ColdFusion MX J2EE servlet context. For
more information on unnamed scopes see “Sharing data
between ColdFusion pages and JSP pages or servlets” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

applicationTimeout

Administrator Life span, as a real number of days, of the application,
value
including all Application scope variables. Use the CFML
CreateTimeSpan function to generate this variable’s value.

clientManagement

Administrator Whether the application supports Client scope variables.
value

clientStorage

Administrator Where Client variables are stored; can be cookie, registry, or
value
the name of a data source.

loginStorage

cookie

sessionManagement no

Whether to store login information in the Cookie scope or the
Session scope.
Whether the application supports Session scope variables.

sessionTimeout

Administrator Life span, as a real number of days, of the user session,
value
including all Session variables. Use the CFML CreateTimeSpan
function to generate this variable’s value.

setClientCookies

True

Whether to send CFID and CFTOKEN cookies to the client
browser.

setDomainCookies

False

Whether to set CFID and CFTOKEN cookies for a domain
(not just a host).

scriptProtect

Administrator Whether to protect variables from
value
cross-site scripting attacks.

Method summary
The following table briefly describes the application event methods that you can implement in
Application.CFC:

946

Method name

Method runs when

onApplicationEnd

The application ends: the application times out, or the server is stopped

onApplicationStart

The application first starts: the first request for a page is processed or the
first CFC method is invoked by an event gateway instance, or a web
services or Macromedia Flash Remoting CFC.

onError

An exception occurs that is not caught by a try/catch block.

onRequest

The onRequestStart method finishes. (This method can filter request
contents.)

onRequestEnd

All pages in the request have been processed:

Chapter 5: Application.CFC Reference

Method name

Method runs when

onRequestStart

A request starts

onSessionEnd

A session ends

onSessionStart

A session starts

All parameters to these methods are positional. You can use any names for these parameters.
When a request executes, ColdFusion MX runs the CFC methods in the following order:
1. onApplicationStart (if not run before for this application)
2. onSessionStart (if not run before for this session)
3. onRequestStart
4. onRequest
5. onRequestEnd

The onApplicationEnd, onSessionEnd, and onError CFCs are triggered by specific events.

Method summary

947

onApplicationEnd
Description

Runs when an application times out or the server is shutting down.
Syntax


...

See also
onApplicationStart, Method summary, “Managing the application with Application.cfc” in
Chapter 13, “Designing and Optimizing a ColdFusion Application,” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide
Parameters

ColdFusion MX passes the following parameters to the method:
Parameters

Description

ApplicationScope

The application scope.

Returns

This method does not return a value; do not use the cfreturn tag.
Usage

Use this method for any clean-up activities that your application requires when it shuts down,
such as saving data in memory to a database, or to log the application end to a file. You cannot use
this method to display data on a user page, because it is not associated with a request. The
application ends, even if this method throws an exception.
If you call this method explicitly, ColdFusion does not end the application; it does execute the
method code, but does not lock the Application scope while the method executes.
You must use the ApplicationScope parameter to access the application scope; you cannot
reference the scope directly; for example, use Arguments.ApplicationScope.myVariable, not
Application.myVariable. This method can access the Server scope directly, but it does not have
access to Session or Request scopes.
Note: The application times out only if it is inactive for the time-out period. Sessions do not end, and
the onSessionEnd method is not called when an application ends. For more information, see
onSessionEnd.
Example





948

Chapter 5: Application.CFC Reference

onApplicationStart
Description

Runs when ColdFusion MX receives the first request for a page in the application.
Syntax

...


See also
onApplicationEnd, Method summary, “Managing the application with Application.cfc” in
Chapter 13, “Designing and Optimizing a ColdFusion Application,” in Chapter 5,
“Application.CFC Reference,” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

A Boolean value: True if the application startup code ran successfully; False, otherwise. You do
not need to explicitly return a True value if you omit the cffunction tag returntype attribute.
Usage

Use this method for application initialization code; for example, use it to set Application scope
variables, to determine whether a required data source or other resource is available, or to log the
application start. You do not have to lock the Application scope if you set Application variables in
this method, and you can reference Application scope variables as you normally do; for example,
as Application.myVariable.
This method can access the requested page’s Variables scope only if the Application.cfc file
includes an onRequest method that calls the page.
If you call this method explicitly, ColdFusion does not start the application; it does execute the
method code, but does not lock the Application scope while the method executes.
If this method throws an uncaught exception or returns False, the application does not start and
ColdFusion MX does not process any pages in the application. In this case, ColdFusion will run
the onApplicationStart method the next time a user requests a page in the application.
Example

The following example tests for the availability of a database. If the database is not available it
reports and logs the error, and does not start the application; if it is available, the method
initializes two Application scope variables.




SELECT Emp_ID FROM employee




onApplicationStart

949


This application encountered an error

Please contact support.








Application.availableResources=0;
Application.counter1=1;




950

Chapter 5: Application.CFC Reference

onError
Description

Runs when an uncaught exception occurs in the application.
Syntax



...

See also

Method summary, “Handling errors in Application.cfc” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters

ColdFusion MX passes the following parameters to the method:
Parameter

Description

Exception

The ColdFusion MX Exception object. For information on the structure of this object,
see the description of the cfcatch variable in the cfcatch description.

EventName

The name of the event handler that generated the exception. If the error occurs
during request processing and you do not implement an onRequest method, this is
the empty string.

Returns

This method does not return a value; do not use the cfreturn tag.
Usage

Use this method to handle errors in an application-specific manner. This method overrides any
error handlers that you set in the ColdFusion MX Administrator or in cferror tags. It does not
override try/catch blocks.
Whether the onError method can display output depends on where the error takes place, as
follows:

• The onError method can display a message to the user if an error occurs during an
onApplicationStart, onSessionStart, onRequestStart, onRequest, or onRequestEnd
event method, or while processing a request.

• The onError method cannot display output to the user if the error occurs during an
or onSessionEnd event method, because there is no available page
context; however, it can log an error message.

onApplicationEnd

If the onError event handler is triggered by a scope-specific event method, such as
the error prevents further processing at the level of that scope and any lower
scopes. An onError event triggered by an onSessionStart method, for example, prevents
further processing in the session, but not in the application.
onSessionStart,

onError

951

If an exception occurs while processing the onError method, or if the onError method uses a
cfthrow tag, the ColdFusion MX standard error handling mechanisms handle the exception.
These mechanisms include: any error handlers specified by cferror tags in the Application.cfc
initialization code, the site-wide error handler specified in the ColdFusion MX Administrator,
and ColdFusion MX default error page. Therefore, you can use the onError method as a filter to
handle selected errors, and use other ColdFusion error-handling techniques for the remaining
errors.
Example










An unexpected error occurred.
Please provide the following information to technical support:
Error Event: #Arguments.EventName#
Error details:






952

Chapter 5: Application.CFC Reference

onRequest
Description

Runs when a request starts, after the onRequestStart event handler. If you implement this
method, it must explicitly call the requested page to process it.
Syntax


...

...

See also
onRequestStart, onRequestEnd, Method summary, “Managing requests in Application.cfc” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters

ColdFusion MX passes the following parameters to the method:
Parameter

Description

targetPage

Path from the web root to the requested page.

Returns

This method does not return a value; do not use the cfreturn tag.
Usage

This event handler provides an optional request filter mechanism for CFML page requests (that
is, .cfm pages requested using a browser). Use it to intercept requests to target pages and override
the default behavior of running the requested pages. The following rules specify where and how
you use the onRequest method.

• Implement this method only if the following are true:
■

■

The directory, and any subdirectories affected by this Application.cfc contain CFM files and
do not contain any CFC files that are intended to be accessed as web services, using Flash
Remoting, or using an event gateway.
You want to intercept the request and process it in a special way.

• If you do not implement this method, ColdFusion automatically calls the target page (or the
CFC for a web service, Flash Remoting, or event gateway event).

• If you implement this method, it must explicitly call the target page, normally by using a
cfinclude

tag.

• Do not implement the onRequest method in any Application.cfc file that affects .cfc files that
implement web services, process Flash Remoting or event gateway requests; ColdFusion MX
will not execute the requests if you implement this method.

onRequest

953

• Code in this method that precedes the call to the target page can perform the same functions as
the onRequestStart method, and shares the Variables scope with the target page.

• Code in this method that follows the call to the target page can perform the same functions as
the onRequestEnd method, and shares the Variables scope with the target page.

• If you implement this method, you can also implement the onRequestStart and
onRequestEnd

methods.

You can use this method to do preprocessing that is required for all requests. Typical uses include
filtering and modifying request page contents (such as removing extraneous white space), or
creating a switching mechanism that determines the exact page to display based on available
parameters.
Example







#replace(content, "report", "MyCompany Quarterly Report", "all")#



954

Chapter 5: Application.CFC Reference

onRequestEnd
Description

Runs at the end of a request, after all other CFML code.
Syntax


...

See also
onRequestStart, onRequest,

Method summary, “Managing requests in Application.cfc” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters

ColdFusion MX passes the following parameters to the method:
Parameter

Description

targetPage

Path from the web root to the requested page.

Returns

This method does not return a value; do not use the cfreturn tag.
Usage

This method has the same purpose as the onRequestEnd.cfm page. (You cannot use an
onRequestEnd.cfm page if you have an Application.cfc file for your application.) This method
runs before the request terminates; therefore, it can access the page context, and can generate
output.
This method can be useful for gathering performance metrics, or for displaying dynamic footer
information.
This method can access the requested page’s Variables scope only if the Application.cfc file
includes an onRequest method that calls the page. You can use Request scope variables to share
data with the requested page, even if the Application.cfc file does not have an onRequest method.
If you call this method explicitly, ColdFusion does not end the request, but does execute the
method code.
Example

The following example displays one of two footer pages depending on whether the user has
logged in:
The onRequestEnd method in Application.cfc contains the following code:





onRequestEnd

955







A very simple authuserfooter.cfm page consists of the following code:

Thank you for shopping at our store, #theAuthUser#!


A very simple noauthuserfooter.cfm page consists of the following code:

Remember, only registered users get all our benefits!


To test this example, implement code for logging in a user, or try the example with and without
the following line in the onRequestStart Application.cfc method:


956

Chapter 5: Application.CFC Reference

onRequestStart
Description

Runs when a request starts.
Syntax


...


See also
onRequest, onRequestEnd, Method summary, “Managing requests in Application.cfc” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters

ColdFusion MX passes the following parameters to the method:
Parameters

Description

targetPage

Path from the web root to the requested page.

Returns

A Boolean value. Return False to prevent ColdFusion from processing the request. You do not
need to explicitly return a True value if you omit the cffunction tag returntype attribute.
Usage

This method runs at the beginning of the request. It is useful for user authorization (login
handling), and for request-specific variable initialization, such as gathering performance statistics.
If this method throws an exception (for example, if it uses the cfthrow tag), ColdFusion handles
the error and does not process the request further.
If you call this method explicitly, ColdFusion does not start a request, but does execute the
method code.
This method can access the requested page’s Variables scope only if the Application.cfc file
includes an onRequest method that calls the page. You can use Request scope variables to share
data with the requested page even if Application.cfc does not have an onRequest method.
Example

This example uses the authentication code generated by the ColdFusion MX Dreamweaver Login
wizard to ensure that the user is logged in. For Beta 2, the wizard generates code that is
appropriate for Application.cfm only. To use this code with the Application.CFC, delete the
generated Application.CFM




if ((Hour(now()) gt 1) and (Hour(now()) lt 3)) {
WriteOutput("The system is undergoing periodic maintenance.
Please return after 3:00 AM Eastern time.");
return false;
} else {
this.start=now();
return true;
}



958

Chapter 5: Application.CFC Reference

onSessionEnd
Description

Runs when a session ends.
Syntax



...

See also
onSessionStart,

Method summary, “Managing sessions in Application.cfc” in ColdFusion MX

Developer’s Guide
Parameters

ColdFusion MX passes the following parameters to the method:
Parameter

Description

SessionScope

The Session scope

ApplicationScope The Application scope;
Returns

This method does not return a value; do not use the cfreturn tag.
Usage

Use this method for any clean-up activities when the session ends. A session ends when the
session is inactive for the session time-out period or, if using J2EE sessions, the user closes the
browser. You can, for example, save session-related data, such as shopping cart contents or
whether the user has not completed an order, in a database, or do any other required processing
based on the user’s status. You might also want to log the end of the session, or other session
related information, to a file for diagnostic use.
If you call this method explicitly, ColdFusion does not end the session; it does execute the method
code, but does not lock the Session.
You cannot use this method to display data on a user page, because it is not associated with a
request.
You can access shared scope variables as follows:

• You must use the SessionScope parameter to access the Session scope. You cannot reference
the Session scope directly; for example, use Arguments.SessionScope.myVariable, not
Session.myVariable.

onSessionEnd

959

• You must use the ApplicationScope parameter to access the Application scope. You cannot
reference the Application scope directly; for example, use
Arguments.ApplicationScope.myVariable, not Application.myVariable. Use a named lock
when you reference variables in the Application scope, as shown in the example.

• You can access the Server scope directly; for example, Server.myVariable.
• You cannot access the Request scope.
Sessions do not end, and the onSessionEnd method is not called when an application ends. The
does not execute if there is no active application, however.

onSessionEnd
Example

The following method decrements an Application scope session count variable and logs the
session length.








...

See also
onSessionEnd, Method summary, “Managing sessions in Application.cfc” in ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide
Returns

This method does not return a value; do not use the cfreturn tag.
Usage

This method is useful for initializing Session scope data, such as a shopping cart, or setting
session-specific Application scope variables, such as for tracking the number of active sessions.
You never need to lock the Session scope to set its variables using this method.
If you call this method explicitly, ColdFusion does not start a session; it does execute the method
code, but does not lock the Session scope.
This method can access the requested page’s Variables scope only if the Application.cfc file
includes an onRequest method that calls the page.
Example

The following onSessionStart example initializes some Session scope variables and increments
and Application scope counter of active sessions.


Session.started = now();
Session.shoppingCart = StructNew();
Session.shoppingCart.items =0;






onSessionStart

961

962

Chapter 5: Application.CFC Reference

CHAPTER 6
ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

This chapter describes the Java interfaces available for building Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7
custom CFXs in Java.
Contents
Gateway development interfaces and classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 963
CFML CFEvent structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1004
IM gateway methods and commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1004
SMS Gateway CFEvent structure and commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1042
CFML event gateway SendGatewayMessage data parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1052
Note: The following CFML functions also apply to gateway application development:
GetGatewayHelper, SendGatewayMessage.

Gateway development interfaces and classes
The ColdFusion MX event gateway system is defined in the coldfusion.eventgateway package.
Gateway developers implement two interfaces and use several classes, as follows:

•
•
•
•
•

Gateway interface
GatewayHelper interface
GatewayServices class
CFEvent class
Logger class

963

Gateway interface
coldfusion.eventgateway.Gateway

Interface for implementing ColdFusion MX event gateways.
A class that implements this interface defines a ColdFusion MX event gateway type that you can
use in ColdFusion MX applications. The class must implement the following methods:

964

Signature

Description

GatewayName([String id[, String
configFile]])

The gateway constructor.

String getGatewayID()

Returns the gateway ID.

GatewayHelper getHelper()

Returns an instance of the GatewayHelper class for this
gateway type. instance, or null if the gateway does not
have a GatewayHelper class.

int getStatus()

Gets the event gateway status.

String outgoingMessage(coldfusion.
eventgateway.CFEvent cfmessage)

Handles a message sent by ColdFusion and processes
it to send to a message receiver.

void restart()

Restarts a running event gateway.

void setCFCListeners(String[]
listeners)

Identifies the CFCs that listen for incoming messages
from the event gateway.

void setGatewayID(String id)

Sets the gateway ID that uniquely identifies the Gateway
instance.

void start()

Starts the event gateway.

void stop()

Stops the event gateway.

Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

Constructor
Description

Instantiates a gateway.
Category

Event Gateway Development
Syntax
public void gatewayName()
public void gatewayName(String id)
public void gatewayName(String id, String configFile)
See also
setGatewayID,

“Class constructor” in Chapter 45, “Creating Custom Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

id

The identifier for the gateway instance

configFile

The absolute path to the gateway configuration file.

