Adobe CFML Reference Cold Fusion 8.0 Coldfusion 8 Ref

User Manual: adobe ColdFusion - 8.0 - CFML Reference Free User Guide for Adobe ColdFusion Software, Manual

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ADOBE COLDFUSION 8
CFML Reference
®

™

© 2007 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Adobe® ColdFusion® CFML Reference
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iii

Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Reserved Words and Variables
Reserved words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Scope-specific built-in variables
Custom tag variables

........................................................... 6

...................................................................... 8

ColdFusion tag-specific variables

.......................................................... 9

CGI environment (CGI Scope) variables

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Tags
Tags by function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Tag changes since ColdFusion 5
cfabort

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

cfajaximport

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

cfajaxproxy

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

cfapplet

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

cfapplication

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

cfargument

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

cfassociate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

cfauthenticate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

cfbreak

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

cfcache

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

cfcalendar
cfcase

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

cfcatch

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

cfchart

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

cfchartdata

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

cfchartseries

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

cfcol

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

cfcollection

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

cfcomponent
cfcontent

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

cfcookie

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

cfdbinfo

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

cfdefaultcase
cfdirectory
cfdiv

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

cfdocument

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

cfdocumentitem
cfdocumentsection
cfdump
cfelse

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

iv

cfelseif

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

cferror

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

cfexchangecalendar

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

cfexchangeconnection
cfexchangecontact

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

cfexchangefilter

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

cfexchangemail

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

cfexchangetask

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

cfexecute
cfexit

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

cffeed

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

cffile

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

cffile action = "append"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

cffile action = "copy"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

cffile action = "delete"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

cffile action = "move"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

cffile action = "read"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

cffile action = "readBinary"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

cffile action = "rename"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

cffile action = "upload"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

cffile action = "write"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

cfflush

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

cfform

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

cfformgroup
cfformitem
cfftp

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

cfftp: Opening and closing FTP server connections

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

cfftp: Opening and closing secure FTP server connections
cfftp: Connection: file and directory operations
cfftp action = "listDir"
cffunction
cfgraph

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

cfgridcolumn
cfgridrow

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

cfgridupdate
cfheader
cfhttp

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

cfhtmlhead

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

cfhttpparam
cfif

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

cfgraphdata
cfgrid

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

cfimage

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

cfimpersonate
cfimport

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

v

cfinclude

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

cfindex

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

cfinput

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

cfinsert

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

cfinterface
cfinvoke

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340

cfinvokeargument
cflayout

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

cflayoutarea
cfldap

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

cflocation

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364

cflock

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

cflog

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

cflogin

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

cfloginuser
cflogout
cfloop

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

cfloop: index loop

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

cfloop: conditional loop

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

cfloop: looping over a date or time range
cfloop: looping over a query

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382

cfloop: looping over a list, a file, or an array

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383

cfloop: looping over a COM collection or structure
cfmail

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386

cfmailparam
cfmailpart
cfmenu

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

cfmenuitem
cfmodule

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

cfNTauthenticate
cfobject

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

cfobject: .NET object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410

cfobject: COM object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

cfobject: component object
cfobject: CORBA object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416

cfobject: Java or EJB object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418

cfobject: web service object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420

cfobjectcache

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422

cfoutput

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

cfparam

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426

cfpdf

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429

cfpdfform

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

cfpdfformparam
cfpdfparam
cfpdfsubform

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

vi

cfpod

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461

cfpop

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464

cfpresentation

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469

cfpresentationslide
cfpresenter
cfprint

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480

cfprocessingdirective

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486

cfprocparam

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489

cfprocresult

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493

cfproperty

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

cfquery

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498

cfqueryparam
cfregistry

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508

cfregistry action = "getAll"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509

cfregistry action = "get"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511

cfregistry action = "set"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512

cfregistry action = "delete"
cfreport

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514

cfreportparam
cfrethrow

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528

cfreturn

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529

cfsavecontent
cfschedule
cfscript

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535

cfsearch

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538

cfselect

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544

cfservlet

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552

cfservletparam
cfset

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554

cfsetting

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557

cfsilent

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559

cfslider

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560

cfsprydataset

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564

cfstoredproc

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566

cfswitch

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569

cftable

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571

cftextarea

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573

cftextinput
cfthread

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581

cfthrow

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586

cftimer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589

cftooltip

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592

cftrace

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594

cftransaction
cftree

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599

vii

cftreeitem
cftry

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611

cfupdate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613

cfwddx

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615

cfwindow

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618

cfxml

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623

cfzip

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 625

cfzipparam

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632

Chapter 4: ColdFusion Functions
Functions by category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641
Function changes since ColdFusion 5
Abs

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654

ACos

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655

AddSOAPRequestHeader

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656

AddSOAPResponseHeader
AjaxLink

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660

AjaxOnLoad

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661

ArrayAppend

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663

ArrayAvg

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664

ArrayClear

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666

ArrayDeleteAt

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667

ArrayInsertAt

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669

ArrayIsDefined
ArrayIsEmpty

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 672

ArrayLen

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 673

ArrayMax

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674

ArrayMin

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675

ArrayNew

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676

ArrayPrepend
ArrayResize
ArraySet

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679

ArraySort

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680

ArraySum

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 682

ArraySwap

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683

ArrayToList

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684

Asc

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685

ASin

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686

Atn

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 688

AuthenticatedContext
AuthenticatedUser

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 690

BinaryDecode

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 691

BinaryEncode

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 693

BitAnd

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 695

BitMaskClear

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 696

BitMaskRead

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 697

viii

BitMaskSet

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698

BitNot

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 699

BitOr

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700

BitSHLN

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701

BitSHRN

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 702

BitXor

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 703

Ceiling

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 704

CharsetDecode

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705

CharsetEncode

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707

Chr

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709

CJustify

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 710

Compare

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711

CompareNoCase
Cos

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 713

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715

CreateDate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 716

CreateDateTime
CreateObject

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 718
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 720

CreateObject: .NET object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721

CreateObject: COM object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 723

CreateObject: component object
CreateObject: CORBA object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 725

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726

CreateObject: Java or EJB object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728

CreateObject: web service object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 729

CreateODBCDate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731

CreateODBCDateTime
CreateODBCTime
CreateTime

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 736

CreateTimeSpan
CreateUUID
DateAdd

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 733

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 739

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 740

DateCompare

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 743

DateConvert

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 745

DateDiff

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 747

DateFormat
DatePart
Day

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 752

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754

DayOfWeek

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755

DayOfWeekAsString
DayOfYear

DaysInMonth
DaysInYear
DE

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 756

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 757
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760

DecimalFormat

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 763

DecrementValue

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 764

Decrypt

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 765

ix

DecryptBinary

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 768

DeleteClientVariable
DeserializeJSON

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 772

DirectoryExists

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775

DollarFormat

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 776

DotNetToCFType
Duplicate
Encrypt

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 777

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 778
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 779

EncryptBinary
Evaluate
Exp

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 771

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 784

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 789

ExpandPath

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 790

FileClose

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 792

FileCopy

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793

FileDelete

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 794

FileExists

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 795

FileIsEOF

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 796

FileMove

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 797

FileOpen

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 798

FileRead

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800

FileReadBinary
FileReadLine

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 802
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 803

FileSetAccessMode
FileSetAttribute

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 804

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805

FileSetLastModified
FileWrite

FileWriteLine
Find

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 806

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 807
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 809

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810

FindNoCase

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 811

FindOneOf

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 812

FirstDayOfMonth
Fix

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 813

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 814

FormatBaseN

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815

GenerateSecretKey
GetAuthUser

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 818

GetBaseTagData

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 819

GetBaseTagList

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820

GetBaseTemplatePath

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 821

GetClientVariablesList

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 822

GetComponentMetaData
GetContextRoot

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 823

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 824

GetCurrentTemplatePath
GetDirectoryFromPath

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 825
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 826

GetEncoding

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 828

GetException

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 829

x

GetFileInfo

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 830

GetFileFromPath

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 831

GetFunctionList

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 832

GetGatewayHelper

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 833

GetHttpRequestData
GetHttpTimeString

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 834
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 835

GetK2ServerDocCount

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 836

GetK2ServerDocCountLimit
GetLocale

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 837

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 838

GetLocaleDisplayName
GetLocalHostIP

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 840

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 842

GetMetaData

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 843

GetMetricData

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 846

GetPageContext

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 848

GetPrinterInfo

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849

GetProfileSections
GetProfileString

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 850
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 851

GetReadableImageFormats
GetSOAPRequest

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 852

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853

GetSOAPRequestHeader
GetSOAPResponse

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 855

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 857

GetSOAPResponseHeader
GetTempDirectory
GetTempFile

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 861

GetTemplatePath
GetTickCount

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 862

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863

GetTimeZoneInfo
GetToken

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 858

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 860

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 864

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 865

GetUserRoles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868

GetWriteableImageFormats

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 869

Hash

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 870

Hour

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 872

HTMLCodeFormat
HTMLEditFormat
IIf

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 873
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877

ImageAddBorder
ImageBlur

ImageClearRect
ImageCopy

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 879

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 881
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 882

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 883

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ImageCrop
ImageDrawArc

885

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 886

ImageDrawBeveledRect

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888

ImageDrawCubicCurve

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 890

ImageDrawLine

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 892

ImageDrawLines

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 893

xi

ImageDrawOval

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 895

ImageDrawPoint

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897

ImageDrawQuadraticCurve
ImageDrawRect

ImageDrawRoundRect
ImageDrawText
ImageFlip

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 898

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 902

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 904

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 906

ImageGetBlob

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 908

ImageGetBufferedImage

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 910

ImageGetEXIFMetadata

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 911

ImageGetEXIFTag

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 912

ImageGetHeight

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 913

ImageGetIPTCMetadata
ImageGetIPTCTag

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 914

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 915

ImageGetWidth

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 916

ImageGrayscale

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 917

ImageInfo

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 918

ImageNegative
ImageNew

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 919

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 920

ImageOverlay

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 923

ImagePaste

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 924

ImageRead

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925

ImageReadBase64

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 926

ImageResize

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 927

ImageRotate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 930

ImageRotateDrawingAxis
ImageScaleToFit

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 932

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

ImageSetAntialiasing

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 936

ImageSetBackgroundColor

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 938

ImageSetDrawingColor

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 940

ImageSetDrawingStroke

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 942

ImageSetDrawingTransparency
ImageSharpen
ImageShear

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 948

ImageShearDrawingAxis
ImageTranslate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 950

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 951

ImageTranslateDrawingAxis
ImageWrite

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 954

ImageXORDrawingMode
IncrementValue
Insert
Int

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 952

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 953

ImageWriteBase64

InputBaseN

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 947

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 956

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 958

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 959

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 960

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 961

IsArray

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 962

xii

IsAuthenticated
IsAuthorized
IsBinary

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 964

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 965

IsBoolean

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 966

IsCustomFunction

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 967

IsDate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 969

IsDDX

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 970

IsDebugMode
IsDefined
IsImage

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 971

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 972
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 974

IsImageFile

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 975

IsInstanceOf

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 976

IsJSON

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 978

IsK2ServerABroker

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 980

IsK2ServerDocCountExceeded
IsK2ServerOnline

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 981

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 982

IsLeapYear

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 983

IsLocalHost

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 984

IsNumeric

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 985

IsNumericDate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 986

IsObject

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 987

IsPDFFile

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 989

IsPDFObject

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 990

IsProtected

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 991

IsQuery

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 992

IsSimpleValue

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 993

IsSOAPRequest
IsStruct

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 994

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 996

IsUserInAnyRole
IsUserInRole

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 999

IsUserLoggedIn
IsValid

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1000

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1001

IsWDDX
IsXML

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 998

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1004
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1006

IsXmlAttribute

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1008

IsXmlDoc

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1010

IsXmlElem

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1011

IsXmlNode

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1012

IsXmlRoot

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1014

JavaCast

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1015

JSStringFormat
LCase

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1018

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1019

Left

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1020

Len

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1022

ListAppend

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1023

xiii

ListChangeDelims
ListContains

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1024

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1025

ListContainsNoCase
ListDeleteAt
ListFind

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1027

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1028

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1029

ListFindNoCase
ListFirst

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1031

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1033

ListGetAt

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1034

ListInsertAt

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1036

ListLast

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1037

ListLen

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1039

ListPrepend

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1041

ListQualify

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1042

ListRest

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1044

ListSetAt

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1045

ListSort

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1047

ListToArray

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1049

ListValueCount

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1050

ListValueCountNoCase
LJustify
Log

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1052

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1054

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

Log10

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1056

LSCurrencyFormat
LSDateFormat

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1057

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1060

LSEuroCurrencyFormat
LSIsCurrency
LSIsDate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1063

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1066

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1068

LSIsNumeric

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1070

LSNumberFormat

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1071

LSParseCurrency

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1074

LSParseDateTime

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1076

LSParseEuroCurrency
LSParseNumber
LSTimeFormat
LTrim

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1078

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1080
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1082

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1085

Maxfilename

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1086

Mid

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1087

Min

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1089

Minute

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1090

Month

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

MonthAsString
Now

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1092

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1093

NumberFormat
ParagraphFormat
ParameterExists

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1094
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1097
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1098

xiv

ParseDateTime
Pi

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1099

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1100

PrecisionEvaluate

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

PreserveSingleQuotes
Quarter

QueryAddColumn
QueryAddRow

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1106

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1108

QueryConvertForGrid
QueryNew

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1109

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1111

QuerySetCell

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1113

QuotedValueList
Rand

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1103

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1105

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1115

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1116

Randomize

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1117

RandRange

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1119

REFind

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1121

REFindNoCase
REMatch

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1124

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1127

REMatchNoCase

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1128

ReleaseComObject

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1129

RemoveChars

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1130

RepeatString

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1131

Replace

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1132

ReplaceList

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1133

ReplaceNoCase
REReplace

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1135

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1136

REReplaceNoCase
Reverse
Right

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1138

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1140
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1141

RJustify

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1143

Round

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1144

RTrim

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1145

Second

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1146

SendGatewayMessage

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1147

SerializeJSON

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1149

SetEncoding

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1152

SetLocale

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1154

SetProfileString
SetVariable

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1156

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1158

Sgn

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1159

Sin

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1160

Sleep

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1162

SpanExcluding

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1164

SpanIncluding

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1165

Sqr

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1166

StripCR

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1167

xv

StructAppend

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1168

StructClear

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1170

StructCopy

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1172

StructCount

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1176

StructDelete

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1177

StructFind

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1179

StructFindKey

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1180

StructFindValue
StructGet

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1181

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1182

StructInsert

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1184

StructIsEmpty

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1186

StructKeyArray

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1187

StructKeyExists

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1189

StructKeyList

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1190

StructNew

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1192

StructSort

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1193

StructUpdate
Tan

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1195

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1196

TimeFormat

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1198

ToBase64

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1201

ToBinary

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1203

ToScript

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1205

ToString

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1209

Trim

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1211

UCase

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1212

URLDecode

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1213

URLEncodedFormat

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1215

URLSessionFormat

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1217

Val

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1218

ValueList

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1219

VerifyClient

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1220

Week

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1221

Wrap

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1222

WriteOutput

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1223

XmlChildPos

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1224

XmlElemNew
XmlFormat

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1226
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1228

XmlGetNodeType

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1230

XmlNew

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1232

XmlParse

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1234

XmlSearch

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1237

XmlTransform
XmlValidate
Year

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1239
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1241

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1244

YesNoFormat

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1245

xvi

Chapter 5: AJAX JavaScript Functions
Function summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1247
ColdFusion.Ajax.submitForm

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1249

ColdFusion.getElementValue

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1250

ColdFusion.Grid.getGridObject
ColdFusion.Grid.refresh
ColdFusion.Grid.sort

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1251

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1252
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1253

ColdFusion.Layout.collapseArea

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1254

ColdFusion.Layout.createTab

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1255

ColdFusion.Layout.disableTab

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1257

ColdFusion.Layout.enableTab

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1259

ColdFusion.Layout.expandArea

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1260

ColdFusion.Layout.getBorderLayout
ColdFusion.Layout.getTabLayout

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1261

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1262

ColdFusion.Layout.hideArea

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1263

ColdFusion.Layout.hideTab

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1264

ColdFusion.Layout.selectTab

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1265

ColdFusion.Layout.showArea

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1267

ColdFusion.Layout.showTab

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1268

ColdFusion.Log.debug

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1269

ColdFusion.Log.dump

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1270

ColdFusion.Log.error

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1271

ColdFusion.Log.info

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1272

ColdFusion.navigate

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1273

ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler
ColdFusion.Tree.getTreeObject
ColdFusion.Tree.refresh

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1275

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1276

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1277

ColdFusion.Window.create

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1278

ColdFusion.Window.getWindowObject
ColdFusion.Window.hide

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1280

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1281

ColdFusion.Window.onHide

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1282

ColdFusion.Window.onShow

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1284

ColdFusion.Window.show

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1286

Chapter 6: ColdFusion Flash Form Style Reference
Styles valid for all controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1288
Styles for cfform

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1290

Styles for cfformgroup with horizontal or vertical type atributes
Styles for box-style cfformgroup elements

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1291

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1292

Styles for cfformgroup with accordion type attribute

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1294

Styles for cfformgroup with tabnavigator type attribute

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1295

Styles for cfformitem with hrule or vrule type attributes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1296

Styles for cfinput with radio, checkbox, button, image, or submit type attributes
Styles for cftextarea tag and cfinput with text, password, or hidden type attributes
Styles for cfselect with size attribute value of 1

. . . . . . . . .1297
. . . . . .1298

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1299

Styles for cfselect with size attribute value greater than 1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1300

xvii

Styles for cfcalendar tag and cfinput with dateField type attribute

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1301

Styles for the cfgrid tag

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1302

Styles for the cftree tag

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1303

Chapter 7: Application.CFC Reference
Application variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1305
Method summary

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1307

onApplicationEnd

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1308

onApplicationStart

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1309

onError

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1311

onMissingTemplate
onRequest

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1313

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1315

onRequestEnd

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1317

onRequestStart

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1319

onSessionEnd

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1321

onSessionStart

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1323

Chapter 8: ColdFusion Event Gateway Reference
Gateway development interfaces and classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1325
Gateway interface
Constructor

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1326

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1327

getGatewayID

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1328

getHelper

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1329

getStatus

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1330

outgoingMessage
restart

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1331

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1333

setCFCListeners
setGatewayID

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1334
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1335

start

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1336

stop

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1337

GatewayHelper interface
GatewayServices class
getGatewayServices

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1338
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1339

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1340

addEvent

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1341

getLogger

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1342

getMaxQueueSize

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1343

getQueueSize

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1344

CFEvent class

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1345

CFEvent

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1346

getCFCMethod
getCFCPath

getCFCTimeout
getData

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1347

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1348
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1349

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1350

getGatewayID

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1351

getGatewayType

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1352

getOriginatorID

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1353

xviii

setCFCMethod
setCFCPath

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1354

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1355

setCFCTimeout
setData

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1356

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1357

setGatewayType

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1358

setOriginatorID

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1359

Logger class
debug

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1360

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1361

error

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1362

fatal

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1363

info

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1364

warn

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1365

CFML CFEvent structure

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1366

IM gateway methods and commands

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1367

IM Gateway CFC incoming message methods
onAddBuddyRequest

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1369

onAddBuddyResponse
onBuddyStatus

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1368

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1371

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1373

onIMServerMessage

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1375

onIncomingMessage

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1376

IM gateway message sending commands
IM Gateway GatewayHelper class methods

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1377
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1378

addBuddy

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1379

addDeny

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1380

addPermit

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1381

getBuddyInfo

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1382

getBuddyList

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1384

getCustomAwayMessage
getDenyList
getName

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1385

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1386
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1387

getNickName

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1388

getPermitList

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1389

getPermitMode

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1390

getProtocolName

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1391

getStatusAsString

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1392

getStatusTimeStamp
isOnline

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1393

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1394

numberOfMessagesReceived
numberOfMessagesSent
removeBuddy
removeDeny

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1395

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1396

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1397
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1398

removePermit

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1399

setNickName

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1400

setPermitMode
setStatus

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1401

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1402

xix

SMS Gateway CFEvent structure and commands

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1403

SMS Gateway incoming message CFEvent structure
SMS gateway message sending commands
submit command

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1406

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1407

submitMulti command
data command

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1404

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1409

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1411

CFML event gateway SendGatewayMessage data parameter

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1413

Chapter 9: ColdFusion C++ CFX Reference
C++ class overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1416
Deprecated class methods
CCFXException class
CCFXQuery class

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1417

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1418

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1420

CCFXRequest class

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1424

CCFXStringSet class

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1433

Chapter 10: ColdFusion Java CFX Reference
Class libraries overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1437
Custom tag interface
Query interface

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1438

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1439

Request interface
Response interface

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1444
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1449

Debugging classes reference

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1452

Chapter 11: WDDX JavaScript Objects
JavaScript object overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1454
WddxSerializer object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1455

WddxRecordset object

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1459

Chapter 12: ColdFusion ActionScript Functions
CF.query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1465
CF.http

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1467

1

Chapter 1: Introduction
The 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 Adobe®
ColdFusion® 8. It also provides detailed references for Java™ and C++ CFX interfaces.

About Adobe ColdFusion 8 documentation
The ColdFusion 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

Describes system installation and basic configuration for Windows®, Macintosh®, Solaris™,
Linux®, and AIX®.

Configuring and Administering ColdFusion

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 Developer’s Guide

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

CFML Reference

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

Viewing online documentation
All ColdFusion documentation is available online in HTML and Adobe PDF files. Go to the documentation home
page for ColdFusion on the Adobe website: www.adobe.com/support/documentation/en/coldfusion/. Also, you can
view the documentation in LiveDocs, which lets you add comments to pages and view the latest comments added
by Adobe, by going to www.adobe.com/go/livedocs_cf8docs.

2

Chapter 2: Reserved Words and Variables
Adobe ColdFusion language includes reserved words and scope variables.
Contents

Reserved words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Scope-specific built-in variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
ColdFusion tag-specific variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
CGI environment (CGI Scope) variables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 3
CFML Reference

Reserved words
The following list indicates words you must not use for ColdFusion variables, user-defined function names, or
custom tag names. Although you can safely use some of these words 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.

Reserved words in forms
You must also not create form field names that end in any of the following, except to specify a form field validation
rule by 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.
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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 4
CFML Reference

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

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 5
CFML Reference

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 6
CFML Reference

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 “Using
ColdFusion Variables” on page 24 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
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 366, and “Using
Persistent Data and Locking” on page 273 in the ColdFusion 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.)

CGI variables
see “CGI environment (CGI Scope) variables” on page 14

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 7
CFML Reference

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 366.
ColdFusion provides the following predefined application and session variables:
Application.ApplicationName
Session.CFID
Session.CFToken
Session.URLToken

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 8
CFML Reference

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. Set the Caller variable 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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 9
CFML Reference

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 you can reference in variables:
cfcatch
cfdirectory
cferror
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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 10
CFML Reference

CFCATCH.Snippet
CFCATCH.Column
CFCATCH.KnownColumn
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 type="request" or
"exception".
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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 11
CFML Reference

CFFILE ACTION=Upload variables
File variables are read-only. Use the CFFILE prefix to reference file variables, for example,
CFFILE.ClientDirectory. The File prefix is deprecated in favor of the CFFILE prefix.
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, the following 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 queryname is the name
attribute value, and row is the row number of each file or directory entry:
queryname.Name[row]
queryname.Path[row]
queryname.URL[row]
queryname.Length[row]
queryname.LastModified[row]
queryname.Attributes
queryname.IsDirectory
queryname.Mode

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CFML Reference

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

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:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 13
CFML Reference

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 14
CFML Reference

CGI environment (CGI Scope) 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. CGI Environment variables contain data
about the transaction between the browser and the server, such as the IP Address, browser type, and authenticated
username. The available CGI variables depend on the browser and server software.
The CGI variables are available to ColdFusion pages in the CGI scope. They take the CGI prefix regardless of
whether the server uses a server API or CGI to communicate with the ColdFusion server. You can reference CGI
environment variables for a given page request anywhere in the page. CGI variables are read-only.
By default, when you use the cfdump tag to display the CGI scope, or when you request debug output of the CGI
scope, ColdFusion attempts to display a fixed list of standard CGI environment variables. Because the available
variables depend on the server, browser, and the types of interactions between the two, not all variables are normally
available, and are represented by empty strings in the debug output. You can request any CGI variable in your application code, including variables that are not in the list variables displayed by dump and debug output.
ColdFusion checks for the following variables for the cfdump tag and debug output:
AUTH_PASSWORD
AUTH_TYPE
AUTH_USER
CERT_COOKIE
CERT_FLAGS
CERT_ISSUER
CERT_KEYSIZE
CERT_SECRETKEYSIZE
CERT_SERIALNUMBER
CERT_SERVER_ISSUER
CERT_SERVER_SUBJECT
CERT_SUBJECT
CF_TEMPLATE_PATH
CONTENT_LENGTH
CONTENT_TYPE
CONTEXT_PATH
GATEWAY_INTERFACE
HTTPS
HTTPS_KEYSIZE
HTTPS_SECRETKEYSIZE
HTTPS_SERVER_ISSUER
HTTPS_SERVER_SUBJECT
HTTP_ACCEPT
HTTP_ACCEPT_ENCODING
HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE
HTTP_CONNECTION
HTTP_COOKIE
HTTP_HOST
HTTP_REFERER
HTTP_USER_AGENT
QUERY_STRING
REMOTE_ADDR
REMOTE_HOST
REMOTE_USER
REQUEST_METHOD
SCRIPT_NAME
SERVER_NAME
SERVER_PORT
SERVER_PORT_SECURE

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 15
CFML Reference

SERVER_PROTOCOL
SERVER_SOFTWARE
WEB_SERVER_API (This value is always blank; retained for compatibility.)

The following sections describe how to test for CGI environment variables and provide information on some of the
more commonly used CGI environment variables

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 the following example shows:

CGI variable exists

CGI variable does not exist


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

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

AUTH_USER

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 16
CFML Reference

CGI server variable

Description

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.

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@.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

17

Chapter 3: ColdFusion Tags
ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) includes a set of tags that you use in ColdFusion pages to interact with data
sources, manipulate data, and display output. CFML tag syntax is similar to HTML element syntax.
The following categorized and alphabetical lists of the tags are followed by the detailed tag descriptions.
Contents

Tag summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Tags by function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Tag changes since ColdFusion 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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

cfajaximport

Internet protocol tags

Controls importation of JavaScript files used for ColdFusion AJAX-based
features

cfajaxproxy

Internet protocol tags

Generates an AJAX proxy class on the client page for a ColdFusion component

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

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,
Flow-control tags

Catches exceptions in ColdFusion pages

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 18
CFML Reference

CFML tag

Category

Description

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 the current
page

cfcookie

Variable manipulation
tags

Defines and sets cookie variables, including expiration and security options

cfdbinfo

Database manipulation
tags

Lets you retrieve information about a data source

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

cfdiv

Display management tags Creates an HTML tag with that is populated using a bind expressions.

cfdocument

Data output tags

Creates PDF or Adobe® FlashPaper® output from a text block that contains
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,
Application framework
tags

Displays custom HTML error pages when errors occur

cfexchangecalendar

Communications tags

Gets, creates, deletes, modifies, or responds to Microsoft Exchange calendar
events

cfexchangeconnection

Communications tags

Opens or closes a persistent connection with an Exchange server

cfexchangecontact

Communications tags

Gets, creates, deletes, or modifies Exchange contacts

cfexchangefilter

Communications tags

Sets filter conditions used in Exchange tag get operations

cfexchangemail

Communications tags

Gets and deletes Exchange mail messages and sets message properties

cfexchangetask

Communications tags

Gets, creates, deletes, or modifies an Exchange user task

cfexecute

Flow-control tags,
Extensibility tags

Executes developer-specified process on server computer

cfexit

Flow-control tags

Aborts processing of executing CFML tag

cffeed

Communications tags,
Internet protocol tags

Reads, creates, and converts, Atom and RSS syndication feeds

cffile

File management tags

Performs typical file-handling tasks from within ColdFusion application

cfflush

Data output tags,
Page processing tags

Flushes currently available data to client

cfform

Forms tags

Builds input form; performs client-side input validation

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 19
CFML Reference

CFML tag

Category

Description

cfformgroup

Forms tags

Groups form control into a containing object

cfformitem

Forms tags

Adds text and dividing rules to Adobe® 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

cfimage

Other tags

Creates a cfimage, a ColdFusion data type that can be operated by image functions.

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

cfinterface

Application framework
tags, Extensibility tags

Defines an interface that a ColdFusion component can implement

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

cflayout

Display management tags Creates a region of its container with a specific layout behavior

cflayoutarea

Display management tags Defines a display region within a cflayout tag body

cfldap

Internet protocol tags

Provides access to LDAP directory servers

cflocation

Flow-control tags

Controls execution of a page

cflock

Application framework
tags

Ensures data integrity and synchronizes execution of CFML code

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 20
CFML Reference

CFML tag

Category

Description

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

Communications tags,
Internet protocol tags

Assembles and posts an e-mail message

cfmailparam

Communications tags,
Internet protocol tags

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

cfmailpart

Communications tags,
Internet protocol tags

Contains one part of a multipart mail message

cfmenu

Display management tags Creates a top-level menu or a tool bar.

cfmenuitem

Display management tags Defines an entry in a menu, including an item that is the head of a submenu.

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

cfpdf

Forms tags

Manipulates existing PDF documents.