Usage

If your gateway requires a configuration file, use the constructor with two parameters. Otherwise,
you can use either the default constructor or the single parameter version; ColdFusion always uses
the setGatewayID method to set the ID.
Example

The following example shows the two argument constructor implemented in the ColdFusion MX
SocketGateway class:
public SocketGateway(String id, String configpath) {
propsFilePath=configpath;
try {
FileInputStream propsFile = new FileInputStream(propsFilePath);
properties.load(propsFile);
propsFile.close();
this.loadProperties();
}
catch (FileNotFoundException f) {
// do nothing. use default value for port.
}
catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
gatewayID = id;
gatewayService = GatewayServices.getGatewayServices();
}

Gateway interface

965

getGatewayID
Description

Returns the gateway ID that identifies the Gateway instance.
Category

Event Gateway Development
Syntax
public String getGatewayID()
See also
setGatewayID, “Providing Gateway class service and information routines” in Chapter 45,
“Creating Custom Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Usage

This method returns a string value that is set by the setGatewayID method.
Example

The following example is the ColdFusion MX SocketGateway class getGatewayID method:
public String getGatewayID()
{
return gatewayID;
}

966

Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

getHelper
Description

Returns an instance of the gatewayHelper class, if any for the gateway type.
Category

Event Gateway Development
Syntax
public GatewayHelper getHelper()
See also
GatewayHelper interface;

“Providing Gateway class service and information routines” in
Chapter 45, “Creating Custom Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

A coldfusion.eventgateway.GatewayHelper class instance, or null if the gateway does not have a
GatewayHelper class.
Usage

ColdFusion calls this method when a ColdFusion MX application calls the CFML
GetGatewayHelper function. The application then uses the gatewayHelper object methods to
call gateway-specific utility methods, such as instant message buddy management methods.
Example

The following example is the ColdFusion MX SocketGateway class getHelper method:
public GatewayHelper getHelper()
{
// SocketHelper class implements the GatewayHelper interface
return new SocketHelper();
}

Gateway interface

967

getStatus
Description

Returns the gateway status.
Category

Event Gateway Development
Syntax
public int getStatus()
See also

“Providing Gateway class service and information routines” in Chapter 45, “Creating Custom
Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

An integer status value. The Gateway interface defines the following status constants:

•
•
•
•
•

STARTING
RUNNING
STOPPING
STOPPED
FAILED

Example

The following example is the ColdFusion MX SocketGateway class getStatus method:
public int getStatus()
{
return status;
}

968

Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

outgoingMessage
Description

Sends a message from ColdFusion to a message receiver.
Category

Event Gateway Development
Syntax
public String outgoingMessage(coldfusion.eventgateway.CFEvent message)
See also

“Responding to a ColdFusion function or listener CFC” in Chapter 45, “Creating Custom Event
Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

A coldfusion.eventgateway.CFEvent instance containing the message to be sent.

Returns

A gateway-specific string, such as a message ID or a status indicator.
Usage

This method handles a message sent by ColdFusion MX and processes it as needed by the
gateway type to send a message to the (usually external) message receiver. ColdFusion MX calls
this method when the listener method of a listener CFC returns a message or when a ColdFusion
application calls the SendGatewayMessage function. ColdFusion MX passes the String returned
by this method back as the return value of a CFML SendGatewayMessage function.
Example

The following example is the ColdFusion MX SocketGateway class outgoingMessage method:
public String outgoingMessage(coldfusion.eventgateway.CFEvent cfmsg)
{
String retcode="ok";
// Get the table of data returned from the event handler
Map data = cfmsg.getData();
String message = (String) data.get("MESSAGE");
// find the right socket to write to from the socketRegistry hashtable
if (cfmsg.getOriginatorID() != null && message != null)
{
SocketServerThread st =
((SocketServerThread)socketRegistry.get(cfmsg.getOriginatorID()));
if(st != null)
st.writeOutput(message);
else
{
log.error("Cannot send outgoing message. OriginatorID '" +
cfmsg.getOriginatorID() + "' is not a valid socket id.");

Gateway interface

969

retcode="failed";
}
}
else if (data.get("OriginatorID") != null && message != null)
{
SocketServerThread st =
((SocketServerThread)socketRegistry.get(data.get("OriginatorID")));
if(st != null)
st.writeOutput(message);
else
{
log.error("Cannot send outgoing message. OriginatorID '" +
data.get("OriginatorID") + "' is not a valid socket id.");
retcode="failed";
}
}
else
{
log.error("Cannot send outgoing message. OriginatorID/MESSAGE is not
available.");
retcode="failed";
}
return retcode;
}

970

Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

restart
Description

Stops a gateway if it is running and starts it up.
Category

Event Gateway Development
Syntax
public void restart()
See also
start, stop
Usage

In most cases, you implement this method as a call to the stop method followed by a start
method, but you may be able to optimize the restart method based on the type of gateway.
Example

The following example is the ColdFusion MX SocketGateway class restart method:
public void restart()
{
stop();
start();
}

Gateway interface

971

setCFCListeners
Description

Sets the array of listener CFCs that the gateway sends messages to.
Category

Event Gateway Development
Syntax
public void setCFCListeners(String[] listeners)
See also
Constructor, getGatewayID, setCFCPath, “Providing Gateway class service and information
routines” in Chapter 45, “Creating Custom Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

listeners

Array of absolute file paths to CFCs to which the gateway forwards messages
when it gets events.

Usage

When ColdFusion MX starts a gateway instance, it calls this method with the names in the
instance’s listener list in the ColdFusion MX Administrator. ColdFusion MX can also call this
method if the ColdFusion MX Administrator listener list changes while the gateway is running.
Example

The following example is the ColdFusion MX SocketGateway class setCFCListeners method:
public void setCFCListeners(String[] listeners)
{
ArrayList aListeners = new ArrayList();
for(int i = 0; i
information


to the following:

debug


With debug priority, ColdFusion MX writes messages with a severity of “debug” to the log file
specified in the getLogger method that returned the Logger instance (or the default log file).
Example

The ColdFusion MX instant messaging gateways use the following line to log information about
incoming administrative messages or errors only when debugging priority is on.
// code to process incoming administrative messages or errors
logger.debug(gatewayType + "Gateway (" + gatewayID + ") admin message: " +
msg.getMessage());

Logger class

999

error
Description

Writes a log entry with an error severity to the ColdFusion MX logger. The entry includes the
severity, thread ID, date, time, and a text message.
Category

Event Gateway Development
Syntax
error(String message)
error(Throwable th)
error(String message, Throwable th)
See also
debug, fatal, info, warn, getLogger,

“Logging events and using log files” in Chapter 45,
“Creating Custom Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

The message to include in the log entry.

th

A throwable object, normally an exception. ColdFusion MX logs the exception
information in the exception.log file in the ColdFusion MX logs directory.

Usage

Use this method to send an error message to the ColdFusion MX logging subsystem. ColdFusion
MX will write a messages with a severity of “error” to the log file specified in the getLogger
method that returned the Logger instance (or the default log file).
Example

The ColdFusion MX example SocketGateway class includes the following code in the
outgoingMessage method. It writes an error message if the message’s originator ID does not
correspond to an open socket.
SocketServerThread st =
((SocketServerThread)socketRegistry.get(cfmsg.getOriginatorID()));
if(st != null)
st.writeOutput(message);
else {
log.error("Cannot send outgoing message. OriginatorID '" +
cfmsg.getOriginatorID() + "' is not a valid socket id.");
retcode="failed";
}

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fatal
Description

Writes a log entry with a fatal severity to the ColdFusion MX logger. The entry includes the
severity, thread ID, date, time, and a text message.
Category

Event Gateway Development
Syntax
fatal(String message)
fatal(Throwable th)
fatal(String message, Throwable th)
See also
debug, error, info, warn, getLogger,

“Logging events and using log files” in Chapter 45,
“Creating Custom Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

The message to include in the log entry.

th

A throwable object, normally an exception. ColdFusion MX logs the exception
information in the exception.log file in the ColdFusion MX logs directory.

Usage

Use this method to send a fatal error message to the ColdFusion MX logging subsystem.
ColdFusion MX will write a messages with a severity of “fatal” to the log file specified in the
getLogger method that returned the Logger instance (or the default log file).

Logger class 1001

info
Description

Writes a log entry with an information severity to the ColdFusion MX logger. The entry includes
the severity, thread ID, date, time, and a text message.
Category

Event Gateway Development
Syntax
info(String message)
info(Throwable th)
info(String message, Throwable th)
See also
debug, error, fatal, warn, getLogger,

“Logging events and using log files” in Chapter 45,
“Creating Custom Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

The message to include in the log entry.

th

A throwable object, normally an exception. ColdFusion MX logs the exception
information in the exception.log file in the ColdFusion MX logs directory. Not
normally used with this method.

Usage

Use this method to send an informational message to the ColdFusion MX logging subsystem.
ColdFusion MX will write a messages with a severity of “information” to the log file specified in
the getLogger method that returned the Logger instance (or the default log file).
ColdFusion normally logs all information severity messages, so you should not use this severity
for debugging messages or for events that happen frequently.
Example

The ColdFusion MX example DirectoryWatcherGateway class includes the following line at the
top of its loadconfig method that loads the gateway’s configuration file. It writes a message
including the gateway ID and configuration file.
logger.info("DirectoryWatcher (" + gatewayID + ") Initializing
DirectoryWatcher gateway with configuration file " + config);

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warn
Description

Writes a log entry with a warning severity to the ColdFusion MX logger. The entry includes the
severity, thread ID, date, time, and a text message.
Category

Event Gateway Development
Syntax
warn(String message)
warn(Throwable th)
warn(String message, Throwable th)
See also
debug, error, fatal, info, getLogger,

“Logging events and using log files” in Chapter 45,
“Creating Custom Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

The message to include in the log entry.

th

A throwable object, normally an exception. ColdFusion MX logs the exception
information in the exception.log file in the ColdFusion MX logs directory.

Usage

Use this method to send a warning message to the ColdFusion MX logging subsystem.
ColdFusion MX will write a messages with a severity of “warning” to the log file specified in the
getLogger method that returned the Logger instance (or the default log file).
Example

The ColdFusion MX example SocketWatcherGateway class includes the following code in its
constructor to load a configuration file. If it cannot load the file, it converts the exception
information to a string and logs a warning that includes the gateway ID, and the exception
information. It also passes the exception to the warn method
propsFilePath=configpath;
try {
FileInputStream propsFile = new FileInputStream(propsFilePath);
properties.load(propsFile);
propsFile.close();
this.loadProperties();
}
catch (IOException e) {
// do nothing. use default value for port.
log.warn("SocketGateway(" + gatewayID + ") Unable to read configuration file
" + propsFilePath + ": " + e.ToString() + ". Using default port.", e);
}

Logger class 1003

CFML CFEvent structure
The CFML listener CFC methods receive messages in the form of a CFEvent structure that
corresponds to the CFEvent class that gateway developers use. This structure has the following
fields. Some of the fields might not be used by all gateways. All fields contain text or numeric
values except the Data field, which contains a structure.
Field

Description

GatewayID

The event gateway that sent the event or will handle the outgoing message.
The value is the ID of an event gateway instance configured on the ColdFusion
MX Administrator Gateways page. If the application calls the
SendGatewayMessage function to respond to the event gateway, it uses this ID as
the function’s first parameter.

Data

A structure containing the event data, including the message. The Data
structure contents depend on the event gateway type. This field corresponds to
the SendGatewayMessage function’s second parameter.

OriginatorID

The originator of the message. The value depends on the protocol or event
gateway type. Some event gateways might require this value in response
messages to identify the destination of the response. Identifies the sender of
the message.

GatewayType

The type of event gateway, such as SMS. An application that can process
messages from multiple event gateway types can use this field. This value is the
gateway type name that is specified by the event Gateway class. It is not
necessarily the same as the gateway type name in the ColdFusion MX
Administrator.

CFCPath

The location of the listener CFC. The listener CFC does not need to use this
field.

CFCMethod

The listener method that ColdFusion invokes to process the event. The listener
CFC does not need to use this field.

CFCTimeout

The time-out, in seconds, for the listener CFC to process the event request.
The listener CFC does not need to use this field.

IM gateway methods and commands
The XMPP and IBM Sametime gateways implement CFC methods to receive messages, use the
gatewayHelper object methods to manage the gateway, and use outgoing message commands to
send messages. The following sections describe these methods and commands:

• IM Gateway CFC incoming message methods
• IM gateway message sending commands
• IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

IM Gateway CFC incoming message methods
You write the following CFC methods to handle incoming messages from an XMPP or Lotus
Sametime instant messaging gateway.
Note: The method names assume a default gateway configuration. ColdFusion lets you change the
method names and disable event types in the gateway configuration file.
Method

Message type

onAddBuddyRequest

Requests from other IM users to add the gateway ID as their buddy

onAddBuddyResponse

Responses from others to requests from your gateway to add them to your
buddy lists. Also used by buddies to ask to be removed from your list.

onBuddyStatus

Online status information messages

onIMServerMessage

Error and administrative messages from the IM server

onIncomingMessage

Instant messages

IM Gateway CFC incoming message methods 1005

onAddBuddyRequest
Description

Handles incoming requests for users to add the gateway user name as one of their buddies.
Syntax
onAddBuddyRequest(CFEvent)
See also
onIncomingMessage, onAddBuddyResponse, onBuddyStatus, onIMServerMessage
Parameters

The method must take one parameter, a CFEvent structure with the following fields:
Field

Description

gatewayType

Gateway type, either XMPP or SAMETIME

gatewayID

The ID of the gateway instance, as configured in ColdFusion MX Administrator

originatorID

The IM ID of the message originator

cfcMethod

This CFC method; by default, onAddBuddyRequest.

data.MESSAGE

The message that was sent with the request

data.SENDER

The sender’s ID; identical to the originatorID field value

data.RECIPIENT

The recipient’s ID, as specified in the gateway’s configuration file

data.TIMESTAMP The date and time when the message was sent
Returns

The function can optionally return a value to send a response message. The return structure must
contain the following fields:

1006

Field

Description

command

One of the following:
• accept Accept the request to add you as a buddy. ColdFusion adds the user
to the permit list of users that can get status information.
• decline Deny request to add you as a buddy. ColdFusion adds the user to
the deny list of users that can get status information.
• noact Take no action. ColdFusion does not respond to the requestor.

buddyID

ID to which to send the message. Normally, the value of the
CFEvent.data.SENDER field. Not used with the noact command.

reason

A text message describing the reason for the action. Not used with the noact
command.

Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

Example

The following example searches for the requested buddy’s name in a data source and, if it finds a
unique entry, adds the buddy and updates the buddy’s status information in an Application scope
buddyStatus structure. If it doesn’t find the name, it declines the buddy. If there are multiple
entries for the buddy name in the database, it tells the gateway not to respond. It logs all actions.



select IM_ID
from Employees
where IM_ID = '#CFEvent.Data.SENDER#'



// If the name is in the DB once, accept; if it is missing, decline.
// If it is in the DB multiple times, take no action.
if (buddysearch.RecordCount IS 0) {
action="decline";
reason="Invalid ID";
}
else if (buddysearch.RecordCount IS 1) {
action="accept";
reason="Valid ID";
//Add the buddy to the buddy status structure only if accepted.
if (NOT StructKeyExists(Application,
"buddyStatus")) {
Application.buddyStatus=StructNew();
}
if (NOT StructKeyExists(Application.buddyStatus,
CFEvent.Data.SENDER)) {
Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.SENDER#]=StructNew();
}
Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.SENDER#].status=
"Accepted Buddy Request";
Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.SENDER#].timeStamp=
CFEvent.Data.TIMESTAMP;
Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.SENDER#].message=
CFEvent.Data.MESSAGE;
}
else {
action="noact";
}









IM Gateway CFC incoming message methods 1007





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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

onAddBuddyResponse
Description

Handles incoming responses from other users to requests from the gateway to be added to their
buddy lists. Also receives requests from buddies to have you remove them from your buddy list.
Syntax
onAddBuddyResponse(CFEvent)
See also
onIncomingMessage, onAddBuddyRequest, onBuddyStatus, onIMServerMessage
Parameters

The method must take one parameter, a CFEvent structure with the following fields:
Field

Description

gatewayType

Gateway type, either XMPP or SAMETIME.

gatewayID

The ID of the gateway instance, as configured in ColdFusion MX Administrator.

originatorID

The IM ID of the message originator.

cfcMethod

This CFC method; by default, onAddBuddyResponse.

data.MESSAGE

One of the following:
• accept The request was accepted.
• decline The request was declined, or the buddy is asking you to remove
them from your list.

data.SENDER

The sender’s ID; identical to the originatorID.

data.RECIPIENT

The recipient’s ID, as specified in the gateway’s configuration file.

data.TIMESTAMP The date and time when the message was sent.
Returns

The function does not return a value.
Example

The following example adds the buddy’s status to the Application scope buddyStatus structure if
the message sender accepted an add buddy request. It logs all responses.




//Do the following only if the buddy accepted the request.
if (NOT StructKeyExists(Application, "buddyStatus")) {
Application.buddyStatus=StructNew();
}
if (#CFEVENT.Data.MESSAGE# IS "accept") {
//Create a new entry in the buddyStatus record for the buddy.
if (NOT StructKeyExists(Application.buddyStatus,
CFEvent.Data.SENDER)) {

IM Gateway CFC incoming message methods 1009

Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.SENDER#]=StructNew();
}
//Set the buddy status information to indicate buddy was added.
Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.SENDER#].status=
"Buddy accepted us";
Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.SENDER#].timeStamp=
CFEvent.Data.TIMESTAMP;
Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.SENDER#].message=
CFEvent.Data.MESSAGE;
}






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onBuddyStatus
Description

Handles incoming messages indicating online status (presence) changes of users on the gateway’s
buddy list.
Syntax
onBuddyStatus(CFEvent)
See also
onIncomingMessage, onAddBuddyRequest, onAddBuddyResponse, onIMServerMessage
Parameters

The method must take one parameter, a CFEvent structure with the following fields:
Field

Description

gatewayType

Gateway type, either XMPP or SAMETIME.

gatewayID

The ID of the Gateway instance, as configured in ColdFusion MX
Administrator.

originatorID

The IM ID (buddy name) of the message originator.

cfcMethod

This CFC method; by default, onIMServerMessage.

data.BUDDYNAME

The sender’s buddy name, or ID; identical to the originatorID.

data.BUDDYNICK
NAME

The buddy’s display name or nickname.

data.BUDDYSTATUS The buddy’s status; one of the following:
• ONLINE
• OFFLINE
• AWAY
• DO NOT DISTURB
XMPP only
• NOT AVAILABLE
• FREE TO CHAT
Sametime only
• IDLE
Use the IMGatewayHelper getCustomAwayMessage method to get any
custom message that the buddy sent when changing status.
data.BUDDYGROUP

The group that the buddy belongs to.

data.RECIPIENT

The recipient’s ID, as specified in the gateway’s configuration file.

data.TIMESTAMP

The date and time when the message was sent.

Note: You configure the buddy’s nickname and group when you use the gatewayHelper object
addBuddy method to add a buddy.
Returns

The function does not return a value.

IM Gateway CFC incoming message methods

1011

Example

The following example keeps an Application scope structure up-to-date with a buddy’s status. It
also uses the gatewayhelper object getBuddyStatus method to get the buddy’s custom away
message, if any.









// Create the status structures if they don’t exist.
if (NOT StructKeyExists(Application, "buddyStatus")) {
Application.buddyStatus=StructNew();
}
if (NOT StructKeyExists(Application.buddyStatus,
CFEvent.Data.BUDDYNAME)) {
Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.BUDDYNAME#]=StructNew();
}
// Save the buddy status, timestamp, and custom away message
Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.BUDDYNAME#].status=
CFEvent.Data.BUDDYSTATUS;
Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.BUDDYNAME#].timeStamp=
CFEvent.Data.TIMESTAMP;
// The following assumes that the buddy is in only one group.
Application.buddyStatus[#CFEvent.Data.BUDDYNAME#].customAway=
mybuddyinfo[1].BUDDYCUSTOMAWAYMESSAGE;










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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

onIMServerMessage
Description

Handles incoming error and status messages from the IM server.
Syntax
onIMServerMessage(CFEvent)
See also
onIncomingMessage, onAddBuddyRequest, onAddBuddyResponse, onBuddyStatus
Parameters

This method must take one parameter, a CFEvent structure with the following fields:
Field

Description

gatewayType

Gateway type, either XMPP or SAMETIME

gatewayID

The ID of the gateway instance, as configured in ColdFusion MX
Administrator

originatorID

The IM ID (buddy name) of the message originator

cfcMethod

This CFC method; by default, onIMServerMessage

data.MESSAGE

The message sent by the server

data.SENDER

The sender’s ID; identical to the originatorID

data.RECIPIENT

The recipient’s ID, as specified in the gateway’s configuration file

data.TIMESTAMP

The date and time when the message was sent

Example

The following example logs the sender, message, and a timestamp when an IM server sends an
error or status message:






IM Gateway CFC incoming message methods

1013

onIncomingMessage
Description

Handles incoming instant messages from other users. Optionally returns a response to the
message sender.
Syntax
onIncomingMessage(CFEvent)
See also
onAddBuddyRequest, onAddBuddyResponse, onBuddyStatus, onIMServerMessage, “Handling
incoming messages” and “Sample IM message handling application” in Chapter 43, “Using the
Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters

The method must take one parameter, a CFEvent structure with the following fields:
Field

Description

gatewayType

Gateway type, either XMPP or SAMETIME.

gatewayID

The ID of the Gateway instance as configured in ColdFusion MX Administrator.

originatorID

The IM ID of the message originator.

cfcMethod

This CFC method; by default, onIncomingMessage.

data.MESSAGE

The message that was received.

data.SENDER

The sender’s ID; identical to the originatorID

data.RECIPIENT

The recipient’s ID, as specified in the gateway’s configuration file

data.TIMESTAMP The date and time when the message was sent
Returns

The function can optionally return a value to send a response message. The return structure must
contain the following fields:
Field

Description

command

Normally omitted. You can also specify submit.

buddyID

ID to which to send the message. Normally, the value of the input parameter’s
Data.SENDER field.

message

The message contents.

Example

The following example shows a simple onIncomingMessage method that echoes a message back
to the sender.




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IM Gateway CFC incoming message methods

1015

IM gateway message sending commands
You use the SendGatewayMessage CFML function or the return value of a CFC listener method
to send outgoing messages. The ColdFusion MX 7 IM gateway accepts the following outgoing
message commands:
Command

Description

submit

(Default) Sends a normal message to another IM user.

accept

Accepts an add buddy request. Adds the buddy to the list of IDs that get your
presence information and sends an acceptance message to the buddy ID.

decline

Declines an add buddy request and sends a rejection message to the buddy ID.

noact

Tells the gateway to take no action. The gateway logs a message that indicates that
it took no action, and contains the gateway type, gateway ID, and buddy ID.

The message structure that you return in the gateway listener CFC function or use as the second
parameter in the CFML SendGatewayMessage function can have the following fields. The table
lists the fields and the commands in which they are used, and describes the field’s use.
Field

Commands

Description

buddyID

All

The destination user ID

command

All

The command; defaults to submit if omitted

message

submit

A text message to send to the destination user

reason

accept,
decline

A text description of the reason for the action or other message to
send to the add buddy requestor

In typical use, a ColdFusion application uses the accept, decline, and noact commands in the
return value of the onAddBuddyRequest method, and uses the submit command (or no
command, because submit is the default command) in SendGatewayMessage CFML functions
and the return value of the onIncomingMessage CFC method.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods
The GatewayHelper class returned by the CFML GetGatewayHelper function includes the
following methods:
addBuddy

getDenyList

getStatusAsString

removeDeny

addDeny

getName

getStatusTimeStamp

removePermit

addPermit

getNickName

isOnline

setNickName

getBuddyInfo

getPermitList

numberOfMessagesReceived setPermitMode

getBuddyList

getPermitMode

numberOfMessagesSent

setStatus

getCustomAwayMessage getProtocolName removeBuddy

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods

1017

addBuddy
Description

Adds a buddy to the buddy list for the gateway user ID and asks to have the IM server send
messages with the buddy’s online presence state to the gateway.
Syntax
Boolean = addBuddy(name, nickname, group)
See also
getBuddyInfo, getBuddyList, removeBuddy, “Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter

43,

“Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The unique instant messaging user name for the person about whom you want to
receive periodic status messages.

nickname

The nickname that the application can use to refer to the user.

group

The name of the group you wish to add the user to in your Buddy List. If the group
specified does not exist, it will be created. If the group parameter is the empty string,
the gateway uses the General group.

Returns

True if the ID was added to the gateway’s buddy list; False, otherwise.
Usage

This method adds the buddy to the buddy list for the gateway’s ID and sends a subscription
request (to automatically get presence information about the buddy’s online status) to the remote
buddy. It does not wait for a response from the buddy, so it returns True (and the gateway adds
the buddy to the list) even if the buddy denies the subscription request. Use the listener CFC
onAddBuddyResponse method to monitor the buddy’s response. If the CFEvent.data.MESSAGE
field value is decline, the listener method can call the gatewayHelper object removeBuddy method
to remove the buddy from the buddy list.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

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addDeny
Description

Tells the IM server to add the specified user to the deny list for the gateway’s user ID. If the
gateway’s permit mode value is DENY_SOME, the specified user cannot receive messages on the
gateway’s presence state.
Syntax
Boolean = addDeny(name, nickname, group)
See also
addPermit, getDenyList, getPermitList, getPermitMode, removeDeny, removePermit,
setPermitMode, “Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter

43, “Using the Instant Messaging

Event Gateways” of ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The unique instant messaging user name for the person about whom you want to
deny access to status messages.

nickname

The nickname that the application can use to refer to the user. Can be the empty
string.

group

The name of the group that you want to add the user to in your buddy list. If the
group specified does not exist, it is created. If the group parameter is the empty
string, the gateway uses the General group.

Returns

True if the ID was added to the deny list; False, otherwise.
Note: XMPP permission management is included in the XMPP 1.0 draft specification, but several
XMPP servers that were available at the time of the ColdFusion MX 7 release do not support
permission management. If the server does not support permission management, this function
always returns False.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods

1019

addPermit
Description

Tells the IM server to add the specified user to the permit list for the gateway’s user ID. If the
gateway’s permit mode is PERMIT_SOME, the specified user receive messages on the gateway’s
presence state.
Syntax
Boolean = addPermit(name, nickname, group)
See also
addDeny, getDenyList, getPermitList, getPermitMode, removeDeny, removePermit,
setPermitMode, “Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter

43, “Using the Instant Messaging

Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The unique instant messaging user name for the person about whom you want to
deny access to status messages.

nickname

The nickname that the application can use to refer to the user. Can be the empty
string.

group

The name of the group you want to add the user to in your Buddy List. If the group
specified does not exist, it is created. If the group parameter is the empty string, the
gateway uses the General group.

Returns

True if the ID was added to the permit list; false, otherwise.
Note: XMPP permission management is included in the XMPP 1.0 draft specification, but several
XMPP servers that were available at the time of the ColdFusion MX 7 release do not support
permission management. If the server does not support permission management, this function
always returns False.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

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getBuddyInfo
Description

Gets information about the specified user from the buddy list, deny list, and permit list.
Syntax
array = getBuddyInfo(name)
See also
addBuddy, getBuddyList, removeBuddy,

“Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43,
“Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” of ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The unique instant messaging user name for the person about whom you want to
get information.

Returns

An array of structures, with one structure for each information record found. The method finds
one record for each group that the user belongs to in each of the lists (buddy, permit, deny) that
contains the specified name. Each structure has the following fields. Some fields might not be
meaningful for some IM protocols. If there is no information for a field, it is blank.
Field

Description

BUDDYNAME

The user’s unique ID.

BUDDYGROUP

The group to which the user belongs.

BUDDYNICKNAME

The nickname that you have assigned to the user.

BUDDYPROTOCOL

The instant messaging protocol. JABBER (for XMPP) or SAMETIME, or
an empty string (if the server did not return a value).

BUDDYSTATUS

The user’s presence state, can by any of the following:
• ONLINE
• OFFLINE
• AWAY
• DND (displays as DO NOT DISTURB)
XMPP only
• NA (displays as NOT AVAILABLE)
• FREE_TO_CHAT (displays as FREE TO CHAT)
Sametime only
• IDLE

BUDDYSIGNONTIME The date and time when the user signed onto the IM server. Empty if the
user is not currently signed on. Always an empty string for XMPP and
Sametime.
BUDDYSTATUSTIME The date and time when the user’s status most recently changed.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods

1021

Field

Description

BUDDYCUSTOM
AWAYMESSAGE

The custom away message that the user has set to explain the current
status, if any.

BUDDYOWNER

A string representing the client and protocol associated with this ID, in the
format client@protocol.

BUDDYLISTTIYPE

The type of list that this buddy record is in; one of the following:
• BUDDY_LIST The list of users whose presence status information the
gateway can receive.
• DENY_LIST The list of users who cannot get presence information
about the gateway ID.
• PERMIT_LIST The list of users who can send presence information
messages to the gateway ID.
• REVERSE_LIST The list of users who do not allow messages to us.

BUDDYIDLETIME

If the buddy status is IDLE, how long the buddy has been idle. Always 0 for
XMPP or SameTime.

BUDDYISMOBILE

True or False, indicating whether the user is on a mobile device. Always
False for XMPP or SameTime.

BUDDYWARNING
PERCENT

The user’s warning percentage value. Always 0 for XMPP or SameTime.

Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods. For an example of
using this method to get the buddy custom away message, see onBuddyStatus.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

getBuddyList
Description

Gets the buddy list for the gateway’s user ID.
Syntax
array = getBuddyList()
See also
addBuddy, getBuddyInfo, removeBuddy,

“Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43,
“Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Returns

An array of IDs (buddy names) of the users on the gateway’s buddy list, a list of instant messaging
IDs that this gateway normally communicates with.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods 1023

getCustomAwayMessage
Description

Returns the gateway’s custom away message if it has been set by the gatewayHelper object
setStatus method.
Syntax
string = getCustomAwayMessage()
See also
getStatusAsString, getStatusTimeStamp, isOnline, setStatus, “Using the GatewayHelper

object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” of ColdFusion MX
Developer’s Guide
Returns

The gateway’s custom away message if it has been set by the GatewayHelper object setStatus
method.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

getDenyList
Description

Returns the list of users that the IM server has been told not to send state information about the
gateway, if the permit mode is set to DENY_SOME.
Syntax
array = getDenyList()
See also
addDeny, addPermit, getPermitList, getPermitMode, removeDeny, removePermit,
setPermitMode, “Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter

43, “Using the Instant Messaging

Event Gateways” of ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

An array of IDs (buddy names) of the users on the gateway’s deny list, the list of IDs to which the
IM server does not send presence status information.
Note: XMPP permission management is included in the XMPP 1.0 draft specification, but several
XMPP servers that were available at the time of the ColdFusion MX 7 release do not support
permission management. If the server does not support permission management, this function
always returns False.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods 1025

getName
Description

Returns the gateway's user name.
Syntax
string = getName()
See also
getProtocolName, numberOfMessagesReceived, numberOfMessagesSent, setNickName,
“Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways”
of ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

The gateway’s user name, as specified in gateway configuration file.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

getNickName
Description

Returns the gateway’s nickname (display name), if it has been set using the gatewayHelper object
setNickName method.
Syntax
string = getNickName()
See also
getName, getProtocolName, numberOfMessagesReceived, numberOfMessagesSent,
setNickName,

“Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging
Event Gateways” of ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Returns

The gateway’s nickname, if any; empty string, otherwise.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods 1027

getPermitList
Description

Returns the list of users that the IM server has been told to send state information about the
gateway.
Syntax
array = getPermitList()
See also
addDeny, addPermit, getDenyList, getPermitMode, removeDeny, removePermit,
setPermitMode, “Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter

43, “Using the Instant Messaging

Event Gateways” of ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

An array of IDs (buddy names) of the users on the gateway’s permit list, the list of IDs to which
the IM server sends presence status information if the permit mode is set to PERMIT_SOME.
Note: XMPP permission management is included in the XMPP 1.0 draft specification, but several
XMPP servers that were available at the time of the ColdFusion MX 7 release do not support
permission management. If the server does not support permission management, this function
always returns False.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

getPermitMode
Description

Gets the gateway’s permit mode from the IM server. The permit mode determines whether all
users can get the gateway’s online state information, or whether the server uses a permit list or a
deny list to control which users get state information.
Syntax
string = getPermitMode()
See also
addDeny, addPermit, getDenyList, getPermitList, removeDeny, removePermit,
setPermitMode, “Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter

43, “Using the Instant Messaging

Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

The gateway’s permit mode; one of the following values:
Mode

Description

PERMIT_ALL

(Default) Permits all users to be aware of the gateway’s online presence and
state.

PERMIT_SOME

Permits only users in the permit list to be aware of the gateway’s online
presence and state.

DENY_SOME

Prevents the users in the deny list from being aware of the gateway’s online
presence and state.