Usagecfpdfform

Forms tags

Creates and manipulates PDF forms.

cfpdfformparam

Forms tags

Creates interactive fields on a PDF form.

cfpdfparam

Forms tags

Child tag of the cfpdf tag. Used only with the merge action to merge multiple
pages or PDF documents into one file

cfpdfsubform

Forms tags

Creates subforms within a PDF form.

cfpod

Display management tags Creates a an area of the browser or layout area with an optional title bar and a
body

cfpop

Communications tags,
Internet protocol tags

Gets and deletes messages from POP mail server

cfpresentation

Data output tags

Creates a presentation dynamically from an HTML page or SWF files

cfpresentationslide

Data output tags

Creates a slide dynamically from an HTML page or SWF source files (child tag
of the cfpresentation tag)

cfpresenter

Data output tags

Describes a presenter in a slide presentation

cfprint

Data output tags

Prints PDF documents. Used for automated print jobs

cfprocessingdirective

Data output tags

Suppresses white space and other output

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 21
CFML Reference

CFML tag

Category

Description

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

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

cfsprydataset

Internet protocol tags

Creates a spry data set

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

cfthread

Application framework
tags

Creates and manages ColdFusion threads, independent streams of execution.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 22
CFML Reference

CFML tag

Category

Description

cfthrow

Exception handling tags,
Flow-control tags

Throws a developer-specified exception

cftimer

Debugging tags

Displays execution time for a block of code

cftooltip

Display management tags Specifies text to display when the mouse pointer hovers over the tag body
elements

cftrace

Debugging tags

Displays and logs application debugging data

cftransaction

Database manipulation
tags

Groups cfquery operations into one transaction; performs rollback
processing

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,
Flow-control tags

Catches exceptions in ColdFusion pages

cfupdate

Database manipulation
tags

Updates rows in a database data source

cfwddx

Extensibility tags

Serializes and deserializes CFML data structures to XML-based WDDX format

cfwindow

Display management tags Creates a pop-up window in the browser

cfxml

Extensibility tags

Creates an XML document object

cfzip

File management tags

Manipulates ZIP and JAR files

cfzipparam

File management tags

Manipulates ZIP and JAR files

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 23
CFML Reference

Tags by function
The following tables list tags by their function or purpose.
Application framework tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Communications tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Database manipulation tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Data output tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Debugging tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Display management tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Exception handling tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Extensibility tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
File management tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Flow-control tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Forms tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Internet protocol tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Page processing tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Security tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Variable manipulation tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Other tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Application framework tags
cfapplication

cfimport

cfmodule

cfassociate

cfinterface

cfscript

cferror

cflock

cfthread

Communications tags
cfexchangecalendar

cfexchangemail

cfmailparam

cfexchangeconnection

cfexchangetask

cfmailpart

cfexchangecontact

cffeed

cfpop

cfexchangefilter

cfmail

Database manipulation tags
cfdbinfo

cfprocresult

cftransaction

cfinsert

cfquery

cfupdate

cfobjectcache

cfqueryparam

cfprocparam

cfstoredproc

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 24
CFML Reference

Data output tags
cfchart

cfdocumentsection

cfpresenter

cfchartdata

cfflush

cfprocessingdirective

cfchartseries

cfheader

cfprint

cfcol

cflog

cfreport

cfcontent

cfoutput

cfreportparam

cfdocument

cfpresentation

cfsilent

cfdocumentitem

cfpresentationslide

cftable

cftimer

cftrace

Debugging tags
cfdump

Display management tags
cfdiv

cfmenu

cftooltip

cflayout

cfmenuitem

cfwindow

cflayoutarea

cfpod

Exception handling tags
cfcatch

cfrethrow

cferror

cfthrow

cftry

Extensibility tags
cfchart

cffunction

cfreport

cfchartdata

cfindex

cfreportparam

cfchartseries

cfinterface

cfreturn

cfcollection

cfinvoke

cfsearch

cfcomponent

cfinvokeargument

cfwddx

cfexecute

cfobject

cfxml

cfftp

cfproperty

File management tags
cfdirectory

cfftp

cffile

cfzip

cfzipparam

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 25
CFML Reference

Flow-control tags
cfabort

cfexecute

cfrethrow

cfbreak

cfexit

cfswitch

cfcase

cfif

cfthrow

cfdefaultcase

cfinclude

cftry

cfelse

cflocation

cfelseif

cfloop

Forms tags
cfapplet

cfgridrow

cfpdfsubform

cfcalendar

cfgridupdate

cfselect

cfform

cfinput

cfslider

cfformgroup

cfpdf

cftextarea

cfformitem

Usagecfpdfform

cftree

cfgrid

cfpdfformparam

cftreeitem

cfgridcolumn

cfpdfparam

Internet protocol tags
cfajaximport

cfhttp

cfmailparam

cfajaxproxy

cfhttpparam

cfmailpart

cfftp

cfldap

cfpop

cffeed

cfmail

cfsprydataset

Page processing tags
cfcache

cfheader

cfprocessingdirective

cfcontent

cfhtmlhead

cfsetting

cfflush

cfinclude

cfsilent

Security tags
cflogin

cflogout

cfloginuser

cfNTauthenticate

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 26
CFML Reference

Variable manipulation tags
cfcookie

cfregistry

cfset

cfdump

cfsavecontent

cfsetting

cfparam

cfschedule

Other tags
cfimage

cflog

cfregistry

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 27
CFML Reference

Tag changes since ColdFusion 5
The following tables list tags, attributes, and values that have changed since ColdFusion 5, and indicate the specific
release in which the change was made.
New tags, attributes, and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Deprecated tags, attributes, and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Obsolete tags, attributes, and values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

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

Multiple tags

attributeCollection

ColdFusion 8

cfajaximport

All

ColdFusion 8

cfajaxproxy

All

ColdFusion 8

cfapplication

scriptProtect

ColdFusion MX 7

loginStorage

ColdFusion MX 6.1

component value of type attribute

ColdFusion 8

xml value of type attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

All

ColdFusion MX

cfcache

cachedirectory, timespan attributes

ColdFusion MX

cfcalendar

onBlur and onFocus attributes

ColdFusion MX 7.01

All

ColdFusion MX 7

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

cfargument

cfchart

horizontalbar 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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 28
CFML Reference

Tag

Attribute or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

cfcomponent

implements, serviceaddress attributes

ColdFusion 8

component value of extends attribute
style, namespace, serviceportname,
porttypename, wsdlfile, bindingname, and
output attributes

ColdFusion MX 7

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

ColdFusion MX

cfcontent

variable attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cfdbinfo

All

ColdFusion 8

cfdirectory

listinfo and type attributes

ColdFusion 8

recurse attribute for list and delete actions

ColdFusion MX 7

cfdiv

All

ColdFusion 8

cfdocument

bookmark, authPassword, authUser, localUrl, ColdFusion 8
proxyHost, proxyPassword, proxyPort,
proxyUser, saveAsName and userAgent attributes
totalsectionpagecount and
currentsectionpagenumber scope variables
src, srcfile, and mimetype attributes

ColdFusion MX 7.01

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfdocumentitem

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfdocumentsection

name, authPassword, authUser, and userAgent
attributes

ColdFusion 8

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfdump

show, format, hide, keys, metainfo, output,
and showUDFs attributes

ColdFusion 8

cfexchangecalendar

All

ColdFusion 8

cfexchangeconnection

All

ColdFusion 8

cfexchangecontact

All

ColdFusion 8

cfexchangefilter

All

ColdFusion 8

cfexchangemail

All

ColdFusion 8

cfexchangetask

All

ColdFusion 8

cfexecute

variable attribute

ColdFusion MX 6.1

cffeed

All

ColdFusion 8

cffile

result attribute for action="upload" action

ColdFusion MX 7

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 29
CFML Reference

Tag

Attribute or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

cfform

onSuccess attribute support in AJAX controls for the
onError attribute

ColdFusion 8

name and action attributes are optional

ColdFusion MX 7

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

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfformitem

script value of type attribute

ColdFusion MX 7.01

All

ColdFusion MX 7

fingerprint, key, paraphrase, and secure

ColdFusion 8

cfftp

attributes
quote, site, allo, and acct values to the action
attribute

cffunction

cfgrid

result attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

description attribute; the XML value to the
returntype attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

All

ColdFusion MX

bind, bindOnLoad, pageSize,
preservePageOnSort, stripeRows,
stripeRowColor attributes, and HTML value of
format attribute.

ColdFusion 8

onBlur and onFocus attributes

ColdFusion MX 7.01

format attribute and support for Flash and XML

ColdFusion MX 7

output
enabled, onChange, style, tooltip, visible

attributes (Flash format only)
cfgridcolumn

cfhttp

mask attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

currency value of type attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

clientCert and clientCertPassword attributes

ColdFusion 8

never value of GetAsBinary attribute

ColdFusion MX 7.01

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 attribute

ColdFusion MX 6.1

encoded, mimeType attributes
cfimage

All

ColdFusion 8

cfimport

All

ColdFusion MX

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 30
CFML Reference

Tag

Attribute or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

cfindex

prefix attribute

ColdFusion MX 7.01

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

ColdFusion MX 7

status attribute for update, refresh, delete, and
purge actions

New values of the language attribute
cfinput

autosuggest, autosuggestBindDelay,
autosuggestMinLength, delimiter,
maxResultsDisplayed,
showAutosuggestLoadingIcon,
sourceForTooltip, and typeahead attributes.

ColdFusion 8

support for the bind attribute in HTML forms and the
bindAttribute, bindOnload, and onBindError
attributes.
datefield value of the type attribute in HTML

forms
height and width attributes (all except checkbox

ColdFusion MX 7

and radiobutton)
bind attribute (text and password)
label attribute (all but button, image, reset, and

submit)
mask attribute (text only)
validateAt attribute (all but button, 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)
cfinterface

All

ColdFusion 8

cfinvoke

refreshWSDL, wsdl2java arguments

ColdFusion 8

servicePort attribute for web services

ColdFusion MX 7

All

ColdFusion MX

omit attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

All

ColdFusion MX

All

ColdFusion 8

cfinvokeargument

cflayout

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 31
CFML Reference

Tag

Attribute or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

cflayoutarea

All

ColdFusion 8

cfldap

returnAsBinary attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cflocation

statusCode attribute

ColdFusion 8

cflock

Request value of scope attribute

ColdFusion 8

cflogin

All

ColdFusion MX

cfloginuser

All

ColdFusion MX

cflogout

All

ColdFusion MX

cfloop

characters, file, and array attributes

ColdFusion 8

cfmail

prioirity, useSSL, and useTLS

ColdFusion 8

The cfmail tag no longer lets you send multipart
mail by embedding the entire MIME-encoded
message in the tag body. Use the cfmailpart tag,
instead.

ColdFusion MX 7

charset, failto, replyTo, userName, password,
wrapText attributes

ColdFusion MX 6.1

spoolEnable attribute

ColdFusion MX

contentID, dispositionattributes

ColdFusion MX 7

type attribute

ColdFusion MX 6.1

cfmailpart

All

ColdFusion MX 6.1

cfmenu

All

ColdFusion 8

cfmenuitem

All

ColdFusion 8

cfNTauthenticate

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfobject

.net value of type attribute and related assembly,
port, protocol, and secure attributes

ColdFusion 8

cfmailparam

password, proxyPassword, proxyPort,
proxyServer, proxyUser, refreshWSDL,
userName, wsdl2JavaArgs, and wsportname

attributes for web services
component and webservice attributes

ColdFusion MX

cfobjectcache

All

ColdFusion MX

cfparam

min, max, pattern attributes

ColdFusion MX 7

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

All

ColdFusion 8

Usagecfpdfform

All

ColdFusion 8

cfpdfformparam

All

ColdFusion 8

cfpdfparam

All

ColdFusion 8

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 32
CFML Reference

Tag

Attribute or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

cfpdfsubform

All

ColdFusion 8

cfpod

All

ColdFusion 8

cfpop

cids query variable

ColdFusion MX 7.01

cfpresentation

All

ColdFusion 8

cfpresentationslide

All

ColdFusion 8

cfpresenter

All

ColdFusion 8

cfprint

All

ColdFusion 8

cfprocessingdirective

pageEncoding attribute

ColdFusion MX

cfproperty

All

ColdFusion MX

cfquery

result attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cfreturn

All

ColdFusion MX

cfreport

HTML, XML values of format attribute,
resourceTimespan, style attributes

ColdFusion 8

RTF value of format attribute

ColdFusion MX 7.01

template, format, name, filename, query,
overwrite attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

chart, query, series, style, subreport
attributes

ColdFusion 8

name, value attributes

ColdFusion MX 7

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

ColdFusion MX 7

cfreportparam

cfsearch

attributes
natural, internet, and internet_basic values
of type attribute
cfselect

support for the bind attribute in HTML forms and the ColdFusion 8
bindAttribute, bindOnload, and onBindError
attributes.
Support for tooltips in HTML forms including the
sourceForTooltip attribute
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

cfsprydataset

All

ColdFusion 8

cfstoredproc

result attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 33
CFML Reference

Tag

Attribute or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

cftextarea

Rich text editor support including the following
ColdFusion 8
attributes (HTML format only): richtext, basepath,
fontFormats, fontNames, fontSizes, skin,
stylesXML, templatesXML, toolbar,
toolbarOnFocus, and support for the height and
width attributes in HTML format
support for the bind attribute and bindAttribute,
bindOnLoad, and onBindError attributes in HTML
format
support for tooltips in HTML format including
tooltip and sourceForToolTip attribute
html attribute

ColdFusion MX 7.01

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfthread

All

ColdFusion 8

cfthrow

object attribute

ColdFusion MX

cftimer

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cftooltip

All

ColdFusion 8

cftree

onBlur and onFocus attributes

ColdFusion MX 7.01

format, onChange, style attributes

ColdFusion MX 7

cftrace

All

ColdFusion MX

cfwindow

ALL

ColdFusion 8

cfxml

All

ColdFusion MX

cfzip

All

ColdFusion 8

cfzipparam

All

ColdFusion 8

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 attribute

ColdFusion MX

cffile

system value for attributes attribute

ColdFusion MX

temporary value for attributes attribute

ColdFusion MX

passthrough attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

enableCAB attribute

ColdFusion MX

agentname attribute

ColdFusion MX

cfform

cfftp

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 34
CFML Reference

Tag

Attribute or value

Deprecated as of this ColdFusion release

cfgraph

All

ColdFusion MX

cfgraphdata

All

ColdFusion MX

cfgridupdate

connectString, dbName, dbServer, dbType,
provider, providerDSN attributes

ColdFusion MX

cfinput

passthrough attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

cfinsert

connectString, dbName, dbServer, dbType,
provider, providerDSN attributes

ColdFusion MX

cfldap

filterFile attribute

ColdFusion MX

cflog

date, thread, time attributes

ColdFusion MX

cfquery

connectString, dbName, dbServer, provider,
providerDSN, sql attributes

ColdFusion MX

The following dbType attribute values:

ColdFusion MX

dynamic, ODBC, Oracle73, Oracle80, Sybase11,
OLEDB, DB2

(The value query is valid.)

cfregistry

All, on UNIX only

ColdFusion MX

cfsearch

external, language attributes

ColdFusion MX

cfselect

passthrough attribute

ColdFusion MX 7

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 attributes

ColdFusion MX

cftextinput

All

ColdFusion MX 7

cfupdate

connectString, dbName, dbServer, dbtype,
provider, providerDSN attributes

ColdFusion MX

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 35
CFML Reference

Tag

Attribute or value

Obsolete as of this ColdFusion release

cfindex

action attribute value optimize

ColdFusion MX

external attribute
cfinternaladminsecurity

All

ColdFusion MX
This tag did not appear in CFML Reference.

cfldap

filterConfig and filterFile attributes

ColdFusion MX

cfnewinternaladminsecurity

All

ColdFusion MX
This tag did not appear in CFML Reference.

cfsetting

catchExceptionsByPattern attribute

ColdFusion MX

36

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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection whose value is a structure. Specify the structure
name in the attributeCollection and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cfif, cflocation, cfloop, cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry; “cfabort and cfexit” on
page 20 in the ColdFusion 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 cferror, page processing
stops when the cfabort tag is reached. The message in showError displays to the client.
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









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



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 37
CFML Reference


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#



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 38
CFML Reference

cfajaximport
Description
Controls the JavaScript files that are imported for use on pages that use ColdFusion AJAX tags and features.
Category
Internet protocol tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection whose value is a structure. Specify the structure
name in the attributeCollection and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfform, cfgrid, cfinput, cflayout, cfmenu, cfpod, cfsprydataset, cftextarea, cftooltip,
cftree, cfwindow, “Specifying client-side support files” on page 667 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

cssSrc

Optional

scriptsrc/ajax

Specifies the URL, relative to the web root, of the directory that contains the
CSS files used by ColdFusion AJAX features, with the exception of the rich text
editor. This directory must have the same directory structure, and contain the
same CSS files, and image files required by the CSS files, as the
web_root/CFIDE/scripts/ajax/resources directory.
This attribute lets you create different custom styles for ColdFusion AJAX
controls in different applications.

scriptSrc

Optional

scriptsrc setting in the

Administrator;
default path is
/CFIDE/scripts/

Specifies the URL, relative to the web root, of the directory that contains the
client-side script files used by ColdFusion. This directory includes the JavaScript files and the default location of the CSS files used for all AJAX features.
If you use this attribute, the cfajaximport tag must precede all other
ColdFusion AJAX tags on the page; that is, all tags that rely on the scripts.
You can have only one scriptsrc attribute on a page, in a cfajaximport
tag or a cfform tag. You can use a scriptsrc attribute in a cfajaximport
tag to apply its value to all forms on a page.

tags

Optional

A comma-delimited list of tags or tag-attribute combinations for which to
import the supporting JavaScript files on this page.
If you use this attribute, it must specify all ColdFusion AJAX tags that you use
on the page and on any pages specified in tag source attributes.
For a list of valid attribute values and their purposes, see Usage.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 39
CFML Reference

Usage
Using the scriptsrc and cssSrc attributes

The scriptsrc attribute is useful if the JavaScript files are 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 scriptsrc value is determined by the Default CFFORM ScriptSrc Directory setting on the Server
Settings > Settings page of the ColdFusion Administrator. For cfform tags, the tag’s scriptsrc attribute takes
precedence over this attribute.
You can use this attribute only if the cfajaximport tag is on a top-level page; that is, a page that is requested directly
by the client. You cannot use it, for example, on a page that is specified in a cfwindow tag source attribute.
When you use the cfajaximport tag with a scriptsrc attribute, the specified directory must have the same
structure as the /CFIDE/scripts directory. For example, if you specify scriptsrc="/resources/myScripts", the
JavaScript files used by AJAX must be in the /resources/myScripts/ajax directory.
This attribute specifies the folder that contains the ColdFusion client-side files for all subsequent tags on the current
page, not just for AJAX-based tags. Therefore, the directory tree must include all ColdFusion client-side files used
by those tags. For example, if a cfform tag on the page is in Flash or applet format, you must include the
CF_RunActiveContent.js file in the directory specified by the scriptsrc attribute.
You use the cssSrc attribute to specify the location of the CSS files required by ColdFusion AJAX features. This
attribute overrides the scriptsrc/ajax/resources directory for the current page. Therefore, if all pages that use a custom
scriptsrc directory also use a custom cssSrc directory, you do not have to include the ColdFusion AJAX CSS files
in the scriptsrc directory tree.
Using the tags attribute or no attribute

If you do not use the cfajaximport tag on a page that contains ColdFusion tags with AJAX UI features, ColdFusion
correctly imports the required JavaScript files in most cases. You must use this tag to explicitly import JavaScript files
in these cases:

•

If you use a ColdFusion AJAX JavaScript function, such as ColdFusion.navigate,

ColdFusion.Ajax.submitForm, or ColdFusion.Log.info on a page that does not otherwise import any AJAX

JavaScript functions, use the cfajaximport tag with no attribute to import the base JavaScript functions only. For
example, use this tag on a page that does not include any ColdFusion AJAX-based tags,

•

If the following conditions are true:

•

You use any source attributes in cflayoutarea, cfpod or cfwindow tags, or bind attribute in cfdiv tag.

•

The file that the source or bind attribute specifies has any of the tags listed in the following table.

•

You do not use each of the listed tags on the top-level page.

If these conditions are true, the top-level page must use the cfajaximport tag with a tags attribute that specifies
the tags that only the other pages use. Otherwise, ColdFusion cannot identify that it will be using the tags and
does not import the necessary JavaScript files.
You can specify any or all of the following tag attribute values:
Attribute value

Used for

cfdiv

cfdiv tags

cfform

Forms that are in cfpod, cfwindow, or cflayoutarea tag bodies

cfgrid

AJAX format cfgrid tags

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 40
CFML Reference

Attribute value

Used for

cfinput-autosuggest

cfinput tags that use the autosuggest attribute

cfinput-datefield

HTML format cfinput tags that use the datefield attribute

cflayout-border

cflayout tags with a type attribute value of border

cflayout-tab

cflayout tags with a type attribute value of tab

cfmenu

cfmenu tags

cfpod

cfpod tags

cfsprydataset-JSON

cfsprydataset tags that generate Spry JSON data sets

cfsprydataset-XML

cfsprydataset tags that generate Spry XML data sets

cftextarea

HTML format cftextarea tags

cftooltip

cftooltip tags

cftree

HTML format cftree tags

cfwindow

cfwindow tags

Example
The following cfajaximport tag example specifies separate custom locations for the scripts used for AJAX features
and for the AJAX CSS files. It also imports all JavaScript files used for cftree, and cftooltip.


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CFML Reference

cfajaxproxy
Description
Creates a JavaScript proxy for a ColdFusion component, for use in an AJAX client. Alternatively, creates a proxy for
a single CFC method, JavaScript function, or URL that is bound to one or more control attribute values.
Category
Internet protocol tags
Syntax

OR


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection whose value is a structure. Specify the structure
name in the attributeCollection and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
DeserializeJSON, IsJSON, SerializeJSON, Using Ajax Data and Development Features in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

bind

A bind or
cfc

attribute is
required
cfc

A bind or
cfc

attribute is
required

Default

Description
A bind expression that specifies a CFC method, JavaScript function, or URL to call.
For detailed information about specifying bind expressions, see “Binding data to
form fields” on page 650 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
You cannot use this attribute with the cfc attribute.
The CFC for which to create a proxy. You must specify a dot-delimited path to the
CFC. The path can be an absolute filepath, or relative to location of the CFML page.
For example, if the myCFC CFC is in the cfcs subdirectory of the ColdFusion page,
specify cfcs.myCFC.
On UNIX based systems, the tag searches first for a file whose name or path corresponds to the specified name or path, but is in all lowercase. If it does not find it,
ColdFusion then searches for a file name or path that corresponds to the attribute
value exactly, with identical character casing.
This attribute cannot be used with the bind attribute.

jsclassname

Optional

The value of the cfc The name to use for the JavaScript proxy class that represents the CFC.
attribute
This attribute cannot be used with a bind attribute.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 42
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

onError

Optional

The name of a JavaScript function to invoke when a bind, specified by the bind
attribute fails. The function must take two arguments: an error code and an error
message.

onSuccess

Optional

The name of a JavaScript function to invoke when a bind, specified by the bind
attribute succeeds. The function must take one argument, the bind function return
value. If the bind function is a CFC function, the return value is automatically
converted to a JavaScript variable before being passed to the onSuccess function.

This attribute cannot be used with a cfc attribute.

This attribute cannot be used with a cfc attribute.

Usage
Make sure that the Enable HTTP Status Codes option on the Server Settings > Settings page of the ColdFusion
Administrator is selected. Otherwise, the proxy cannot determine if an error occurs in invoking the CFC function
and cannot call the error handler.
A cfajaxproxy tag with a bind attribute does not refresh any control that is not specified in the bind expression.
If you specify a URL in the bind attribute, the HTTP response must consist of a single JSON representation of an
object, array, or simple value, corresponding to the onSuccess argument.
Creating a CFC proxy

The cfajaxproxy tag with a cfc attribute generates a JavaScript proxy that represents a CFC on the web client. The
tag and the proxy it generates have the following characteristics:

• The proxy provides one function that corresponds to each CFC remote function. Calling these functions in your
client-side JavaScript code remotely calls the CFC functions on the server.
• The proxy provides several functions that you call to configure the interaction between the client and the server.
These functions set the HTTP method and synchronization mode of the XMLHttpRequest call that the proxy uses
to interact with the server. The functions also can specify a JavaScript callback handler and an error handler for
asynchronous calls.
• Because JavaScript is case-sensitive, you must ensure that you match the case of the keys in any ColdFusion
structure or scope that you send to the client. By default, ColdFusion sets variable names and structure element
names to all-uppercase. (You can create structure element names with lowercase characters by specifying the names
in associative array notation, for example, myStruct["myElement"]="value".) The keys for the two arrays in the
JSON object that the ColdFusion serializeJSON tag generates to represent a query are COLUMNS and DATA, for
example, not columns and data.
For detailed information on using AJAX CFC proxies, see “Using ColdFusion Ajax CFC proxies” on page 658 in
“Using Ajax Data and Development Features” on page 648 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Note: The proxy passes a _CF_NODEBUG Boolean argument to called CFC functions. ColdFusion checks this value, and
when it is true, does not append to the response any debugging information that it normally would send. This behavior
ensures that the JSON responses to AJAX requests do include any non-JSON (i.e., debug information) text.
CFC proxy utility functions

When you use the cfc option, the JavaScript proxy object provides the following functions that you can use to
control interaction with the server:

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CFML Reference

Function

Description

setAsyncMode()

Sets the call mode to asynchronous. The calling thread (the Java thread of the client system
that is processing the page) is not blocked when you make a call to a proxy function, so page
processing can continue while waiting for a response from the server.
The proxy invokes the function specified by the setCallbackHandler function with the
response from the server. If an error occurs, the proxy invokes the error handler specified by
the setErrorHandler function.

setCallbackHandler(function)

Specifies the callback handler for an asynchronous call. The function parameter is the JavaScript function to invoke as an argument.
The callback function must take one parameter, the return value from the CFC that the proxy
has deserialized from JSON to a JavaScript representation.
This method automatically sets the call mode to asynchronous.

setErrorHandler(function)

Sets the error handler that the proxy invokes if there is an error in an asynchronous call. The
function parameter is the JavaScript function to invoke.
The error handler function must take two parameters:

•

An HTTP error code

•

A status message

This method automatically sets the call mode to asynchronous.
setForm(ID)

Adds names and values of the fields in the form specified by the ID attribute to the arguments
passed by a proxy function that is called immediately after this function.
For more information, see “Submitting data to a CFC” on page 659 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

setHTTPMethod("method")

Sets the HTTP method to use for the call. The function parameter is a case-insensitive string,
and must have one of the following values:

•

GET (the default method)

•

POST

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CFML Reference

Function

Description

setQueryFormat(format)

Specifies the JSON format in which to return ColdFusion query data. The parameter must have
one of the following values:

•

row: (Default) Sends the data as a JSON object with two entries: the column names and
an array of row arrays.

•

column: Sends the data as a JSON object that represents WDDX query format. This object
has three entries: the number of rows, an array with the column names, and an object where
the keys are the column names and the values are arrays containing the column data.

For more information on query formats, see SerializeJSON.
setReturnFormat(format)

Specifies the format in which the CFC function returns the result. ColdFusion automatically
converts the function return value into the specified format before returning it to the client.
The parameter must have one of the following values:

•

json (the default format if you don’t use this function)

•

plain

•

wddx

If you specify plain, and set the "content-type" header on the response from the server to
text/xml, the proxy returns an XML object to the caller or callback function. If the content
type is not set to text/xml, the return value from the server is returned as-is.
This function is useful if you return XML or a plain string to the browser.
setSyncMode()

Sets the call mode to synchronous (the default synchronization mode). The calling thread
remains blocked until the call returns. If an error occurs, the proxy throws an exception. In
synchronous mode, the methods in the CFC proxy return the CFC method results directly to
the caller.

Example
The following example uses a remote CFC method to populate a drop-down list of employees. When you select a
name from the list, it uses a call to the CFC method to get information about the employee, and displays the results.
The application page has the following lines:










List of Employees:   










The following component, which gets the data from the data source, must be in a file named emp.cfc in the components subdirectory of the application directory. The CFC uses the cfdocexamples data source that is installed with
ColdFusion if you install the documentation.





select * from Employees

where Emp_ID = #empid#






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CFML Reference

cfapplet
Description
This tag references a registered custom Java applet. To register a Java applet, in the ColdFusion Administrator, select
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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection whose value is a structure. Specify the structure
name in the attributeCollection and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 48
CFML Reference

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

appletSource Required

Description
Name of registered applet.

name

Required

Form variable name for applet.

align

Optional

Alignment:

•

Left

•

Right

•

Bottom

•

Top

•

TextTop

•

Middle

•

AbsMiddle

•

Baseline

•

AbsBottom

height

Optional

Height of applet, in pixels.

hSpace

Optional

Space on left and right of applet, in pixels.

notSupported Optional

See description

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:
notSupported = "Browser must support Java to view ColdFusion
Java Applets"

Default value:
Browser must support Java to
 view ColdFusion Java
Applets!
param_n

Optional

Registered parameter for applet. Specify only to override values for applet in
ColdFusion Administrator.

vSpace

Optional

Space above and below applet, in pixels.

width

Optional

Width of applet, in pixels.

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 information in the J2EE Archives >
ColdFusion Administrator. For more information, see “Embedding Java applets” on page 552 in the ColdFusion
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.


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 49
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ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 50
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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 time-outs.
Category
Application framework tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection whose value is a structure. Specify the structure
name in the attributeCollection and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfassociate, cferror, cflock, cfmodule; “Application.CFC Reference” on page 1304; “Designing and

Optimizing a ColdFusion Application” on page 219 and “Integrating J2EE and Java Elements in CFML Applications”
on page 929 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added secureJSON and SecureJSONPrefix attributes
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 nonzero
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.)

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 51
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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

name

See
Description

Default

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

applicationTimeout

Optional

Specified in Variables
page of ColdFusion
Administrator

clientManagement

Optional

no

clientStorage

Optional

registry

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

•

yes: enables client variables.

•

no

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.
loginStorage

scriptProtect

Optional

Optional

cookie

•

cookie: store login information in the Cookie scope.

•

session: store login information in the Session scope.

Determined by
Specifies whether to protect variables from cross-site scripting
ColdFusion Administrator attacks
Enable Global Script
• none: do not protect variables
Protection setting

•

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.
secureJSON

Optional

Administrator value

A Boolean value that specifies whether to add a security prefix in
front of any value that a ColdFusion function returns in JSON-format
in response to a remote call.
The default value is the value of the Prefix serialized JSON setting in
the Administrator Server Settings > Settings page (which defaults to
false). You can override this variable value in the cffunction tag.
For more information see “Improving security” on page 674 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

secureJSONPrefix

Optional

Administrator value

The security prefix to put in front of the value that a ColdFusion function returns in JSON-format in response to a remote call if the
secureJSON setting is true.
The default value is the value of the Prefix serialized JSON setting in
the Administrator Server Settings > Settings page (which defaults to
//, the JavaScript comment character).
For more information see “Improving security” on page 674 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

sessionManagement

sessionTimeout

Optional

Optional

no

Specified in Variables
page of ColdFusion
Administrator

•

yes: enables session variables.

•

no

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 52
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

setClientCookies

Optional

yes

Description

•

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.
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.

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 1305.
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.
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 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.
The ColdFusion cross-site scripting protection operation is done when ColdFusion 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 HTML tag names with the text InvalidTag: object,
embed, script, applet, and meta. It allows these names in plain text, and 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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 53
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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/neo-security.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 366.
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.













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



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 54
CFML Reference

cfargument
Description
Creates a parameter definition within a component definition. Defines a function argument. Used within a
cffunction tag.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added component as a valid value for the ReturnType attribute.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added the xml value of type attribute.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Category
Extensibility tags
Syntax


See also
cfcomponent, cffunction, cfinterface, cfinvoke, cfinvokeargument, cfobject, cfproperty,
cfreturn

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

name

Required

String; an argument name.

default

Optional

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

displayname

Optional

name attribute

value
hint

Optional

Description

Meaningful only for CFC method parameters. A value to display when using introspection to show information about the CFC.
Meaningful only for CFC method parameters. Text to display when using introspection
to show information about the CFC. The hint attribute value follows the displayname
attribute value in the parameter description line. Use this attribute to describe the
purpose of the parameter.

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CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

required

Optional

no

Note: All arguments are required when invoked as a web service, irrespective of how
they are defined.
Specifies whether the parameter is required to execute the component method. The
parameter is not required if you specify a default attribute.

type

Optional

any

•

yes

•

no

String; a type name; data type of the argument.

•

any

•

array

•

binary

•

boolean

•

component: the argument must be a ColdFusion component.

•

date

•

guid: the argument must be a UUID or GUID of the form xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx where each x is a character representing a hexadecimal number (0-9AF).

•

numeric

•

query

•

string

•

struct

•

uuid: the argument must be a ColdFusion UUID of the form xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx where each x is a character representing a hexadecimal number (09A-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.

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.)

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 56
CFML Reference

Example






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





ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 57
CFML Reference

cfassociate
Description
Allows subtag data to be saved with a base tag. Applies only to custom tags.
Category
Application framework tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection whose value is a structure. Specify the structure
name in the attributeCollection and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfapplication, cferror, cflock, cfmodule; “High-level data exchange” on page 202 in the ColdFusion

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.
In the custom tag code, the attributes passed to the tag by using the cfmodule tag 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







...

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 58
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cfauthenticate
Description
This tag is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 641 and “Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
History
ColdFusion MX: This tag is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later releases.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 59
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cfbreak
Description
Used within a cfloop tag. Breaks out of a loop.
Category
Flow-control tags
Syntax


See also
cfabort, cfexecute, cfif, cflocation, cfloop, cfthrow, cftry; “cfloop and cfbreak” on page 19 in the

ColdFusion 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#





 Searching...