Note: XMPP permission management is included in the XMPP 1.0 draft specification, but several
XMPP servers that were available at the time of the ColdFusion MX 7 release do not support
permission management. If the server does not support permission management, this function
always returns PERMIT_ALL.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods 1029

getProtocolName
Description

Gets the name of the gateway’s instant messaging protocol.
Syntax
string = getProtocolName()
See also
getName, getNickName, numberOfMessagesReceived, numberOfMessagesSent, setNickName,
“Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways”
in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

The gateway’s protocol, as determined by the gateway type; one of the following values:

• JABBER (for XMPP)
• SAMETIME
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

getStatusAsString
Description

Gets the online status of the gateway as a text string.
Syntax
string = getStatusAsString()
See also
getCustomAwayMessage, getStatusTimeStamp, isOnline, setStatus, “Using the
GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

The gateway’s online status; one of the following:

•
•
•
•

ONLINE
OFFLINE
AWAY
DO NOT DISTURB

XMPP only

• NOT AVAILABLE
• FREE TO CHAT
Sametime only

• IDLE
Usage

The DO NOT DISTURB, NOT AVAILABLE, and FREE TO CHAT strings differ from the
status values that you use in the setStatus method, which does not allow spaces in the status
names.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods

1031

getStatusTimeStamp
Description

Gets the date and time that the gateway changed its online status.
Syntax
date-time object = getStatusTimeStamp()
See also
getCustomAwayMessage, getStatusAsString, isOnline, setStatus, “Using the
GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

The date and time that the gateway changed its online status, normally by calling the setStatus
gatewayHelper object method.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

isOnline
Description

Determines whether the gateway is connected to the instant messaging server.
Syntax
Boolean = isOnline()
See also
getCustomAwayMessage, getStatusAsString, getStatusTimeStamp, setStatus,

“Using the
GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Returns

True, if the gateway is connected to the IM server; False, otherwise.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods 1033

numberOfMessagesReceived
Description

Gets the number of messages received by the gateway since it was started.
Syntax
integer = numberOfMessagesReceived()
See also
getName, getNickName, getProtocolName, numberOfMessagesSent, setNickName, “Using the
GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

The number of messages received by the gateway since it was started.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

numberOfMessagesSent
Description

Gets the number of messages sent by the gateway since it was started.
Syntax
integer = numberOfMessagesSent()
See also
getName, getNickName, getProtocolName, numberOfMessagesReceived, setNickName,

“Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways”
in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Returns

The number of messages sent by the gateway since it was started.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods 1035

removeBuddy
Description

Removes an ID from a group in the buddy list for the gateway and tells the IM server not to send
the gateway messages with the buddy’s online presence state.
Syntax
Boolean = removeBuddy(name, group)
See also
addBuddy, getBuddyInfo, getBuddyList, removeDeny, removePermit,

“Using the
GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The unique instant messaging user name for the person to remove from the buddy
list.

group

The name of the group from which you want to remove the user. If the parameter is
the empty string, the gateway uses the General group.

Returns

True if the ID was removed from the group; False, otherwise.
Usage

If the user is in multiple groups in your buddy list, you remove the buddy separately from each
group. The IM server does not stop sending status updates until you remove the name from all
groups.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

removeDeny
Description

Removes an ID from a group in the deny list for the gateway. If the gateway’s permit mode is
DENY_SOME, the specified user can receive messages on the gateway’s presence state.
Syntax
Boolean = removeDeny(name, group)
See also
addDeny, addPermit, getDenyList, getPermitList, getPermitMode, removeBuddy,
removePermit, setPermitMode,

“Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the
Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The unique instant messaging user name for the person to remove from the deny
list.

group

The name of the group from which you want to remove the user. If the parameter is
the empty string, the gateway uses the General group.

Returns

True if the ID was removed from the group; False, otherwise.
Note: XMPP permission management is included in the XMPP 1.0 draft specification, but several
XMPP servers that were available at the time of the ColdFusion MX 7 release do not support
permission management. If the server does not support permission management, this function
always returns False.
Usage

If the user is in multiple groups in your deny list, you remove the user separately from each group.
The IM server enables sending status updates if you remove the name any group.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods 1037

removePermit
Description

Removes an ID from a group in the permit list for the gateway. If the gateway’s permit mode is
PERMIT_SOME, the specified user cannot receive messages on the gateway's presence state.
Syntax
Boolean = removePermit(name, group)
See also
addDeny, addPermit, getDenyList, getPermitList, getPermitMode, removeBuddy,
removeDeny, setPermitMode,

“Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the
Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The unique instant messaging user name for the person to remove from the permit
list.

group

The name of the group from which you want to remove the user. If the parameter is
the empty string, the gateway uses the General group.

Returns

True if the ID was removed from the group; False, otherwise.
Note: XMPP permission management is included in the XMPP 1.0 draft specification, but several
XMPP servers that were available at the time of the ColdFusion MX 7 release do not support
permission management. If the server does not support permission management, this function
always returns False.
Usage

If the user is in multiple groups in your permit list, you remove the user separately from each
group. However, the IM server stops sending status updates when you remove the user from the
first group.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

setNickName
Description

Sets the gateway’s nickname (display name).
Syntax
Boolean = setNickName(name)
See also
getName, getNickName, getProtocolName, numberOfMessagesReceived,
numberOfMessagesSent, “Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant
Messaging Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The display name that you want to associate with this gateway. This name is not
guaranteed to be unique for the protocol.

Returns

True if the nickname got set; false, otherwise.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods 1039

setPermitMode
Description

Sets the gateway’s permit mode on the IM server. The permit mode determines whether all users
can get the gateway's online state information, or whether the server uses a permit list or a deny
list to control which users get state information.
Syntax
Boolean = setPermitMode(permitMode)
See also
addDeny, addPermit, getDenyList, getPermitList, getPermitMode, removeDeny,
removePermit,

“Using the GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging
Event Gateways” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

permitMode

The permission mode, one of the following:
• PERMIT_ALL Permits all users to be aware of the gateway’s online presence
and state. This is the default mode if you do not call this function.
• PERMIT_SOME Permits only users in the permit list to be aware of the
gateway’s online presence and state.
• DENY_SOME Prevents all users in the deny list from being aware of the
gateway’s online presence and state.

Returns

True if the permit mode was set; False otherwise.
Note: XMPP permission management is included in the XMPP 1.0 draft specification, but several
XMPP servers that were available at the time of the ColdFusion MX 7 release do not support
permission management. If the server does not support permission management, this function
returns False to all values except PERMIT_ALL.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

setStatus
Description

Sets the online presence status of the gateway, including any custom away message.
Syntax
Boolean = setStatus(status, customAwayMsg)
See also
getCustomAwayMessage, getStatusAsString, getStatusTimeStamp, isOnline, “Using the
GatewayHelper object” in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

status

The gateway’s online presence status; one of the following:
• ONLINE
• AWAY
• DND (Do Not Disturb)
XMPP only
• NA (Not Available)
• FREE_TO_CHAT
Sametime only:
• IDLE

customAwayMsg

A text string containing a custom message for the status. Can be the empty
string if you do not need a custom away message.

Returns

True, if the operation was successful; False. otherwise. Passing an invalid status for the protocol
causes this method to return False.
Usage

Do not use the setStatus method to go offline. Although the method accepts a parameter of
OFFLINE, the gateway immediately resets itself to be online. To set the gateway offline, stop the
gateway instance in the ColdFusion MX Administrator, or use the stopGatewayInstance
method in the CFIDE.adminapi.eventgateway CFC.
Example

See “GatewayHelper example”, in Chapter 43, “Using the Instant Messaging Event Gateways” in
ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper class methods.

IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods

1041

SMS Gateway CFEvent structure and commands
This section describes the detailed contents of the following structures that you use in the SMS
Gateway listener CFCs and CFML SendGatewayMessage functions:

• SMS Gateway incoming message CFEvent structure
• SMS gateway message sending commands

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

SMS Gateway incoming message CFEvent structure
The SMS gateway puts the following information in a CFEvent instance that it sends to the CFC
listener method:
Field

Value

OriginatorID

Contents of the PDU source_addr field, the address of the device that sent
the message.

CfcMethod

Listener CFC method name. Value of the configuration file cfc-method
entry, or onIncomingMessage if the configuration file does not have this
entry.

Data.MESSAGE

Contents of the short_message field of the PDU.

Data.sourceAddress

The address of the device that sent this message.

Data.destAddress

The address to which the message was sent; an address in the range
specified by the gateway configuration file address-range setting.

Data.esmClass

Contents of the PDU esm_class field. Identifies the message type. A
number in the range 0-255 representing a Byte value, where bits 2-5 (0indexed) indicate the message type, and therefore the contents of the
data.MESSAGE field, as follows. (Reserved values are omitted.)
xx0000xx Normal message
xx0001xx SMSC delivery receipt
xx0010xx SME Delivery Acknowledgement
xx0100xx SME Manual/User Acknowledgement
xx0110xx Conversation abort (Korean CDMA only)
xx1000xx Intermediate Delivery Notification
For more information on this field, see the SMPP specification.

Data.protocol

Contents of the PDU protocol_id field. Meaningful for messages sent from
GSM networks only. For more information, see the GSM 03.40
specification.

Data.priority

Contents of the PDU priority_flag field. A message priority level set by the
originating SME, in the range 0-3; 0 is the lowest priority and 3 is the
highest priority. The specific priority level meaning depends on the
originating network. For more details, see the SMPP specification.

Data.registeredDelivery Contents of the PDU registered_delivery field, indicating the type of
delivery receipt or acknowledgement that the sender requested. A number
in the range 0-32, representing the sum of the following values:
0 No SMS delivery receipt requested or
1 SMSC delivery receipt requested on delivery success or failure or
2 SMSC delivery receipt requested on delivery failure only
Plus
0 No SME acknowledgement requested or
4 SME Delivery Acknowledgement requested or
8 SME Manual/User Acknowledgement requested or
12 Both Delivery and Manual/User Acknowledgements requested
Plus
0 No Intermediate notification requested or
16 Intermediate notification requested

SMS Gateway incoming message CFEvent structure 1043

Field

Value

Data.DataCoding

Contents of the PDU data_coding field. Indicates the character set or the
noncharacter data type of the message contents, as follows:
00000000 SMSC Default Alphabet
00000001 IA5 (CCITT T.50)/ASCII (ANSI X3.4)
00000010 Octet unspecified (8-bit binary)
00000011 Latin 1 (ISO-8859-1)
00000100 Octet unspecified (8-bit binary)
00000101 JIS (X 0208-1990)
00000110 Cyrillic (ISO-8859-5)
00000111 Latin/Hebrew (ISO-8859-8)
00001000 UCS2 (ISO/IEC-10646)
00001001 Pictogram Encoding
00001010 ISO-2022-JP (Music Codes)
00001101 Extended Kanji JIS(X 0212-1990)
00001110 KS C 5601
11xxxxxx GSM control use only; see the GSM 03.38 specification
For more details, see the SMPP specification.

data.messageLength

The length of the short_message field.

GatewayType

Always SMS.

For more information on the meanings of some of these fields and how to handle incoming SMS
messages an SMS gateway listener CFC method, see “Handling incoming messages” in
Chapter 44, “Using the SMS Event Gateway” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

SMS gateway message sending commands
ColdFusion applications that use gateways of the Short Message Service (SMS) type can send the
following commands to the event gateway in an outgoing message:

• submit command
• submitMulti command
• data command

SMS gateway message sending commands 1045

submit command
To send a message to a single destination address in an SMPP SUBMIT_SM PDU, the structure
that you used in the Data parameter of a SendGatewayMessage function or the return variable of
the CFC listener method has the following fields. For more information about these fields, see the
documentation for the SUBMIT_MULTI PDU in the SMPP3.4 specification, which you can
download from the SMS Forum at www.smsforum.net/.
Required fields
Field

Contents

command

If present, the value must be submit. If you omit this field, the event gateway
sends a submit message.

shortMessage
or
messagePayload

The message contents. You must specify one of these fields, but not both. The
SMPP specification imposes a maximum size of 254 bytes on the
shortMessage field, and some carriers might limit its size further. The
messagePayload field can contain up to 64K bytes; it must start with 0x0424,
followed by two bytes specifying the payload length, followed by the message
contents.

destAddress

Required. The address to which to send the message.

sourceAddress

The address of this application. You can omit this field; the configuration file
specifies the application address.

Optional fields

You can set default values for the following optional fields in the SMS event gateway
configuration file. For information on the default values, see “Configuring an SMS event
gateway” in Chapter 44, “Using the SMS Event Gateway” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
destAddress_npi

destAddress_ton

serviceType

The following optional fields do not have default values:

1046

alertOnMsgDelivery

EsmClass

priorityFlag

smDefaultMsgId

callbackNum

ItsReplyType

PrivacyIndicator

SmsSignal

callbackNumAtag

ItsSessionInfo

protocolId

SourceAddrSubunit

callbackNumPresInd

LanguageIndicator

registeredDelivery

SourcePort

dataCoding

MoreMsgsToSend

replaceIfPresent

SourceSubaddress

DestAddrSubunit

MsMsgWaitFacilities

SarMsgRefNum

UserMessageReference

DestinationPort

MsValidity

SarSegmentSeqnum

UserResponseCode

DestSubaddress

NumberOfMessages

SarTotalSegments

UssdServiceOp

DisplayTime

PayloadType

scheduleDeliveryTime validityPeriod

Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

Example

The following example onIncomingMessage method of a listener CFC uses the submit
command to echo incoming SMS messages to the message originator:











SMS gateway message sending commands 1047

submitMulti command
To send a single text message to multiple recipients using an SMPP SUBMIT_MULTI PDU, the
Data parameter of a SendGatewayMessage function or the return variable of the CFC listener
method usually has the following fields. For more information about these fields, see the
documentation for the SUBMIT_MULTI PDU in the SMPP3.4 specification, which you can
download from the SMS Forum at www.smsforum.net/.
Required fields
Field

Contents

command

Must be submitMulti.

shortMessage
or
messagePayload

The message contents. You must specify one of these fields, but not both. The
SMPP specification imposes a maximum size of 254 bytes on the
shortMessage field, and some carriers might limit its size further. The
messagePayload field can contain up to 64K bytes; it must start with 0x0424,
followed by two bytes specifying the payload length, followed by the message
contents.

destAddress

A ColdFusion array of destination addresses (required).
You cannot specify individual TON and NPI values for these addresses; all
must conform to a single setting.

sourceAddress

The address of this application. You can omit this field; the configuration file
specifies the application address.

Optional fields

The following optional fields can have default values set in the SMS event gateway configuration
file. For information on the default values see “Configuring an SMS event gateway” in
Chapter 44, “Using the SMS Event Gateway” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
destAddress_npi

destAddress_ton

serviceType

The following optional fields do not have default values:

1048

alertOnMsgDelivery

DisplayTime

protocolId

SmsSignal

callbackNum

EsmClass

registeredDelivery

SourceAddrSubunit

callbackNumAtag

LanguageIndicator

replaceIfPresent

SourcePort

callbackNumPresInd

MsMsgWaitFacilities

SarMsgRefNum

SourceSubaddress

dataCoding

MsValidity

SarSegmentSeqnum

UserMessageReference

DestAddrSubunit

PayloadType

SarTotalSegments

validityPeriod

DestinationPort

priorityFlag

scheduleDeliveryTime

DestSubaddress

PrivacyIndicator

smDefaultMsgId

Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

Example

The following example onIncomingMessage method sends a response that echoes an incoming
message to the originator address, and sends a copy of the response to a second address:
















SMS gateway message sending commands 1049

data command
To send binary data to a single destination address in an SMPP DATA_SM PDU, the Data
parameter of a SendGatewayMessage function or the return variable of the CFC listener method
must have the following fields. For more information about these fields, see the documentation
for the SUBMIT_MULTI PDU in the SMPP3.4 specification, which you can download from
the SMS Forum at www.smsforum.net/.
Required fields
Field

Contents

command

Must be data.

messagePayload

The message data. To convert data to binary format, use the ColdFusion MX
ToBinary function.

destAddress

The address to which to send the message.

sourceAddress

The address of this application. You can omit this field; the configuration file
specifies the application address.

Optional fields

The following optional fields can have default values set in the SMS event gateway configuration
file. For information on the default values see “Configuring an SMS event gateway” in
Chapter 44, “Using the SMS Event Gateway” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
destAddress_npi

destAddress_ton

serviceType

The following optional fields do not have default values:

1050

alertOnMsgDelivery

DestTelematicsId

NetworkErrorCode

SetDpf

callbackNum

DisplayTime

NumberOfMessages

SmsSignal

callbackNumAtag

EsmClass

PayloadType

SourceAddrSubunit

callbackNumPresInd

ItsReplyType

PrivacyIndicator

SourceBearerType

dataCoding

ItsSessionInfo

QosTimeToLive

SourceNetworkType

DestAddrSubunit

LanguageIndicator

ReceiptedMessgeId

SourcePort

DestBearerType

MessageState

registeredDelivery

SourceSubaddress

DestNetworkType

MoreMsgsToSend

SarMsgRefNum

SourceTelematicsId

DestinationPort

MsMsgWaitFacilities

SarSegmentSeqnum

UserMessageReference

DestSubaddress

MsValidity

SarTotalSegments

UserResponseCode

Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

Example

The following example onIncomingMessage method converts an incoming message to binary
data, and sends the binary version of the message back to the originator address:














SMS gateway message sending commands

1051

CFML event gateway SendGatewayMessage data parameter
The ColdFusion CFML gateway type enables you to invoke CFC methods asynchronously. The
structure that you use in the SendGatewayMessage function data parameter can include two
types of fields:

• Any number of fields can contain arbitrary contents for use in by the CFC.
• Several optional fields can configure how the gateway delivers the information to the CFC.
The CFML gateway looks for the following optional fields, and, if they exist, uses them to
determine how it delivers the message. Do not use these field names for data that you send to
your CFC method.
Field

Use

cfcpath

Overrides the CFC path specified in the ColdFusion MX Administrator. This field
lets you use a single gateway configuration in the ColdFusion MX Administrator
multiple CFCs. This field sets the CFEvent object CFCPath variable.

method

Specifies the name of the method to invoke in the CFC. The default method is
onIncomingMessage. This field lets you use a single gateway configuration in the

ColdFusion MX Administrator for a CFC that has several methods. This field sets
the CFEvent object CFCMethod variable.
originatorID

Sets the originatorID field of the CFEvent object that ColdFusion MX delivers to the
CFC. The default value is CFMLGateway.

timeout

Sets the time-out, in seconds, during which the listener CFC must process the
event request and return before ColdFusion gateway services terminates the
request. The default value is the Timeout Request value set on the Server Settings
page in the ColdFusion MX Administrator. Set this value if a request might validly
take longer to process than the default time-out; for example, if the request involves
a very long processing time. This field sets the CFEvent object CFCTimeout
variable.

Example

The following example consists of a CFML page that sends a message to a logevent method in the
file logger.CFC. The CFML page specifies the CFC and method to call, and sets the
OriginatorID.
Sending an event using a generic CFML event gateway and specifying the CFC
and method.

status = False;
props = structNew();
props.cfcpath="C:\CFusionMX7\gateway\cfc\MyCFCs\logger.cfc";
props.method="logEvent";
props.OriginatorID=CGI.SCRIPT_NAME;
props.Message="Replace me with a variable with data to log";
props.file="GenericCFCtest";
props.type="warning";
status = SendGatewayMessage("DefaultCFC", props);
if (status IS True)
WriteOutput('Event Message "#props.Message#" has been sent.');


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The CFC method uses the OriginatorID and the message, file, and type fields of the CFEvent
parameter’s data field to specify the log file and message.




if (NOT IsDefined("CFEvent.Data.file")) {
CFEvent.Data.file="defaultEventLog"; }
if (NOT IsDefined("CFEvent.Data.type")) {
CFEvent.Data.type="information"; }





CFML event gateway SendGatewayMessage data parameter 1053

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Chapter 6: ColdFusion MX Event Gateway Reference

CHAPTER 7
ColdFusion C++ CFX Reference

This chapter describes the Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7 CFXAPI classes and methods.
Contents
C++ class overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1055
Deprecated class methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1056
CCFXException class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1056
CCFXQuery class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1058
CCFXRequest class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1062
CCFXStringSet class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072

C++ class overview
The following table lists the CFXAPI classes and methods:
Class

Methods

CCFXException class

CCFXException::GetError
CCFXException::GetDiagnostics

CCFXQuery class

CCFXQuery::AddRow
CCFXQuery::GetColumns
CCFXQuery::GetData
CCFXQuery::GetName
CCFXQuery::GetRowCount
CCFXQuery::SetData

1055

Class

Methods

CCFXRequest class

CCFXRequest::AddQuery
CCFXRequest::AttributeExists
CCFXRequest::CreateStringSet
CCFXRequest::Debug
CCFXRequest::GetAttribute
CCFXRequest::GetAttributeList
CCFXRequest::GetCustomData
CCFXRequest::GetQuery
CCFXRequest::ReThrowException
CCFXRequest::SetCustomData
CCFXRequest::SetVariable
CCFXRequest::ThrowException
CCFXRequest::Write
CCFXRequest::WriteDebug

CCFXStringSet class

CCFXStringSet::AddString
CCFXStringSet::GetCount
CCFXStringSet::GetIndexForString
CCFXStringSet::GetString

Deprecated class methods
The following CFXAPI classes and methods are deprecated. They do not work, and might cause
an error, in later releases.
Class

Deprecated member

Deprecated as of this ColdFusion release

CCFXQuery Class

CCFXQuery::SetQueryString ColdFusion MX
CCFXQuery::SetTotalTime
ColdFusion MX

CCFXRequest Class

CCFXRequest::GetSetting

ColdFusion MX

CCFXException class
An abstract class that represents an exception thrown during processing of a ColdFusion
Extension (CFX) procedure.
Exceptions of this type can be thrown by CCFXRequest class, CCFXQuery class, and
CCFXStringSet class. Your ColdFusion Extension code must be written to handle exceptions
of this type. For more information, see CCFXRequest::ThrowException and
CCFXRequest::ReThrowException.
Class methods

1056

virtual LPCSTR GetError()

The CCFXException::GetError function returns a general
error message.

virtual LPCSTR GetDiagnostics()

The CCFXException::GetDiagnostics function returns
detailed error information.

Chapter 7: ColdFusion C++ CFX Reference

CCFXException::GetError
Description

Provides basic user output for exceptions that occur during processing.
CCFXException::GetDiagnostics
Description

Provides detailed user output for exception that occur during processing.
Example

This code block shows how GetError and GetDiagnostics work with ThrowException and
ReThrowException.
// Write output back to the user here...
pRequest->Write( "Hello from CFX_FOO2!" ) ;
pRequest->ThrowException("User Error", "You goof'd...");
// Output optional debug info
if ( pRequest->Debug() )
{
pRequest->WriteDebug( "Debug info..." ) ;
}
// Catch ColdFusion exceptions & re-raise them
catch( CCFXException* e )
{
// This is how you would pull the error information
LPCTSTR strError = e->GetError();
LPCTSTR strDiagnostic = e->GetDiagnostics();
pRequest->ReThrowException( e ) ;
}
// Catch ALL other exceptions and throw them as
// ColdFusion exceptions (DO NOT REMOVE! -// this prevents the server from crashing in
// case of an unexpected exception)
catch( ... )
{
pRequest->ThrowException(
"Error occurred in tag CFX_FOO2",
"Unexpected error occurred while processing tag." ) ;
}

CCFXException class 1057

CCFXQuery class
An abstract class that represents a query used or created by a ColdFusion Extension (CFX).
Queries contain one or more columns of data that extend over a varying number of rows.
Class methods
virtual int AddRow()
virtual CCFXStringSet* GetColumns

CCFXQuery::AddRow adds a row to a query.
CCFXQuery::GetColumns retrieves a list of a

query's column names.
virtual LPCSTR GetData( int iRow, int
iColumn )

CCFXQuery::GetData retrieves a data element

virtual LPCSTR GetName()

CCFXQuery::GetName retrieves the name of a

from a row and column of a query.
query.

virtual int GetRowCount()

CCFXQuery::GetRowCount retrieves the number of

rows in a query.
virtual void SetData( int iRow, int iColumn,
LPCSTR lpszData )

CCFXQuery::SetData sets a data element within a

virtual void SetQueryString( LPCSTR
lpszQuery )

This function is deprecated. It might not work,
and might cause an error, in later releases.

virtual void SetTotalTime( DWORD
dwMilliseconds )

This function is deprecated. It might not work,
and might cause an error, in later releases.

row and column of a query.

CCFXQuery::AddRow
Syntax
int CCFXQuery::AddRow(void)
Description

Add a row to the query. Call this function to append a row to a query.
Returns

Returns the index of the row that was appended to a query.

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Chapter 7: ColdFusion C++ CFX Reference

Example

The following example shows the addition of two rows to a three-column ('City', 'State', and
'Zip') query:
// First row
int iRow ;
iRow = pQuery->AddRow() ;
pQuery->SetData( iRow, iCity, "Minneapolis" ) ;
pQuery->SetData( iRow, iState, "MN" ) ;
pQuery->SetData( iRow, iZip, "55345" ) ;
// Second row
iRow = pQuery->AddRow() ;
pQuery->SetData( iRow, iCity, "St. Paul" ) ;
pQuery->SetData( iRow, iState, "MN" ) ;
pQuery->SetData( iRow, iZip, "55105" ) ;

CCFXQuery::GetColumns
Syntax
CCFXStringSet* CCFXQuery::GetColumns(void)
Description

Retrieves a list of the column names contained in a query.
Returns

Returns an object of CCFXStringSet class that contains a list of the columns in the query.
ColdFusion automatically frees the memory that is allocated for the returned string set, after the
request is completed.
Example

The following example gets the list of columns, then iterates over the list, writing each column
name back to the user:
// Get the list of columns from the query
CCFXStringSet* pColumns = pQuery->GetColumns() ;
int nNumColumns = pColumns->GetCount() ;
// Print the list of columns to the user
pRequest->Write( "Columns in query: " ) ;
for( int i=1; i<=nNumColumns; i++ )
{
pRequest->Write( pColumns->GetString( i ) ) ;
pRequest->Write( " " ) ;
}

CCFXQuery class 1059

CCFXQuery::GetData
Syntax
LPCSTR CCFXQuery::GetData(int iRow, int iColumn)
Description

Gets a data element from a row and column of a query. Row and column indexes begin with 1.
You can determine the number of rows in a query by calling CCFXQuery::GetRowCount. You can
determine the number of columns in a query by retrieving the list of columns using
CCFXQuery::GetColumns, and then calling CCFXStringSet::GetCount on the returned string
set.
Returns

Returns the value of the requested data element.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

iRow

Row to retrieve data from (1-based)

iColumn

Column to retrieve data from (1-based)

Example

The following example iterates over the elements of a query and writes the data in the query back
to the user in a simple, space-delimited format:
int iRow, iCol ;
int nNumCols = pQuery->GetColumns()->GetCount() ;
int nNumRows = pQuery->GetRowCount() ;
for ( iRow=1; iRow<=nNumRows; iRow++ )
{
for ( iCol=1; iCol<=nNumCols; iCol++ )
{
pRequest->Write( pQuery->GetData( iRow, iCol ) ) ;
pRequest->Write( " " ) ;
}
pRequest->Write( "
" ) ;
}

CCFXQuery::GetName
Syntax
LPCSTR CCFXQuery::GetName(void)
Description

Returns the name of a query.

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Example

The following example retrieves the name of a query and writes it back to the user:
CCFXQuery* pQuery = pRequest->GetQuery() ;
pRequest->Write( "The query name is: " ) ;
pRequest->Write( pQuery->GetName() ) ;

CCFXQuery::GetRowCount
Syntax
int CCFXQuery::GetRowCount(void)
Description

Returns the number of rows contained in a query.
Example

The following example retrieves the number of rows in a query and writes it back to the user:
CCFXQuery* pQuery = pRequest->GetQuery() ;
char buffOutput[256] ;
wsprintf( buffOutput,
"The number of rows in the query is %ld.",
pQuery->GetRowCount() ) ;
pRequest->Write( buffOutput ) ;

CCFXQuery::SetData
Syntax
void CCFXQuery::SetData(int iRow, int iColumn, LPCSTR lpszData)
Description

Sets a data element within a row and column of a query. Row and column indexes begin with 1.
Before calling SetData for a given row, call CCFXQuery::AddRow and use the return value as the
row index for your call to SetData.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

iRow

Row of data element to set (1-based)

iColumn

Column of data element to set (1-based)

lpszData

New value for data element

CCFXQuery class

1061

Example

The following example shows the addition of two rows to a three-column ('City', 'State', and
'Zip') query:
// First row
int iRow ;
iRow = pQuery->AddRow() ;
pQuery->SetData( iCity, iRow, "Minneapolis" ) ;
pQuery->SetData( iState, iRow, "MN" ) ;
pQuery->SetData( iZip, iRow, "55345" ) ;
// Second row
iRow = pQuery->AddRow() ;
pQuery->SetData( iCity, iRow, "St. Paul" ) ;
pQuery->SetData( iState, iRow, "MN" ) ;
pQuery->SetData( iZip, iRow, "55105" ) ;

CCFXRequest class
Abstract class that represents a request made to a ColdFusion Extension (CFX). An instance of
this class is passed to the main function of your extension DLL. The class provides interfaces that
can be used by the custom extension for the following actions:

•
•
•
•

Reading and writing variables
Returning output
Creating and using queries
Throwing exceptions

Class methods
virtual BOOL AttributeExists
( LPCSTR lpszName )

CCFXRequest::AttributeExists checks

virtual LPCSTR GetAttribute
( LPCSTR lpszName )

CCFXRequest::GetAttribute gets the

virtual CCFXStringSet* GetAttributeList()

CCFXRequest::GetAttributeList gets an

whether the attribute was passed to the
tag.
value of the passed attribute.
array of attribute names passed to the
tag.

virtual CCFXQuery* GetQuery()

CCFXRequest::GetQuery gets the query

that was passed to the tag.
virtual LPCSTR GetSetting( LPCSTR lpszSettingName ) CCFXRequest::GetSetting

This method is deprecated. It might not
work, and might cause an error, in later
releases.
virtual void Write( LPCSTR lpszOutput )

CCFXRequest::Write writes text output

back to the user.

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virtual void SetVariable( LPCSTR lpszName, LPCSTR
lpszValue )

CCFXRequest::SetVariable sets a

virtual CCFXQuery* AddQuery( LPCSTR lpszName,
CCFXStringSet* pColumns )

CCFXRequest::AddQuery adds a query to
the template that contains this tag.

virtual BOOL Debug()

CCFXRequest::Debug checks whether the
tag contains the Debug attribute.

virtual void WriteDebug( LPCSTR lpszOutput )

CCFXRequest::WriteDebug writes text

variable in the template that contains this
tag.

output into the debug stream.
virtual CCFXStringSet* CreateStringSet()

CCFXRequest::CreateStringSet allocates
and returns a CCFXStringSet instance.

virtual void ThrowException( LPCSTR lpszError,
LPCSTR lpszDiagnostics )

CCFXRequest::ThrowException throws an

virtual void ReThrowException
( CCFXException* e )

CCFXRequest::ReThrowException re-

virtual void SetCustomData( LPVOID lpvData )

CCFXRequest::SetCustomData sets
custom (tag specific) data to carry with a
request.

virtual LPVOID GetCustomData()

CCFXRequest::GetCustomData gets
custom (tag specific) data for a request.

exception and ends processing of this
request.
throws an exception that has been
caught.

CCFXRequest::AddQuery
Syntax
CCFXQuery* CCFXRequest::AddQuery(LPCSTR lpszName,
CCFXStringSet* pColumns)
Description

Adds a query to the calling template. The query can be accessed by CFML tags (for example,
CFOUTPUT or CFTABLE) within the template. After calling AddQuery, the query is empty (it has 0
rows). To populate the query with data, call the CCFXQuery::AddRow and CCFXQuery::SetData
functions.
Returns

Returns a pointer to the query that was added to the template (an object of class CCFXQuery). The
memory allocated for the returned query is freed automatically by ColdFusion after the request is
completed.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

lpszName

Name of query to add to the template (must be unique)

pColumns

List of column names to be used in the query

CCFXRequest class 1063

Example

The following example adds a query named 'People' to the calling template. The query has two
columns ('FirstName' and 'LastName') and two rows:
// Create a string set and add the column names to it
CCFXStringSet* pColumns = pRequest->CreateStringSet() ;
int iFirstName = pColumns->AddString( "FirstName" ) ;
int iLastName = pColumns->AddString( "LastName" ) ;
// Create a query that contains these columns
CCFXQuery* pQuery = pRequest->AddQuery( "People", pColumns ) ;
// Add data to the query
int iRow ;
iRow = pQuery->AddRow() ;
pQuery->SetData( iRow, iFirstName, "John"
pQuery->SetData( iRow, iLastName, "Smith"
iRow = pQuery->AddRow() ;
pQuery->SetData( iRow, iFirstName, "Jane"
pQuery->SetData( iRow, iLastName, "Doe" )

) ;
) ;
) ;
;

CCFXRequest::AttributeExists
Syntax
BOOL CCFXRequest::AttributeExists(LPCSTR lpszName)
Description

Checks whether the parameter was passed to the tag. Returns True if the parameter is available;
False, otherwise.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

lpszName

Name of the parameter to check (case insensitive)

Example

The following example checks whether the user passed an attribute named DESTINATION to the
tag, and throws an exception if the attribute was not passed:
if ( pRequest->AttributeExists("DESTINATION")==FALSE )
{
pRequest->ThrowException(
"Missing DESTINATION parameter",
"You must pass a DESTINATION parameter in "
"order for this tag to work correctly." ) ;
}

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CCFXRequest::CreateStringSet
Syntax
CCFXStringSet* CCFXRequest::CreateStringSet(void)
Description

Allocates and returns an instance. Always use this function to create string sets, as opposed to
directly using the new operator.
Returns

Returns an object of CCFXStringSet class. The memory allocated for the returned string set is
freed automatically by ColdFusion after the request is completed
Example

The following example creates a string set and adds three strings to it:
CCFXStringSet* pColors = pRequest->CreateStringSet() ;
pColors->AddString( "Red" ) ;
pColors->AddString( "Green" ) ;
pColors->AddString( "Blue" ) ;

CCFXRequest::Debug
Syntax
BOOL CCFXRequest::Debug(void)
Description

Checks whether the tag contains the Debug attribute. Use this function to determine whether to
write debug information for a request. For more information, see CCFXRequest::WriteDebug.
Returns

Returns True if the tag contains the Debug attribute; False, otherwise.
Example

The following example checks whether the Debug attribute is present, and if it is, it writes a brief
debug message:
if ( pRequest->Debug() )
{
pRequest->WriteDebug( "Top secret debug info" ) ;
}

CCFXRequest::GetAttribute
Syntax
LPCSTR CCFXRequest::GetAttribute(LPCSTR lpszName)
Description

Retrieves the value of the passed attribute. Returns an empty string if the attribute does not exist.
(To test whether an attribute was passed to the tag, use CCFXRequest::AttributeExists.)