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 60
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61

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

username = "username">

Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.)

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 62
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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

action

Optional

cache

Description

•

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.

expireURL

Optional

Flush all cached
pages

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

password

Optional

port

Optional

The port for the
current page

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.

protocol

Optional

The current
page protocol

Protocol that is used to create URL from cache.

timespan

Optional

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

Page is flushed
only when
cfcache
action =
"flush" is

executed
username

Optional

•
•

http://
https://

The interval until the page is flushed from the cache.

•

A decimal number of days, for example: ".25", for one-fourth day (6 hours); "1", for
one day; "1.5", for one and one half days

•

A return value from the CreateTimeSpan function, for example,
"#CreateTimeSpan(0, 6, 0, 0)#".
A username. Provide this if the page requires authentication at the web server level.

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.
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. (Adobe
recommends that you use combination caching, and do not use server-side only 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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 63
CFML Reference

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” on page 240 in the ColdFusion
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 #

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 64
CFML Reference

cfcalendar
Description
Puts an interactive 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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfform, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider, cftextarea, cftree; “About Flash form styles” on page 588 in
the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
History
ColdFusion MX 7.01: Added support for onBlur and onFocus events.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

name

Required

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.

disabled

Optional

Not disabled

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).

enabled

Optional

yes

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

The name of the calendar.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 65
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

endRange

Optional

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.

height

Optional

Determined by
Flash

The vertical dimension of the calendar specified in pixels.

mask

Optional

MM/DD/YYYY

A pattern that specifies the format of the submitted date. Mask characters are:

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.

•

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.
monthNames

Optional

onBlur

Optional

ActionScript that runs when the calendar loses focus.

onChange

Optional

ActionScript that runs when the user selects a date.

onFocus

Optional

ActionScript that runs when the calendar gets focus.

selectedDate

Optional

None (Flash shows The date that is initially selected. It is highlighted in a color determined by the form
the current month) 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.)

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.

style

Optional

Flash ActionScript style or styles to apply to the calendar. For more information,
see “Setting styles and skins in Flash forms” on page 588 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

tooltip

Optional

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

visible

Optional

yes

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

width

Optional

Determined by
Flash

The horizontal dimension of the calendar specified in pixels.

January,
February,
March, April,
May, June,
July, August,
September,
October,
November,
December

A comma-delimited list of the month names that are displayed at the top of the
calendar.

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 66
CFML Reference

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 four-day 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.






You selected #Form.selectedDate#



Please select a date on the calendar and click Save.







ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 67
CFML Reference






ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 68
CFML Reference

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” on page 18 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Changed the way ColdFusion parses cfcase values. Previously, cfcase tags with numeric value dates
did not return expected results. For example,  and 

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":


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 69
CFML Reference

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.



















Your grade is #grade#


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 70
CFML Reference

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; “Handling Errors” on page 247 in the ColdFusion 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 cfcatch 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.

•

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 71
CFML Reference

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

type

Optional

Any

Description

•

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

Usage
You must code at least one cfcatch tag within a cftry block. Put cfcatch tags at the end of a cftry block.
ColdFusion tests cfcatch tags in the order in which they appear. This tag requires an end tag.
If type="any", ColdFusion 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 can catch the custom type by its character pattern. ColdFusion 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 handles the exception:


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


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


You can code cfcatch tags in any order to catch a custom exception type.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 72
CFML Reference

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:
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 value is -1.

cfcatch.SQLState

Applies to type = "database". SQLState associated with exception. Database drivers typically
provide error codes to help diagnose failing database operations. Defaultvalue is -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 namevalue 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.

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 73
CFML Reference

ColdFusion advanced exception type
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
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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 74
CFML Reference

ColdFusion advanced exception type
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 employees






You've Thrown a Database Error




#cfcatch.message#


Caught an exception, type = #CFCATCH.TYPE#


The contents of the tag stack are:






ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 75
CFML Reference

cfchart
Description
Generates and displays a chart.
Category
Data output tags, Extensibility tags
Syntax



OR




Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 76
CFML Reference

See also
cfchartdata, cfchartseries, cfdocument, “Controlling chart appearance” on page 796 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8:

•

Added support for embedding Flash charts within the cfdocument tag.

• Added the new attribute showColumnLegend to the chart style files, which are the XML files located in the
charting\styles directory- This attribute displays an entry for each point and is applicable only to charts that contain
a single series. By default, the value of showColumnLegend is set to true. To turn off this feature, you can either
modify the setting in all the chart style files, or use a custom style file.
ColdFusion MX 7.01: Changed documentation to state that the fontSize attribute can accept a number that is not
an integer.
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.

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

backgroundColor

Optional

Default

Description
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.

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 the 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.

font

Optional

arial

Name of text font:

•

arial

•

times

•

courier

•

arialunicodeMS. This option is required, if you are using a doublebyte character set on UNIX, or using a double-byte character set in
Windows with a file type of Flash.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 77
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

fontBold

Optional

no

Whether to make the text bold:

fontItalic

Optional

no

•

yes

•

no

Whether to make the text italicized:

•

yes

•

no

fontSize

Optional

11

Font size. If the number is not an integer, ColdFusion rounds the number up
to the next integer.

foregroundColor

Optional

black

Color of text, grid lines, and labels.
Hexadecimal value or supported named color; see name list in the 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.

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 axis, including axis; positive
top and bottom integer.

labelFormat

Optional

number

markerSize

Optional

name

Optional

pieSliceStyle

Optional

(Automatic)

Format for y-axis labels:

•

number

•

currency

•

percent

•

date

Size of data point marker in pixels; integer.
Page variable name; string. Generates 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.

sliced

Applies to the cfchartseries type attribute value pie.

•

solid: displays pie as if unsliced.

•

sliced: displays pie as if sliced.

scaleFrom

Optional

Determined by
data

Y-axis minimum value; integer.

scaleTo

Optional

Determined by
data

Y-axis maximum value; integer.

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 78
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

show3D

Optional

yes

Whether to display the chart with three-dimensional appearance:

showBorder

showLegend

showMarkers

showXGridlines

showYGridlines

sortXAxis

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

no

yes

yes

no

yes

no

•

yes

•

no

Whether to display a border around the chart:

•

yes

•

no

Whether to display the legend if the chart contains more than one data series:

•

yes

•

no

Whether to display markers at data points in line, curve, and scatter graphs:

•

yes

•

no

Whether to display x-axis gridlines:

•

yes

•

no

Whether to display y-axis gridlines:

•

yes

•

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.

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 79
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

url

Optional

Default

Description
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=$SERIESLABEL$&va
lue=$VALUE$

•
xAxisTitle

Optional

xAxisType

Optional

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

Title that appears on the x axis; text.
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

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.

Title of the y axis; text.

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.
•

In 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:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 80
CFML Reference

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

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.
ColdFusion 8 lets you embed Flash charts in a PDF document using the cfdocument tag, for example:

...








Example


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 81
CFML Reference



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







Employee Salary Analysis








ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 82
CFML Reference

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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfchart, cfchartseries; “Creating Charts and Graphs” on page 787 in the ColdFusion 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



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 83
CFML Reference






Employee Salary Analysis










ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 84
CFML Reference

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



Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfchart, cfchartdata; “Creating Charts and Graphs” on page 787 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion MX 7:

•

Added the dataLabelStyle attribute.

•

Added the horizontalbar value of the type attribute.

ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed interpolation behavior: the tag now interpolates data points on line charts with
multiple series.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 85
CFML Reference

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

type

Required

Default

Description
Sets the chart display style:

•

bar

•

line

•

pyramid

•

area

•

horizontalbar

•

cone

•

curve

•

cylinder

•

step

•

scatter

•

pie

itemColumn

Required if query
attribute is specified

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

valueColumn

Required if query
attribute is specified

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

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.

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 the columnLabel value for the percentage of total graph, for
example, Sales 55,000 20% of 277,000.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 86
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

markerStyle

Optional

rectangle

Sets the icon that marks a data point for two-dimensional line, curve, and
scatter graphs:

paintStyle

Optional

plain

•

rectangle

•

triangle

•

diamond

•

circle

•

letter

•

mcross

•

snow

•

rcross

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

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




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 87
CFML Reference




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







Employee Salary Analysis






ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 88
CFML Reference

cfcol
Description
Defines table column header, width, alignment, and text. Used within a cftable tag.
Category
Data output tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcontent, cfoutput, cftable; “Performing file operations with cfftp” on page 1044 in the ColdFusion Developer’s

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

Req/Opt

header

Required

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

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.

align

Optional

width

Optional

Default

left

20

Description

Column alignment:

•

left

•

right

•

center

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.

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.
Example



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 89
CFML Reference


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




cfcol Example









ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 90
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cfcollection
Description
Creates and administers Verity search engine collections.
Category
Extensibility tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfexecute, cfindex, cfobject, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx

History
ColdFusion MX 7:

• Starting with ColdFusion MX 7, you cannot use the cfcollection tag to create alias names for already existing
collections. Because Verity maintains all the collection information, you cannot have two names point to the same
collection.
•

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 91
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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

action

Required; see
Usage

list

Description

•

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, the tag
creates a map to it. If the collection is not present, the tag 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.

•
categories See Usage

Used only for creating a collection:

no

collection See Usage
language

See Usage

repair: deprecated. Does nothing.

English

•

yes: this collection includes support for categories.

•

no: this collection does not support categories.

•

A collection name. The name can include spaces.

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

See Usage

Name for the query results returned by the list and categorylist actions.

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\".

Usage
With this tag you can create, register, and administer a Verity collection that was created by ColdFusion or by a Verity
application.
The following table shows the dependence relationships among this tag’s attribute values:
This attribute is
For this action attribute value:
required, optional, or
create
map
unnecessary (blank): list
collection

Required

Required

path

Required

Required

language

Optional

Optional

name

optimize

repair

delete

categorylist

Required

Required

Required

Required

Required

categories

The following examples show the structures returned by the categorylist action:

Required

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 92
CFML Reference

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:
Column
CATEGORIES

Contents

•

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

LANGUAGE

•

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 .

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

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.

You can also specify uni to enable support for multiple languages.
The ColdFusion 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:



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 93
CFML Reference

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.
You cannot delete Verity collections on Windows if they are created outside of the ColdFusion collections directory
or on a drive other than C:, D: or E:. To use a different drive letter, edit the cf_dir/verity/common/verity.cfg file and
replace an entry with the directory you wish to use as follows:
alias11=path6
mapping11=F:\
dirmode11=rw

Restart the ColdFusion Search Service for this change to take affect.
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

Eastern European/Middle Eastern Language Pack
Arabic

Greek

Polish

Bulgarian

Hebrew

Russian

Czech

Hungarian

Russian2

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

Turkish

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 94
CFML Reference

Example













Collection created.

Use CFINDEX to populate it.





Collection repaired.





Collection optimized.





Collection deleted.





Please enter a name for your collection








Collection on which to act


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 95
CFML Reference

Use the default value or enter your own Collection name







ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 96
CFML Reference

cfcomponent
Description
Creates and defines a component object; encloses functionality that you build in CFML and enclose in 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:

•

In the cfinvoke tag in a ColdFusion page

•

In a URL that calls a CFC file and passes a method name as a URL parameter

•

In the cfscript tag

•

As a web service

•

From Flash code

Category
Extensibility tags
Syntax

variable declarations

...


...



See also
cfargument, cffunction, cfinterface, cfinvoke, cfinvokeargument, cfobject, cfproperty,
cfreturn, IsInstanceOf, “Building and Using ColdFusion Components” on page 158 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8:

•

Added the implements and serviceaddress attributes.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 97
CFML Reference

•

Added support for the onMissingMethod function.

ColdFusion MX 7:

•

Added support for publishing document-literal style web services.

• Added the style, namespace, serviceportname, porttypename, wsdlfile, bindingname, and output
attributes.
• Extended functionality for the hint and displayname attributes when publishing document-literal style web
services.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

bindingname

Optional

Specifies the binding attribute of the port element in the WSDL.
If you don’t specify this attribute, ColdFusion derives the value from
the CFC class name.

displayname

Optional

A string that displays when you use introspection to show information about the CFC. The information appears on the heading,
following the component name.

extends

Optional

hint

Optional

Text that displays when you use introspection to show information
about the CFC. The hint attribute value appears below the
component name heading. Use this attribute to describe the
purpose of the parameter.

implements

Optional

Name of the ColdFusion interface or interfaces that this component
implements. If the component implements an interface, it must
define all the functions in the interface, and the function definitions
must conform to the definitions specified in the interface. For more
information, see cfinterface.

WEB-INF.cftags.component

Description

Name of parent component from which to inherit methods and
properties. You can use the keyword component to specify the
default value.

A component can implement any number of interfaces. To specify
multiple interfaces, use a comma-delimited list with the format
interface1,interface2.
namespace

Optional

class name

Specifies the namespace used in the WSDL for a CFC that is invoked
as a web service. If you don’t specify this attribute, ColdFusion MX
derives the value from the CFC class name.

output

Optional

Component body displayable
text that 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.
porttypename

Optional

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 98
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

serviceaddress

Optional

URL of the CFC

Specifies the SOAP URL of the web service. If you don’t specify this
attribute, ColdFusion MX uses the URL of the CFC in the WSDL
service description. Use this attribute to specify the protocol, for
example, by specifying a URL that starts with https://.
This attribute applies only for web services.

serviceportname

Optional

style

Optional

wsdlfile

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.
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

A properly formatted WSDL file to be used instead of WSDL generated by ColdFusion.

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 by using
the managerCFC, as follows:


This tag requires an end tag.
If you specify style="document", ColdFusion publishes the CFC as a document-literal style web service. For more
information, see “Publishing document-literal style web services” on page 918 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
CFCs support an onMissingMethod function. By defining an onMissingMethod function in the cfcomponent tag
body in the CFC, you can handle calls to methods that are not implemented in the CFC. If an application calls a
function that is not defined in the CFC, ColdFusion calls the onMissingMethod function and passes it the requested
method’s name and arguments. If you do not define an onMissingMethod function, a call to a method that is not
defined in the CFC causes ColdFusion to throw an error that must be handled in the calling code.
The onMissingMethod function is useful for several purposes:

• To handle errors directly in the component, instead of requiring that each instance of code that calls the
component handles them.
•

To create a dynamic proxy, an object that can take arbitrary calls and dynamically determines the correct action.

The onMissingMethod function must have the following format:



code to handle call to nonexistent method


Example



SELECT FIRSTNAME, LASTNAME, EMAIL

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 99
CFML Reference

FROM tblEmployees





SELECT *
FROM tblDepartments





ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 100
CFML Reference

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 settings in the ColdFusion Administrator > Security > Sandbox Security. For more information, see the Administrator online Help.
Category
Data output tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcol, cfheader, cfhttp, cfoutput, cftable

History
ColdFusion 8: Changed the behavior of the tag if the type attribute is not specified and the file attribute is
specified. Previously, ColdFusion assumed a default file type of text/html. Now, ColdFusion attempts to get the
content type from the file.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added the variable attribute.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

deleteFile

Optional

no

Applies only if you specify a file with the file attribute.

file

Optional

reset

Optional

•

yes: deletes the file on the server after sending its contents to the client.

•

no: leaves the file on the server.

Name of a file whose contents provide the page output. The filename 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.
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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 101
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

type

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. However, if the file attribute is specified, ColdFusion attempts to get the content
type from the file.
The content type determines how the browser or client interprets the page contents.
The following are some of the content type values that 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"
variable

Optional

Name of a ColdFusion 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.

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 to return the page using Japanese EUC character
encoding, use the type attribute, as follows:


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 102
CFML Reference

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 has no effect or ColdFusion throws 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.
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:

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




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 103
CFML Reference


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













MonthQuantity$ Sales


January80$245


February100$699


March230$2036


Total=Sum(B2..B4)=Sum(C2..C4)




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 104
CFML Reference

cfcookie
Description
Defines web browser cookie variables, including expiration and security options.
Category
Forms tags, Variable manipulation tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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

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.

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.

path

attribute is
specified.
Optional
otherwise

Default

Description

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 on 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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 105
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

expires

Optional

session
only

Expiration of cookie variable.

•

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).
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.
secure

value

Optional

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

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

Usage
If this tag specifies that a cookie is 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#

Example



SELECT EMail, FromUser, Subject, Posted
FROM Comments




cfcookie Example


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 106
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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.


107

cfdbinfo
Description
Lets you retrieve information about a data source, including details about the database, tables, queries, procedures,
foreign keys, indexes, and version information about the database, driver, and JDBC.
Category
Database manipulation tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfinsert, cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc, cftransaction, cfupdate;

“Optimizing database use” on page 243 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

datasource

Required

Datasource to use to connect to the database.

name

Required

Name to use to refer to the result.

type

Required

Type of information to get:

•

dbnames: database name and type

•

tables: name, type, and remarks

•

columns: name, SQL data type, size, decimal precision, default value, maximum
length in bytes of a character or integer data type column, whether nulls are allowed,
ordinal position, remarks, whether the column is a primary key, whether the column is
a foreign key, the table that the foreign key refers to, the key name the foreign key refers
to

•

version: database product name and version, driver name and version, JDBC major
and minor version

•

procedures: name, type, and remarks

•

foreignkeys: foreign key name and table, primary key name, delete and update

rules

•

index: name, column on which the index is applied, ordinal position, cardinality,
whether the row represents a table statistic or an index, number of pages used by the
table or index, whether the index values are unique

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Attribute

Req/Opt

dbname

Optional

Default

Description
Name of the database. Used only if the action = "This overrides the one
mentioned as a part of datasource definition."

password

Optional

Password to connect to the database.

pattern

Optional

Used only if type = "tables", type = "columns", or type = "procedures". Specifies a filter to retrieve information about specific tables, columns, or stored procedures.
Use an underline (_) to represent a single wildcard character and a percent sign (%) to
represent a wildcard of zero or more characters.

table

Required if

Name of the table from which you retrieve information.

type =
"columns"
or type =
"foreignkey
s" or type
= "index"
username

Optional

no

User name to connect to the database.

Usage
Use the cfdbinfo tag to return a query object that contains information about a database. The query object varies,
depending on the value that you specify in the type attribute. The following table lists the query object contents for
each type:
Type

Column name

Description

dbnames

DATABASE_NAME

Name of the database.

TYPE

Type of the database, whether schema or catalog.

TABLE_NAME

Name of the table.

TABLE_TYPE

Type of the table, including view, table, synonym, and system table.

REMARKS

Remarks of the table.

COLUMN_NAME

Name of the column.

TYPE_NAME

SQL data type of the column.

IS_NULLABLE

Whether the column allows nulls.

IS_PRIMARYKEY

Whether the column is a primary key.

IS_FOREIGNKEY

Whether the column is a foreign key.

REFERENCED_PRIMARYKEY

If the column is a foreign key, the name of the table it refers to.

REFERENCED_PRIMARYKEY_TABLE

If the column is a foreign key, the key name it refers to.

COLUMN_SIZE

Size of the column

DECIMAL_DIGITS

Number of digits to the right of the decimal point.

COLUMN_DEFAULT_VALUE

Default value of column.

tables

columns

CHAR_OCTET_LENGTH

Maximum length in bytes of a character or integer data type column.

ORDINAL_POSITION

Ordinal position of the column.

REMARKS

Remarks of the column.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 109
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Type

Column name

Description

version

DATABASE_VERSION

Version of the database management system.

DATABASE_PRODUCTNAME

Name of the database management system.

DRIVER_VERSION

Version of the database driver.

procedures

foreignkeys

index

DRIVER_NAME

Name of the database driver.

JDBC_MAJOR_VERSION

Major version number of the driver.

JDBC_MINOR_VERSION

Minor version number of the driver.

PROCEDURE_NAME

Name of the stored procedure.

REMARKS

Remarks for the stored procedure.

PROCEDURE_TYPE

Procedure type, which indicates whether the procedure returns a result.

FKCOLUMN_NAME

Foreign key name.

FKTABLE_NAME

Foreign key table name.

PKCOLUMN_NAME

Primary key name.

DELETE_RULE

Specifies what action to take when you delete a record that has dependent
records.

UPDATE_RULE

Specifies what action to take when you update a record that has dependent
records.

INDEX_NAME

Name of the index, empty if type is table statistic.

COLUMN_NAME

Name of the column on which the index is applied, empty if the type is table
statistic.

ORDINAL_POSITION

Ordinal position.

CARDINALITY

Number of unique values if the type is index, or number of rows if the type is
statistic

TYPE

Whether the row represents a table statistic or an index. Index types are clustered, hashed, or other.

PAGES

Number of pages used by the table if the type is table statistic, or the number of
pages used by the index.

NON_UNIQUE

Whether the index values are unique.

Example



The #datasrc# data source has the following databases:






ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 110
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Database nameType




#dbdata.DATABASE_NAME##dbdata.TYPE#





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cfdefaultcase
Description
Used only inside the cfswitch tag body. Contains code to execute when the expression specified in the cfswitch
tag does not match the value specified by a cfcase tag.
Category
Flow-control tags
Syntax


See also
cfcase, cfswitch; “cfswitch, cfcase, and cfdefaultcase” on page 18 in the ColdFusion 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 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 cfdefaultcase 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.
Example




















Your grade is #grade#


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cfdirectory
Description
Manages interactions with directories.
Category
File management tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cffile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the listinfo and type attributes.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added the recurse attribute (named recursive in Alpha 1) and directory result-set column.
ColdFusion MX:

•

Changed behavior for action = "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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 113
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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

directory

Required

Default

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


action

filter

Optional

list

Optional if action =
Optional

mode

Optional

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

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

"list"
listinfo

•

all

•

all: includes all information in the result set.

•

name: includes only filenames in the result set.

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.

•
name

Required if action =

777: assigns read/write/execute permission to all.

Name for output record set.

"list"
newDirectory

Required if action =

New name for directory.

"rename"

recurse

Optional

no

Whether ColdFusion performs the action on subdirectories:

•

yes

•

no

Valid for action="list" and action="delete".
sort

Optional; used if

ASC

action = "list"

Query columns by which to sort a directory listing. Delimited list of columns
from query output.
To qualify a column, use one of the following values:

•

asc: ascending (a to z) sort order.

•

desc: descending (z to a) sort order.

For example:
sort = "directory ASC, size DESC, datelastmodified"
type

Optional

all

•

file: includes only filenames.

•

dir: includes only directory names.

•

all: includes both filenames and directory names.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 114
CFML Reference

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.
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 that contains the entry.

•

size: Directory entry size.

•

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

•

dateLastModified: The date that an entry was last modified.

•

attributes: File attributes, if applicable.

•

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

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 casesensitive.
The following two characters have special meaning in the pattern and are called metacharacters:

•

The asterisk (*) matches any zero or more characters.

•

The question mark (?) matches any single character.

The following table shows examples of patterns and filenames 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



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 115
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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.






The directory did NOT exist.



















ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 116
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SELECT * FROM dirQuery
WHERE TYPE='Dir'



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 117
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cfdiv
Description
Creates an HTML div tag or other HTML container tag and lets you use asynchronous form submission or a bind
expression to dynamically control the tag contents.
Category
Display management tags
Syntax

OR

tag body contents


If the tag does not have a body and end tag, you must close it with /> character combination.
Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute name as structure key.
See also
cfajaximport, cflayout, cfpod, cfwindow

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag
Attributes
The following table lists attributes that ColdFusion uses directly. The tag passes any other attributes that you specify
directly as tag attributes to the generated HTML tag.
Attribute

Req/Opt

bind

Optional

Default

Description
A bind expression that returns the container contents. If you specify this attribute
the cfdiv tag cannot have a body.
Note: If a CFML page specified in this attribute contains tags that use AJAX
features, such as cfform, cfgrid, and cfwindow, you must use a cfajaximport
tag on the page with the cfdiv tag. For more information, see cfajaximport.

bindOnLoad

Optional

true

• true: executes the bind attribute expression when first loading the tag.
•

false: does not execute the bind attribute expression until the first bound

event .
To use this attribute, you must also specify a bind attribute.
For more information, see “Using the bindOnLoad attribute” on page 634 in “Using
Ajax UI Components and Features” on page 614 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 118
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Attribute

Req/Opt

ID

Optional

onBindError

Optional

Default

Description
The HTML ID attribute value to assign to the generated container tag.

See
Description

The name of a JavaScript function to execute if evaluating a bind expression results
in an error. The function must take two attributes: an HTTP status code and a
message.
If you omit this attribute, and have specified a global error handler (by using the
ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler function), it displays the error message;
otherwise a default error pop-up window appears.
To use this attribute, you must also specify a bind attribute.

tagName

Optional

DIV

The HTML container tag to create.

Usage
By default, the cfdiv tag creates a div HTML element. You can use standard HTML and CSS techniques to control
the position and appearance of the element and its contents.
Use the tagName attribute to create and populate an HTML content element, such as span or b. Use the cfdiv tag
to create tags that can take HTML markup content directly in the body, such as span, i, b, or p, and not for tags that
cannot, such as input, option, and frameset.
If you submit a form that is inside a cfdiv tag (including in HTML returned by a bind expression), the form submits
asynchronously, and the response from the form submission populates the cfdiv region.
If you specify a bind attribute, the tag dynamically populates the element using a bind expression. The bind
expression can specify a CFC function, a JavaScript function, a URL, or a string that contains bind parameters. An
animated icon and the text "Loading..." appears while the contents are being fetched. For detailed information on
using the bind attribute and bind expressions, see “Using Ajax Data and Development Features” on page 648 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Example
The following simple example shows how you can use the cfdiv tag. It uses binding to display the contents of a text
input field in an HTML DIV region.
The cfdivtag.cfm file, the main application file, has the following contents.


cfdiv Example






 using a div





The divsource.cfm file that defines the contents of the div region has the following code:

Echoing main page input:



#url.InputText#

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 119
CFML Reference


No input



To test the code, run the cfdivtag.cfm page, enter some text, and tab out of the text box or click outside the text box.
The div region appears with a light blue background and red text, and when you exit the text box, it shows the text
you entered.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 120
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cfdocument
Description
Creates PDF or FlashPaper output from a text block containing CFML and HTML.
Category
Data output tags
Syntax

HTML and CFML code


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfdocumentitem, cfdocumentsection, cfformUsage, cfpdf, cfpdfform, cfpresentation, cfprint,
cfreport

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the following attributes and variables:

•

bookmark attribute

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 121
CFML Reference

•

localUrl attribute

•

Ability to embed existing PDF forms by using the cfpdfform tag in the cfdocument tag.

• ColdFusion determines the MIME type of a source file based on the source filename, if the mimeType attribute
is not specified.
•

Ability to pass a PDF variable created with the cfdocument tag as the source for the cfpdf tag.

•

authPassword, authUser, proxyHost, proxyPassword, proxyPort, proxyUser, and userAgent attributes

•

saveAsName attribute

•

totalsectionpagecount and currentsectionpagenumber scope variables.

ColdFusion MX 7.01: Added the src, srcfile, and mimetype attributes.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

authPassword

Optional

Default

Description
Password sent 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.
authUser

Optional

backgroundVisible

Optional

bookmark

encryption

Optional

Optional

User name sent 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.
no

no

none

Specifies whether the background prints when the user prints the document:

•

yes: includes the background when printing.

•

no: does not includes the background when printing.

Specifies whether bookmarks are created in the document:

•

yes: creates bookmarks.

•

no: does not create bookmarks.

(format="PDF" only) Specifies whether the output is encrypted:

•
•
•
filename

Optional

128-bit
40-bit
none

Name of a file to contain the PDF or FlashPaper output.
If you omit the filename attribute, ColdFusion displays the output in the
browser.

fontEmbed

format

Optional

Required

yes

Specifies whether ColdFusion embeds fonts in the output:

•

yes: embeds fonts.

•

no: does not embed fonts.

•

selective: embed sall fonts except Java fonts and core fonts.

Report format:

•

PDF

•

FlashPaper

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 122
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

localUrl

Optional

no

Specifies whether to retrieve image files directly from the local drive:

• yes: ColdFusion retrieves image files directly from the local drive rather
than by using HTTP, HTTPS, or proxy.
•

no: ColdFusion uses HTTP, HTTPS, or proxy to retrieve image files even if the
files are stored locally.

For more information, see “Using an image file URL” on page 125.
marginBottom

Optional

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

marginLeft

Optional

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

marginRight

Optional

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

marginTop

Optional

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

mimeType

Optional

text/html

MIME type of the source document. Supported MIME types are:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

text/html
text/plain
application/xml
image/bmp
image/jpeg
image/png
image/gif

If you do not specify this attribute explicitly, ColdFusion uses the filename to
determine the MIME type.
name

Optional

orientation

Optional

Name of an existing variable into which the tag stores the PDF or FlashPaper
output.
portrait

Page orientation:

•

portrait

•

landscape

overwrite

Optional

ownerPassword

Optional

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

pageHeight

Optional

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.

no

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 123
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

pageType

Optional

letter

Page type 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.

•

B4: 9.88 inches x 13.88 inches.

•

B5: 7 inches x 9.88 inches.

•

B4-JIS: 10.13 inches x 14.31 inches.

•

B5-JIS: 7.19 inches x 10.13 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 whether the units are inches or centimeters.
pageWidth

Optional

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.

permissions

Optional

(format="PDF" only) Sets one or more of the following permissions:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

AllowPrinting
AllowModifyContents
AllowCopy
AllowModifyAnnotations
AllowFillIn
AllowScreenReaders
AllowAssembly
AllowDegradedPrinting

Separate multiple permissions with commas.
proxyHost

Optional

Host name or IP address of a proxy server to which to send the request.

proxyPassword

Optional

Password required by the proxy server.

proxyPort

Optional

proxyUser

Optional

scale

Optional

saveAsName

Optional

(format="PDF" only) The filename that appears in the SaveAs dialog when a
user saves a PDF file written to the browser.

src

Optional

URL or the relative path to the web root. You cannot specify both the src and
srcfile attributes. The file must be in a browser-writable format such as,
HTML, HTM, BMP, PNG, and so on.

srcfile

Optional

Absolute path of a file that is on the server. You cannot specify both the src and
srcfile attributes. The file must be in a browser-writable format such as,
HTML, HTM, BMP, PNG, and so on.

unit

Optional

80

The port to connect to on the proxy server.
User name to provide to the proxy server.

Calculated by
ColdFusion

in

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

Default unit for the pageHeight, pageWidth, and margin attributes:

•

in: inches.

•

cm: centimeters.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 124
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

userAgent

Optional

ColdFusion

Text to put in the HTTP User-Agent request header field. Used to identify the
request client software.

userPassword

Optional

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

Usage
Use the cfdocument tag to render HTML and CFML output into PDF or FlashPaper format. ColdFusion 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 (For more information, see “Supported CSS styles” on page 124).