CCFXRequest class 1065

Returns

Returns the value of the attribute passed to the tag. If no attribute of that name was passed to the
tag, an empty string is returned.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

lpszName

Name of the attribute to retrieve (case insensitive)

Example

The following example retrieves an attribute named DESTINATION and writes its value back to the
user:
LPCSTR lpszDestination = pRequest->GetAttribute("DESTINATION") ;
pRequest->Write( "The destination is: " ) ;
pRequest->Write( lpszDestination ) ;

CCFXRequest::GetAttributeList
Syntax
CCFXStringSet* CCFXRequest::GetAttributeList(void)
Description

Gets an array of attribute names passed to the tag. To get the value of one attribute, use
CCFXRequest::GetAttribute.
Returns

Returns an object of class CCFXStringSet class that contains a list of attributes passed to the
tag. The memory allocated for the returned string set is freed automatically by ColdFusion after
the request is completed.
Example

The following example gets the list of attributes and iterates over the list, writing each attribute
and its value back to the user.
LPCSTR lpszName, lpszValue ;
CCFXStringSet* pAttribs = pRequest->GetAttributeList() ;
int nNumAttribs = pAttribs->GetCount() ;
for( int i=1; i<=nNumAttribs; i++ )
{
lpszName = pAttribs->GetString( i ) ;
lpszValue = pRequest->GetAttribute( lpszName ) ;
pRequest->Write( lpszName ) ;
pRequest->Write( " = " ) ;
pRequest->Write( lpszValue ) ;
pRequest->Write( "
" ) ;
}

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CCFXRequest::GetCustomData
Syntax
LPVOID CCFXRequest::GetCustomData(void)
Description

Gets the custom (tag specific) data for the request. This method is typically used from within
subroutines of a tag implementation to extract tag data from a request.
Returns

Returns a pointer to the custom data, or NULL if no custom data has been set during this request
using CCFXRequest::SetCustomData.
Example

The following example retrieves a pointer to a request specific data structure of hypothetical type
MYTAGDATA:
void DoSomeGruntWork( CCFXRequest* pRequest )
{
MYTAGDATA* pTagData =
(MYTAGDATA*)pRequest->GetCustomData() ;
... remainder of procedure ...
}

CCFXRequest::GetQuery
Syntax
CCFXQuery* CCFXRequest::GetQuery(void)
Description

Retrieves a query that was passed to a tag. To pass a query to a custom tag, you use the QUERY
attribute. This attribute should be set to the name of a query (created using the cfquery tag or
another custom tag). The QUERY attribute is optional and should be used only by tags that process
an existing data set.
Returns

Returns an object of the CCFXQuery class that represents the query passed to the tag. If no
query was passed to the tag, NULL is returned. The memory allocated for the returned query is
freed automatically by ColdFusion after the request is completed.

CCFXRequest class 1067

Example

The following example retrieves the query that was passed to the tag. If no query was passed, an
exception is thrown:
CCFXQuery* pQuery = pRequest->GetQuery() ;
if ( pQuery == NULL )
{
pRequest->ThrowException(
"Missing QUERY parameter",
"You must pass a QUERY parameter in "
"order for this tag to work correctly." ) ;
}

CCFXRequest::ReThrowException
Syntax
void CCFXRequest::ReThrowException(CCFXException* e)
Description

Re-throws an exception that has been caught within an extension procedure. This function is
used to avoid having C++ exceptions that are thrown by DLL extension code propagate back into
ColdFusion. Catch ALL C++ exceptions that occur in extension code, and either re-throw them
(if they are of the CCFXException class) or create and throw a new exception pointer using
CCFXRequest::ThrowException.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

e

A CCFXException that has been caught

Example

The following code demonstrates how to handle exceptions in ColdFusion Extension DLL
procedures:
try
{
...Code that could throw an exception...
}
catch( CCFXException* e )
{
...Do appropriate resource cleanup here...
// Re-throw the exception
pRequest->ReThrowException( e ) ;
}
catch( ... )
{
// Something nasty happened
pRequest->ThrowException(
"Unexpected error occurred in CFX tag", "" ) ;
}

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CCFXRequest::SetCustomData
Syntax
void CCFXRequest::SetCustomData(LPVOID lpvData)
Description

Sets custom (tag specific) data to carry with the request. Use this function to store request specific
data to pass to procedures within your custom tag implementation.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

lpvData

Pointer to custom data

Example

The following example creates a request-specific data structure of hypothetical type
MYTAGDATA and stores a pointer to the structure in the request for future use:
void ProcessTagRequest( CCFXRequest* pRequest )
try
{
MYTAGDATA tagData ;
pRequest->SetCustomData( (LPVOID)&tagData ) ;
... remainder of procedure ...
}

CCFXRequest::SetVariable
Syntax
void CCFXRequest::SetVariable(LPCSTR lpszName, LPCSTR lpszValue)
Description

Sets a variable in the calling template. If the variable name already exists in the template, its value
is replaced. If it does not exist, a variable is created. The values of variables created using
SetVariable can be accessed in the same manner as other template variables (for example,
#MessageSent#).
Parameters
Parameter

Description

lpszName

Name of variable

lpszValue

Value of variable

CCFXRequest class 1069

Example

The following example sets the value of a variable named 'MessageSent' based on the success of
an operation performed by the custom tag:
BOOL bMessageSent;
...attempt to send the message...
if ( bMessageSent == TRUE )
{
pRequest->SetVariable( "MessageSent", "Yes" ) ;
}
else
{
pRequest->SetVariable( "MessageSent", "No" ) ;
}

CCFXRequest::ThrowException
Syntax
void CCFXRequest::ThrowException(LPCSTR lpszError,
LPCSTR lpszDiagnostics)
Description

Throws an exception and ends processing of a request. Call this function when you encounter an
error that does not allow you to continue processing the request. This function is almost always
combined with the CCFXRequest::ReThrowException to protect against resource leaks in
extension code.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

lpszError

Short identifier for error

lpszDiagnostics

Error diagnostic information

Example

The following example throws an exception indicating that an unexpected error occurred while
processing a request:
char buffError[512] ;
wsprintf( buffError,
"Unexpected Windows NT error number %ld "
"occurred while processing request.", GetLastError() ) ;
pRequest->ThrowException( "Error occurred", buffError ) ;

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CCFXRequest::Write
Syntax
void CCFXRequest::Write(LPCSTR lpszOutput)
Description

Writes text output back to the user.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

lpszOutput

Text to output

Example

The following example creates a buffer to hold an output string, fills the buffer with data, and
writes the output back to the user:
CHAR buffOutput[1024] ;
wsprintf( buffOutput, "The destination is: %s",
pRequest->GetAttribute("DESTINATION") ) ;
pRequest->Write( buffOutput ) ;

CCFXRequest::WriteDebug
Syntax
void CCFXRequest::WriteDebug(LPCSTR lpszOutput)
Description

Writes text output into the debug stream. The text is only displayed to the end-user if the tag
contains the Debug attribute. (For more information, see CCFXRequest::Debug.)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

lpszOutput

Text to output

Example

The following example checks whether the Debug attribute is present; if so, it writes a brief debug
message:
if ( pRequest->Debug() )
{
pRequest->WriteDebug( "Top secret debug info" ) ;
}

CCFXRequest class

1071

CCFXStringSet class
Abstract class that represents a set of ordered strings. Strings can be added to a set and can be
retrieved by a numeric index (index values for strings are 1-based). To create a string set, use
CCFXRequest::CreateStringSet.
Class methods
virtual int AddString( LPCSTR lpszString )

CCFXStringSet::AddString adds a string to

the end of a list.
virtual int GetCount()

CCFXStringSet::GetCount gets the number

of strings contained in a list.
virtual LPCSTR GetString( int iIndex )

CCFXStringSet::GetString gets the string

located at the passed index.
virtual int GetIndexForString
( LPCSTR lpszString )

CCFXStringSet::GetIndexForString gets

the index for the passed string.

CCFXStringSet::AddString
Syntax
int CCFXStringSet::AddString(LPCSTR lpszString)
Description

Adds a string to the end of the list.
Returns

The index of the string that was added.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

lpszString

String to add to the list

Example

The following example demonstrates adding three strings to a string set and saving the indexes of
the items that are added:
CCFXStringSet* pSet = pRequest->CreateStringSet() ;
int iRed = pSet->AddString( "Red" ) ;
int iGreen = pSet->AddString( "Green" ) ;
int iBlue = pSet->AddString( "Blue" ) ;

CCFXStringSet::GetCount
Syntax
int CCFXStringSet::GetCount(void)

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Description

Gets the number of strings in a string set. The value can be used with
CCFXStringSet::GetString to iterate over the strings in the set (recall that the index values for
strings in the list begin at 1).
Returns

Returns the number of strings contained in the string set.
Example

The following example demonstrates using GetCount with CCFXStringSet::GetString to
iterate over a string set and write the contents of the list back to the user:
int nNumItems = pStringSet->GetCount() ;
for ( int i=1; i<=nNumItems; i++ )
{
pRequest->Write( pStringSet->GetString( i ) ) ;
pRequest->Write( "
" ) ;
}

CCFXStringSet::GetIndexForString
Syntax
int CCFXStringSet::GetIndexForString(LPCSTR lpszString)
Description

Searches for a passed string. The search is case-insensitive.
Returns

If the string is found, its index within the string set is returned. If it is not found, the constant
CFX_STRING_NOT_FOUND is returned.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

lpszString

String to search for

Example

The following example demonstrates a search for a string and throwing an exception if it is not
found:
CCFXStringSet* pAttribs = pRequest->GetAttributeList() ;
int iDestination =
pAttribs->GetIndexForString("DESTINATION") ;
if ( iDestination == CFX_STRING_NOT_FOUND )
{
pRequest->ThrowException(
"DESTINATION attribute not found."
"The DESTINATION attribute is required "
"by this tag." ) ;
}

CCFXStringSet class 1073

CCFXStringSet::GetString
Syntax
LPCSTR CCFXStringSet::GetString(int iIndex)
Description

Retrieves the string located at the passed index (index values are 1-based).
Returns

Returns the string located at the passed index.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

iIndex

Index of string to retrieve

Example

The following example demonstrates GetString with CCFXStringSet::GetCount to iterate over
a string set and write the contents of a list back to the user:
int nNumItems = pStringSet->GetCount() ;
for ( int i=1; i<=nNumItems; i++ )
{
pRequest->Write( pStringSet->GetString( i ) ) ;
pRequest->Write( "
" ) ;
}

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CHAPTER 8
ColdFusion Java CFX Reference

This chapter describes the Java interfaces available for building Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7
custom CFXs in Java.
Contents
Class libraries overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1075
Custom tag interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1076
Query interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1077
Request interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1082
Response interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1087
Debugging classes reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1090

Class libraries overview
The following Java interfaces are available for building ColdFusion custom CFXs in Java:
Interface

Methods

Custom tag interface

processRequest

Query interface

addRow
getColumnIndex
getColumns
getData
getName
getRowCount
setData

1075

Interface

Methods

Request interface

attributeExists
debug
getAttribute
getAttributeList
getIntAttribute
getQuery
getSetting

Response interface

addQuery
setVariable
write
writeDebug

Custom tag interface
public abstract interface CustomTag

Interface for implementing custom tags.
Classes that implement this interface can be specified in the CLASS attribute of the Java CFX tag.
For example, in a class MyCustomTag, which implements this interface, the following CFML code
calls the MyCustomTag.processRequest method:


Other attributes can be passed to the Java CFX tag. Their values are available using the Request
object passed to the processRequest method.
Methods
Returns

Syntax

Description

void

processRequest(Request request,
Response response)

Processes a request originating from the
CFX_mycustomtag tag

processRequest
Description

Processes a request originating from the Java CFX tag.
Category
Custom tag interface
Syntax
public void processRequest(Request request, Response response)
Throws
Exception

1076

If an unexpected error occurs while processing the request.

Chapter 8: ColdFusion Java CFX Reference

Parameters
Parameter

Description

request

Parameters (attributes, query, and so on.) for this request

response

Interface for generating response to request (output, variables, queries, and so on)

Query interface
public abstract interface Query

Interface to a query used or created by a custom tag. A query contains tabular data organized by
named columns and rows.
Methods
Returns

Method

Description

int

addRow()

Adds a row to the query

int

getColumnIndex(String name)

Gets the index of a column given its name

String[]

getColumns()

Gets a list of the column names in a query

String

getData(int iRow, int iCol)

Gets a data element from a row and column of a
query

String

getName()

Gets the name of a query

int

getRowCount()

Gets the number of rows in a query

void

setData(int iRow, int iCol,
String data)

Sets a data element in a row and column of a
query

addRow
Description

Adds a row to a query. Call this method to append a row to a query.
Returns the index of the row that was appended to the query.
Category
Query interface
Syntax
public int addRow()
See also
setData, getData
Example

The following example demonstrates the addition of two rows to a query that has three columns,
City, State, and Zip:
// Define column indexes

Query interface 1077

int iCity = 1, iState = 2, iZip = 3 ;
// First row
int iRow = query.addRow() ;
query.setData( iRow, iCity, "Minneapolis" ) ;
query.setData( iRow, iState, "MN" ) ;
query.setData( iRow, iZip, "55345" ) ;
// Second row
iRow = query.addRow() ;
query.setData( iRow, iCity, "St. Paul" ) ;
query.setData( iRow, iState, "MN" ) ;
query.setData( iRow, iZip, "55105" ) ;

getColumnIndex
Description

Returns the index of the column, or 0 if no such column exists.
Category
Query interface
Syntax
public int getColumnIndex(String name)
See also
getColumns, getData
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Name of column to get index of (lookup is case-insensitive)

Example

The following example retrieves the index of the EMAIL column and uses it to output a list of the
addresses contained in the column:
// Get the index of the EMAIL column
int iEMail = query.getColumnIndex( "EMAIL" ) ;
// Iterate over the query and output list of addresses
int nRows = query.getRowCount() ;
for( int iRow = 1; iRow <= nRows; iRow++ )
{
response.write( query.getData( iRow, iEMail ) + "
" ) ;
}

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getColumns
Description

Returns an array of strings containing the names of the columns in the query.
Category
Query interface
Syntax
public String[] getColumns()
Example

The following example retrieves the array of columns, then iterates over the list, writing each
column name back to the user:
// Get the list of columns from the query
String[] columns = query.getColumns() ;
int nNumColumns = columns.length ;
// Print the list of columns to the user
response.write( "Columns in query: " ) ;
for( int i=0; i" ) ;
}

getName
Description

Returns the name of a query.
Category
Query interface
Syntax
public String getName()
Example

The following example retrieves the name of a query and writes it back to the user:
Query query = request.getQuery() ;
response.write( "The query name is: " + query.getName() ) ;

getRowCount
Description

Retrieves the number of rows in a query.
Returns the number of rows contained in a query.
Category
Query interface
Syntax
public int getRowCount()

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Example

The following example retrieves the number of rows in a query and writes it back to the user:
Query query = request.getQuery() ;
int rows = query.getRowCount() ;
response.write( "The number of rows in the query is "
+ Integer.ToString(rows) ) ;

setData
Description

Sets a data element in a row and column of a query. Row and column indexes begin with 1.
Before calling setData for a given row, call addRow and use the return value as the row index for
your call to setData.
Category
Query interface
Syntax
public void setData(int iRow, int iCol, String data)
Throws
IndexOutOfBoundsException

If an invalid index is passed to the method.

See also
getData, addRow
Parameters
Parameter

Description

iRow

Row of data element to set (1-based)

iCol

Column of data element to set (1-based)

data

New value for data element

Example

The following example demonstrates the addition of two rows to a query that has three columns,
City, State, and Zip:
// Define column indexes
int iCity = 1, iState = 2, iZip = 3 ;
// First row
int iRow = query.addRow() ;
query.setData( iRow, iCity, "Minneapolis" ) ;
query.setData( iRow, iState, "MN" ) ;
query.setData( iRow, iZip, "55345" ) ;

// Second row
iRow = query.addRow() ;

Query interface

1081

query.setData( iRow, iCity, "St. Paul" ) ;
query.setData( iRow, iState, "MN" ) ;
query.setData( iRow, iZip, "55105" ) ;

Request interface
public abstract interface Request

Interface to a request made to a CustomTag. The interface includes methods for retrieving
attributes passed to the tag (including queries) and reading global tag settings.
Methods
Returns

Syntax

Description

boolean

attributeExists(String name)

Checks whether the attribute was passed to this
tag.

boolean

debug()

Checks whether the tag contains the debug
attribute.

String

getAttribute(String name)

Retrieves the value of the passed attribute.

String[]

getAttributeList()

Retrieves a list of attributes passed to the tag.

int

getIntAttribute(String name)

Retrieves the value of the passed attribute as an
integer.

int

getIntAttribute(String name,
int def)

Retrieves the value of the passed attribute as an
integer (returns default if the attribute does not
exist or is not a valid number).

Query

getQuery()

Retrieves the query that was passed to this tag.

attributeExists
Description

Checks whether the attribute was passed to this tag.
Returns True if the attribute is available; otherwise returns False.
Category
Request interface
Syntax
public boolean attributeExists(String name)
See also
getAttribute, getAttributeList
Parameters

1082

Parameter

Description

name

Name of the attribute to check (case-insensitive)

Chapter 8: ColdFusion Java CFX Reference

Example

The following example checks whether the user passed an attribute named DESTINATION to
the tag; if not, it throws an exception:
if ( ! request.attributeExists("DESTINATION") )
{
throw new Exception(
"Missing DESTINATION parameter",
"You must pass a DESTINATION parameter in "
"order for this tag to work correctly." ) ;
} ;

debug
Description

Checks whether the tag contains the debug attribute. Use this method to determine whether to
write debug information for this request. For more information, see writeDebug.
Returns True if the tag contains the debug attribute; False, otherwise.
Category
Request interface
Syntax
public boolean debug()
See also
writeDebug
Example

The following example checks whether the debug attribute is present, and if so, it writes a brief
debug message:
if ( request.debug() )
{
response.writeDebug( "debug info" ) ;
}

getAttribute
Description

Retrieves the value of a passed attribute. Returns an empty string if the attribute does not exist
(use attributeExists to test whether an attribute was passed to the tag). Use
getAttribute(String,String) to return a default value rather than an empty string.
Returns the value of the attribute passed to the tag. If no attribute of that name was passed to the
tag, an empty string is returned.
Category
Request interface

Request interface 1083

Syntax
public String getAttribute(String name)
See also
attributeExists, getAttributeList, getIntAttribute, getAttribute
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The attribute to retrieve (case-insensitive)

Example

The following example retrieves an attribute named DESTINATION and writes its value back to the
user:
String strDestination = request.getAttribute("DESTINATION") ;
response.write( "The destination is: " + strDestination ) ;

getAttributeList
Description

Retrieves a list of attributes passed to the tag. To retrieve the value of one attribute, use the
getAttribute method.
Returns an array of strings containing the names of the attributes passed to the tag.
Category
Request interface
Syntax
public String[] getAttributeList()
See also
attributeExists, getAttributeList
Example

The following example retrieves the list of attributes, then iterates over the list, writing each
attribute and its value back to the user:
String[] attribs = request.getAttributeList() ;
int nNumAttribs = attribs.length ;
for( int i = 0; i < nNumAttribs; i++ )
{
String strName = attribs[i] ;
String strValue = request.getAttribute( strName ) ;
response.write( strName + "=" + strValue + "
" ) ;
}

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getIntAttribute
Description

Retrieves the value of the passed attribute as an integer. Returns -1 if the attribute does not exist.
Use attributeExists to test whether an attribute was passed to the tag. Use
getIntAttribute(String,int) to return a default value rather than throwing an exception or
returning -1.
Returns the value of the attribute passed to the tag. If no attribute of that name was passed to the
tag, -1 is returned.
Category
Request interface
Syntax
public int getIntAttribute(String name)
Throws
NumberFormatException

If the attribute is not a valid number.

See also
attributeExists, getAttributeList, getIntAttribute
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The attribute to retrieve (case-insensitive)

Example

The following example retrieves an attribute named PORT and writes its value back to the user:
int nPort = request.getIntAttribute("PORT") ;
if ( nPort != -1 )
response.write( "The port is: " + String.valueOf(nPort) ) ;

getQuery
Description

Retrieves the query that was passed to this tag.
To pass a query to a custom tag, you use the query attribute. It should be set to the name of a
query (created using the cfquery tag). The query attribute is optional and should be used only by
tags that process an existing dataset.
Returns the Query that was passed to the tag. If no query was passed, returns null.
Category
Request interface

Request interface 1085

Syntax
public Query getQuery()
Example

The following example retrieves a query that was passed to a tag. If no query was passed, an
exception is thrown:
Query query = request.getQuery() ;
if ( query == null )
{
throw new Exception(
"Missing QUERY parameter. " +
"You must pass a QUERY parameter in "
"order for this tag to work correctly." ) ;
}

getSetting
Description

Retrieves the value of a global custom tag setting. Custom tag settings are stored in the
CustomTags section of the ColdFusion Registry key.
Returns the value of the custom tag setting. If no setting of that name exists, an empty string is
returned.
Category
Request interface
Syntax
public String getSetting(String name)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The name of the setting to retrieve (case-insensitive)

Usage

All custom tags implemented in Java share a registry key for storing settings. To avoid name
conflicts, preface the names of settings with the name of your custom tag class. For example, the
code below retrieves the value of a setting named VerifyAddress for a custom tag class named
MyCustomTag:
String strVerify = request.getSetting("MyCustomTag.VerifyAddress") ;
if ( Boolean.valueOf(strVerify) )
{
// Do address verification...
}

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Response interface
public abstract interface Response

Interface to response generated from a custom tag. This interface includes methods for writing
output, generating queries, and setting variables in the calling page.
Methods
Returns

Syntax

Description

Query

addQuery(String name, String[] columns)

Adds a query to the calling template.

void

setVariable(String name, String value)

Sets a variable in the calling template.

void

write(String output)

Outputs text back to the user.

void

writeDebug(String output)

Writes text output into the debug stream.

addQuery
Description

Adds a query to the calling template. The query can be accessed by CFML tags in the template.
After calling addQuery, the query is empty (it has 0 rows). To populate the query with data, call
the Query methods addRow and setData.
Returns the Query that was added to the template.
Category
Response interface
Syntax
public Query addQuery(String name, String[] columns)
Throws
IllegalArgumentException

If the name parameter is not a valid CFML variable name.

See also
addRow, setData
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The name of the query to add to the template

columns

The column names to use in the query

Example

The following example adds a query named People to the calling template. The query has two
columns (FirstName and LastName) and two rows:
// Create string array with column names (also track columns indexes)
String[] columns = { "FirstName", "LastName" } ;

Response interface 1087

int iFirstName = 1, iLastName = 2 ;
// Create a query which contains these columns
Query query = response.addQuery( "People", columns ) ;
// Add data to the query
int iRow = query.addRow() ;
query.setData( iRow, iFirstName, "John"
query.setData( iRow, iLastName, "Smith"
iRow = query.addRow() ;
query.setData( iRow, iFirstName, "Jane"
query.setData( iRow, iLastName, "Doe" )

) ;
) ;
) ;
;

setVariable
Description

Sets a variable in the calling template. If the variable name specified exists in the template, its
value is replaced. If it does not exist, a new variable is created.
Category
Response interface
Syntax
public void setVariable(String name, String value)
Throws
IllegalArgumentException

If the name parameter is not a valid CFML variable name.

Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The name of the variable to set

value

The value to set the variable to

Example

For example, this code sets the value of a variable named MessageSent based on the success of an
operation performed by the custom tag:
boolean bMessageSent ;
...attempt to send the message...
if ( bMessageSent == true )
{
response.setVariable( "MessageSent", "Yes" ) ;
}
else
{
response.setVariable( "MessageSent", "No" ) ;
}

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write
Description

Outputs text back to the user.
Category
Response interface
Syntax
public void write(String output)
Parameters
Parameter

Description

output

Text to output

Example

The following example outputs the value of the DESTINATION attribute:
response.write( "DESTINATION = " +
request.getAttribute("DESTINATION") ) ;

writeDebug
Description

Writes text output into the debug stream. This text is displayed to the end-user only if the tag
contains the debug attribute (check for this attribute using the Request.debug method).
Category
Response interface
Syntax
public void writeDebug(String output)
See also
debug
Parameters
Parameter

Description

output

The text to output

Example

The following example checks whether the debug attribute is present; if so, it writes a brief debug
message:
if ( request.debug() )
{
response.writeDebug( "debug info" ) ;
}

Response interface 1089

Debugging classes reference
The constructors and methods supported by the DebugRequest, DebugResponse, and
DebugQuery classes are as follows. These classes also support the other methods of the Request,
Response, and Query interfaces, respectively.
DebugRequest
// initialize a debug request with attributes
public DebugRequest( Hashtable attributes ) ;
// initialize a debug request with attributes and a query
public DebugRequest( Hashtable attributes, Query query ) ;
// initialize a debug request with attributes, a query, and settings
public DebugRequest( Hashtable attributes, Query query,
Hashtable settings ) ;

DebugResponse
// initialize a debug response
public DebugResponse() ;
// print the results of processing
public void printResults() ;

DebugQuery
// initialize a query with name and columns
public DebugQuery( String name, String[] columns )
throws IllegalArgumentException ;
// initialize a query with name, columns, and data
public DebugQuery( String name, String[] columns, String[][] data )
throws IllegalArgumentException ;

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CHAPTER 9
WDDX JavaScript Objects

This chapter provides information about JavaScript objects and functions used to WDDX in a
Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7 application.
Contents
JavaScript object overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1091
WddxSerializer object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1092
WddxRecordset object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1095

JavaScript object overview
These are the JavaScript objects and functions:
Class

Functions

WddxSerializer object

serialize
serializeVariable
serializeValue
write

WddxRecordset object

addColumn
addRows
getField
getRowCount
setField
wddxSerialize

WDDX JavaScript objects are defined in the wddx.js file; this file is installed in the CFIDE/
scripts directory.
To use these objects, you must put a JavaScript tag before the code that refers to the objects; for
example:


1091

WddxSerializer object
The WddxSerializer object includes functions that serialize any JavaScript data structure. For
more information on using this object, see “Using WDDX” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and
WDDX” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Functions
The only function that developers typically call is serialize.
Function syntax

Description

object.serialize(rootobj)

Creates a WDDX packet for a passed WddxRecordset
instance.

object.serializeVariable(name, obj)

Serializes a property of a structure. If an object is not a
string, number, array, Boolean, or a date, WddxSerializer
treats it as a structure.

object.serializeValue(obj)

Recursively serializes eligible data in a passed instance.

object.write(str)

Appends data to the serialized data stream.

serialize
Description

Creates a WDDX packet for a passed WddxRecordset instance.
Syntax
object.serialize( rootobj )
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

Instance name of the WddxSerializer object

rootobj

JavaScript data structure to serialize

Return value

Returns a serialized WDDX packet as a string if the function succeeds, or a null value if an error
occurs.
Usage

Call this function to serialize the data in a WddxRecordset instance.
Example

This example shows a JavaScript function that you can call to serialize a WddxRecordset instance.
It copies serialized data to a form field for display:
function serializeData(data, formField)
{
wddxSerializer = new WddxSerializer();
wddxPacket = wddxSerializer.serialize(data);

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Chapter 9: WDDX JavaScript Objects

if (wddxPacket != null)
{
formField.value = wddxPacket;
}
else
{
alert("Couldn't serialize data");
}
}

serializeVariable
Description

Serializes a property of a structure. If an object is not a string, number, array, Boolean, or date,
WddxSerializer treats it as a structure.
Syntax
object.serializeVariable( name, obj )
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

Instance name of a WddxSerializer object

name

Property to serialize

obj

Instance name of the value to serialize

Return value

Returns a Boolean True if serialization was successful; False, otherwise.
This is an internal function; you do not typically call it.
Example

This example is from the WddxSerializer serializeValue function:
...
// Some generic object; treat it as a structure
this.write("");
for (prop in obj)
{
bSuccess = this.serializeVariable(prop, obj[prop]);
if (! bSuccess)
{
break;
}
}
this.write("");
...

WddxSerializer object 1093

serializeValue
Description

Recursively serializes eligible data in a passed instance. Eligible data includes:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

String
Number
Boolean
Date
Array
Recordset
Any JavaScript object

This function serializes null values as empty strings.
Syntax
object.serializeValue( obj )
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

Instance name of the WddxSerializer object

obj

Instance name of the WddxRecordset object to serialize

Return value

Returns a Boolean True if obj was serialized successfully; False, otherwise.
Usage

This is an internal function; you do not typically call it.
Example

This example is from the WddxSerializer serialize function:
...
this.wddxPacket = "";
this.write("");
bSuccess = this.serializeValue(rootObj);
this.write("");
if (bSuccess)
{
return this.wddxPacket;
}
else
{
return null;
}
...

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write
Description

Appends data to a serialized data stream.
Syntax
object.write( str )
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

Instance name of the WddxSerializer object

str

String to be copied to the serialized data stream

Return value

Returns an updated serialized data stream as a String.
Usage

This is an internal function; you do not typically call it.
Example

This example is from the WddxSerializer serializeValue function:
...
else if (typeof(obj) == "number")
{
// Number value
this.write("" + obj + "");
}
else if (typeof(obj) == "boolean")
{
// Boolean value
this.write("");
}
...

WddxRecordset object
Includes functions that you call as needed when constructing a WDDX record set. For more
information on using this object, see “Using WDDX” in Chapter 35, “Using XML and WDDX”
in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Functions
:

Function syntax

Description

object.addColumn(name)

Adds a column to all rows in a WddxRecordset instance.

object.addRows(n)

Adds rows to all columns in a WddxRecordset instance.

object.dump(escapeStrings)

Displays WddxRecordset object data.

WddxRecordset object 1095

Function syntax

Description

object.getField(row, col)

Returns the element in a row/column position.

object.getRowCount()

Indicates the number of rows in a WddxRecordset
instance.

object.setField(row, col, value)

Sets the element in a row/column position.

object.wddxSerialize(serializer)

Serializes a record set.

Returns

HTML table of the WddxRecordset object data.
Usage

Convenient for debugging and testing record sets. The boolean parameter escapeStrings
determines whether <>& characters in string values are escaped as <>& in HTML.
Example


SELECT Message_Id, Thread_id, Username, Posted
FROM messages





addColumn
Description

Adds a column to all rows in a WddxRecordset instance.
Syntax
object.addColumn( name )
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

Instance name of the WddxRecordset object

name

Name of the column to add

Return value

None.

1096

Chapter 9: WDDX JavaScript Objects

Usage

Adds a column to every row of the WDDX record set. Initially the new column’s values are set to
NULL.
Example

This example calls the addColumn function:
// Create a new record set
rs = new WddxRecordset();
// Add a new column
rs.addColumn("NewColumn");
// Extend the record set by 3 rows
rs.addRows(3);
// Set an element in the first row
// newValue is a previously defined variable
rs.setField(0, "NewColumn", newValue);

addRows
Description

Adds rows to all columns in a WddxRecordset instance.
Syntax
object.addRows( n )
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

Instance name of the WddxRecordset object

n

Integer; number of rows to add

Return value

None.
Usage

This function adds the specified number of rows to every column of a WDDX record set.
Initially, the row/column values are set to NULL.
Example

This example calls the addRows function:
// Create a new record set
rs = new WddxRecordset();
// Add a new column
rs.addColumn("NewColumn");

WddxRecordset object 1097

// Extend the record set by 3 rows
rs.addRows(3);
// Set an element in the first row
// newValue is a previously defined variable
rs.setField(0, "NewColumn", newValue);

getField
Description

Returns the element in the specified row/column position.
Syntax
object.getField( row, col )
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

Instance name of the WddxRecordset object

row

Integer; zero-based row number of the value to return

col

Integer or string; column of the value to be returned.