The cfdocument tag does not support the Internet Explorer-specific HTML generated by Microsoft Word.
You can use the src, srcfile, and mimeType attributes to create PDF or FlashPaper output from a specified file or
URL. Use the src and srcfile attributes instead of using the cfhttp tag to display the result in the cfdocument
tag. When you specify the src or srcfile attributes, do not include any other content inside the cfdocument tag:
ColdFusion ignores the additional content.
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.
Note: If you notice that the header text is cropped in the cfdocument tag output, increase the value of the marginTop
attribute.
Supported CSS styles

The cfdocument tag supports the following CSS styles:
:

background

background-attachment

background-color

background-image

background-position

background-repeat

border

border-bottom

border-bottom-color

border-bottom-style (solid
border only)

border-bottom-width

border-color

border-left

border-left-color

border-left-style (solid border
only)

border-left-width

border-right

border-right-color

border-right-style (solid border
only)

border-right-width

border-spacing

border-style (solid border only)

border-top

border-top-color

border-top-style (solid border
only)

border-top-width

border-width

bottom

clear

clip

color

content (strings, counters only)

counter-increment

counter-reset

cursor

display

float

font

font-family

font-size

font-style

font-weight

height

left

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 125
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letter-spacing

line-height

list-style-type

margin

margin-bottom

margin-left

margin-right

margin-top

outline

outline-color

outline-style (solid, dotted,
dashed only)

outline-width

padding

padding-bottom

padding-left

padding-right

padding-top

page-break-after

page-break-before

page-break-inside

position

right

text-align

text-decoration

text-indent

top

unicode-bidi

vertical-align

visibility

white-space (normal, nowrap
only)

width

z-index

Using an image file URL

For optimal performance and reliability, Adobe recommends that you specify a local file URL for images stored on
the server. In the following example, the cfdocument tag requests the server for images over HTTP even though the
image files are stored locally:





bird





fruit





rose







Also, in some applications, the browser displays a Red X image error instead of the image in the browser. For better
performance, and to avoid Red X image errors, set the localUrl attribute to yes:





bird





fruit





rose






Scope variables

When you use the cfdocument tag, ColdFusion creates a scope named cfdocument. This scope contains the
following variables:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 126
CFML Reference

• currentpagenumber
• totalpagecount
• totalsectionnumber
• currentsectionpagenumber
ColdFusion 8 lets you use the scope variables inside any expression within a cfdocumentitem tag. For example, you
can use the currentpagenumber variable to place the section name on even pages and the chapter name on odd
pages in the header, as follows:



#sectionTitle#

#chapterTitle#


...

Bookmarks

ColdFusion 8 supports bookmarks. In the cfdocument tag, set the bookmark attribute to yes. Then do one of the
following:

•

Specify the bookmark name for each cfdocumentsection tag.

•

Use the cfdocumentitem type = "bookmark".

The following example shows how to specify bookmarks for document sections:










Example
Example 1



This is a document rendered by the cfdocument tag.



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 127
CFML Reference





Name
Role




Bill
Lead




Susan
Principal Writer



Adelaide
Part Time Senior Writer




Thomas
Full Time for 6 months




Michael
Full Time for 4 months






Example 2






#cfdocument.currentsectionpagenumber# of
#cfdocument.totalsectionpagecount#








#cfdocument.currentpagenumber# of
#cfdocument.totalpagecount#






Section 1


Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor
incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud
exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor
in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur
sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est
laborum.





Section 2


Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor
incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud
exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor
in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur
sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est
laborum.





Section 3



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 128
CFML Reference

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor
incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud
exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor
in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur
sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est
laborum.





ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 129
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cfdocumentitem
Description
Specifies action items for a PDF or FlashPaper document created by the cfdocument tag. Action items include the
following:

•
•
•

header
footer
pagebreak

Category
Data output tags
Syntax




Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfreport, cfdocument, cfdocumentsection

History
ColdFusion 8: Added support for cfdocument.currentpagenumber, cfdocument.totalpagecount
cfdocument.totalsectionpagecount, and cfdocument.currentsectionpagenumber scope variables.
ColdFusion MX 7.01: Added the src, srcfile, and mimetype attributes.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

type

Required

Default

Description
Specifies the action:

•

pagebreak: starts a new page at the location of the tag.

• header: uses the text between the  and 
tags as the running header.
• footer: uses 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 page break, running header, or running footer.
ColdFusion 8 added support for cfdocument scope variables within the cfdocumentitem tag. 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:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 130
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...

SELECT parkname, suptmgr from parks


National Parks Report


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


Park list






Park
Manager




#parkname#
#suptmgr#







ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 131
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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



Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfreport, cfdocument, cfdocumentitem

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the name, authPassword, authUser, and userAgent attributes.
ColdFusion MX 7.01: Added the src, srcfile, and mimetype attributes.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag and the margintop, marginbottom, marginleft, marginright attributes.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

authPassword

Optional

Password sent 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.

authUser

Optional

User name sent 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.

marginBottom

Optional

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

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 132
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

marginRight

Optional

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

marginTop

Optional

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

mimeType

Optional

text/html

Description

MIME type of the source document. Supported MIME types are:

•

text/html

•
•
•
•
•

text/plain
application/xml
image/jpeg
image/png
image/gif

If you do not specify this attribute explicitly, ColdFusion uses the filename to determine the MIME type.
name

Optional

Bookmark name for the section.

src

Optional

URL or the relative path to the web root. You cannot specify both the src and
srcfile attributes.

srcfile

Optional

Absolute path of a file that is on the server. You cannot specify both the src and
srcfile attributes.

userAgent

Optional

ColdFusion

Text to put in the HTTP User-Agent request header field. Used to identify the request
client software.

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 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. The cfdocumentsection tag forces a page break so that each section starts on a new page.
ColdFusion 8 added the name attribute to support bookmarks. Bookmarks defined at the documentsection tag
level are children of the cfdocument root.
Example
Example 1

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


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 133
CFML Reference


Page #cfdocument.currentpagenumber#


#dept_name#











Employee
Salary





#empSalary.lastname#, #empSalary.firstname#


#DollarFormat(empSalary.salary)#





Total
#DollarFormat(deptTotal)#








Example 2: Bookmarks










ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 134
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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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcookie, cfparam, cfsavecontent, cfschedule, cfset, cftimer, cfwddx

History
• ColdFusion 8: Added the show, format, hide, keys, metainfo, output, and showUDFs attributes.

•

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 135
CFML Reference

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

var

Required

Default

Description
Variable to display. Enclose a variable name in number signs.
These kinds of variables yield meaningful cfdump output:

expand

Optional

yes

•

array

•

CFC

•

COM object

•

file object

•

Java object

•

simple

•

query

•

structure

•

UDF

•

wddx

•

xml

•

yes: in Internet Explorer and Mozilla, expands views.

•

no: contracts expanded views.

format

Optional

text

Use with the output attribute to specify whether to save the results of
a cfdump to a file in text or HTML format.

hide

Optional

all

For a query, this is a column name or a comma-delimited list of column
names. For a structure, this is a key or a comma-delimited list of keys.
If you specify a structure element that doesn’t exist, ColdFusion ignores
it and does not generate an error.

keys

Optional

9999

For a structure, the number of keys to display.

label

Optional

metainfo

Optional

yes

For use with queries only. Includes information about the query in the
cfdump results, including whether the query was cached, the execution
time, and the SQL. You must specify metainfo="no" to exclude this
information from the query result.

output

Optional

browser

Where to send the results of cfdump. The following values are valid:

A string; header for the dump output. Ignored if the value of the var
attribute is a simple types.

•
•

browser

•

filename

console

The filename should include the full pathname of the file. You can
specify an absolute path, or a path that is relative to the ColdFusion
temporary directory. You can use the GetTempDirectory() function
to determine the ColdFusion temporary directory.
show

Optional

all

showUDFs

Optional

yes

top

Optional

9999

For a query, this is a column name or a comma-delimited list of column
names. For a structure, this is a key or a comma-delimited list of keys.

•

yes: includes UDFs, with the methods collapsed.

•

no: excludes UDFs.

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 136
CFML Reference

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





myfile = FileOpen("c:\temp\test1.txt", "read");

myfile refers to:


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 137
CFML Reference

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 no, 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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 138
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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 yes, and the values of the expressions in the containing cfif tag and
preceding cfelseif tags are no, 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 298.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 139
CFML Reference

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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfrethrow, cfthrow, cftry, “Handling Errors” on page 247 in the ColdFusion 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
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

template

Required

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

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” on page 255
in the ColdFusion 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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 140
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

exception

Optional

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.
mailTo

Optional

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.

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 error-handling 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:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 141
CFML Reference

Page type

Description

Use

Exception

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

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#.

Validation

Handles data input validation errors that occur when submitting a form
that uses hidden form-field validation or onSubmit validation.

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

Handles hidden form-field or onSubmit
format validation errors only.

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 142
CFML Reference

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#
    



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 143
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cfexchangecalendar
Description
Creates, deletes, modifies, gets, and responds to Microsoft Exchange calendar events, and gets calendar event attachments.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Communications tags
Syntax
create

delete

deleteAttachments

get

getAttachments

generateUniqueFilenames = "no|yes"

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 144
CFML Reference

modify

respond

notify = "yes|no">

Note: For all actions, see cfexchangeconnection for additional attributes that you use if you do not specify the
connection attribute. If you omit the connection attribute, you must create a temporary connection by specifying
cfexchangeconnection tag attributes in the cfexchangecalendar tag. In this case, ColdFusion closes the
connection when the tag completes. For details, see the cfexchangeconnection tag open action.
Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfexchangeconnection, cfexchangecontact, cfexchangefilter, cfexchangemail, cfexchangetask,
“Working with meetings and appointments” on page 1030 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

action

N/A

Required

Default

Description
The action to take. Must be one of the following values:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
attachmentPath getAttachments

Optional

create
delete
deleteAttachments
get
getAttachments
modify
respond

The filepath of the directory in which to put the attachments. If the
directory does not exist, ColdFusion creates it.
Note: 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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 145
CFML Reference

Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

connection

all

Optional

Default

Description
The name of the connection to the Exchange server, as specified in
the cfexchangeconnection tag.
If you omit this attribute, you must create a temporary connection
by specifying cfexchangeconnection tag connection attributes in
the cfexchangecalendar tag.

event

create

Required

A reference to the structure that contains the event properties to be
set or changed, and their values. You must specify this attribute in
number signs (#).

modify

For more information on the event structure, see Usage.
generateUnique getAttachments
Filenames

Optional

message

Optional

The text of an optional message to send in the response or deletion
notification.

Required

The name of the ColdFusion query variable that contains the
retrieved events or information about the attachments that were
retrieved. For more information on the returned data, see Usage.

delete

no

respond
name

get
getAttachments

notify

delete

Optional

respond
responseType

respond

Required

true

A Boolean value that specifies whether to generate unique filenames if multiple attachments have the same filenames. If two or
more attachments have the same filename and this option is yes,
ColdFusion appends a number to the filename body (before the
extension) of any conflicting filenames. Thus, if three attachments
have the name myfile.txt, ColdFusion saves the attachments as
myfile.txt, myfile1.txt, and myfile2.txt.

Boolean value that specifies whether to notify others of the changes
made to the event.
Must be one of the following values:

•
•
•

accept
decline
tentative

result

create

Optional

The name of a variable that contains the UID of the event that is
created. You use the UID value in the uid attribute of actions other
than create to identify the event to be acted on.

uid

delete

Required

Case-sensitive Exchange UID value or values that uniquely identify
the event or events on which to perform the action.

getAttachments
modify
respond

For the delete action, this attribute can be a comma-delimited list
of UID values.
The deleteAttachments, getAttachments, modify, and
respond actions allow only a single UID value.

Usage
The cfexchangecalendar tag manages calendar events on the Exchange server. Use the cfexchangecalendar to
do the following actions:

•

Create an appointment or meeting event. You can create all-day events.

•

Delete one or more events.

• Get one or more events that conform to an optional set of filter specifications, such as the subject, sender or
recipient ID, time received, and so on.
•

Get the attachments for a specific event.

•

Modify an existing event.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 146
CFML Reference

•

Respond to an event.

To use this tag, you must have a connection to an Exchange server. If you are using multiple tags that interact with
the Exchange server, such as if you are creating several contact records, use the cfexchangeconnection tag to create
a persistent connection. Then specify the connection identifier in each cfexchangecalendar tag, or in any other
ColdFusion Exchange tag, if you are also accessing tasks, contacts, or mail. Doing this eliminates the overhead of
creating and closing the connection for each tag.
Alternatively, you can create a temporary connection that lasts only for the time that ColdFusion processes the single
cfexchangecalendar tag. To do this, specify the connection attributes directly in the cfexchangecontact tag. For
details on the connection attributes, see the cfexchangeconnection tag.
Note: To create an Exchange calendar appointment, create a calendar event and do not specify any required or optional
attendees.
The create action

When you specify the create action, the event attribute must specify a structure that contains the information that
defines the events. The structure can have the following entries:
Element

Default

Description

AllDayEvent

no

A Boolean value that indicates whether this is an all-day event.
One or more paths to the files to send as attachments. Separate filepaths with semicolons (;)
for Windows, and colons (:) for UNIX and Linux. Paths to the attachments must be absolute.

Attachments

If you specify one or more attachments for a modify action, the specified attachments are
added to any existing attachments; the pre-existing attachments are not deleted.
Duration

The duration of the event in minutes.

EndTime

The end time of the event, in any valid ColdFusion date-time format.

Importance

normal

One of the following values:

•

high

•

normal

•

low.

IsRecurring

A Boolean value that indicates whether this event repeats. If yes, you must specify a
RecurrenceType element and elements to specify the recurrence details. For information on
the recurrence fields, see the next table.

Location

A string that specifies the location of the event.

Message

A string that contains a message about the event. The string can include HTML formatting.

OptionalAttendees

A comma-delimited list of mail IDs.

Organizer

A string that specifies the name of the meeting organizer.

Reminder

The time, in minutes before the event, at which to display a reminder message.

RequiredAttendees

A comma-delimited list of mail IDs.

Resources

A comma-delimited list of mail IDs for Exchange scheduling resources, such as conference
rooms and display equipment.

Sensitivity

The valid values are normal, company-confidential, personal, and private.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 147
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Element

Default

Description
The start time of the event, in any valid ColdFusion date-time format.

StartTime

If you specify a date and time in this attribute and specify a YEARLY RecurrenceType with
no other recurrence attributes, the event recurs yearly at the day and time specified in this
attribute.
A string that describes the event subject.

Subject

The following table lists the elements that you use to specify the event recurrence if you set the IsRecurring field
to a yes value. For a detailed description of how to specify event recurrence, see “Specifying Calendar recurrence”
on page 1032 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Element

Type

Default

Description

RecurrenceType

all

DAILY

Used only if the structure has a yes IsRecurring element. Must be one of the
following values:

•
•
•
•

DAILY
WEEKLY
MONTHLY
YEARLY

RecurrenceNoEndDate

all

RecurrenceCount

all

The number of times the event recurs. Cannot be used with
RecurrenceEndDate or RecurrenceNoEndDate.

RecurrenceEndDate

all

The date of the last recurrence. Cannot be used with RecurrenceCount or
RecurrenceEndDate.

RecurrenceFrequency

DAILY,
WEEKLY,
MONTHLY

RecurEveryWeekDay

DAILY

The recurrence of the event on every week day, but not on Saturday or Sunday.
Cannot be used with RecurrenceFrequency.

RecurrenceDays

WEEKLY

The day or days of the week on which the event occurs. Must be one or more of
the following values in a comma-delimited list:

yes

1

Boolean value; if yes, the event recurs until you change or delete the event.
Cannot be used with RecurrenceCount or RecurrenceEndDate.

The frequency of the recurrence in days, weeks, or months, depending on the
type. For example, for DAILY recurrence, a RecurrenceFrequency of 3 schedules the event every three days.

MON, TUE, WED, THU, FRI, SAT, SUN

If you omit this field for a weekly recurrence, the event recurs on the day of the
week that corresponds to the specified start date.
RecurrenceDay

MONTHLY,
YEARLY

The day of the week on which the event occurs. Must be one of the following
values:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 148
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Element

Type

RecurrenceWeek

MONTHLY,
YEARLY

Default

Description
The week of the month or year on which the event recurs.
The valid values are:

•
•
•
•
•
RecurrenceMonth

YEARLY

first
second
third
fourth
last

The month of the year on which the event recurs. The valid values are JAN, FEB,
MAR, APR, MAY, JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, and DEC.

The delete action

When you specify the delete action, you must specify a uid attribute with a comma-delimited list of one or more
Exchange UIDs that identify the events to delete. Use the get action, with an appropriate filter expression, to
determine the UID values to specify.
If all UIDs that you specify are invalid, the cfexchangecalendar tag generates an error. If at least one UID is valid,
the tag ignores any invalid UIDs and deletes the items specified by the valid UID.
The get action

When you specify the get action, use child cfexchangefilter tags to specify the messages to get. For detailed
information on filters, see cfexchangefilter.
When the tag completes processing, the query object specified by the name attribute contains one record for each
retrieved message. Each record has the following columns:
AllDayEvent

Duration

EndTime

From

HasAttachment

HtmlMessage

Importance

IsRecurring

Location

Message

OptionalAttendees

Organizer

Reminder

RequiredAttendees

Resources

Sensitivity

StartTime

Subject

UID

The following table describes the From, HtmlMessage, Message, and UID fields. For detailed information on the
other fields, see the table in the create action description.
Column

Description

From

The Exchange ID of the person who created the event.

HtmlMessage

An HTML-formatted version of the message about the event.

Message

A plain-text version of the message about the event.

UID

The Exchange unique identifier for the mail event. Use this value to identify the event in the delete,
getAttachments, and modify actions.

The getAttachments action

When you use the getAttachments action, you must specify a single UID and a name attribute. The
cfexchangecalendar tag populates a query object with the specified name. Each record has the following information about an attachment to the event specified by the UID:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 149
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Column

Description

attachmentFileName

The filename of the attachment.

attachmentFilePath

The absolute path of the attachment file on the server. If you omit the attachmentPath attribute, this column
contains the empty string.

CID

The content-ID of the attachment. Typically used in HTML img tags to embed images in a message.

mimeType

The MIME type of the attachment, such as text/html.

isMessage

A Boolean value that specifies whether the attachment is a message.

size

The attachment size in bytes.

The tag places the attachments in the directory specified by the attachmentPath attribute. If you omit the
attachmentPath attribute, ColdFusion does not get any attachments, it gets the information about the attachments.
This lets you determine the event’s attachments without incurring the overhead of getting the attachment files.
The modify action

When you specify the modify action, you select the event to modify by specifying a uid attribute with single event
UID; multiple UIDs are not allowed. You populate the event structure with only the fields that you are changing.
For a detailed description of the fields and their valid values, see the table in the create action.
If an event has attachments and you specify attachments when you modify the event, the new attachments are added
to the previous attachments; they do not replace them. You must use the deleteAttachments action to remove any
attachments.
The respond action

You use the respond action to respond to a meeting notification that you received by using the cfexchangemail
tag. A meeting does not appear in your calendar, and cannot be accessed by using the cfexchangecalendar tag,
until you respond to the mail message and accept or tentatively accept the request.
When you specify the respond action, you must specify the UID, from the notification mail message, of the event
to which you are responding. You must also specify the response type; that is, whether you are accepting, rejecting,
or tentatively accepting the event. You can optionally specify a message to include in the response and set a flag
whether to notify the creator of the event of your response.
For detailed information on using the respond action, see “Working with meeting notices and requests” on
page 1030 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Example
The following example lets you create, and then modify a calendar event. When you first submit the form,
ColdFusion creates the calendar event and redisplays the form with the data you entered. You should accept the event
before you modify the form and resubmit it. When you submit the form a second time, ColdFusion sends the modification information. For more information, see “Working with meetings and appointments” on page 1030 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
This example resends all the event data (to limit the example length), but you could change the example so that it
only sends modified data.





ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 150
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sEvent.AllDayEvent="no";
sEvent=StructNew();
sEvent.Subject=Form.subject;
if (IsDefined("Form.allDay")) {
sEvent.AllDayEvent="yes";
sEvent.StartTime=createDateTime(Year(Form.date), Month(Form.date),
Day(Form.date), 8, 0, 0);
}
else {
sEvent.StartTime=createDateTime(Year(Form.date), Month(Form.date),
Day(Form.date), Hour(Form.startTime), Minute(Form.startTime), 0);
sEvent.EndTime=createDateTime(Year(Form.date), Month(Form.date),
Day(Form.date), Hour(Form.endTime), Minute(Form.endTime), 0);
}
sEvent.Location=Form.location;
sEvent.RequiredAttendees=Form.requiredAttendees;
sEvent.OptionalAttendees=Form.optionalAttendees;
//sEvent.Resources=Form.resources;
if (Form.reminder NEQ "") {
sEvent.Reminder=Form.reminder;
}
else {
sEvent.Reminder=0;
}
sEvent.Importance=Form.importance;
sEvent.Sensitivity=Form.sensitivity;
sEvent.message=Form.Message;







Event Added. UID is#theUID#





Event ID #Form.eventID# Updated.




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 151
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ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 152
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cfexchangeconnection
Description
Opens or closes a persistent connection to an Microsoft Exchange server, or gets information about mailbox
subfolders. You must have a persistent or temporary connection to use the cfexchangecalendar,
cfexchangecontact, cfexchangemail, and cfexchangetask tags.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Communications tags
Syntax
open

server = "Exchange server ID"
username = "Exchange user ID">
optional
ExchangeServerLanguage = "Language name"
formBasedAuthentication = "no|yes">
mailboxName = "Exchange mailbox">
password = "user password"
port = "IP port"
protocol = "http|https"
proxyHost = "proxy host URL"
proxyPort = "proxy IP port"
getSubfolders

name = "query name"
optional
folder = "Exchange folder path">
recurse = "no|yes">
OR

optional
ExchangeServerLanguage = "Language name"
folder = "Exchange folder path">
formBasedAuthentication = "no|yes">
mailboxName = "Exchange mailbox">
password = "user password"
port = "IP port"
protocol = "http|https"
proxyHost = "proxy host URL"
proxyPort = "proxy IP port"

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 153
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recurse = "no|yes">
close


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfexchangecalendar, cfexchangecontact, cfexchangefilter, cfexchangemail, cfexchangetask

“Managing connections to the Exchange server” on page 1014 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

action

all

Required

Default

Description
The action to take. Must be one of the following
values:

•

open: Open a new persistent named connec-

tion

•

close: Close a named connection

• getSubfolders: Get information about the
subfolders of a specific folder.
connection

all

Required for
open and

The name of the connection. You can specify this
ID in any tag that you use with the open connection.

close

actions
ExchangeServerLanguage

open

Optional

english

Optional

The root of the The forward slash (/) delimited path from the root
mailbox
of the mailbox to the folder for which to get
subfolders.

getSubfolders

folder

getSubfolders

The language of the Exchange server. If you are not
sure, you can specify the empty string. For all
values except english, including the empty string,
the tag tries to get folder names from the server in
the client’s local language. In some cases, such as
when there is a large amount of data on the server,
it might take significant time to get folder names
from Exchange server in the local language.

If a folder name contains a forward slash, use the
_xF8FF_ escape sequence to specify the character
in the name.
formBasedAuthentication

open
getSubfolders

Optional

no

A Boolean value that specifies whether to display a
login form and use form based authentication
when making the connection. If the attribute
value is no (the default), and the Exchange server
returns a 440 error status when ColdFusion tries to
connect, ColdFusion displays the login form and
attempts to use form based authentication. Therefore, you can safely omit this attribute if you do not
know if the server requires form based authentication.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 154
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Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

Default

mailboxName

open

Optional

The ID of the Exchange mailbox to use. Specify this
attribute to access a mailbox whose owner has
delegated access rights to the account specified in
the username attribute.

getSubfolders

Description

name

getSubfolders

Required

The name of the ColdFusion query variable that
contains information about the subfolders.

password

open

Optional

The user’s password for accessing the Exchange
server.

getSubfolders
port

open

Optional

80

The port on the server connect to, most commonly
port 80.

Optional

http

The protocol to use for the connection. Valid
values are http and https.

getSubfolders
protocol

open
getSubfolders

proxyHost

open

Optional

The URL or IP address of a proxy host, if required
for access to the network.

Optional

The port on the proxy server to connect to, most
commonly port 80.

getSubfolders
proxyPort

open
getSubfolders

recurse

getSubfolders

Optional

false

A Boolean value:

• true: get information on the immediate
subfolders of the specified folder only.
•

false: get information on all levels of
subfolders of the specified folder.
server

open

Required

The IP address or URL of the server that is
providing access to Exchange.

Required

The Exchange user ID.

getSubfolders
username

open
getSubfolders

Note: If you specify the getSubfolders action, you can specify the attributes that are listed as working for both the
open and getSubfolders actions only if you do not specify a connection attribute.
Usage
The cfexchangeconnection tag can open or close a persistent connection with an Exchange server. If you use the
cfexchangeconnection to open a connection before you use any cfexchangecalendar, cfexchangecontact,
cfexchangemail, or cfexchangetask tags, you can use multiple tags to interact with the Exchange server without
incurring the overhead of creating a connection for each tag.
Note: To establish any connection, the Exchange server must grant you Outlook Web Access. For information on how to
enable this access, see “Enabling Outlook web access” on page 1015 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Use the cfexchangeconnection tag to close a persistent connection when you are finished accessing the Exchange
server. If you do not close the connection, it remains open and does not time out.
The cfexchangecalendar, cfexchangecontact, cfexchangemail, and cfexchangetask tags also let you specify
the open action connection attributes (but not the connection attribute) to create a temporary connection that lasts
for the duration of the single tag’s activities, without requiring you to use the cfexchangeconnection tag to create
the connection. In this case, ColdFusion automatically closes the connection when the tag completes processing.
The getSubfolders action can get information about the immediate subfolders of a specified folder (or of the top
level of the mailbox), or information about all levels of subfolders. You must have a persistent connection to get the
subfolders.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 155
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The query returned by the getSubfolders action has the following columns:
Column

Contents

FOLDERNAME

The name of the subfolder, for example, ColdFusion.

FOLDERPATH

The forward slash (/) delimited path to the folder from the mailbox root, including the folder name, for example,
Inbox/Marketing/ColdFusion.

FOLDERSIZE

Size of the folder in bytes.

Note: The ColdFusion exchange tags, including cfexchangeconnection use WebDAV to connect to the exchange
server. HTTP access must be enabled on the exchange server to use the tags.
Example
The following example opens a connection, gets all mail sent from spamsource.com, and deletes the messages from
the Exchange server:









ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 156
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cfexchangecontact
Description
Creates, deletes, modifies, and gets Microsoft Exchange contact records, and gets contact record attachments.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Communications tags
Syntax
create

delete

deleteAttachments

get

getAttachments

modify




Name





Address









Phone



Email








sContact.FirstName=Form.firstName;
sContact.Company=Form.company;
sContact.LastName=Form.lastName;
sContact.BusinessAddress.Street=Form.street;
sContact.BusinessAddress.City=Form.city;
sContact.BusinessAddress.State=Form.state;
sContact.BusinessAddress.Country=Form.country;
sContact.BusinessPhoneNumber=Form.businessPhone;
sContact.MobilePhoneNumber=Form.cellPhone;
sContact.BusinessFax=Form.fax;
sContact.Email1=Form.email;





Contact Added. UID is#theUID#



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 162
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cfexchangefilter
Description
Specifies filter parameters that control the actions of cfexchangemail, cfexchangecalendar, cfexchangetask,
and cfexchangecontact, get operations.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Communications tags
Syntax

OR


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfexchangecalendar, cfexchangeconnection, cfexchangecontact, cfexchangemail, cfexchangetask,
“Getting Exchange items and attachments” on page 1019 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

name

Required

The type of filter to use.

from

Optional

The start date or date/time combination of the range to use for filtering. Cannot be used with
the value attribute. If you specify a from attribute without a to attribute, the filter selects for
all entries on or after the specified date or time.
The value can be in any date/time format recognized by ColdFusion, but must correspond to
a value that is appropriate for the filter type.

to

Optional

The end date or date/time combination for the range used for filtering. Cannot be used with
the value attribute. If you specify a to attribute without a from attribute, the filter selects for
all entries on or before the specified date or time.
The value can be in any date/time format recognized by ColdFusion, but must correspond to
a value that is appropriate for the filter type.

value

Optional

The filter value for all filters that do not take a date or time range. Cannot be used with the
from and to attributes.

ColdFusion generates an error if you specify this attribute with an empty contents. Therefore,
you cannot use the empty string to search for empty values.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 163
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The cfexchangeCalendar tag filters can have the following name attributes and associated value, or to and from
attributes that you use to specify the filter parameters for the specified action:
name attribute

Specification
attributes

Valid specification attribute values

maxRows

value

A positive integer specifying the maximum number of matching rows to return. By default,
the maximum number of rows is 100.

allDayEvent

value

A Boolean value.

duration

value

An integer number of minutes.

endTime

from

A string that ColdFusion can interpret as a date-time value.

to
fromID

value

An Exchange user ID.

hasAttachment

value

A Boolean value.

importance

value

One of the following values:

•
•
•

high
normal
low

isRecurring

value

A Boolean value.

location

value

A string.

message

value

A string.

optionalAttendees value

A comma-delimited list of Exchange user IDs.

organizer

A string that identifies the organizer. This value does not need to be an Exchange ID or e-mail
address.

value

requiredAttendees value

A comma-delimited list of Exchange user IDs.

sensitivity

One of the following values:

value

•
•
•
•
startTime

normal
personal
private
confidential

A string that ColdFusion can interpret as a date-time value.

from
to

subject

value

A string.

UID

value

A case-sensitive Exchange message UID that uniquely identifies one message.

The cfexchangecontact tag filters can have the following name attributes and associated value attributes. Unlike
other tags, you do not use from or to attributes.
name attribute

value attribute

maxRows

A positive integer that specifies the maximum number of matching rows to return. By default, the maximum

number of rows is 100.
assistant

A string.

businessAddress

A structure with the following fields: Street, City, State, Zip, Country.

businessFax

A string.

businessPhoneNumber

A string.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 164
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name attribute

value attribute

categories

A comma-delimited list of categories. The filter searches for contacts that match all the categories in the list.

company

A string.

description

A string.

displayAs

A string.

email1

A string.

email2

A string.

email3

A string.

firstName

A string.

hasAttachment

A Boolean value.

homeAddress

A structure with the following fields: Street, City, State, Zip, Country.

homePhoneNumber

A string.

jobTitle

A string.

lastName

A string.

mailingAddressType

One of the following values: Home, Business, Other.

manager

A string.

middleName

A string.

mobilePhoneNumber

A string.

nickName

A string.

office

A string.

otherAddress

A structure with the following fields: Street, City, State, Zip, Country.

otherPhoneNumber

A string.

pager

A string.

profession

A string.

spouseName

A string.

webPage

A string.

The cfexchangemail tag filters can have the following name attributes and associated value, or to and from
attributes that you use to specify the filter parameters for the specified action:
name attribute

Specification
attributes

Specification attribute values

maxRows

value

A positive integer that specifies the maximum number of matching rows to return. By default,
the maximum number of rows is 100.

bcc

value

A comma-delimited list of Exchange or web e-mail addresses.

cc

value

A comma-delimited list of Exchange or web e-mail addresses.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 165
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name attribute

Specification
attributes

Specification attribute values

folder

value

The forward slash (/) delimited path from the root of the Exchange mailbox to the folder to
search. By default, the filter searches the top level of the Inbox. The cfexchangemail tag
searches only the specified folder, and does not search any subfolders.
If a folder name contains a forward slash, use the _xF8FF_ escape sequence to specify the character in the name.
For the get and move actions, you can use the cfexchangemail tag folder attribute instead
of this field; however, this field takes precedence over the value specified in the folder
attribute.

fromID

value

An Exchange or web e-mail address.

hasAttachment

value

A Boolean value

importance

value

One of the following values:

•
•
•

high
normal
low

isRead

value

A Boolean value.

message

value

A string.

MessageType

value

One of the following values: Mail, Meeting, Meeting_Cancel, Meeting_Request,
Meeting_Response, or All.
If you omit this attribute, the filter gets messages of all types.
The Meeting attribute gets messages with Meeting_Cancel, Meeting_Request, and
Meeting_Response types.

MeetingUID

value

A case-sensitive Exchange calendar event UID. Meeting UIDs are used in Meeting_request or
Meeting_response message types only. Do not specify this field if you specify a MessageType
field value of Mail.

sensitivity

value

One of the following values:

•
•
•
•

normal
personal
private
confidential

subject

value

A string.

timeReceived

from

A string that ColdFusion can interpret as a date-time value.

to
timeSent

from

A string that ColdFusion can interpret as a date-time value.

to
toID

value

A comma-delimited list of Exchange or web e-mail addresses.

uid

value

A case-sensitive Exchange message UID.

The cfexchangetask tag filters can have the following name attributes and associated value, or to and from
attributes that you use to specify the filter parameters for the specified action:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 166
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name attribute

Specification
attributes

Specification attribute values

maxRows

value

A positive integer specifying the maximum number of matching rows to return. By default,
the maximum number of rows is 100.

actualWork

value

A number representing the number of hours. Use decimal numbers to specify minutes.

billingInfo

value

A string.

companies

value

A string.

dateCompleted

value

A string that ColdFusion can interpret as a date-time value.

dueDate

from

A string that ColdFusion can interpret as a date-time value.

to
mail_ID

value

A comma-delimited list of Exchange mail IDs. This filter value is useful if the connection user
has delegate rights for multiple users and you want to select the tasks of a limited number of
those users.

message

value

A string.

mileage

value

A string.

percentCompleted

value

A number between 0 and 100.

priority

value

One of the following values:

•
•
•

high
normal
low

reminderDate

value

A string that ColdFusion can interpret as a date-time value.

startDate

from

A string that ColdFusion can interpret as a date-time value.

to
status

value

Must be one of the following values:

•
•
•
•
•

NOT_STARTED
IN_PROGRESS
COMPLETED
WAITING
DEFERRED

subject

value

A string.

totalWork

value

A number that represents the number of hours. Use decimal numbers to specify minutes.

UID

value

A case-sensitive Exchange UID.

Usage
The cfexchangefilter tag specifies the conditions to match when ColdFusion gets mail messages, calendar
entries, tasks, or contacts. Only those entries that match the specified filter conditions are returned in the structure
specified by the parent tag’s name attribute. If the filter specifies a field that takes a text string, such as Message and
or Subject, ColdFusion returns items that contain the exact phrase that you specify in the value attribute.
The cfexchangefilter tag must be a child tag of a cfexchangecalendar, cfexchangecontact,
cfexchangemail, or cfexchangetask tag with an action attribute value of get.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 167
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If you specify multiple cfexchangefilter tags in the body of a ColdFusion exchange tag, such as cfexchangemail,
the specified filters are cumulative, and the selected records match the conditions specified in all the
cfexchangefilter tags. If you specify multiple cfexchangefilter tags with the same name attribute value, the
last tag with that attribute specifies the filter conditions.
Example
The following example gets the mail messages that were sent to a user during the last week from any e-mail address
that includes adobe.com. To focus on getting messages, rather than on displaying data, the example uses the cfdump
tag to show the results.








ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 168
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cfexchangemail
Description
Gets mail messages and attachments, deletes messages, and sets properties for messages on a Microsoft Exchange
server.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Communications tags
Syntax
delete

deleteAttachments

folder = "Exchange folder path">
get



...

getAttachments

getMeetingInfo

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 169
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move



...

set

uid = "message UID">
optional
connection = "connection ID"
folder = "Exchange folder path">

Note: If you omit the connection attribute, you must create a temporary connection by specifying
cfexchangeconnection tag attributes in the cfexchangemail tag. In this case, ColdFusion closes the connection
when the tag completes. For details, see the cfexchangeconnection tag open action.
Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfexchangecalendar, cfexchangeconnection, cfexchangecontact, cfexchangefilter, cfexchangetask,
“Interacting with Microsoft Exchange Servers” on page 1013 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Note: If an attribute, such as folder or destinationFolder takes a folder path, and the folder name contains forward
slashes (/), specify the folder name by using the _xF8FF_ escape character to prevent exchange from interpreting the
character as a path delimiter.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 170
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Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

action

all

Required

Default

Description
The action to take. Must be one of the following values:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
attachmentPath

getAttachments Optional

delete
deleteAttachments
get
getAttachments
getMeetingInfo
move
set

The filepath of the directory in which to put the attachments. If the directory does not exist, ColdFusion
creates it.
Note: 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.

connection

all

Optional

The name of the connection to the Exchange server, as
specified in the cfexchangeconnection tag.
If you omit this attribute, you must create a temporary
connection by specifying cfexchangeconnection
tag open action attributes in the
cfexchangecalendar tag.

destinationFolder

move

Required

The forward slash (/) delimited path, relative to the root
of the mailbox, of the folder to which to move the
message or messages.

folder

all except

Optional

The forward slash (/) delimited path, relative to the root
of the mailbox, of the folder that contains the message
or messages. The cfexchangemail tag looks in the
specified folder only, and does not search subfolders.

getMeetingInfo

For the get and move actions specifying a
cffexchangefilter child tag with a
name="folder" attribute is equivalent to setting this
attribute, and takes precedence over this attribute’s
value.
If you omit this attribute, or for get and move actions, if
you do not use the corresponding
cfexchangefilter setting, Exchange looks in the
top level of the Inbox.
generateUniqueFilenames

getAttachments

Optional

no

A Boolean value that specifies whether to generate
unique filenames if multiple attachments have the
same filenames. If two or more attachments have the
same filename and this option is yes, ColdFusion
appends a number to the filename body (before the
extension) of any conflicting filenames. Thus, if three
attachments have the name myfile.txt, ColdFusion
saves the attachments as myfile.txt, myfile1.txt, and
myfile2.txt.

mailUID

getMeetingInfo

Optional

The case-sensitive UID of the mail message that
contains the meeting request, response, or cancellation
notification. Use this attribute if there are multiple
messages about a single meeting.

meetingUID

getMeetingInfo

Required

The case-sensitive UID of the meeting for which you
received the notification.

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Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

message

set

Required

Default

Description
A reference to a structure that contains the properties
to be set and their values. You must specify this
attribute in number signs (#).
For more information on the message structure, see
Usage.

name

get

Required

The name of the ColdFusion query variable that
contains the returned mail messages or the retrieved
information about the attachments or meeting. For
more information on the returned data, see Usage.

Required

The case-sensitive UIDs of the messages on which to
perform the action.

getAttachments
getMeetingInfo
uid

delete
getAttachments
set

For the delete action, this attribute can be a commadelimited list of UID values. The
deleteAttachments, getAttachments, and set
actions allow only a single UID value.

Usage
The cfexchangemail tag performs mail actions on an Exchange server that you cannot do by using the cfmail tag.
(You must use the cfmail tag to send, forward, and reply to mail messages.) Use the cfexchangemail tag to
perform the following actions:

•

Permanently delete one or more mail messages from the server.

•

Get the attachments for a specific message.

• Get one or more messages that conform to an optional set of filter specifications, such as the subject, sender or
recipient ID, time received, and so on.
•

Get the attachments for a specific message.

• Get detailed information about a meeting for which you have a notification, such as a meeting request or cancellation notice.
•

Move one or more messages from one folder to another, including to the Deleted Items folder.

•

Set the properties of a specific mail message.

To use this tag, you must have a connection to an Exchange server. If you are using multiple tags that interact with
the exchange server, such as if you are creating several contact records, you should use the cfexchangeconnection
tag to create a persistent connection. You then specify the connection identifier in each cfexchangemail tag, or any
other ColdFusion Exchange tag, if you are also accessing tasks, contacts, or connections. Doing this saves the
overhead of creating and closing the connection for each tag.
Alternatively, you can create a temporary connection that lasts only for the time that ColdFusion processes the single
cfexchangemail tag. To do this, you specify the connection attributes directly in the cfexchangemail tag. For
details on the connection attributes, see the cfexchangeconnection tag.
The delete action

The delete action permanently deletes a message from the server, and is equivalent to the Outlook Shift-Delete
keystroke action. Use the move action to move a message to the Deleted Items folder, which is equivalent to the
Outlook Delete keystroke action.
When you specify the delete action you must specify a uid attribute with a comma-delimited list of one or more
Exchange UIDs that identify the tasks that you want to delete. You can use the get action, with an appropriate filter
expression, to determine the UID values to specify.

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If all UIDs that you specify are invalid, the cfexchangemail tag generates an error. If at least one UID is valid, the
tag ignores any invalid UIDs and deletes the items specified by the valid UID.
The get action

When you specify the get action, you use child cfexchangefilter tags to specify the messages to get. For detailed
information, see cfexchangefilter. When the tag completes processing, the query object specified by the name
attribute contains one record for each matching message that was found. Each record has the following columns:
Column

Description

BCC

A comma-delimited list of Exchange user IDs or web e-mail .

CC

A comma-delimited list of Exchange user IDs or web e-mail addresses.

Folder

The forward slash (/) delimited path from the root of the Exchange mailbox to the mail folder containing the
message.

FromID

An Exchange user IDs or web e-mail addresses.

HasAttachment

A Boolean value that indicates whether the message has at least one attachment.

HTMLMessage

A string containing a HTML-formatted version of the message.

IsRead

A Boolean value.

Message

A string with a plain-text version of the message contents.

MessageType

One of the following strings:

•
•
•

Mail

•

Meeting_Response

Meeting_Cancel
Meeting_Request

MeetingResponse

If the message type is Meeting_response, this column contains the response code as one of the
following strings: Accept, Decline, or Tentative. This field is not used for other message types.

MeetingUID

If the message type is Meeting_Cancel, Meeting_request, or Meeting_response this column
contains the UID of the calendar event for which this message was sent. Use this value in the
cfexchangecalendar tag to respond to a request. This field is not used for the Mail message type.

Sensitivity

One of the following strings:

•
•
•
•

public
private
normal
company-confidential

Subject

A string.

TimeReceived

A Coldfusion date-time object.

TimeSent

A Coldfusion date-time object.

ToId

A comma-delimited list of Exchange user IDs or web mail IDs.

UID

The Exchange UID of the message.

Note: An invitation sender can get a meeting request message only if the sender is on the attendee list.

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The getAttachments action

When you use the getAttachments action, you must specify a single UID and a name attribute. The
cfexchangecontact tag populates a query object specified by the name attribute with one record for each
attachment. Each record has the following information about the mail attachment specified by the UID:
Column name

Description

attachmentFileName

The filename of the attachment.

attachmentFilePath

The absolute path of the attachment file on the server. If you omit the attachmentPath attribute, this
column contains the empty string.

CID

The content-ID of the attachment. Used in HTML img tags to embed images in a message.

mimeType

The MIME type of the attachment, such as text/html.

isMessage

A Boolean value that specifies whether the attachment is a message.

size

The attachment size in bytes.

If you omit the attachmentPath attribute, ColdFusion does not get any attachments; it gets the information about
the attachments. This lets you determine the event’s attachments without incurring the overhead of getting the
attachment files.
If a message has multiple attachments with the same name, the attachment information structure always lists the
attachments with their original, duplicate, names, even if you specify generateUniqueFilenames="yes". The
generateUniqueFilenames attribute only affects the names of the files on disk.
The getMeetingInfo action

You use the getMeetingInfo action to get meeting-specific information, such as the meeting start and end times,
location, and so on, about a meeting for which you have received a notification message, such as an invitation request
or cancellation notice. This information is not available directly in the notification message query object that is
returned by the get action.
Note: At the time of publication, the following information does not completely reflect the behavior of the
getMeetingInfo action. For updated information, see cfexchangemail in ColdFusion 8 LiveDocs on the Adobe
website.
When you specify the getMeetingInfo action, you specify a meetingUID attribute with the UID of the meeting.
You get this UID value from the query record that is returned by the get action. You can optionally specify a
messageUID attribute with the UID of the specific message that contains the notification; if you receive multiple
messages about a single meeting, you can use this attribute to select a single notification message.
When the tag completes processing, the query object specified by the name attribute contains one record for each
matching message that was found. Each record has the following columns:
Field

Description

AllDayEvent

A Boolean value that indicates whether this is an all day event.

Duration

The duration of the event in minutes.

EndTime

The end time of the event, in ColdFusion ODBC date-time format.

From

The mail ID of the person who sent the meeting notification.

HasAttachment

A Boolean value that indicates whether this event has attachments.

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Field

Description

Importance

One of the following values:

•
•
•

high
normal
low

IsRecurring

A Boolean value that indicates whether this event repeats.

Location

A string that specifies the location of the event.

MeetingUID

The UID of the event in the calendar.

Message

A string that contains a message about the event.

OptionalAttendees

A comma-delimited list of mail IDs.

Organizer

A string. This value is not necessarily an Exchange ID or e-mail address.

Reminder

The time, in minutes before the event, at which to display a reminder message.

RequiredAttendees

A comma-delimited list of mail IDs.

Resources

A comma-delimited list of mail IDs for Exchange scheduling resources, such as conference rooms and display
equipment.

Sensitivity

One of the following values:

•
•
•
•

normal
company-confidential
personal
private

StartTime

The start time of the event, in ODBC date-time format.

Subject

A string describing the event subject.

TimeReceived

The time the message was received, in ODBC date-time format.

UID

The UID of the message that contains the event notification.

The move action

Use the move action to move one or more messages from one folder to another folder. You can use this action to move
messages to the Deleted Items folder, which is equivalent to the Outlook Delete keystroke action.
When you specify the move action you specify the destination folder, and optionally the folder containing the
messages to move. (The default source folder is the Inbox). You use child cfexchangefilter tags to specify the
messages to get. For detailed information, see cfexchangefilter.
The set action

When you specify the set action, the structure specified by the message attribute contains key-value pairs that
specify the message properties to set. The following table lists the key names and their valid values:
Key name

Valid values

IsRead

yes, no

Importance

high, normal, low

Sensitivity

normal, company-confidential, personal, private

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Example
The following example gets the attachments to all mail messages in the Inbox from docuser2 in the last week. It puts
each message’s attachments in a directory with a unique name. It cannot use the UID as a filename because, for each
message with attachments, the UID can contain the application reports of the UID, directory path, subject, date, and
sender of the message, followed by a table that lists the message’s attachments. The table includes the attachment
name, size, and MIME type.

date range --->
= Now()>
= DateAdd("d","-7", rightNow)>










Message ID #weeksmail.uid# attachments are in the directory
C:\temp\cf_files\attachments\Msg_#i#



Message information:

Subject: #weeksmail.Subject#

Sent: #dateFormat(weeksmail.TimeSent)#

From: #weeksmail.FromID#



Attachments












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cfexchangetask
Description
Creates, deletes, modifies, and gets Microsoft Exchange tasks, and gets task attachments.
Note: For all actions, see cfexchangeconnection for additional attributes that you use if you do not specify the
connection attribute.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Communications tags
Syntax
create

delete

deleteAttachments

get

getAttachments


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modify

optional
connection = "connection ID">

Note: If you omit the connection attribute, you must create a temporary connection by specifying
cfexchangeconnection tag attributes in the cfexchangetask tag. In this case, ColdFusion closes the connection
when the tag completes. For details, see the cfexchangeconnection tag open action.
Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfexchangecalendar, cfexchangeconnection, cfexchangecontact, cfexchangefilter, cfexchangemail,
“Interacting with Microsoft Exchange Servers” on page 1013 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

Attributes
The following table provides detailed information about each attribute. It lists the attribute name, the actions (action
attribute values) to which it apples, whether it is required or optional for those actions, and its default value, if any,
and provides a detailed description of the attribute and its valid values.
Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

action

all

Required

Default

Description
The action to take. Must be one of the following values:

•
•
•
•
•
•
attachmentPath getAttachments

Optional

create
delete
deleteAttachments
get
getAttachments
modify

The filepath of the directory in which to put the attachments. If the
directory does not exist, ColdFusion creates it.
Note: 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.

connection

all

Optional

The name of the connection to the Exchange server, as specified in
the cfexchangeconnection tag.
If you omit this attribute, you must create a temporary connection
by specifying cfexchangeconnection tag connection attributes
in the cfexchangetask tag.

name

get

Required

The name of the ColdFusion query variable that contains the
returned task records or information about the attachments that
were retrieved. For more information on the returned data, see
Usage.

Optional

The name of a variable that contains the UID of the task that is
created. You use this value in the uid attribute of other actions to
identify the task to be acted on.

getAttachments

result

create

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Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

Default

task

create

Required

A reference to the structure that contains the task properties to be
set or changed and their values. You must specify this attribute in
number signs (#).

Required

A case-sensitive Exchange UID value that uniquely identifies the
tasks on which to perform the action. For the delete action, this
attribute can be a comma-delimited list of UID values. The
deleteAttachments, getAttachments, and modify actions
allow only a single UID value.

modify

Description

For more information on the event structure, see Usage.
uid

delete
getAttachments
modify

When you specify the create or modify action, the task attribute must specify a structure that contains information that defines the events. The structure can have the following fields. You have to include only the fields that
you are setting or changing.
Column

Description

ActualWork

A number in minutes. Cannot be less than zero.

Attachments

The pathnames of any attachments to include in the task. To specify multiple files, separate filepaths with
semicolons (;) for Windows, and colons (:) for UNIX and Linux. You must use absolute paths.
If you specify one or more attachments for a modify action, these are added to any existing attachments;
the pre-existing attachments are not deleted.

BillingInfo

A string.

Companies

A string.

DateCompleted

A string in a date format that is valid in ColdFusion.
If you omit this field and set the Status field to completed, or set the PercentCompleted field to 100,
this value is set to the current date.
If you set this date, the Status value is set to Completed and the PercentCompleted field is set to 100.

DueDate

A string in a date format that is valid in ColdFusion.

Message

A string containing the task description.

Mileage

A string.

PercentCompleted

A number in the range 0–100.
If you set this field to 100, The following values are set:

•

The Status value is set to Completed.

•

If the DateCompleted value is or was not set, it is set to the current date.

If you set this value to a number with a value less than 100, the following values are set:

Priority

•

If Status field is or was set to Completed, the Status is set to In_Progress.

•

The DateCompleted value is cleared.

One of the following values:

•
•
•
ReminderDate

low
normal
high

A string in a date format that is valid in ColdFusion.

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Column

Description

StartDate

A string in a date format that is valid in ColdFusion. When you create a task, the default value defaults is
the current date.

Status

The following values are valid: Not_Started, In_Progress, Completed, Waiting, or Deferred.
If you omit this field and the PercentCompleted value is less than 100, the Status value it is set to
In_Progress.
If you set this field to Completed, the following values are also set:

•

The PercentCompleted value is set to 100.

•

If the DateCompleted value is not set, it is set to the current date.

If you set this field to a value other than Completed, the following values are also set:

•

If the PercentCompleted field is or was 100, the PercentCompleted value is reset to 0.

•

The DateCompleted value is set to 0.

Subject

A String.

TotalWork

A number in minutes. Cannot be less than zero.

Usage
The cfexchangetask tag manages task records on the Exchange server. Use the cfexchangetask tag to perform
the following actions:

•

Create a task.

•

Delete one or more task.

• Get one or more task records that conform to an optional set of filter specifications, such as the last name, job
title, or home phone number, and so on.
•

Get the attachments for a specific task record.

•

Modify an existing task

To use this tag, you must have a connection to an Exchange server. If you are using multiple tags that interact with
the exchange server, such as if you are creating several task records, you should use the cfexchangeconnection tag
to create a persistent connection. You then specify the connection identifier in each cfexchangetask, or any other
ColdFusion Exchange tag, if you are also accessing calendar entries, contacts, or mail. Doing this saves the overhead
of creating and closing the connection for each tag.
Alternatively, you can create a temporary connection that lasts only for the time that ColdFusion processes the single
cfexchangetask tag. To do this, you specify the connection attributes directly in the cfexchangetask tag. For

details on the connection attributes, see the cfexchangeconnection tag.
The delete action

When you specify the delete action, you must specify a uid attribute with a comma-delimited list of one or more
Exchange UIDs that identify the tasks to delete. You can use the get action, with an appropriate filter expression, to
determine the UID values to specify.
If all UIDs that you specify are invalid, the cfexchangetask tag generates an error. If at least one UID is valid, the
tag ignores any invalid UIDs and deletes the items specified by the valid UID.

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The get action

When you specify the get action, the query object specified by the name attribute contains one record for each
retrieved task. The query object has columns with the same names and data formats as the fields listed for the task
attribute structure, with the following differences:

•

The query object has a Boolean HasAttachment column, and does not have an Attachments column. If the

HasAttachment field value is yes, use the getAttachments action to retrieve the attachments.

• The query object has an additional UID column with the unique identifier for the task in the Exchange server.
You can use this value in the uid attribute of the getAttachments, delete, and modify actions to identify the
required task.
• The query object has an additional HtmlMessage column. The Message column has a plain-text version of the
task description, and the HtmlMessage column text includes the description’s HTML formatting.
You use child cfexchangefilter tags to specify the messages to get. For detailed information, see cfexchangefilter.
The getAttachments action

When you use the getAttachments action, you must specify a single UID and a name attribute. The
cfexchangetask tag populates a query object specified by the name attribute with the specified name. Each record
has the following information about an attachment to the specified task:
Column name

Description

attachmentFileName

The filename of the attachment.

attachmentFilePath

The absolute path of the attachment file on the server. If you omit the attachmentPath attribute, this
column contains the empty string.

CID

The content-ID of the attachment. Typically used in HTML img tags to embed images in a message.

mimeType

The MIME type of the attachment, such as text/html

isMessage

A Boolean value that specifies whether the attachment is a message.

size

The attachment size, in bytes.

If you omit the attachmentPath attribute, ColdFusion does not get any attachments; it gets only the information
about the attachments. This lets you determine the event’s attachments without incurring the overhead of getting the
attachment files.
The modify action

If you specify the modify action, the uid attribute must specify a single Exchange UID. The task structure needs to
specify only the fields that you are changing. Any fields that you do not specify remain unchanged. For a detailed
description of the contents of the task structure, see the Attributes section.
If a task has attachments and you specify attachments when you modify the task, the new attachments are added to
the previous attachments, and do not replace them. You must use the deleteAttachments action to remove any
attachments.
Example
The following example uses a transient connection to create a single task:


stask=StructNew();

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stask.Priority="high";
stask.Status="Not_Started";
stask.DueDate="3:00 PM 09/14/2007";
stask.Subject="My New Task";
stask.PercentCompleted=0;
Message="Do this NOW!";






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cfexecute
Description
Executes a ColdFusion developer-specified process on a server computer.
Category
Extensibility tags, Flow-control tags
Syntax

...


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcollection, cfindex, cfobject, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx

History
ColdFusion MX 6.1:

•

Added the variable attribute.

•

Changed filepath behavior for the outputFile attribute: if you do not specify an absolute filepath in the

outputFile attribute, the path is relative to the ColdFusion temporary directory.

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Required

Default

Description
Absolute path of the application to execute.
On Windows, you must specify an extension, for example, C:\myapp.exe.

arguments

Optional

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.

•
outputFile

Optional

UNIX: elements are copied into an array of exec() arguments.

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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

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.

•
variable

Optional

If the outputFile attribute is not specified, any program output is discarded

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

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.



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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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfabort, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfif, cflocation, cfloop, cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry; “cfabort and cfexit” on

page 20 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

method

Optional

exitTag

Description

•

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

Example

cfexit Example


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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.


186

cffeed
Description
Reads or creates an RSS or Atom syndication feed. This tag can read RSS versions 0.90, 0.91, 0.92, 0.93, 0.94, 1.0, and
2.0, and Atom 0.3 or 1.0. It can create RSS 2.0 or Atom 1.0 feeds.
Category
Communications tags, Internet protocol tags
Syntax
create
required

OR
required

read
required


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Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

Optional

read

The action to take, one of the following values:

•

create: creates an RSS 2.0 or Atom 1.0 feed XML document and saves it in
a variable, writes it to a file, or both.

•

read: parses an RSS or Atom feed from a URL or an XML file and saves it in
a structure or query. You can also get feed metadata in a separate structure.
columnMap

Optional

Used only for the create action with a query attribute.
A structure that specifies a mapping between the names of the columns in the
object specified by the query attribute and the columns of the ColdFusion feed
format (see the Query object rules section.
The key for each field must be a column name (see the table in the Query object
rules section). The value of the field must be the name of the corresponding
column in the query object used as input to the create action.

enclosureDir

Optional

Used only for the read action.
Path to the directory in which to save any enclosures that are available in the
feed being read. The path can be absolute or relative to the CFML file.
If the directory does not exist, ColdFusion generates an error. If you omit this
attribute, ColdFusion does not save enclosures. To specify the directory that
contains the current page, set this attribute to “.” (period).

ignoreEnclosureError

Optional

no

If this attribute is yes, ColdFusion attempts to save all enclosures. If it encounters an error downloading one enclosure, it continues downloading other
enclosures and writes the error information in the server log.
If this attribute is no, when ColdFusion encounters an error downloading an
enclosure, it stops downloading all enclosures and generates an error.
Note: Enclosure errors can occur if the specified enclosure is of a type that the
web server does not allow to be downloaded.

name

See Note

A structure that contains complete feed data:

•

The output of a read action.

•

The input definition of the feed to create.

When you specify the name attribute for a create action, you must enclose it
in number signs (#).
For more information, see “Name and properties structure rules” on page 189.
outputFile

See Note

Path of the file in which to write the feed as XML text.
The path can be absolute, or relative to the CFML file.

overwrite

Optional

no

Whether to overwrite the XML feed file if it already exists. If you do not set this
attribute to yes and the cffeed tag tries to write to a file that exists, ColdFusion
generates an error.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

overwriteEnclosure

Optional

no

Used only for the read action.
Whether to overwrite files in the enclosure directory if they already exist. If you
do not set this attribute to yes and the cffeed tag tries to write to a file that
exists, ColdFusion generates an error.

properties

See Note

A structure that contains the feed metadata, the information about the entire
feed. Can contain either of the following:

•

The output of a read action.

•

Input to a create action.

The properties and query attributes combined provide complete feed information.
When you specify the properties attribute for a create action, you must
enclose it in number signs (#).
For more information, see “Name and properties structure rules” on page 189.
proxyPassword

Optional

Password required by the proxy server.

proxyPort

Optional

proxyServer

Optional

Host name or IP address of a proxy server to which to send the request.

proxyUser

Optional

User name to provide to the proxy server.

query

See Note

A query object that contains the Atom entries or RSS items in the feed. Can
contain either of the following:

80

The port to connect to on the proxy server.

•

The output of a read action.

•

Input to a create action.

The properties and query attributes combined provide complete feed information.
When you specify the query attribute for a create action, you must enclose it
in number signs (#).
For more information, see “Query object rules” on page 190.
Required

source

Used only for the read action.
The URL of the feed or the path to the XML file that contains the feed contents.
A path can be absolute, or relative to the CFML file.

timeout

Optional

Request
time-out

The number of seconds to wait for a response from the feed source. A value of 0
specifies that the request does not time out.
By default, ColdFusion uses the request time-out setting of the ColdFusion
Administrator Server Settings > Settings page.

userAgent

Optional

xmlVar

See Note

Cold
Fusion

Text to put in the HTTP User-Agent request header field. Used to identify the
request client software.
A variable in which to save the read or created feed as XML text.

Usage
Setting and getting feed information

The cffeed tag lets you specify and save feed data in many, flexible ways.
When you create a feed

•

You specify the feed data in either of the following ways:

•

By putting all metadata and entry or item data in a single structure specified by the name attribute.

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• By putting the metadata in a structure specified by the properties structure and the entries or items as rows
in a query object specified by the query attribute.
•

You save the resulting feed XML in one or both of the following places:

•

A file specified by the OutputFile attribute. The cffeed tag saves the data in UTF-8 encoding.

•

An variable specified by the xmlVar attribute

When you read a feed
You can save the feed data in any combination of the following forms:

•

By saving all entry or item data and metadata in a single structure specified by the name attribute

•

By saving entries or items as rows in a query object specified by the query attribute

•

By saving the metadata in a structure specified by the properties structure

• By writing the feed XML in a file specified by the by the OutputFile attribute. The cffeed tag saves the data
in UTF-8 encoding.
•

By saving the feed XML in a ColdFusion XML variable specified by the xmlVar attribute

When you save feed data, you do not have to save both the metadata and the entry or item data. You can specify only
the properties attribute, or only the query attribute.
Name and properties structure rules

The name and properties structures must conform to the following rules. For more information on requirements
for specific metadata entries, see “Representing feed metadata” on page 192.:

•

All structure key names must be identical to the corresponding feed element names, with the exception of the

version and encoding fields. Also, the key names for Dublin Core and Apple® iTunes extension elements start with
DC_ and ITUNES_ respectively.

•

The properties structure fields are identical to the metadata fields in the name structure.

• When you read a feed, the structure contains only those elements and attribute values that exist in the feed. For
requirements for the create action, see “Creating feeds” on page 194.
• If the feed can have multiple elements of the same type (such as entry, item, or link), the name or property
structure has a single entry that contains the data for all of the elements. The structure entry has the following format:
•

The key is the element name (for example, item)

•

The value is an array of structures

•

Each structure in the array represents one element.

ColdFusion uses an array even if there is only a single element. If an Atom feed has only one link element, for
example, you must specify that element in a name attribute structure by using the following format:
structureName.link[1]

For example, to specify a link metadata entry in an Atom 1.0 feed, you could use the following code:




• If an element can have multiple attributes, or can have at least one attribute and a value, the element is represented as a structure, even if the element specifies only one attribute or only a value.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 190
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•

If an element has one or more attributes and a value (body), the value is in a field of the element structure named

value. For example, the text of the summary element for the third entry in an Atom feed would go in a field whose

name has the following format:
structureName.entry[3].summary.value.

•

When the cffeed tag reads a feed, it reports dates as follows:
Atom: W3C date format, such as 2006-07-11T18:19:00Z.
RSS:

in RFC 822 Format, such as Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:19:00 GMT.

• When the cffeed tag creates a feed, you can use W3C or RFC 822 formats for both feed types. You can also use
any standard date or date/time format accepted by ColdFusion.
Query object rules

The query object specified by the query attribute conforms to the following rules:

• The query object format supports multiple feed formats, and many feeds do not include all optional feed
attributes or elements. As a result:
• When you read a feed, the returned query object contains entries for all standard RSS and Atom fields, even
for fields that are not supported by the feed type. Any columns that are not used by the feed format, or are not
used in that specific feed, contain empty strings or undefined values.
• When you read a feed, the query object contains all iTunes extension fields if the feed contains any iTunes
extension elements, and the query object contains all Dublin Core extension fields if the feed contains any
Dublin Core extension elements. Otherwise, the query results do not contain any of the extension fields.
• When you create a feed, the query that you define requires only those columns that contain data for your
feed; you can omit unused columns.
• If a feed entry or item has multiple child elements with the same name, the query column represents the element
values as a comma-delimited list. RSS 2.0 items can have multiple category elements. Atom 1.0 entries can have
multiple category, author, contributor, and link elements. The Dublin Core extensions allow all multiples of all
element types.
• Many entry or item elements that can have multiple instances have multiple attributes, not all of which are
required for any particular element instance. If an entry or item has multiple instances of an element, and any of
those elements omit attributes, ColdFusion represents the omitted attribute in the lists by a space. In XML, an Atom
entry, for example, might contain three author elements, as follows:

Anthony
http://www.MyCo.com
Tony@MyCo.com


Beverly


Cathy
cathy@MyCo.com


The ColdFusion query represents these columns as follows:
AUTHOR_PERSON

AUTHOR_URI

AUTHOR_EMAIL

Anthony,Beverly,Cathy

http://www.MyCo.com, ,

Tony@MyCo.com, ,cathy@MyCo.com

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The following table lists the columns of the standard query object specified by the query attribute. If an RSS feed
includes either Dublin Core extensions or iTunes extensions, the query includes additional columns. For information on these fields, see Dublin Core Extensions and Apple iTunes Extensions.
Column

Atom entry

RSS item

AUTHOREMAIL

author element email attribute

author item

AUTHORNAME

author element name attribute

Not used

AUTHORURI

author element uri attribute

Not used

CATEGORYLABEL

category element label attribute

category item value

CATEGORYSCHEME

category element scheme attribute

category item domain attribute

CATEGORYTERM

category element term attribute

Not used

COMMENTS

Not used

comments item value

CONTENT

content element value

description item value

CONTENTMODE

content element mode attribute (Atom 0.3 only)

Not used

CONTENTSRC

content element src attribute

Not used

CONTENTTYPE

content element type attribute

Not used

CONTRIBUTOREMAIL

contributor element email attribute

Not used

CONTRIBUTORNAME

contributor element name attribute

Not used

CONTRIBUTORURI

contributor element uri attribute

Not used

CREATEDDATE

created element value (Atom 0.3 only)

Not used

EXPIRATONDATE

Not used

expirationDate item value (RSS 0.93 only)

ID

id element value

guid item value

IDPERMALINK

Not used

guid item ispermalink attribute

LINKHREF

link element href attribute

enclosure item url attribute

LINKHREFLANG

link element hreflang attribute

Not used

LINKLENGTH

link element length attribute

enclosure item length attribute

LINKREL

link element rel attribute

Not used

LINKTITLE

link element title attribute

Not used

LINKTYPE

link element type attribute

enclosure item type attribute

PUBLISHEDDATE

published element value (issued in Atom 0.3)

pubDate item value

RIGHTS

rights element value (copyright in Atom 0.3)

Not used

RSSLINK

Not used

link item value

SOURCE

Not used

source item value

SOURCEURL

Not used

source item url attribute

SUMMARY

summary element value

Not used

SUMMARYMODE

summary element mode attribute (Atom 0.3 only)

Not used

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Column

Atom entry

RSS item

SUMMARYSRC

Blank for all well-formed Atom feeds. Contains
data only if an Atom 1.0 feed uses a content
element format for the summary element.