Return value

Returns the value in the specified row/column position.
Usage

Call this function to access a value in a WDDX record set.
Example

This example calls the getField function (the variable r is a reference to a WddxRecordset
instance):
for (row = 0; row < nRows; ++row)
{
o += "";
for (i = 0; i < colNames.length; ++i)
{
o += "" + r.getField(row, colNames[i]) + "";
}
o += "";
}

getRowCount
Description

Indicates the number of rows in a WddxRecordset instance.
Syntax
object.getRowCount( )

1098

Chapter 9: WDDX JavaScript Objects

Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

Instance name of a WddxRecordset object

Return value

Integer. Returns the number of rows in the WddxRecordset instance.
Usage

Call this function before a looping construct to determine the number of rows in a record set.
Example

This example calls the getRowCount function:
function dumpWddxRecordset(r)
{
// Get row count
nRows = r.getRowCount();
...
for (row = 0; row < nRows; ++row)
...

setField
Description

Sets the element in the specified row/column position.
Syntax
object.setField( row, col, value )
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

Instance name of a WddxRecordset object

row

Integer; row that contains the element to set

col

Integer or string; the column containing the element to set

value

Value to set

Return value

None.
Usage

Call this function to set a value in a WddxRecordset instance.
Example

This example calls the setField function:
// Create a new recordset
rs = new WddxRecordset();

WddxRecordset object 1099

// Add a new column
rs.addColumn("NewColumn");
// Extend the record set by 3 rows
rs.addRows(3);
// Set an element in the first row
// newValue is a previously defined variable
rs.setField(0, "NewColumn", newValue);

wddxSerialize
Description

Serializes a record set.
Syntax
object.wddxSerialize( serializer )
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

Instance name of the WddxRecordset object

serializer

WddxSerializer instance

Return value

Returns a Boolean True if serialization was successful; False, otherwise.
Usage

This is an internal function; you do not typically call it.
Example

This example is from the WddxSerializer serializeValue function:
...
else if (typeof(obj) == "object")
{
if (obj == null)
{
// Null values become empty strings
this.write("");
}
else if (typeof(obj.wddxSerialize) == "function")
{
// Object knows how to serialize itself
bSuccess = obj.wddxSerialize(this);
}
...

1100

Chapter 9: WDDX JavaScript Objects

CHAPTER 10
ColdFusion ActionScript Functions

This chapter explains the syntax and usage of the two Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7 server-side
ActionScript functions, CF.query and CF.http.
Contents
CF.query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1102
CF.http . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1104

1101

CF.query
Description

Performs queries against ColdFusion data sources.
Return value

Returns a RecordSet object.
Syntax
CF.query
({
datasource:"data source name",
sql:"SQL stmts",
username:"username",
password:"password",
maxrows:number,
timeout:milliseconds
})
Arguments
Arguments

Req/Opt

Description

datasource

Required

Name of the data source from which the query retrieves data.

sql

Required

SQL statement.

username

Optional

Username. Overrides the username specified in the data source setup.

password

Optional

Password. Overrides the password specified in the data source setup.

maxrows

Optional

Maximum number of rows to return in the record set.

timeout

Optional

Maximum number of seconds for the query to execute before returning
an error indicating that the query has timed out. Can only be used in
named arguments.

Usage

You can code the CF.query function using named or positional arguments. You can invoke all
supported arguments using the named argument style, as follows:
CF.query({datasource:"datasource", sql:"sql stmt",
username:"username", password:"password", maxrows:"maxrows",
timeout:"timeout"});
Note: The named argument style uses curly braces {} to surround the function arguments.

Positional argument style, which is a shorthand coding style, does not support all arguments. Use
the following syntax to code the CF.query function using positional arguments:
CF.query(datasource,
CF.query(datasource,
CF.query(datasource,
CF.query(datasource,

sql);
sql, maxrows);
sql, username, password);
sql, username, password, maxrows);

Note: Do not use curly braces {} with positional arguments.

1102

Chapter 10: ColdFusion ActionScript Functions

You can manipulate the record set returned by the CF.query function using methods in the
RecordSet ActionScript class. The following are some of the methods available in the RecordSet
class:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

RecordSet.getColumnnames
RecordSet.getLength
RecordSet.getItemAt
RecordSet.getItemID
RecordSet.sortItemsBy
RecordSet.getNumberAvailable
RecordSet.filter
RecordSet.sort

For more information on using server-side ActionScript, see Chapter 34, “Using Server-Side
ActionScript” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide. For more detailed information about the
RecordSet ActionScript class, see Using Flash Remoting.
Example
// Define a function to do a basic query
// Note use of positional arguments
function basicQuery()
{
result = CF.query("myquery", "cust_data", "SELECT * from tblParks");
return result;
}
// Example function declaration using named arguments
function basicQuery()
{
result = CF.query({datasource:"cust_data", sql:"SELECT * from tblParks"});
return result;
}
// Example of the CF.query function using maxrows argument
function basicQueryWithMaxRows()
{
result = CF.query("cust_data", "SELECT * from tblParks", 25);
return result;
}
// Example of the CF.query function with username and password
function basicQueryWithUser()
{
result = CF.query("cust_data", "SELECT * from tblParks",
"wsburroughs", "migraine1");
return result;
}

CF.query

1103

CF.http
Description

Executes HTTP POST and GET operations on files. (POST operations upload MIME file types
to a server, or post cookie, formfield, URL, file, or CGI variables directly to a server.)
Return value

Returns an object containing properties that you reference to access data.
Syntax
CF.http
({
method:"get or post",
url:"URL",
username:"username",
password:"password",
resolveurl:"yes or no",
params:arrayvar,
path:"path",
file:"filename"
})
Arguments

1104

Arguments

Req/Opt Description

method

Required One of two arguments:
• get: downloads a text or binary file or creates a query from the
contents of a text file.
• post: sends information to the server page or CGI program for
processing. Requires the params argument.

url

Required The absolute URL of the host name or IP address of the server on
which the file resides. The URL must include the protocol (http or https)
and host name.

username

Optional

When required by a server, a username.

password

Optional

When required by a server, a password.

Chapter 10: ColdFusion ActionScript Functions

Arguments

Req/Opt Description

resolveurl

Optional

For Get and Post methods.
• Yes or No. Default is No.
For GET and POST operations, if Yes, the page reference that is
returned into the Filecontent property has its internal URLs fully
resolved, including port number, so that links remain intact. The
following HTML tags, which can contain links, are resolved:
- img src
- a href
- form action
- applet code
- script src
- embed src
- embed pluginspace
- body background
- frame src
- bgsound src
- object data
- object classid
- object codebase
- object usemap

params

Optional

HTTP parameters passed as an array of objects. Supports the
following parameter types:
• name
• type
• value
CF.http params are passed as an array of objects. The params
argument is required for POST operations.

path

Optional

The path to the directory in which to store files. When using the path
argument, the file argument is required.

file

Optional

Name of the file that is accessed. For GET operations, defaults to the
name specified in the url argument. Enter path information in the path
argument. This argument is required if you are using the path argument.

Usage

You can write the CF.http function using named arguments or positional arguments. You can
invoke all supported arguments using the named argument style, as follows:
CF.http({method:"method", url:"URL", username:"username", password:"password",
resolveurl:"yes or no", params:arrayvar,
path:"path", file:"filename"});
Note: The named argument style uses curly braces {} to surround the function arguments.

Positional arguments let you use a shorthand coding style. However, not all arguments are
supported for the positional argument style. Use the following syntax to code the CF.http
function using positional arguments:
CF.http(url);
CF.http(method, url);

CF.http

1105

CF.http(method, url, username, password);
CF.http(method, url, params, username, password);
Note: Do not use curly braces {} with positional arguments.

The following parameters can only be passed as an array of objects in the params argument in the
CF.http function:
Parameter

Description

name

The variable name for data that is passed

type

The transaction type:
• URL
• FormField
• Cookie
• CGI
• File

value

Value of URL, FormField, Cookie, File, or CGI variables that are passed

The CF.http function returns data as a set of object properties, as described in the following table:

1106

Property

Description

Text

A Boolean value that indicates whether the specified URL location contains text
data.

Charset

The charset used by the document specified in the URL.
HTTP servers normally provide this information, or the charset is specified in the
charset parameter of the Content-Type header field of the HTTP protocol. For
example, the following HTTP header announces that the character encoding is
EUC-JP:
Content-Type: text/html; charset=EUC-JP

Header

Raw response header. For example, macromedia.com returns the following
header:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Mon, 04 Mar 2002 17:27:44 GMT
Server: Apache/1.3.22 (Unix) mod_perl/1.26
Set-Cookie: MM_cookie=207.22.48.162.4731015262864476;
path=/; expires=Wed, 03-Mar-04 17:27:44 GMT;
domain=.macromedia.com
Connection: close
Content-Type: text/html

Filecontent

File contents, for text and MIME files.

Mimetype

MIME type. Examples of MIME types include text/html, image/png, image/
gif,video/mpeg, text/css, and audio/basic.

Chapter 10: ColdFusion ActionScript Functions

Property

Description

responseHeader Response header. If there is only one header key, its value can be accessed as
simple type. If there are multiple header keys, the values are put in an array in a
responseHeader structure.
Statuscode

HTTP error code and associated error string. Common HTTP status codes
returned in the response header include:
400: Bad Request
401: Unauthorized
403: Forbidden
404: Not Found
405: Method Not Allowed

You access these attributes using the get function:
function basicGet()
{
url = "http://localhost:8100/";
// Invoke with just the url. This is an HTTP GET.
result = CF.http(url);
return result.get("Filecontent");
}
Note: For more information on using server-side ActionScript, see Chapter 34, “Using Server-Side
ActionScript” in ColdFusion MX Developer’s Guide.
Example

The following examples show a number of the ways to use the CF.http function:
function postWithNamedArgs()
{
// Set up the array of Post parameters.
params = new Array();
params[1] = {name:"arg1", type:"FormField", value:"value1"};
params[2] = {name:"arg2", type:"URL", value:"value2"};
params[3] = {name:"arg3", type:"CGI", value:"value3"};
url = "http://localhost:8100/";
path = application.getContext("/").getRealPath("/");
file = "foo.txt";
result = CF.http({method:"post", url:url, username:"karl", password:"salsa",
resolveurl:true, params:params, path:path, file:file});
if (result)
return result.get("Statuscode");
return null;
}
// Example of a basic HTTP GET operation
// Shows that HTTP GET is the default
function basicGet()

CF.http

1107

{
url = "http://localhost:8100/";
// Invoke with just the url. This is an HTTP GET.
result = CF.http(url);
return result.get("Filecontent");
}
// Example showing simple array created to pass params arguments
function postWithParams()
{
// Set up the array of Post parameters. These are just like cfhttpparam tags.
params = new Array();
params[1] = {name:"arg2", type:"URL", value:"value2"};
url = "http://localhost:8100/";
// Invoke with the method, url, and params
result = CF.http("post", url, params);
return result.get("Filecontent");
}
// Example with username and params arguments
function postWithParamsAndUser()
{
// Set up the array of Post parameters. These are just like cfhttpparam tags.
params = new Array();
params[1] = {name:"arg2", type:"URL", value:"value2"};
url = "http://localhost:8100/";
// Invoke with the method, url, params, username, and password
result = CF.http("post", url, params, "karl", "salsa");
return result.get("Filecontent");
}

1108

Chapter 10: ColdFusion ActionScript Functions

Park	Manager
#parkname#	#suptmgr#

Employee	Salary
#empSalary.lastname#, #empSalary.firstname#	#DollarFormat(empSalary.salary)#
Total	#DollarFormat(deptTotal)#

Loop Index	Action	Old Value	New Value
#LoopCount#	#Val_Action#	#Val_Orig#	#Val_New#

#results.recordCount# matches found
Name	Organization	Title	E-Mail	Phone
#cn#	#o#	#title#	#mail#	#telephonenumber#

Employee	Salary
#empSalary.lastname#, #empSalary.firstname#	#DollarFormat(empSalary.salary)#
Total	#DollarFormat(deptTotal)#

Number #LoopItem#

Fast Food	Fine Cuisine	Health Food
#FastFood#	#FineCuisine#	#HealthFood#

Name	Price
	924 Chapter 3: ColdFusion Functions

Source Exif Data:

File Type                       : PDF
File Type Extension             : pdf
MIME Type                       : application/pdf
PDF Version                     : 1.4
Linearized                      : No
Modify Date                     : 2005:09:06 13:17:49-07:00
Create Date                     : 2004:12:21 11:31:58Z
Page Count                      : 1108
Creation Date                   : 2004:12:21 11:31:58Z
Mod Date                        : 2005:09:06 13:17:49-07:00
Producer                        : Acrobat Distiller 5.0.5 (Windows)
Author                          : Macromedia IMD
Metadata Date                   : 2005:09:06 13:17:49-07:00
Creator                         : Macromedia IMD
Title                           : CFML Reference
Page Mode                       : UseOutlines
Tagged PDF                      : Yes

EXIF Metadata provided by EXIF.tools

Month	Quantity	$ Sales
January	80	$245
February	100	$699
March	230	$2036
Total	=Sum(B2..B4)	=Sum(C2..C4)

Name	Role
Bill	Lead
Susan	Principal Writer
Adelaide	Part Time Senior Writer
Thomas	Full Time for 6 months
Michael	Full Time for 4 months

From User	Subject	Comment Type	Message	Date Posted
#FromUser#	#Subject#	#CommtType#	#Left(MessText, 125)#	#Posted#

Select a color.
Select a size.
Press Submit when you are finished making your selection.

Employee	Dept.
#person#	#StructFind(Departments, person)#

	*Park Name*	cfquery 349 *Region*	*State*
#GetParks.CurrentRow#	#ParkName#	#Region#	#State#
See next #MaxRows# rows

*Park Name*		*Region*	*State*
#GetParks.CurrentRow#	#ParkName#	#Region#	#State#
See next #MaxRows# rows

HTTP Request item	Value
#http_item#	#StructFind(x.headers, http_item)#
request_method	#x.method#
server_protocol	#x.protocol#

First Name:
Last Name:
EMail
Phone:
Company:
	After you submit the FORM, scroll down to see the array.

Adobe CFML Reference Cold Fusion MX 7.0 Cfmx7 Ref

Example A: Let the instruction complete itself

Example B: Use cfabort to halt the instructions with showmessage attribute and cferror

cfapplication Example

Your Desired Course was found:

This is a test of some simple output

cftry Example

You've Thrown a Database Error

Employee Salary Analysis

Employee Salary Analysis

Employee Salary Analysis

cfcol Example

Collection created. Use CFINDEX to populate it.

Collection repaired.

Collection optimized.

Collection deleted.

Please enter a name for your collection

cfcookie Example

Park list

#dept_name#

cferror Example

We're sorry -- An Error Occurred

cfexecute

cfexit Example

Usage of cfexit

Type in some text to include in your file:

Your Magic numbers

We are sure you will agree it was worth the short wait!

cfform Example

Results of Radio Button Test

Results of Checkbox Test

Results of Credit Card Input

You gave this page a rating of #Form.sampleSlider#

This example displays radio button input type for cfinput.

This example displays checkbox input type for cfinput.

This shows client-side validation for cfinput text boxes.

This example shows the use of the cfslider tag.

Simple cfformgroup Example

cfformgroup Example

The form submitted the following information to ColdFusion MX:

A Flash form using cfformgroup tags

cfformitem Example

cfgrid Example

cfgrid Example

cfgrid Example

cfheader Example

Output the passed variables

Featured Center in San Diego Santa Ana

cfimport example

This example includes the dochome.htm page from the CFDOCS directory. The images do not display, because they are located in a separate directory. However, the page appears fully rendered within the contents of this page.

Indexing Complete

Indexing Complete

Indexing Complete

Your record was added to the database.

Your record was added to the database.

cfinsert Example

cfldap Example

cflocation Example

cflock Example

cfmail Example

cfmailparam Examples

cfmailpart Example

HTML Mail Message

cfmodule Example

Welcome #GetAuthUser()#

Please Log In

The password for #theusername# is not correct Please Try again

The user name #theusername# is not valid 310 Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags Please Try again

cfobject (COM) Example

cfoutput Example

#dept_name#

cfparam Example

The value of tempVar has changed: the new value is #tempVar#

cfpop Example

Message Headers in Your Inbox

The Results Information

cfqueryparam Example

cfregistry action = "getAll"

cfregistry action = "get"

cfregistry action = "set"

Collection created.
Use CFINDEX to populate it.

The password for #theusername# is not correct
Please Try again

The user name #theusername# is not valid
310 Chapter 2: ColdFusion Tags Please Try again