Not used

SUMMARYTYPE

summary element type attribute

Not used

TITLE

title element value

title item value

TITLETYPE

title element type attribute

Not used

UPDATEDDATE

updated element value (modified in Atom 0.3)

Not used

URI

Not used

RSS 1.0 link item rdf:about attribute

XMLBASE

content element xml:base attribute

Not used

Representing feed metadata

When you create a feed, the name and properties structures can represent all standard metadata for RSS 2 or Atom
1 feeds, in the format described in the Name and properties structure rules section. Similarly, when you read a feed,
the structures represent all received metadata. The following rules apply to specific feed metadata fields in the name
and properties structures:

• The version field identifies or specifies the feed version in the form format_versionNumber. For the create
action, you must specify atom_1.0 or rss_2.0. When you read an RSS 0.91 feed, the version field value is
rss_0.91U, not rss_0.91.
• The feedExtension field identifies whether the feed includes iTunes or Dublin Core extension content. Valid
values are itunes and DublinCore. You do not have to specify this field when you create a feed with iTunes extensions; ColdFusion automatically determines that you have specified extension fields. (You cannot create a feed with
Dublin Core extensions.)
• For the read action, an encoding field identifies the XML encoding attribute, such as iso-8859-1. Do not
specify an encoding field for a create action. Currently, ColdFusion generates all feeds in UTF-8 format and
ignores any encoding value that you specify.
• For RSS feeds, the skiphours field contains a comma-delimited list of up to 24 numbers in the range 0–23,
specifying hours of the day when aggregators should not read the feed. The hour beginning at midnight is hour zero.
Your application can use the field to decide when to read the feed.
• For RSS feeds, the skipdays field contains a comma-delimited list of up to seven day-name values, specifying
days of the week when aggregators should not read the feed. The valid names are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Your application can use the field to decide when to read the feed.
Dublin Core Extensions

Dublin Core extension elements provide additional metadata about the feed or an item. You can use the cffeed tag
to read feeds that include elements that conform to the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set specification as metadata
(channel elements) or as item elements. For detailed information Dublin Core extension elements, see the Dublin
Core Metadata Element Set specification. At the time this topic was written, this specification was available at
http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
ColdFusion support for Dublin Core extensions has the following limitations:

•

You cannot create feeds containing these elements.

• You cannot get Dublin Core extension elements that are contained in a top-level (metadata) image element.
ColdFusion ignores these elements.

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• ColdFusion supports only the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set. It does not support the additional Dublin
Core Metadata Initiative elements and element refinements.
When feed items include the Dublin Core extensions, the query specified by a query attribute includes all of the
columns listed in the following table. If the feed does not include any Dublin Core extension elements, the query
does not include the columns. With the exception of the DC_SUBJECT_TAXONOMURI and DC_SUBJECT_VALUE
columns, each column name (without the DC_ prefix) corresponds directly to a Dublin Core extension element
name.
Column

Description

DC_CONTRIBUTOR

The people or organizations responsible for contributing to the resource

DC_COVERAGE

The extent of the content in the resource

DC_CREATOR

The person or organization responsible for creating this resource

DC_DATE

A date or date and time associated with this resource

DC_DESCRIPTION

A summary of the resource contents

DC_FORMAT

The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource

DC_IDENTIFIER

A string that can be used to unambiguously identify the resource

DC_LANGUAGE

The language in which the resource is written

DC_PUBLISHER

The person or organization responsible for making the resource available.

DC_RELATION

The identifier of a related resource, typically.

DC_RIGHT

Information about the property rights for the resource.

DC_SOURCE

A reference to the material from which this resource was derived.

DC_SUBJECT_TAXONOMYURI

The taxonomy URI attribute of the Dublin Core subject element

DC_SUBJECT_VALUE

The value of the Dublin Core subject element; a string that the topic of the resource

DC_TITLE

A name to use for the resource

DC_TYPE

The nature or genre of the resource

When you get data for a feed that includes Dublin Core elements as a structure, the element names are identical to
the query column names listed above, with the exception of the representation of the Dublin Core subject element.
The structure format represents the subject element as a dc_subject entry, which consists of an array of structures. The structures in the array have keys with the names value, for the element value, and taxononmyURI, for the
taxonomyURI attribute.
Apple iTunes Extensions

You can use the cffeed tag to create or read feeds that contain elements defined in the Apple iTunes RSS podcast
specification. For detailed information on iTunes extension format, see the Apple iTunes RSS specification. At the
time this topic was written, this specification was available at http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcaststechspecs.html.
You can create feeds with only a subset of the iTunes RSS extensions. When you read a feed, ColdFusion ignores all
iTunes extension elements that are not in the supported subset.
The following table lists the names of structure entries or query column names for the supported elements. (These
names consist of the ITUNES_ prefix followed by the iTunes extension element name.) The table also indicates which
elements are used in the metadata, which are used in the individual items, and which can be used in both:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 194
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Element

Used in

Description

ITUNES_AUTHOR

Both

Artist name

ITUNES_BLOCK

Both

a value of yes requests to prevent the podcast or item (episode) from appearing.
When ColdFusion reads a feed your application should determine this field’s value and take
any appropriate action.

ITUNES_DURATION

Item

ITUNES_EXPLICIT

Both

The length of the item in second, or in HH:MM:SS format.
A string indicating whether the item or items contain explicit material. Valid values are yes,
no, and clean.

ITUNES_KEYWORDS

Both

A comma-delimited list of words or phrases used when searching in the iTunes music store.

ITUNES_SUBTITLE

Both

Short description text, usually only a few words.

ITUNES_SUMMARY

Both

A longer description (up to 4000 characters)/

You can also use the following channel elements in the name or properties structures.
Element

Description

itunes_category

A structure that specifies the iTunes Music Store category. The structure has two fields:

•
•

category
subcategory

Notice that these element names do not have the itunes_ prefix.
itunes_image

The URL of the artwork for the podcast.

itunes_owner

A structure that contains contact information about the owner of the podcast for communication. The structure
has two fields:

•
•

itunes_email
itunes_mail

Creating feeds

When you create a feed, you specify the feed contents in a name structure or in the combination of a query object
and a properties structure. The cffeed tag generates the feed XML and saves in to the variable specified by the
xmlVar attribute, the file specified by the outputFile attribute, or both.
To create an RSS 2.0 feed you must specify the following metadata fields in a name structure or in a properties
structure. All other RSS2.0 metadata fields, and all item fields, are optional.

•

title

•

link

•

description

•

version (must be “rss_2.0”)

The cffeed tag does not enforce any rules on the Atom feed structure that it creates. You are responsible for ensuring
that the feed is valid.
In most cases, a database table uses column names that differ from the column names you must use to create the
feed. Therefore, you must use the columnmap attribute to map the input query column names to the required column
names. The attribute is a structure whose keys are the column names required by the cffeed tag and whose values
are the corresponding input query columns. The following example creates a feed using the cfartgallery data source’s
orders table. It maps the orders table ORDERDATE column to the query publisheddate column, the ADDRESS
column to the content column, and so on. The sample code then displays the generated query XML to show the
results.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 195
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SELECT * FROM orders















Reading feeds

The cffeed tag does not validate the feeds that it reads. It can read invalid or loosely formatted feeds, but ignores
some or all of the invalid content. For example, if you put more than one rights element in the Atom feed (which
invalidates the feed), the cffeed tag ignores the elements after the first one, and doesn’t generate an error.
Dates and times in feeds that are being read must be in W3C or RFC 822 format. ColdFusion can also read iTunes
extension dates in the format normally used by the iTunes music store.
Example
The following example creates an RSS feed. You must enter fields for the feed title, link, and description elements.
You must also enter title, link, and description fields for one item. A second item is optional. The application saves
the feed in a createRSSOutput.xml file in the feedTest subdirectory of the directory that contains the CFML page.



// Create the feed data structure and add the metadata.
myStruct = StructNew();
mystruct.link = form.link;
myStruct.title = form.title;
mystruct.description = form.description;
mystruct.pubDate = Now();
mystruct.version = "rss_2.0";
/* Add the feed items. A more sophisticated application would use dynamic variables
and support varying numbers of items. */
myStruct.item = ArrayNew(1);
myStruct.item[1] = StructNew();
myStruct.item[1].description = StructNew();
myStruct.item[1].description.value = form.item1text;
myStruct.item[1].link = form.item1link;

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myStruct.item[1].pubDate = Now();
myStruct.item[1].title = form.item1title;
myStruct.item[2] = StructNew();
myStruct.item[2].description = StructNew();
myStruct.item[2].description.value = form.item2text;
myStruct.item[2].link = form.item2link;
myStruct.item[2].pubDate = Now();
myStruct.item[2].title = form.item2title;






 Enter The Feed Metadata
 

 


 Enter Item 1
 

 

 

 Enter Item 2
 

 

 




The following application is a simple feed reader that handles RSS and Atom feeds. It displays the feed title; for each
item or entry, it shows the title as a link, and shows the published date and the item or entry contents. To use this
example to read the feed created by the first application, enter the URL for the file the application created, for
example, http://localhost:8500/cffeed/feedTest/createRSSOutput.xml.






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#myProps.title#





#title#


Published: #DateFormat(publisheddate)#



#title#


Published: #publisheddate#



#content#





Enter Feed URL:






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

•

“cffile action = "append"” on page 201

•

“cffile action = "copy"” on page 203

•

“cffile action = "delete"” on page 204

•

“cffile action = "move"” on page 205

•

“cffile action = "read"” on page 207

•

“cffile action = "readBinary"” on page 209

•

“cffile action = "rename"” on page 210

•

“cffile action = "upload"” on page 212

•

“cffile action = "write"” on page 215

Note: To execute, this tag must be enabled in the ColdFusion Administrator. For more information, see Configuring and
Administering ColdFusion.
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.
Category
File management tags
Syntax
The tag syntax depends on the action attribute value. See the following sections.
See also
cfdirectory

History
ColdFusion 8: Support for reading and writing cfimages.
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.
•

Added the fixnewline attribute for action = "append" and action = "write" actions.

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.

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• 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, filenames were made unique by appending an additional "1" for each file, as in 1, 11, 111, and so on.
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, 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

























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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. 









 --->

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cffile action = "append"
Description
Appends text to a text file on the server.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.

file

Required

Pathname of the file to which to append content of output attribute.
If not an absolute path (starting 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

addNewLine

Optional

attributes

Optional

String to append to the file.
yes

•

yes: appends newline character to text written to file.

•

no

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

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

charset

Optional

JVM default The character encoding in which the file contents is encoded. The following list includes
file character commonly used values:
set

•

utf-8

•

iso-8859-1

•
•
•

windows-1252

•

iso-2022-jp

•

euc-jp

•

euc-kr

•

big5

•

euc-cn

•

utf-16

us-ascii
shift_jis

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 operatingsystem specific line endings

•

no: (default) do not change embedded line-ending characters in string variables.

For an example that uses this attribute, see cffile action = "write".
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.

Example





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cffile action = "copy"
Description
Copies a file from one directory to another on the server.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfdirectory

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

Req/Opt

action

Required

destination Required

source

Required

Default

Description
Type of file manipulation that the tag performs.
Pathname of a directory or file on web server where the file is copied. If you specify a filename
without a directory path, ColdFusion copies it relative to the source directory.
Pathname of the file to copy.
If not an absolute path (starting 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.

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.

mode

Optional

•

readOnly

•

hidden

•

normal

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.

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


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cffile action = "delete"
Description
Deletes a file on the server.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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 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:


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cffile action = "move"
Description
Moves a file from one location to another on the server.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.

destination

Required

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

source

Required

Pathname of the file to move.
If not an absolute path (starting 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.

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

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

charset

Optional

JVM default The character encoding in which the file contents is encoded. The following list includes
file character commonly used values:
set

•

utf-8

•

iso-8859-1

•
•
•

windows-1252

•

iso-2022-jp

•

euc-jp

•

euc-kr

•

big5

•

euc-cn

•

utf-16

us-ascii
shift_jis

For more information character encodings, see
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.
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.

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.”

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cffile action = "read"
Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

Required

Type of file manipulation that the tag performs.

file

Required

Pathname of the file to read.
If not an absolute path (starting 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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

variable

Required

charset

Optional

Default

Description
Name of variable to contain contents of text file.

Character
The character encoding in which the file contents is encoded. The following list includes
encoding
commonly used values:
identified by
• utf-8
the file’s
byte order
• iso-8859-1
mark, if any;
• windows-1252
otherwise,
JVM default
• us-ascii
file character
• shift_jis
set.

•

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 Latin1 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.

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cffile action = "readBinary"
Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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 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.
ColdFusion supports reading an image file as a binary and passing the result to a cfimage, for example:





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:






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cffile action = "rename"
Description
Renames or moves a file on the server.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.

destination

Required

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

source

Required

Pathname of file to rename.
If not an absolute path (starting 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.

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.

mode

Optional

•

readOnly

•

hidden

•

normal

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.

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.
Example
Windows example:

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UNIX example:


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 212
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cffile action = "upload"
Description
Copies a file to a directory on the server.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.

destination

Required

Pathname of directory in which to upload the file. If not an absolute path (starting 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.

fileField

Required

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

accept

Optional

Limits the MIME types to accept. Comma-delimited list. For example, the following code
permits JPEG and Microsoft Word file uploads:
accept = "image/jpg, application/msword"

The browser uses the file extension to determine file type.
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.

mode

Optional

•

readOnly

•

hidden

•

normal (if you use this option with other attributes, it is overridden by them)

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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

nameConflict

Optional

Error

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.

result

Optional

Lets you 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 Usage.

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.
When you use a cfform tag or an HTML form tag to submit the form with the file to be uploaded, you must specify
enctype="multipart/form-data" in the tag, as shown in the example for this tag. By default, ColdFusion MX 7
sends the form with the encoding type of application/x-www-form-urlencoded, which causes an error in the cffile
tag.
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.
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:
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)

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

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Parameter

Description

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">








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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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.

file

Required

Pathname of the file to write.
If not an absolute path (starting 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

addNewLine

Optional

attributes

Optional

Content of the file to be created.
yes

•

yes: appends newline character to text written to file.

•

no

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 216
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

charset

Optional

JVM default The character encoding in which the file contents is encoded. The following list includes
file character commonly used values:
set

•

utf-8

•

iso-8859-1

•
•
•

windows-1252

•

iso-2022-jp

•

euc-jp

•

euc-kr

•

big5

•

euc-cn

•

utf-16

us-ascii
shift_jis

For more information character encodings, see www.w3.org/International/Ocharset.html.
fixnewline

Optional

no

•

yes: changes embedded line-ending characters in string variables to operatingsystem specific line endings.

•
mode

Optional

no: does not change embedded line-ending characters in string variables.

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.

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.

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












ColdFusion 8 supports using cffile to write an image, for example:







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cfflush
Description
Flushes currently available data to the client.
Category
Data output tags, Page processing tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.
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.
Similarly, do not use any tags that use AJAX features, including cfdiv, cflayout, cflayoutarea, cfpod,
cfsprydataset, cftooltip, cfwindow, or HTML format cfgrid, cftree, cftextarea, or cfinput (using
autosuggest or datefield attributes) tags. All of the preceding 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 in the body of several tags, including cfsavecontent, cfquery, and custom tags, causes
errors.
• If you save Client variables as cookies, any client variables that you set after a cfflush tag are not saved in the
browser.

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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.
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)#





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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 Adobe Flash content, and generate the
form by using XML and XSLT.
Category
Forms tags
Syntax

...


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfajaximport, cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, Usage, cfselect,
cfslider, cftextarea, cftree; “Requesting and Presenting Information” on page 510 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8:

•

Added support for adding interactive fields in PDF forms.

•

Added the onSuccess attribute and support in AJAX controls for the onError attribute

ColdFusion MX 7:

•

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 221
CFML Reference

•

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.

•

Added the onReset attribute.

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.
Attribute

Applies to

Req/Opt

Default

Description

accessible

Flash

Opt

no

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

action

Flash
HTML
XML

Opt

See Description

Name of ColdFusion page to execute when the form is
submitted for processing.

archive

applets in
HTML and
XML

Opt

/CFIDE/classes/cfapplets.jar

codeBase

applets in
HTML and
XML

Opt

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

format

Flash
HTML
XML

Opt

HTML

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.
URL of downloadable Java classes for cfgrid, cfslider,
and cftree applet controls.

• 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.
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.
Note: The width and height attributes are required for
Flash forms, if they are used inside of a table.

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Attribute

Applies to

Req/Opt

id
method

Flash
HTML
XML

Opt

Default

Description

name attribute value

the HTML id of the form.

post

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.
name

onError

Flash
HTML
XML

Opt

Flash
HTML

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
is assigned serially to the forms on a page.
For Flash format forms: 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.
For HTML format forms: Applies only to forms inside cfdiv,
cflayout, cfpod, or cfwindow controls. The name of a
JavaScript function that runs if an asynchronous form
submission fails. For more information, see Using forms in
cfdiv, cflayout, cffpod, and cfwindow controls in the Usage
section.

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

Flash
HTML
XML

Opt

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

onSuccess

HTML

Opt

Applies only to forms inside cfdiv, cflayout, cfpod, or
cfwindow controls. The name of a JavaScript function that
will run when an asynchronous form submission succeeds.
For more information see Using forms in cfdiv, cflayout,
cffpod, and cfwindow controls in the Usage section.

preloader

Flash

Opt

yes

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

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Attribute

Applies to

Req/Opt

Default

Description

preserveData

HTML
XML

Opt

no

When the cfform action attribute posts back to the page
that contains the form, this attribute determines whether to
override the control values with the submitted values.

•

no: uses values specified in the control tag attributes.

•

yes: 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 yes, 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.)

scriptSrc

Flash
HTML
XML

Opt

See Description

Specifies the URL, relative to the web root, of the directory
that contains ColdFusion JavaScript files, including 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.
When you use this attribute, the specified directory must
have the same structure as the /CFIDE/scripts directory. For
example, if you specify
scriptsrc="/resources/myScripts", the JavaScript
files used by ColdFusion AJAX features must be in the
/resources/myScripts/ajax directory.
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 location is set in the ColdFusion Administrator; by
default, it is /CFIDE/scripts.
Notes:
If you specify this attribute, you must copy the
CF_RunActiveContent.js file from the CFIDE/scripts directory
to the specified directory.
You can have only one scriptsrc attribute on a page,
including any cfajaximport tag scriptsrc attribute. If
you have multiple cfform tags, you can specify the
scriptsrc attribute in a cfajaximport tag and it applies
to all HTML format forms.

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Attribute

Applies to

Req/Opt

Default

Description

skin

Flash
XML

Opt

Flash: haloGreen

Flash: Use a halo color to stylize the output. The skin determines the color used for highlighted and selected elements.

XML: default.xsl

•

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 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 default skin.

You can specify the following ColdFusion 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.
style

HTML,
Flash, XML

Opt

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
“Creating Forms in Flash” on page 577 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.

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” on page 594 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

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Attribute

Applies to

Req/Opt

Default

Description

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.
Note: The width and height attributes are required for
Flash forms, if they are used inside of a table.

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.

Note: Attributes that are not marked as supported in XML are not handled by the skins provided with ColdFusion. 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 in the cfform tag:

•

cfapplet: 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.

•

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

•

cfgrid: 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: Creates a multiline text input box.

•

cftree: Creates a tree control.

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” on page 594 in “Caching data in Flash forms” on page 594 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

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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. The width and height attributes are required for
Flash forms, if they are used inside of a table.
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 tab
navigator that contains a lastName field with an invalid entry:

Incorporating HTML form tags and attributes

In HTML format, the cfform tag lets you incorporate the following standard HTML elements. They are not available
in Flash format:

•

Standard HTML form tag attributes and values. The attributes and values are included in the form tag that

cfform outputs in the page. For example, you can use form tag attributes like target or onMouseOver with cfform.

• HTML tags that can ordinarily be put within the HTML form tag. For example, you can use the HTML input
tag to create a submit button in a cfform, without the other features of cfinput:



Using forms in cfdiv, cflayout, cffpod, and cfwindow controls

The cfdiv, cflayout, cffpod, and cfwindow tags create AJAX-based controls that can serve as containers for interactive forms. When you use such a structure, you do not want submitting form information to cause a new page to
be displayed; instead, you want dynamic code to modify the existing page without causing a complete reload. You
can do this byusing the onSuccess and onError attributes.

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The function specified by the onSuccess attribute gets called if the form data is submitted successfully. This
function is responsible for updating the pod, layout, or window to reflect the results of the submission, for example,
to display additional data or pop up a confirmation window. This function must not take any arguments
The function specified by the onError attribute gets called if an error occurs when the form data is submitted. This
function is responsible for handling the error, such as displaying an error message. This function must take two
arguments: an error number and an error message.
Incorporating interactive fields in PDF forms

ColdFusion 8 lets you use the cfform tag to create PDF forms that contain static and interactive form fields. The
cfform tag must exist within a cfdocument tag (where format="pdf"). Only one cfform tag can exist within a
cfdocument tag.
Completed forms can be posted to the server as an HTTP Post, or the entire PDF can be submitted as binary stream.
If the PDF is submitted, you can use the cffile tag to save completed PDF form to a hard drive:


The output can be manipulated and extracted by using the tag.
Only the following cfform attributes are supported in generating PDF forms:

•

action

•

format

•

method

•

name

•

onSubmit

•

skin

•

style

To embed an existing PDF form generated by LiveCycle Designer or Acrobat, use the tag.
Example

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.




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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)

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.

A simple PDF form


...
...






ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 229
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...
...



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cfformgroup
Description
Creates a container control for multiple form controls. Used in the cfform tag body of Adobe Flash and XML forms.
Ignored in HTML forms.
Category
Forms tags
Syntax

width = "pixels"
height = "pixels"
enabled = "yes|no"
visible = "yes|no"
onChange = "ActionScript expression"
tooltip = "text"
id = "unique identifier">
...ColdFusion forms controls...

OR

startrow = "row number"
...ColdFusion forms controls


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider, cftextarea,
cftree, “Using the cfformgroup tag to structure forms” on page 582 and “Using cfformgroup tags” on page 598 in

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

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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 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, because
the child controls do not align properly; use the vertical type instead.
•

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 by
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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

Default

Description

query

Required for

The query to use with the repeater. Flash creates an instance of each of the

type=
repeater,

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.

ignored
otherwise;
Flash
enabled

Optional;
Flash

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.

id

Optional;
Flash

Unique identifier for the form group.

Optional;
Flash and XML

Label to apply to the form group.

label

yes

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

When using the tabnavigator or accordion type, you must specify the id attribute to
reference the controls through custom ActionScript.

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.
maxrows

onChange

Optional;
Flash

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.

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.

selectedIndex

Optional;
Flash only

startrow

Optional;
Flash

style

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.
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 zero-based: the first row is row 0, not row 1 (as in most
ColdFusion tags).

Optional;
Flash and XML

Flash: a Flash style specification in CSS format. For detailed information on specifying Flash styles, see “Creating Forms in Flash” on page 577 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
XML: an inline CSS style specification.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash

visible

Optional;
Flash

width

Optional;
Flash and XML

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

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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.
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

•

cfinput

•

cfselect

•

cftextarea

•

cftree

cfgrid

For more information on using this tag in Flash forms, see “Creating Forms in Flash” on page 577 in the ColdFusion
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 “Creating Forms in Flash” on page 577 in the ColdFusion
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:








ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 234
CFML Reference

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:







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 home page in a new browser window

    
 
    
    









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








Tell us your preferences







ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 235
CFML Reference

Pets:









Fruits:


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
















    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 236
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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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfapplet, cfform, cfformgroup, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider, cftextarea, cftree,

“Adding text, images, rules, and space with the cfformitem tag” on page 579 in “Adding text, images, rules, and space
with the cfformitem tag” on page 579 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion MX 7.01: Added the "script" value for type attribute.
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.
Note: Attributes that are marked as Flash only are not handled by the skins provided with ColdFusion. They are,
however, included in the generated XML in all controls except text and html types.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 237
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Usage
Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

type

Required;
Flash and
XML

Default

Description
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.

•

script: lets you create functions in Flash forms, which reduces the possibility of
reaching the 64 KB limit.

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 ignore these
elements.
bind

Optional;
Flash

A Flash bind expression that populates the field with information from other form fields. If
you use this attribute, ColdFusion 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.
For more information, see Flash form data binding in the cfinput tag description.

enabled

Optional;
Flash

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.

style

Optional;
Flash and
XML

Flash:

yes

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

•

Must be a style specification in CSS format.

•

Ignored if the type attribute is html.

For detailed information on specifying Flash styles, see “Creating Forms in Flash” on
page 577 in the ColdFusion 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.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 238
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

Default

Description

visible

Optional;
Flash

yes

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

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.

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 “Creating Forms in Flash” on page 577 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.
Example
The following example shows a simple Flash form by 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.

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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 240

•

“cfftp: Opening and closing secure FTP server connections” on page 243

•

“cfftp: Connection: file and directory operations” on page 247

•

“cfftp action = "listDir"” on page 252

See also
cfhttp, cfldap, cfmail, cfpop; “Performing file operations with cfftp” on page 1044 in “Interacting with Remote
Servers” on page 1038 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the fingerprint, key, paraphrase, and secure attributes to support secure FTP. Added the
values ="quote", "site", "allo", and "acct" to the action attribute.
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 = "upload"

•

To transfer files from a ColdFusion server to a client: the cfcontent tag

Security settings

ColdFusion 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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 240
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cfftp: Opening and closing FTP server connections
Description
To establish a connection with an FTP server, use the open action with a connection attribute.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfhttp, cfldap, cfmail, cfpop

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required

Default

Description
FTP operation to perform.

•

open: creates an FTP connection.

•

close: terminates an FTP connection.

•

quote: sends a command verbatim to the FTP server.

•

site: executes a site-specific command.

•

allo: allocates memory for operations, such as putting large files, on the server.

•

acct: sends account information on systems that require it.

actionparam

Optional

Used only when action is quote, site, or acct. Specifies the command when
action is quote or site; specifies account information when action is acct.

buffersize

Optional

Buffer size in bytes.

connection

Optional, but
always used
with open or

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.

close
passive

password

Optional

no

Required if

•

yes: enables passive mode.

•

no

Password to log in the user.

action =
"open"
port

Optional

21

Remote port to which to connect.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

proxyServer

Optional

retryCount

Optional

server

Required if

Default

Description
String. Name of proxy server (or servers) to use, if proxy access is specified.

1

Number of retries until failure is reported.
FTP server to which to connect; for example, ftp.myserver.com.

action =
"open"
stopOnError

Optional

yes

•

yes: halts processing, displays an appropriate error.

•

no: if secure="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) at www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc0959.txt.

•

cfftp.errorText: Message text.

For conditional operations, use cfftp.errorCode. Do not use cfftp.errorText
for this purpose.
timeout

Optional

username

Required if

30

Value in seconds for the time-out of all operations, including individual data request
operations.
User name to pass in the FTP operation.

action =
"open"

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.
With any action except close, you can set the internal buffer size by specifying buffersize. If you specify quote,
site, allo, or acct as the action and set secure="yes" an error is generated. You specify the command to send to
the FTP server in the actionparam attribute when you specify site or quote as the action. When site is the action,
you use the actionparam attribute to specify the site-specific information.
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

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    • 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#

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cfftp: Opening and closing secure FTP server
connections
Description
To establish a connection with a secure FTP server, use the open action with a connection attribute, specify that
secure = "yes", and specify the key, passphrase, and fingerprint as appropriate.

passphrase = "passphrase"
password = "password"
port = "port"
proxyServer = "proxy server"
retryCount = "number"
secure = "yes|no"
server = "server"
stopOnError = "yes|no"
timeout = "time-out in seconds"
username = "name">

Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfhttp, cfldap, cfmail, cfpop

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required

Default

Description
FTP operation to perform.

•

open: creates an FTP connection.

•

close: terminates an FTP connection.

connection

Optional, but
always used with
open or close

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.

fingerprint

Optional. Used only
when server,
username, and
password are
supplied

Fingerprint of the host key in the form ssh-dss.ssh-rsa, which is a 16-byte
unique identifier for the server attribute that you specify, The fingerprint
consists of eight pairs of hexadecimal values in the form
hh:hh:hh:hh::hh:hh:hh:hh. ColdFusion checks the fingerprint of the
remote server only if the fingerprint value is specified.

key

Required if

Public-key–based authentication. Refers to the absolute path to the private key of
the user. Possession of a private key provides authentication by sending a signature
created with a private key. The server must ensure that the key is a valid authentication for the user and that the signature is valid. Both must be valid to accept the
authentication.

action="open"
(When
secure="yes",
either password or
key is required.)
passive

Optional

no

Valid only if secure="no".

•

yes: enables passive mode.

•

no

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

passphrase

Optional. Used
when key is
specified

Because private keys are stored in an encrypted form on the client host, the user
must supply a passphrase to enable generating the signature.

password

Required if

Password to log in the user.

action="open"
(When

secure="yes",
either password or
key is required.)
port

Optional

proxyServer

Optional

retryCount

Optional

1

secure

Optional

no

server

21

Remote port to which to connect.
String. Name of proxy server (or servers) to use, if proxy access is specified.

Required if

Number of retries until failure is reported.

•

yes: enables secure FTP

•

no

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

action="open"
stopOnError

Optional

no

•

yes: halts processing, displays an appropriate error.

•

no: if secure="yes", populates the following variables:

•

If ColdFusion fails to connect to the secure FTP server, it halts processing and
displays the appropriate error message

•

cfftp.succeeded: yes or no

•

cfftp.errorCode: error number

•

cfftp.errorText: message text

•

For all file operations, returns the following error codes:
SSH-CONNECT 25
SSH_MSG_USERAUTH_FAILURE 51
SSH_MSG_USERAUTH_SUCCESS 52
SSH_MSG_REQUEST_SUCCESS 81
SSH_MSG_REQUEST_FAILURE 82
For conditional operations, use cfftp.errorCode. Do not use cfftp.errorText
for this purpose.
timeout

Optional

username

Required if

30

Value in seconds for the time-out of all operations, including individual data request
operations.
User name to pass in the FTP operation.

action="open"

Usage
The cfftp tag lets you open a connection to a Secure Shell (SSH) server by using either symmetric or asymmetric
encryption. To use symmetric encryption, you specify secure="yes", the user name, password, connection, and
fingerprint. To use asymmetric encryption, you must first generate private-public key pairs for each user authorized
to have access to the server. Each authorized user’s public key is stored on the server; each user’s private key is
encrypted and stored on that user’s computer. To open a connection to the SSH server, you specify secure="yes",
the user name, the password or the private key and the passphrase that the server uses to decrypt the private key,
connection, and fingerprint. After you open the connection to the SSH server, you can use that connection for any
action supported by the cfftp tag.

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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




    Did it succeed? #cfftp.succeeded#









    Did it succeed? #cfftp.succeeded#



Example




    Did it succeed? #cfftp.succeeded#











ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 247
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cfftp: Connection: file and directory operations
Description
To perform file and directory operations with cfftp, use this form of the cfftp tag.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfhttp, cfldap, cfmail, cfpop

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required if
connection is not
cached

ASCIIExtensionList

Optional

directory

Required if action =
"changedir",

Default

Description
FTP operation to perform:

•

changedir

•

createDir

•

listDir

•

removeDir

•

getFile

•

putFile

•

rename

•

remove

•

getCurrentDir

•

getCurrentURL

•

existsDir

•

existsFile

•

exists

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

Directory on which to perform an operation.

"createDir",
"listDir", or
"existsDir"
existing

Required if action =

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

"rename"
failIfExists

Optional

yes

•

yes: If a local file with same name exists, the getFile
action fails.

•
item

Required if action =
"exists" or

no

Object of these actions: file or directory.

"remove"
localFile

Required if action =
"getFile" or

Name of the file on the local file system.

"putFile"
name

Required if action =

Query name of directory listing.

"listDir"
new

Required if action =

New name of file or directory on the remote server.

"rename"
passive

password

Optional

Required if action =

no

•

yes: enables passive mode.

•

no

Password to log in the user.

"open"
proxyServer

Optional

String. Name of the proxy servers to use, if proxy access is specified.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

remoteFile

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

Name of the file on the FTP server file system.

result

Optional

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. For more information, see Usage.

server

Required if FTP
connection is not
cached

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

transferMode

Optional

username

Default

auto

Required if
connection is not
cached

Description

•

ASCII FTP transfer mode

•

Binary FTP transfer mode

•

Auto FTP transfer mode

User name to pass in the FTP operation.

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 the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
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.

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cfftp action

Value of cfftp.returnValue

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.

Example
The following example opens a connection and gets a file that lists 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:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 251
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    Did it succeed? #cfftp.succeeded#

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 252
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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.

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cffunction
Description
Defines a function that you can call in CFML. Required to define ColdFusion component methods.
History
ColdFusion 8:

•

Added returnformat, secureJSON, and verifyClient attributes

•

Added returnformat attribute

•

Added component as a valid value for the ReturnType attribute.

ColdFusion MX 7: Added the description attribute, and added the XML value to the returntype attribute.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Category
Extensibility tags
Syntax


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

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Required

access

Optional

Default

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

public

The client security context from which the method can be invoked.
The following values are valid:

•

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

Supplies a short text description of the function.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 254
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

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

Optional

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.

output

Optional

Function body Specifies under which conditions the function can generate HTML output.
is processed as
The following values are valid:
standard
CFML
• yes: the entire function body is processed as if it were in a cfoutput tag. Variables names surrounded by 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.
returnformat

Return as
The format in which to return values to a remote caller. This attribute has no effect on
WDDX or XML; values returned to a local caller.
see
The following values are valid:
description.

•

json: serialize the return value into JSON format before returning it remotely.

•

wddx: serialize the return value into WDDX format before returning it remotely.

•

plain: ensure that the return value is a type that ColdFusion can convert
directly to a string, and return the string value without serialization. Valid types
include all simple types, such as numbers, and XML objects. If the return value is a
complex type, such as an array, or a binary value, ColdFusion generates an error. If
you specify a returntype attribute, its value must be any, boolean, date, guid,
numeric, string, uuid, variablename, or XML; otherwise, ColdFusion generates an error.

By default, ColdFusion serializes all return types (including simple return types),
except XML, into WDDX format, and returns XML data as XML text.
You can also use returnformat as an HTTP request parameter when calling a
remote CFC function. This parameter has the same effect as the returnformat
attribute and overrides any returnformat attribute value specified in the
cffunction tag.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 255
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

returnType

Required for a any
web service;
Optional,
otherwise.

Description
String; a type name; data type of the function return value:

•
•

any

•

binary

•

boolean

•

component: the return value must be a ColdFusion component.

•

date

array

• guid: the argument must be a UUID or GUID of the form xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx where each x is a character that represents a hexadecimal
number (0-9A-F).
•

numeric

•

query

•

string

•

struct

• uuid: the argument must be a ColdFusion UUID of the form xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx where each x is a character that represents 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.
Note: If a function does not return a value and the returnType value is numeric,
ColdFusion generates an error; ColdFusion does not generate an error for other types.
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.

secureJSON

Optional

See
Description

A Boolean value that specifies whether to add a security prefix in front of any value
that the function returns in JSON-format in response to a remote call.
The default value is the value of any This.secureJSON variable in the Application.cfc file or the secureJSON attribute of the cfapplication tag, or if there is
nosecureJSON application setting, the Prefix Serialized JSON setting in the Administrator Server Settings > Settings page, which defaults to false.
For more information see “Improving security” on page 674 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

verifyClient

Optional

no

A Boolean value that specifies whether to require remote function calls to include an
encrypted security token. For use with ColdFusion AJAX applications only.
For more information see “Improving security” on page 674 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 256
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The following example shows cffunction tag attributes for a simple CFC method that returns a ColdFusion Query
object.


For detailed information on using the cffunction tag for ColdFusion components, see “Building and Using
ColdFusion Components” on page 158 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
If you specify returnformat="json" and the function returns a query, ColdFusion serializes the query into a JSON
Object with two entries, and array of column names, and an array of column data arrays. For more information see
SerializeJSON.
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





257

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 colorColdFusions 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

Depth

Linewidth

•

a nonzero number: default-width border, regardless of number value.

•

0: no border.

•

0: displays graph with two-dimensional appearance.

•

any other value: displays graph with threedimensional appearance.

Ignored.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 258
CFML Reference

cfgraph tag attribute
Showvaluelabel

ColdFusion MX functionality

•

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 259
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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.

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cfgrid
Description
Used in 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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfajaximport, cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfgridcolumn, cfgridrow, cfgridupdate, cfform,
cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider, cftextarea, cftree, “Using HTML format

grids” on page 631 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added support for HTML format grids, including the html value of the format attribute and the
following attributes: bind, bindOnLoad, pageSize, preservePageOnSort, stripeRows, stripeRowColor.
ColdFusion MX 7.01: Added support for the onBlur and onFocus events.
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.
Attributes
Note: In XML format, ColdFusion 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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 262
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

name

Required; all

Name of the grid control.

align

Optional;
applet

Alignment of the grid cell contents:

appendKey

Default

Description

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Optional;
yes
HTML, applet

Optional;
no
HTML, applet

Left
Bottom
Baseline
Texttop
Absbottom
Middle
Absmiddle
Right

•

yes: when used with href, appends "CFGRIDKEY=" and information
about the selected items. For details, see “Using the href attribute” on
page 268.

•
autoWidth

Top

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.
bgColor

Optional; all

Background color of the control.
For most formats, can be a hexidecimal format 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.

•

Limitations: for HTML format, must be a valid web color; 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.
bind

Optional;
HTML

A bind expression used to fill the contents of the grid. Cannot be used with
the query attribute.
For more information, see “Binding data to form fields” on page 650 in
“Using Ajax Data and Development Features” on page 648 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.

bindOnLoad

Optional;
HTML

yes

•

yes: executes the bind attribute expression when first loading the

form.

•

no: does not execute the bind attribute expression until the first
bound event .

Ignored if there is no bind attribute.
For more information, see “Using the bindOnLoad attribute” on page 634 in
the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
bold

Optional; all

no

•

yes: displays text in bold.

•

no

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

Default

colHeaderAlign

Optional;
applet

left

Description

•

left: left-aligns the column header text.

•

right: right-aligns the column header text.

•

center: centers the column header text.

•

yes: displays column headers in bold.

•

no

colHeaderBold

Optional; all

colHeaderFont

Optional; all

Font of column header.

colHeaderFontSize

Optional; all

Size of column header text, in points.

colHeaderItalic

Optional; all

colHeaders

colHeaderTextColor

Optional;
Applet, Flash

no

no

yes

Optional; all

•

yes: displays column headers in italic.

•

no

•

yes: displays column headers.

•

no

Color of column headers.

•
delete

Optional;
HTML,
applet

no

Options: same as for textColor attribute.

•

yes: users can delete row data from the grid; takes effect only if
selectmode="edit".

•

no

deleteButton

Optional;
Delete
HTML, applet

Text for the Delete button; takes effect only if selectmode="edit".

enabled

Optional;
Flash

Flash format only: Boolean value that specifies whether the control is
enabled. A disabled control appears in light gray.

font

Optional; all

Font of text.

fontSize

Optional; all

Size of text, in points.

format

Optional; all

yes

applet

•

applet: generates a Java applet.

•

Flash: generates a Flash grid control.

•

html: generates an AJAX-based HTML grid control that supports data
binding.

•

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.
gridDataAlign

gridLines

height

highlightHref

Optional;
applet

left

Optional;
applet, Flash

yes

Optional; all

300 (applet
only)

Optional;
applet

yes

•

left: left-aligns data within the column.

•

right: right-aligns data within the column.

•

center: centers data within the column.

•

yes: enables row and column rules.

•

no

Height of the control, in pixels.
If you omit the attribute in Flash format, the grid sizes automatically.

•

yes: highlights links associated with an href attribute value.

•

no

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

Default

Description

href

Optional;
HTML,. applet

URL or name of a query column that contains URLs to hyperlink each grid
cell with.

hrefKey

Optional;
HTML,. applet

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.

hSpace

Optional;
applet

Horizontal space to the left and right of the control, in pixels.

insert

Optional;
applet

no

insertButton

Optional;
applet

Insert

italic

Optional; all

no

•

yes: users can insert row data in the grid; takes effect only if
selectmode="edit".

•

maxRows

Optional; all

notSupported

Optional;
applet

no

Text for the Insert button; takes effect only if selectmode="edit".

•

yes: displays text in italic.

•

no

Maximum number of rows to display in the grid.
See
Description

Text to display if the browser does not support Java or has Java support
disabled.
Default: " Browser must support Java to view ColdFusion Java
Applets"

onBlur

Optional,
Flash

ActionScript that runs when the grid loses focus.

onChange

Optional;
HTML, Flash

Flash format: ActionScript to run when the control changes due to user
action in the control.
HTML format: Required for HTML format grids that specify a bind attribute
and a selectMode value of edit. A bind expression that calls a CFC
method, JavaScript function, or URL to update the data source.

onError

Optional;
HTML, applet

In HTML format grids, name of a JavaScript function to execute if an error
occurs.
In applet format grids, name of a JavaScript function to execute if validation
fails.

onFocus

Optional,
Flash

ActionScript that runs when the calendar gets focus.

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.

pageSize

Optional;
HTML

10

pictureBar

Optional;
applet

no

Optional;
HTML

no

The number of rows to display per page for a dynamic grid. If the number of
available rows exceeds the page size, the grid displays only the specified
number of entries on a single page, and the user navigates between pages
to show all data. The grid retrieves data for each page only when it is
required for display.
This attribute is ignored if you specify a query attribute.

preservePageOnSort

•

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.

Specifies whether to display the page with the current page number, or
display page 1, after sorting (or resorting) the grid. If this attribute is yes,
selections are preserved when the grid sorts.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

query

Optional; all

rowHeaderAlign

Optional;
applet

rowHeaderBold

Optional;
applet

Default

Description
Name of the query associated with the control. Cannot be used with the
bind attribute.

left

no

•

left: left-aligns the row header text.

•

right: right-aligns the row header text.

•

center: centers the row header text.

•

yes: displays row label text in bold.

•

no

rowHeaderFont

Optional;
applet

Font for the row labels.

rowHeaderFontSize

Optional;
applet

Text size of the row labels, in points.

rowHeaderItalic

Optional;
applet

no

Optional;
applet

yes

Optional;
applet

black

rowHeaders

rowHeaderTextColor

•

yes: displays row label text in italic.

•

no

•

yes: displays a column of numeric row labels.

•

no

Text color of grid control row headers.

•

Options: same as for the textColor attribute.

rowHeight

Optional;
Applet, Flash,
XML

Minimum row height, in pixels. Used with cfgridcolumn type =
"Image"; defines space for graphics to display in row.

selectColor

Optional; all

Background color for a selected item.

•
selectMode

Optional; all

Options: same as for textColor attribute

Applet format: Selection mode for items in the control.
Browse;

HTML, Flash
format: Row

•

Edit: the user can edit grid data. Selecting a cell lets the user edit the

cell.

•

Row: user selections automatically extend to the row that contains
selected cell.

The following are used in applet format only; HTML and Flash formats interpret these as Row:

•

Single: user selections are limited to the selected cell.

•

Column: user selections automatically extend to the column that
contains selected cell.

selectOnLoad

sort

Optional;
HTML

yes

Optional;
applet

no

•

Browse: the user can only browse grid data.

•

yes: selects the first row of the grid when the gird loads.

•

no: does not select any rows when the grid loads.

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.
sortAscendingButton

Optional;
applet

A > Z

Text for the Sort button.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

Default

Description

sortDescendingButton

Optional;
applet

Z > A

Text for the Sort button.

stripeRowColor

Optional;
HTML

stripeRows

Optional;
HTML

style

Optional;
Flash

Must be a style specification in CSS format. Ignored for type="text".

target

Optional;
HTML, applet

The target frame or window in which to display the href URL; for example,
"_blank".

textColor

Optional
Flash, applet

Color of text. Can be a hexadecimal value or a named color.

The color to use for one of the alternating stripes. The bgColor setting
determines the other color.
no

Boolean value that indicates whether to make the rows stripes in alternating
colors.

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.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash

visible

Optional;
Flash

vSpace

Optional;
applet

width

Optional; all

Flash format only: text to display when the mouse pointer hovers over the
control.
yes

Flash format only: Boolean value that specifies whether to show the control.
Space that would be occupied by an invisible control is blank.
Vertical space above and below the control, in pixels.

300 (applet
only)

Width of the control.
In Flash and applet format, must be a number of pixels. In HTML format, can
be in any valid CSS measurement unit, and a numeric-only value specifies
pixels.
If you omit the attribute in Flash or HTML format; the grid sizes automatically.

Usage
Most of the following paragraphs describe grid features that apply to all, or at least two, grid formats. For information
that is specific to Flash forms, see “Creating Forms in Flash” on page 577 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide. For
information that is specific to HTML format grids, see “Using HTML format grids” on page 631 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.
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 plug-in installed, the system might also have to download an updated Java plug-in 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.

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• 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.
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, recommends that after user updates data in a cell, they click another cell before
submitting the form.
Returning cfgrid data to the action page

The following information applies to all cfgrid formats. Also, HTML format grids can dynamically get data by
using a bind expression. For more information, see “Using HTML format grids” on page 631 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.
When a user submits a form, the cfgrid tag sends information about user actions by setting form variables in the
data submitted to the form’s action page. 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 variables:
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

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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!
    


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

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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.
When you use an href attribute, you can also specify a target attribute with any of the standard HTML target specifiers, _blank, _parent, _self, and _top, or with a specific frame name.
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






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cfgridcolumn
Description
Used with the cfgrid tag in a cfform. Formats a column 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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.
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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 271
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Attributes
Note: In XML format, ColdFusion 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

name

Required;
all

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.

bgColor

Optional;
all

Color of background of grid column.

bold

dataAlign

Optional;
all
Optional;
applet, Flash

Default

As specified by cfgrid

Description

•

Options: same as for the textColor attribute.

•

yes: displays grid control text in bold.

•

no

As specified by cfgrid Column data alignment:

•

left

•

right

•

center

•

yes

•

no: hides the column.

Optional;
all

yes

font

Optional;
all

As specified by cfgrid Font of data in column.

fontSize

Optional;
all

As specified by cfgrid Size of text in column.

header

Optional;
all

yes

headerAlign

Optional;
applet

As specified by cfgrid Column header text alignment:

display

headerBold

Optional;
HTML, applet

As specified by cfgrid

Text for the column header. Used only if the cfgrid colHeaders
attribute is yes. The default value is yes.

•

left

•

right

•

center

•

yes: displays header in bold.

•

no

headerFont

Optional;
HTML, applet

As specified by cfgrid Font for the column header.

headerFontSize

Optional;
HTML, applet

As specified by cfgrid Size of text for the column header, in pixels.

headerItalic

Optional;
HTML, applet

As specified by cfgrid

headerTextColor

Optional;
HTML, applet

Color of grid control column header text.

href

Optional;
HTML, applet

URL or query column name that contains a URL to hyperlink each
grid column with.

hrefKey

Optional;
HTML, applet

The query column to use for the value appended to the href URL of
each column, instead of the column’s value.

•

yes: displays column header in italic.

•

no

•

Options: same as for the textColor attribute.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

Default

italic

Optional;
all

As specified by cfgrid

mask

Optional;
Flash

Description

•

yes: displays grid control text in italic.

•

no

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 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.
numberFormat

Optional;
Applet

select

Optional;
all

Format for displaying numeric data in the grid. See the preceding
table of attributes.
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.

target

Optional;
HTML, Applet

Frame or standard HTML target in which to open link specified in
href.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

textColor

Optional;
Applet, Flash

Default

Description
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.
Limitations: In HTML format, must specify a valid HTML color. In
Applet format, must be one of the following:

•

Any color, in hexadecimal format

•

Black

•

Red

•
•

Blue

•

Cyan

•

Orange

•

Darkgray

•

Pink

•

Gray

•

White

•

Lightgray

•

Yellow

Magenta

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

type

Optional;
all

Default

Description
You can specify the following values in all formats:

•

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 case-insensitive

text.

You can specify the following value in applet and Flash formats; it
does not work in HTML format:

•

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 the image is larger
than the column cell, it is clipped to fit. Flash images must be JPEG
files. Applet images can be JPEG or GIF files.

You can specify the following value in applet format; it does not work
in Flash or HTML format.

•

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 value in Flash format; it does not work
in applet or HTML format:

•

currency: formats the column data as currency, aligning it
around the decimal point. If users sort the grid by using this
column, it sorts correctly for the currency, Use the mask attribute
to specify a currency symbol; the default value is the dollar sign
($).
values

Optional;
HTML, 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"

valuesDelimiter

Optional;
HTML, applet

valuesDisplay

Optional;
HTML, applet

width

Optional;
all

, (comma)

Delimiter in values and valuesDisplay attributes.
Maps elements in the values attribute to string to display in the
drop-down list. Delimited strings and/or numeric ranges.

Column head width

Column width, in pixels.

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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 1094. (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: rightjustified.

$

Puts dollar sign before formatted number. Must be the first character of mask.

^

(Caret) Separates left from right formatting.

date/time formats in mask attribute

By default, Flash displays date/time values in grid columns with 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:

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Pattern letter

Description

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).

L

Hour in am/pm (1-12).

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Pattern letter

Description

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.














    


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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


Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfgrid, cfgridcolumn, cfgridupdate, cfform, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider, cftextarea, cftree

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

data

Required

Default

Description
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:













    
    

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cfgridupdate
Description
Used with 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

password = "data source password"
tableOwner = "table owner"
tableQualifier = "qualifier"
username = "data source user name">

Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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
Attribute

Req/Opt

grid

Required

Default

Name of the cfgrid form element that is the source for the update action.

Description

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.
no

keyOnly

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.

password

Optional

Overrides password value specified in ODBC setup.

tableOwner

Optional

Table owner, if supported.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

tableQualifier

Optional

username

Optional

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.

Overrides username value specified in ODBC setup.

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.



    

    ...

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cfheader
Description
Generates custom HTTP response headers to return to the client.
Category
Data output tags, Page processing tags
Syntax

OR


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcache, cfflush, cfhtmlhead, cfinclude, cfsetting, cfsilent, cfcontent

History
ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed behavior for the name attribute: cfheader name="Content-Disposition" uses 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.

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

charset

Optional

UTF-8

The character encoding in which to encode the header value. The
following list includes commonly used values:

•

utf-8

•

iso-8859-1

•
•
•

windows-1252

•

iso-2022-jp

•

euc-jp

•

euc-kr

•

big5

•

euc-cn

•

utf-16

us-ascii
shift_jis

For more information about character encodings, see
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.
name

Required if statusCode not
specified

Header name.

statusCode

Required if name not specified

Number. HTTP status code.

statusText

Optional

Explains the status code.

value

Optional

HTTP header value.

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.


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cfhtmlhead
Description
Writes text to the head section of a generated HTML page.
Category
Page processing tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcache, cfflush, 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#
    
Description #item.description.xmlText#
    
Applies to these products
    


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#item.subject[i].xmltext#
    
    

    
    
    

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cfhttp
Description
Generates an HTTP request and handles the response from the server.
Category
Internet protocol tags
Syntax

cfhttpparam tags [optional for some methods]


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfhttpparam, GetHttpRequestData, cfftp, cfldap, cfmail, cfpop, SetEncoding

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the clientCert and clientCertPassword attributes.
ColdFusion MX 7.01: Added the “never” value of the getAsBinary attribute.
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:

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•

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.

•

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

Required

Uses the http
protocol

Address of the resource on the server that handles the request. The URL must
include the hostname or IP address.
If you do not specify the transaction protocol (http:// or https://), ColdFusion
uses the default protocol, 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.

charset

Optional

For request: UTF-8 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:
For response:
charset specified
• utf-8
by response
Content- Type
• iso-8859-1
header, or UTF-8 if
• windows-1252
response does not
specify charset.
• 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/Ocharset.html.
clientCert

Optional

The full path to a PKCS12 format file that contains the client certificate for the
request.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

clientCertPassword

Optional

getAsBinary

Optional

Default

Description
Password used to decrypt the client certificate.

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.

•

never: prevents the automatic conversion of certain MIME types to the
ColdFusion Binary type data; treats the returned content 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.)
method

Optional

GET

•

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.
password

Optional

port

Optional

proxyServer

Optional

proxyPort

Optional

proxyUser

Optional

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.
80 for http
443 for https

Port number on the server to which to send the request. A port value in the url
attribute overrides this value.
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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

proxyPassword

Optional

redirect

Optional

Default

Description
Password to provide to the proxy server.

yes

If the response header includes a Location field AND ColdFusion receives a 300series (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.
resolveURL

Optional

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

Optional

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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

timeout

Optional

Default

Description
Value, in seconds, that is the maximum time the request can take. If the time-out
passes without a response, ColdFusion considers the request to have failed.
If the client specifies a time-out in the URL search parameter (for example,
?RequestTime=120) ColdFusion uses the lesser of the URL time-out 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 time-out, ColdFusion uses the lesser of the
Administrator time-out and the timeout attribute value.
If the time-out is not set in any of these, ColdFusion waits indefinitely for the
cfhttp request to process.

userAgent

Optional

username

Optional

ColdFusion

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.
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.

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

no

Tells ColdFusion to send all data specified by cfhttpparam type="formField" tags as
multipart form data, with a Content-Type of multipart/form-data. By default, ColdFusion
sends cfhttp requests that contain only formField data with a Content Type of application/x-www-form-urlencoded. (If the request also includes File type data, ColdFusion uses
the multipart/form-data content type for all parts.)

(Sends as
multipart only if
request
includes File
type data.)

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 ISO-88591-1 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

result

Optional

Default

Description
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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

file

Required if
path is
specified and
not a GET
method

See
Description

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.

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.

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

columns

Optional

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.

delimiter

Optional

, (comma)

A character that separates query columns. The response body must use this
character to separate the query columns.

firstrowasheaders

Optional

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".
name

Optional

textQualifier

Optional

Tells ColdFusion to create a query object with the given name from the
returned HTTP response body.
" [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 time-out 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 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.
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

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.

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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. 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 ContentType 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
in the following situations:

•

if the header does not specify a content type

•

if the content type starts with "text"

•

if the content type starts with "message"

•

if 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

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.

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• 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 Administrator time-out and the URL time-out to take effect, you must enable the time-out
in the ColdFusion Administrator, Server Settings page. For more information, see Configuring and Administering
ColdFusion.
•

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.

• If you are using Microsoft IIS, there is no HTTP header size limit. To specify an HTTP header size limit, you
must set it in IIS.
Example













#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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

type

Required

Default

Description
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.
encoded

Optional

file

Required only if
type="File"

yes

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; ignored for all other types. The absolute path to the file that is
sent in the request body.

mimeType

Optional

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.

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.

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.

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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 1215.
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










#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.
    

298

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.
    

    


    The following centers are in San Diego:
    

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    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 italic:
    



    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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cfimage
Description
Creates a ColdFusion image. You can use the cfimage tag to perform common image manipulation operations as a
shortcut to Image functions. You can use the cfimage tag independently or in conjunction with Image functions.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Other tag
Syntax
Add a border to an image

Create a CAPTCHA image

Convert an image file format

Retrieve information about an image

Read an image into memory

Resize an image

Rotate an image

Write an image to a file

Write an image to the browser


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.

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See also
ImageAddBorder, ImageInfo, ImageNew, ImageRead, ImageReadBase64, ImageResize, ImageRotate, ImageWrite, ImageWriteBase64, “Creating and Manipulating ColdFusion Images” on page 765 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

N/A

Optional

read

Action to take. Must be one of the following:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

border
captcha
convert
info
read
resize
rotate
write
writeToBrowser

The default action is read, which you do not need to specify explicitly.
angle

rotate

Required

color

border

Optional

Angle in degrees to rotate the image.
You must specify an integer for the value.
black

Border color.
Hexadecimal value or supported named color; see the name list in
“Valid HTML named colors” on page 305. For a hexadecimal value,
use the form "##xxxxxx" or "xxxxxx", where x = 0-9 or A-F; use
two number signs or none.

destination

border
captcha
convert
resize
rotate
write

Optional (see
Description)

Absolute or relative pathname where the image output is written.
The image format is determined by the file extension.
The convert and write actions require a destination
attribute. The border, captcha, resize, and rotate actions
require a name attribute or a destination attribute. You can
specify both. ColdFusion 8 supports only CAPTCHA images in PNG
format.
If you do not enter a destination, the CAPTCHA image is placed
inline in the HTML output and displayed in the web browser.

difficulty

captcha

Optional

low

Level of complexity of the CAPTCHA text. Specify one of the
following levels of text distortion:

•
•
•
fonts

captcha

Optional

fontSize

captcha

Optional

low
medium
high

One or more valid fonts to use for the CAPTCHA text. Separate
multiple fonts with commas. ColdFusion supports only the system
fonts that the JDK can recognize. For example, TTF fonts in the
Windows directory are supported on Windows.
24

Font size of the text in the CAPTCHA image.
The value must be an integer.

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Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

format

writeToBrowser Optional

Default

Description

PNG

Format of the image displayed in the browser. If you do not specify
a format, the image is displayed in PNG format.
You cannot display a GIF image in a browser. GIF images are
displayed in PNG format.

height

captcha
resize

Required

Height in pixels of the image.
For the resize attribute, you also can specify the height as a
percentage (an integer followed by the percent (%) symbol).
When you resize an image, if you specify a value for the width, you
can let ColdFusion calculate the aspect ratio by specifying "" as the
height.
If specified, the value must be an integer.

isBase64

name

overwrite

border
Optional
convert
info
read
resize
rotate
write
writeToBrowser

border
convert
read
resize
rotate

Optional
(see
Description)

border
captcha
convert
read
resize
rotate

Optional

no

Specifies whether the source is a Base64 string:

•

yes: the source is a Base64 string.

•

no: the source is not a Base64 string.

Name of the ColdFusion image variable to create.
The read action requires a name attribute.
The border, resize, and rotate actions require a name attribute
or a destination attribute. You can specify both.
no

Valid only if the destination attribute is specified. The
overwrite values are:

•

yes: overwrites the destination file.

•

no: does not overwrite the destination file.

If the destination file already exists, ColdFusion generates an error
if the overwrite action is not set to yes.

write

Optional

quality

write

source

border
Required
convert
info
read
resize
rotate
write
writeToBrowser

0.75

Quality of the JPEG destination file. Applies only to files with an
extension of JPG or JPEG. Valid values are fractions that range from
0 through 1 (the lower the number, the lower the quality).

•

URL of the source image; for example,
"http://www.google.com/images/logo.gif "

•

Absolute pathname or a pathname relative to the web root;
for example: "c:\images\logo.jpg"

•

ColdFusion image variable containing another image, BLOB,
or byte array; for example, "#myImage#"

•

Base64 string; for example,
"data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQA.............."

structName

info

Required

Name of the ColdFusion structure to be created.

text

captcha

Required

Text string displayed in the CAPTCHA image. Use capital letters for
better readability. Do not include spaces because users cannot
detect them in the resulting CAPTCHA image.

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Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

Default

Description

thickness

border

Optional

1

Border thickness in pixels. The border is added to the outside edge
of the source image, increasing the image area accordingly.
The value must be an integer.

width

captcha
resize

Required

Width in pixels of the image.
For resize, you also can specify the width as a percentage (an
integer followed by the % symbol).
When you resize an image, if you specify a value for the height, you
can let ColdFusion calculate the aspect ratio by specifying "" as the
width.
If specified, the value must be an integer.

Usage
ColdFusion 8 introduced the cfimage tag and the ColdFusion image, a construct native to ColdFusion that contains
image data. You can manipulate ColdFusion images in memory and write them to a file, a database, or directly to a
browser. You use the cfimage tag to create ColdFusion images from existing image files and perform simple image
actions, such as rotating or resizing. Alternatively, you can use the ImageNew function to create a ColdFusion image
from the beginning or from an existing image. You can use the Image functions to perform complex image manipulation operations on ColdFusion images that you create with the cfimage tag or with the ImageNew function.
You can perform the following tasks with ColdFusion images:

• Convert an image from one file format to another. For example, you can convert a BMP file to a JPEG file or a
Base64 string to a GIF.
•

Enforce consistent sizes on files uploaded to the server.

•

Enforce size limits on JPEG images (by changing the quality of the image).

•

Save a ColdFusion image to a file or write the image directly to a browser.

• Use the ImageGetBlob function within the cfquery tag to insert a ColdFusion image as a Binary Large Object
Bitmap (BLOB) in a database. Also, you can extract a BLOB from a database and generate a ColdFusion image from
it.
•

Create watermark images.

•

Create thumbnail images.

• Create a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) image, a
distorted text image that is human-readable, but not machine-readable, used in a challenge-response test for
preventing spam.
For more detailed examples, see “Creating and Manipulating ColdFusion Images” on page 765 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.
Supported image file formats

The cfimage tag operates on a number of different file formats. To list the formats that are supported on the server
where the ColdFusion application is deployed, use the GetReadableImageFormats function and the GetWriteableImageFormats function.
Scorpio supports the following default image formats on Macintosh, Windows, and Unix operating systems:

•

JPEG

•

GIF

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•

TIFF

•

PNG

•

BMP

Scorpio does not support the following image formats:

•

Animated GIF

•

Multipage TIFF

•

PSD

•

AI

CMYK support

The cfimage tag supports reading and writing CMYK images, but does not support actions that require converting
the images. For example, you can use CMYK images with the read, write, writeToBrowser, resize, rotate, and
info actions. You cannot use CMYK images with the convert, captcha, and border actions. The same rule applies
to image functions. For example, the ImageNew, ImageRead, and ImageWrite functions support CMYK images, but
the ImageAddBorder function does not.
Valid HTML named colors

The following table lists the W3C HTML 4 named color value or hexadecimal values that the color attribute accepts:
Color name

RGB value

Black

##000000

Blue

##0000FF

Red

##FF0000

Gray

##808080

LightGray

##D3D3D3

DarkGray

##A9A9A9

Green

##008000

Pink

##FFC0CB

Cyan

##00FFFF

Magenta

##FF00FF

Orange

##FFA500

White

##FFFFFF

Yellow

##FFFF00

For all other color values, you must enter the hexadecimal value. Enter a six-digit value, which specifies the RGB
value. Values between 00 and FF are allowed.
Image quality

By default, the cfimage tag generates images with antialiasing turned on (to remove the appearance of jagged edges).
The interpolation method is set to highestQuality: this produces a high-quality image, but decreases processing
speed. To turn off antialiasing, use the ImageSetAntialiasing function. To change the interpolation method or
for more control over image attributes, use the following functions:

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•

ImageResize

•

ImageRotate

•

ImageScaleToFit

•

ImageShear

•

ImageTranslate

border action
Use the border action to create a rectangular border around the outer edge of an image. You can
control the thickness of the border and its color. For more control, use the ImageAddBorder function. The following
example shows how to set the thickness and color of a border:



Use the captcha action to create a distorted text image that is human-readable but not machinereadable. When you create a CAPTCHA image, you specify the text that is displayed in the CAPTCHA image;
ColdFusion randomly distorts the text. You can specify the height and width of the text area, which affects the
spacing between letters, the font size, the fonts used for the CAPTCHA text, and the level of difficulty, which affects
readability. The following example shows how to write a CAPTCHA image directly to the browser:
captcha action



Note: For the CAPTCHA image to display, the width value must be greater than: fontSize times the number of
characters specified in text times 1.08. In this example, the minimum width is 162.
ColdFusion 8 supports CAPTCHA images in PNG format only.
Note: Use unique names for the CAPTCHA image files so that when multiple users access the CAPTCHA images, the
files are not overwritten.
The following example shows how to create CAPTCHA images with a medium level of difficulty that are written to
files:




For a detailed example, see the “Creating and Manipulating ColdFusion Images” on page 765 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.
convert action
Use the convert action to convert an image from one file format to another. For more information
on file formats, see “Supported image file formats” on page 304. The following example shows how to convert a JPEG
file to a PNG file:



Note: Converting images between one file format to another is time-consuming. Also, image quality can degrade; for
example, PNG images support 24-bit color, but GIF images support only 256 colors. Converting transparent images
(images with alpha) can degrade image quality.

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Use the info action to create a ColdFusion structure that contains information about the image,
including the color model, height, width, and source of the image. The structure is the same as returned by the
ImageInfo function. The following example shows how to retrieve all of the information about an image:
info action







    height: #viatoInfo.height# pixels
    

    width: #viatoInfo.width# pixels
    

    source: #viatoInfo.source#
    

    transparency: #viatoInfo.colormodel.transparency#
    

    pixel size: #viatoInfo.colormodel.pixel_size#
    

    color model: #viatoInfo.colormodel.colormodel_type#
    

    alpha channel support: #viatoInfo.colormodel.alpha_channel_support#
    

    color space: #viatoInfo.colormodel.colorspace#
    


read action
Use the read action to read an image from the specified local file pathname or URL, and create a
ColdFusion image in memory. You can use the ColdFusion image variable as the source for another cfimage tag or
for Image functions. The read action performs the same operation as the ImageRead function. The following
example shows how to create a ColdFusion image from a JPEG file and manipulate it using the ImageGrayscale
function:







resize action
Use the resize action to resize an image to the specified height and width. You can specify the height
and width in pixels or as a percentage:







For more control of resize attributes, use the ImageResize function.
rotate action

Use the rotate action to rotate an image by degrees:






For more control of the rotate attributes, use the ImageRotate function.

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Use the write action to write an image to the specified path. The new image is converted to the file
type specified in the destination attribute. The write action performs the same operation as the ImageWrite
function. When you write an image to a JPEG file, the image quality is set to 75% of the original image by default.
To control the image size, use the quality attribute of the write action.
write action

You can use the write action to change the quality of a JPEG image to reduce file size. The following example shows
how to change image quality to .5:







writeToBrowser action
Use the writeToBrowser action to display one or more ColdFusion images directly to the
browser without writing them to files. Images are displayed in PNG format. The following example shows how to
reduce the size of an image and display it in the browser:




Example
This example shows how to create a ColdFusion image and manipulate it by using Image functions:









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cfimpersonate
Description
This tag is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 641 and “Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
History
ColdFusion MX: This tag is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later releases.

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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

taglib

Required

Default

Description
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, "/WEB-INF/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-INF/lib directory. This limitation does not
apply to ColdFusion pages.
prefix

Required

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#.

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To reference a JSP tag in a CFML page, use the syntax . Set the prefix value in the prefix
attribute.
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#
    
    

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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 403. (A ColdFusion page was formerly sometimes called a ColdFusion
template or a template.)
Category
Flow-control tags, Page processing tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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 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 Administrator Mappings. The
following cfinclude statements work, assuming that the myinclude.cfm file exists in the specified directory:




But these do 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.
You can specify a variable for the template attribute, as the following example shows:

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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.
    


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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 Administrator or the cfcollection tag before creating
indexes for the collection.
You also can index a Verity collection using the ColdFusion 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 “Building a Search Interface” on
page 460 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Category
Extensibility tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcollection, cfexecute, cfobject, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx

History
ColdFusion MX 7.0.1: Added the prefix attribute.
ColdFusion MX 7:

•

Added the category, categoryTree, custom3, and custom4 attributes for the update and refresh actions.

•

Added the status attribute for the update, refresh, delete, and purge actions.

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•

Removed reference to external collections.

•

Removed suggested cflock usage.

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

action

Required

Default

Description

•

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.
collection

Required

Name of a collection that is registered by ColdFusion; for example, "personnel".

body

Required if

•

ASCII text to index.

type=custom

•

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.
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.

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.

extensions

Optional

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, "*."

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

key

Required

(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.
language

Optional

prefix

Optional

Specifies the location of files to index when the computer that contains the K2
Search Service is not the computer on which you installed ColdFusion, and when
you index files with the type attribute set to path.

query

Optional.

The name of the query against which the collection is generated.

recurse

Optional

English

no

For options, see cfcollection. Requires the appropriate Verity Locales language
pack (Western Europe, Asia, Multilanguage, Eastern Europe/Middle Eastern).

•

yes: if type = "path", indexes qualified files in directories below the path
specified in the key attribute.

•

no

status

Optional

The name of the structure into which ColdFusion MX returns status information.

title

Optional

Provides a title for the document if one cannot be extracted from the document.

type

Optional

custom, if
query

attribute is
specified.
Otherwise,
file.
URLpath

Optional

•

file: applies action value to filename, including path. Expects a filename in
the key attribute.

• path: applies action to files in a directory path that pass the extensions
filter. Expects a directory name in the key attribute.
• custom: applies action to custom data; for example, to data from a query.
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.

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.

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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.
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#
    

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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#
    
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






    Indexing Complete
    


key=#getEmps.key#
    
title=#getEmps.title#
    
context=#getEmps.context#
    
url=#getEmps.url#
    
    







ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 321
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cfinput
Description
Used within the cfform tag, to place input controls that support input validation on a form.
Category
Forms tags
Syntax


Some attributes apply to only specific display formats. For details, see the Attributes table.

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In HTML format forms, standard HTML input control attributes not listed above are passed to the HTML and have
their normal effect.
Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfajaximport, cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfselect,
cfslider, cftextarea, cftree, “Using Ajax form controls and features” on page 627 in “Using Ajax UI Compo-

nents and Features” on page 614 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8

•

Added autosuggest, autosuggestBindDelay, autosuggestMinLength, delimiter,

maxResultsDisplayed, showAutosuggestLoadingIcon, and typeahead attributes.

•

Added support for the bind attribute in HTML forms and the bindAttribute and bindOnload, and

onBindError attributes.

•

Added the sourceForTooltip attribute

•

Added support for datefield value of the type attribute in HTML forms.

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 All or XML are not handled by the skins provided with ColdFusion.
They are, however, included in the generated XML.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

Default

Description

name

Required;
all

Name for form input element.

autosuggest

Optional,
HTML

Specifies entry completion suggestions to display as the user types into a
text input. The user can select a suggestion to complete the text entry.
The valid value can be either of the following:

•

A string that consists of the suggestion values separated by the
delimiter specified by the delimiter attribute.

•

A bind expression that gets the suggestion values based on the
current input text. The bind expression must pass a
cfautosuggestvalue bind parameter to represent the user input.
Valid only for cfinput type="text".
For more information, see “Using autosuggest text input fields” on
page 645 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
autosuggestBindDelay

Optional,
HTML

0.5 seconds

A nonzero integer that specifies the minimum time between
autosuggest bind expression invocations, in seconds. This value also

specifies the delay from when the user first enters a minimum-length
entry in the field until the suggestion box appears. Use this attribute to
limit the number of requests that are sent to the server when a user types.
Valid only for cfinput type="text".
Note: The only way to get the default behavior is to omit the attribute.
Otherwise, the delay must be a nonzero integer value.
autosuggestMinLength

Optional,
HTML

1

The minimum number of characters required in the text box before
invoking a bind expression to return items for suggestion.
Valid only for cfinput type="text".

bind

Optional;
HTML,
Flash

bindAttribute

Optional;
HTML

A bind expression that dynamically sets an attribute of the control. For
details, see Usage.

value

Specifies the HTML tag attribute whose value is set by the bind attribute.
You can only specify attributes in the browser’s HTML DOM tree, not ColdFusion-specific attributes.
Ignored if there is no bind attribute.
Valid only for cfinput type="text".

bindOnLoad

Optional;
HTML

no

A Boolean value that specifies whether to execute the bind attribute
expression when first loading the form.
Ignored if there is no bind attribute.
Valid only for cfinput type="text".

checked

Optional;
all

no

Selects a radio button or check box control:

•

yes

•

no

For HTML format, you can indicate that the item is selected by specifying
the value as checked or specifying the attribute with no value.
dayNames

Optional;
all

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

Applies to datefield type only. A comma-delimited list 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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

Default

Description

delimiter

Optional,
HTML

comma (,)

The delimiter to use to separate entries in a static autosuggest list. This
attribute is meaningful only if the autosuggest attribute is a string of
delimited values.

disabled

Optional;
all

not disabled

Disables user input, making the control read-only. The attribute behavior
depends on the format of the form as follows:

•

HTML format forms: ColdFusion passes this attribute directly to the
HTML. To disable input, specify disabled without a value (HTML
format) or with the value disabled (XHTML compliant). To enable
input, omit this attribute.

•

Flash format forms: 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).

enabled

Optional;
Flash

yes

Boolean value that specifies whether the control is enabled. A disabled
control appears in light gray. The inverse of the disabled attribute.

firstDayOfWeek

Optional;
all

0

Applies to datefield type only. Integer in the range 0-6 that specifies
the first day of the week in the calendar: 0 indicates Sunday; 6 indicates
Saturday.

height

Optional; see
Description

id

Optional;
HTML

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.
name attribute

The HTML ID of the form.

value

label

Optional;
Flash, XML

Label to put next to the control on a Flash form. Not used for button,
hidden, image, reset, or submit types.

mask

Optional;
Flash, HTML

For tags with type="text". A mask pattern that controls the character
pattern that users can enter, or that the form sends to ColdFusion. 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

For tags with type="datefield", a pattern that controls the format of
dates that the user selects in the calendar. 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.
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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

Default

Description

maxResultsDisplayed

Optional;
HTML

10

The maximum number suggestions to display in the autosuggest list.
Valid only for cfinput type="text".

message

Optional;
all

Message text to display if validation fails.

monthNames

Optional;
all

January,
February,
March,
April, May,
June, July,
August,
September,
October,
November,
December

onBindError

Optional;
HTML

See Description The name of a JavaScript function to execute if evaluating a bind expression, including an autosuggest bind expression, results in an error. The
function must take two attributes: an HTTP status code and a message.

Applies to datefield type only. A comma-delimited list of the month
names that display at the top of the calendar.

If you omit this attribute, and have specified a global error handler (by
using the ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler function), it
displays the error message; otherwise a default error pop-up displays.
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.

onError

Optional;
HTML, XML

Name of a custom JavaScript function to execute if validation fails.

onKeyDown

Optional;
all

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) ActionScript to run when
the user presses a keyboard key in the control.

onKeyUp

Optional;
all

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run when the user
releases a keyboard key in the control.

onMouseDown

Optional;
all

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run when the user
releases a mouse button in the control.

onMouseUp

Optional;
all

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run when the user
presses a mouse button in the control.

onValidate

Optional;
HTML, XML

Name of a 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.

pattern

Required if

JavaScript regular expression pattern to validate input. ColdFusion uses
this attribute only if you specify regex in the validate attribute.

validate=
"regex";

HTML, XML

Omit leading and trailing slashes. For examples and syntax, see “Building
Dynamic Forms with cfform Tags” on page 531 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

range

Optional;
all

Default

Description
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.

•

yes: the field must contain data.

•

no: allows an empty field.

Optional;
all

no

showAutosuggestLoadingI
con

Optional;
HTML

true

size

Optional;
all

Size of input control. Ignored, if type = "radio" or "checkbox".

Optional;
HTML

The URL of a page to display as a tool tip. The page can include HTML
markup to control the format, and the tip can include images.

required

sourceForTooltip

A Boolean value that specifies whether to display an animated icon when
loading an autosuggest value for a text input.

If specified in a Flash form, ColdFusion sets the control width pixel value
to 10 times the specified size and ignores the width attribute.

If you specify this attribute, an animated icon appears with the text
"Loading..." while the tip is being loaded.
src

Optional;
Flash, HTML

Applies to Flash button, reset, submit, and image types, and the HTML
image type. URL of an image to use on the button.

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 “Creating Forms in Flash” on
page 577 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
In XML format, ColdFusion passes the style attribute to the XML.

tooltip

type

Optional;
Flash, HTML
Optional;
all

Text to display when the mouse pointer hovers over the control.
Ignored if you specify a sourceForTooltip attribute.
text

The input control type to create:

•

button: push button.

•

checkbox: check box.

•

datefield: HTML and Flash only; date entry field with an
expanding calendar from which users select the date or dates. In HTML
format only, users can also enter the date by typing in the field.

•

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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;
formats

Default

Description

typeahead

Optional;
HTML

no

A Boolean value that specifies whether the autosuggest feature should
automatically complete a user’s entry with the first result in the suggestion list.
Valid only for cfinput type="text".

validate

Optional;
all

validateAt

Optional;
all

The type or types of validation to do. Available validation types and algorithms depend on the format. For details, see Usage.
onSubmit

How to do the validation; one or more of the following values:

•

onSubmit

•

onServer

•

onBlur

The onBlur and onSubmit values are identical in Flash forms. For multiple
values, use a comma-delimited list.
For details, see Usage.
value

depends on
type setting;
all

visible

Optional;
Flash

width

Optional; see
Description

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.
yes

Boolean value that specifies whether to show the control. Space that
would be occupied by an invisible control is blank.
Applies to most Flash types, and 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. 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 in Flash format forms, 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
“Building Dynamic Forms with cfform Tags” on page 531 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Validation

The following sections describe how to do validation in cfinput tags.
Validation methods

ColdFusion provides four methods of validation of cfinput text and password fields.

You can specify one or a combination of the following in the validateAt attribute:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 328
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• 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.
• 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 lets you 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” on page 566 in
“Validating form data using hidden fields” on page 566 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Validation types 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 commadelimited 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
social_security_number

US. Social Security number format, ###-##-####. The separator can be a hyphen (-) or a space.

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-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx,
where x is a hexadecimal number.

uuid

A universally unique identifier (UUID) that follows the ColdFusion format, xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, 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.

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Type

Description

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” on page 558 in “Data validation types” on page 558 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
For more information on validation, including discussions of the advantages and disadvantages of different
validation types, see “Validating Data” on page 554 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Masking input data

In HTML and Flash forms, the mask attribute controls the format of data that can be entered into a text field or that
is selected in a datefield input control calendar. In HTML format, it does not prevent users from typing a date that
does not follow the mask into a datefield input control. You can combine masking and validation on a field.
In text fields, ColdFusion automatically inserts any literal mask characters, such as hyphen (-) characters in
telephone numbers. Users type only the variable part of the field.
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 EB 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 when the user selects a date in the calendar, 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

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Mask

Pattern

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 by 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 by using the contents of other form fields. To specify text from
another field in a Flash format cfinput tag 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 e-mail
address. (The user can change or replace this value with a typed entry.)

HTML form data binding

The bind attribute lets you set cfinput attributes dynamically. For example, you can automatically fill an email field
text-input value based on name and domain field values.
In HTML format, the bind attribute specifies a bind expression, which can have any for the following forms:

• A Bind parameter or string that contains one or more bind parameters. A bind parameter specifies a form control
value or other attribute and, optionally, an event. In its most basic form, a bind parameter consists of the name or id
attribute of the control to which you are binding in braces ({ }) The value of the control attributes specified in the
bind parameters determine the value of the cfinput control attribute.
• A CFC or JavaScript function, or URL, typically using one or more bind parameters as function parameters. The
data returned by the function or URL sets the cfinput attribute value.
For details of using HTML form data binding, see “Binding data to form fields” on page 650 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.
Note: To bind to a cfinput control with type attribute of button, you must specify a bind event setting such as click
in the bind expression of the control that binds to the button. The default event, onChange, has no effect.
Example: without binding



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):
    




Example: with binding
The following example uses binding to generate a default e-mail address based on input controls with a first, last and
domain names, and fills in the e-mail text-input field with the result.
The CFML page contains the following code:

    CFC bind using onkeyup() event
    

      

    • When you type in the First Name field, the first initial appears in
the Email control.
      • 

    • Each key you enter in the Last Name and Domain fields appears in the
Email control.
      • 

    

First Name*:   

    
Last Name*:   

    
Domain*
:        

    

    



    
* indicates the field is required.
    

The bindFcns CFC contains the following code:









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cfinsert
Description
Inserts records in data sources from data in a ColdFusion form or form Scope.
Category
Database manipulation tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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
Attribute

Req/Opt

dataSource

Required

Default

Data source; contains table.

Description

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

formFields

Optional

(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.

password

Optional

Overrides password specified in ODBC setup.

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.

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.


    

    

    
From UserSubjectComment Type
MessageDate 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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cfinterface
Description
Defines an interface that consists of a set of signatures for functions. The interface does not include the full function
definitions; instead, you implement the functions in a ColdFusion component (CFC). The interfaces that you define
by using this tag can make up the structure of a reusable application framework.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Application framework tags, Extensibility tags
Syntax




...


...

...


See also
cfargument, cfcomponent, cffunction, GetComponentMetaData, IsInstanceOf

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

displayName

Optional

A value to be displayed when using introspection to show a descriptive name for the
interface.

extends

Optional

A comma-delimited list of one or more interfaces that this interface extends. Any CFC
that implements an interface must also implement all the functions in the interfaces
specified by this property.
If an interface extends another interface, and the child interface specifies a function
with the same name as one in the parent interface, both functions must have the
same attributes; otherwise ColdFusion generates an error.

hint

Optional

Text to be displayed when using introspection to show information about the interface. The hint attribute value follows the syntax line in the function description.

Usage
The cfinterface tag declares a set of related functions that any ColdFusion component (CFC) that implements the
interface must define. The interface specifies function signatures, but does not implement the functions; instead, the
CFC that implements the interface must contain the full function definitions.

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For example, you could create a create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) interface that defines the basic signatures
of the four operations. All components that implement the interface must then conform to the interface signatures.
You can then implement the interface in different components to manage different types of data sources. Because all
the components implement the same interface, you can ensure that you can easily replace one component with
another, depending on the specific data source that an individual application requires.
You define an interface by creating a ColdFusion file with a .cfc extension and specifying the cfinterface tag as the
first and only top-level tag in the file. The filename determines the interface name, so myInterface.cfc defines the
myInterface interface. You can specify any attributes in the cfinterface tag; however, only the names listed in the
Attributes table are meaningful to ColdFusion. The filename must not contain commas, or any periods except for
the separator before the .cfc extension.
Inside the cfinterface tag body, you specify the interface by declaring the functions of the interface. The interface
definition must follow these basic rules:

•

The cfinterface tag body can contain only cffunction tags and comments.

• The cffunction tag bodies can contain only cfargument tags, which declare the function arguments, and
comments.
•

The cffunction tag body is optional.

The following example shows the general format of an interface definition:











This interface extends the IBasicInterface interface, so any component that implements this interface must also
implement the methods of the IBasicInterface interface. This interface requires the component to implement the
following three functions:

•

A hello function that can optionally take a single string argument, which has a default value of "world".

• A calculateTwo function that takes one required numeric argument, has an optional numeric argument with
a default value of 0, and must return a number.
•

A disclaimer function that takes no arguments and returns any type.

The CFC that implements an interface specifies the interface name in the cfcomponent tag’s implements attribute.
It must implement all of the interface’s methods as specified in the interface cffunction tags. The order of function
arguments in the interface definition and the component definition must be identical.
The following table lists the attributes that you can use in the cffunction and cfargument tags, and describes the
requirements and limitations on how you can use them in the interface definition and the component implementation:

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Attribute

Interface requirements

Implementation requirements

access

Optional; only public is allowed

Optional; can be public or remote.

description

Optional

Can differ from value in interface.

displayName

Optional

Can differ from value in interface.

hint

Optional

Can differ from value in interface.

name

Required

Must be identical to value in interface.

output

Optional

Must be identical to value in interface.

cffunction

If you omit this attribute in the interface, you must omit it in the implementation.
returnType

Optional

Must be identical to value in interface; however, an omitted type option
and an option value of any are equivalent and ColdFusion treats them as a
match.

roles

Not allowed

Can be any valid value.

Optional

Must be identical to value in interface.

cfargument

default

If you omit this attribute in the interface, you can specify any value in the
implementation.
displayName

Optional

Can differ from value in interface

hint

Optional

Can differ from value in interface

name

Required

Must be identical to value in interface.

required

Optional

If the interface specifies yes, this attribute must also specify yes. If the
interface specifies no or omits this attribute, you can specify no or omit the
attribute.

type

Optional

Must be identical to value in interface; however, an omitted type option
and an option value of any are equivalent and ColdFusion treats them as a
match.

A CFC can implement multiple interfaces.
Note: If a CFC implements multiple interfaces and two or more of the interfaces define functions with identical names,
the signatures of these functions must be the same in all the interfaces; ColdFusion does not support function
overloading.
ColdFusion uses the same rules to locate interfaces as it does to locate components. You can use the GetComponentMetaData function to get information about an interface.
Adobe recommends that you use a consistent technique for identifying interface names, for example, by always
starting the file (and therefore interface) name with a capital I. Any component that implements only that single
interface could have a similar name, for example the same root prefixed by a capital C. You could have an IresourceInfo.cfc interface file and a corresponding CresourceInfo.cfc component file, for example.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 338
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Example
The following example defines an IBasicMath interface with add, subtract, multiply, and divide operations. The
integerMath CFC implements this interface by defining integer arithmetic versions of the operations. The
testMath.cfm application uses the integerMath functions to do arithmetic calculations on two decimal numbers
(using the values of pi and e).
As an exercise, consider modifying the interface definition to take and return values of any type, and then implement
a second CFC that uses the PrecisionEvaluate function to calculate arbitrary precision arithmetic and return the
results. (We have omitted these versions for brevity.)
The IBasicMath.cfc file defines the interface as follows:



















The integerMath.cfc file defines the integerMath component, which implements the IBasicMath interface, as follows:




















ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 339
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The testMath.cfm file uses the integerMath component methods to calculate integer values, as follows:

arguments = StructNew();
arguments.first = pi();
arguments.second = "2.718281828459045235360287471352";




    Function Arguments
    
argument 1: #arguments.first#
    
argument 2: #arguments.second#
    

    Addition
    
#iMathObj.add(argumentCollection = arguments)#

    Subtraction
    
#iMathObj.subtract(argumentCollection = arguments)#

    Multiplication
    
#iMathObj.multiply(argumentCollection = arguments)#

    Division
    
#iMathObj.divide(argumentCollection = arguments)#
    

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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


OR


OR


OR



component = "#name of instantiated component#"
method = "method name"
returnVariable = "variable name"
argumentCollection = "argument collection"
...>
OR




Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfargument, cfcomponent, cffunction, cfinvokeargument, cfobject, cfproperty, cfreturn

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the following attributes: refreshWSDL, wsdl2javaArgs attributes.
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.

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

argumentCollection

Optional

Name of a structure; associative array of arguments to pass to the
method.

component

See Usage.

String or component object; a reference to a component, or
component to instantiate.
Input parameters. For each named input parameter specify
paramName=paramValue.

input_params ...
method

See Usage.

password

Optional

Name of a method. For a web service, the name of an operation.
Password set in the
Administrator, if any

The password to use to access the web service. If the
webservice attribute specifies a web service name configured

in the Administrator, overrides any user name specified in the
Administrator entry.
proxyPassword

Optional

http.proxyPassword
system property, if any

The user’s password on the proxy server.

proxyPort

Optional

http.proxyPort system
property, if any.

The port to use on the proxy server.

proxyServer

Optional

http.proxyHost system
property, if any.

The proxy server required to access the webservice URL.

proxyUser

Optional

http.proxyUser system
property, if any

The user ID to send to the proxy server.

refreshWSDL

Optional

no

•

yes: reload the WSDL file and regenerate the artifacts used
to consume the web service

•
returnVariable

Optional

servicePort

Optional

no

Name of a variable for the invocation result.
First port found in the
WSDL

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 attribute if the web service contains multiple ports.

timeout

Optional

0 (no timeout)

The time-out for the web service request, in seconds.

username

Optional

User name set in the
Administrator, if any

webservice attribute specifies a web service name configured

The user name to use to access the web service. If the
in the Administrator, overrides any user name specified in the
Administrator entry.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

webservice

See Usage

Default

Description
One of the following:

•

The absolute URL of the web service WSDL.

•

The Name (string) assigned in the ColdFusion Administrator
to the web service.
wsdl2javaArgs

See Usage

A string that contains a space-delimited list of arguments to pass
to the WSDL2Java tool that generates Java stubs for the web
services. Useful arguments include the following:

•

-W or --noWrapped: Turns off the special treatment of
wrapped document/literal style operations.

•

-a or --all: Generates code for all elements in the WSDL,
even unreferenced ones.

•

-w or --wrapArrays: Prefers building beans to straight
arrays for wrapped XML array types. This switch is not in
included in the Axis documentation.

For detailed information on valid arguments, see the Apache Axis
WSDL2Java Reference.

Note: If you do not specify any the attributes of the proxy server, 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

argumentCollection

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

component

Required

Optional

Invalid

Required

Invalid

input_params ...

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

method

Required

Required

Required

Required

Required

password

Ignored

Ignored

Optional

Ignored

Optional

proxyPassword

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

proxyPort

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

proxyServer

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

proxyUser

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

returnVariable

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

servicePort

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

timeout

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

username

Ignored

Ignored

Optional

Ignored

Optional

webservice

Invalid

Invalid

Required

Invalid

Required

wsdl2javaArgs

Invalid

Invalid

Optional

Invalid

Optional

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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.
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

Passing directly as attributes of the cfinvoke tag (they cannot have the same name as a registered cfinvoke
attribute: method, component, webservice, returnVariable)

2
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.



Example4
This example uses Syntax 3.




The temperature at zip code 55987 is #aTemp#

For more information on web services, see “Using Web Services” on page 902 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Example5
This example uses Syntax 4A.



#res#

#res#

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cfinvokeargument
Description
Passes the name and value of a parameter to a component method or a web service. This tag is used in the cfinvoke
tag.
Category
Extensibility tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.
Example1



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 347
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#res#

Example2




The temperature at zip code 55987 is #aTemp#

348

cflayout
Description
Creates a region of its container (such as the browser window or a cflayoutarea tag) with a specific layout
behavior: a bordered area, a horizontal or vertically arranged box, or a tabbed navigator.
Category
Display management tags
Syntax

tabPosition="top|bottom">
cflayoutarea tags


Note: You can specify this tag’s attribute in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute name as structure key.
See also
cfajaximport, cfdiv, cflayoutarea, cfpod, cfwindow, “Using Ajax UI Components and Features” on page 614
in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

type

Required

Default

Applies to

Description

all

The type of layout. The following values are valid:

•

border: a box with a border and up to five layout areas, each with a
border. For more information, see Usage.

• hbox: a horizontal box where all immediate child cflayoutarea
controls are arranged horizontally.
•

tab: a tabbed display where the current child cflayoutarea tag
occupies the display area of the layout, and each layout area has a tab
that the user can select to display its contents.

•

vbox: a vertical box where all immediate child cflayoutarea
controls are arranged vertically.

align

Optional

name

Optional

padding

Optional

Determined all
by browser
layout
direction

all
0

hbox, vbox

Specifies the default alignment of the content of child layout areas. Each
cflayoutarea tag can specify an alignment attribute to override this

value.
The following values are valid:

•

center

•

justify

•

left

•

right

The name of the layout region. Should be unique on a page.

•

For hbox layouts, specifies the padding on the right side of each child
layout area.

•

For vbox layouts, specifies the padding at the bottom of each child
layout area.
You can use any valid CSS length or percent format, such as 10, 10% 10px,
or 10em, for this attribute.
The padding is included in the child layout area and takes the style of the
layout area.
style

Optional

all

A CSS style specification that defines layout styles.

tabHeight

Optional

tab

Specifies the height of the content area of all child layout areas. You can
override this setting by specifying a height setting in a individual
cflayoutarea tag style attributes.

tabPosition

Optional

tab

Specifies the location of the tabs relative to the tab region contents.

top

•

bottom: the tabs appear at the bottom of the layout.

•

top: the tabs appear at the top of the layout.

Usage
The immediate children of a cflayout tag must be cflayoutarea tags or nondisplay tags whose bodies contain
one or more cflayoutarea tags at the top level. For example, a cflayout tag could have a tag such as cfloop or
cfquery as a child, and these tags would have cflayoutarea tags in their bodies.
The border type layout has the following characteristics:

•

The layout control and each of its immediate layout area children is surrounded by a border.

•

The control can have up to five children positioned at the left, right, center, top, and bottom of the layout.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 350
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• You can configure the child layout areas, except for the center area, to have splitters so that users can expand and
collapse them or close them completely.
• The center child layout area occupies all available space in the layout that is not used by any of the other layout
areas.
•

To specify layout height, use the height setting of the style attribute.

Note: If you specify a border layout on a page that has a DOCTYPE declaration, the layout cannot properly determine its
height and you must specify the height in a cflayout tag style attribute.
You can use the following JavaScript functions to access the underlying Ext JS - JavaScript Library objects for border
and tab type cflayout controls.
Function

Description

ColdFusion.Layout.getBorderLayout

Gets the underlying Ext JS - JavaScript Library object for the specified border type
cflayout control.

ColdFusion.Layout.getTabLayout

Gets the underlying Ext JS - JavaScript Library object for the specified tab type cflayout
control.

For more information on configuring layout areas, see cflayoutarea.
Example
The following example shows a set of nested layouts. The outer layout is a vbox, with two layout areas. The top layout
area has a border layout, the bottom layout area contains a form with buttons to control the display of the border
layout areas.









This is text in layout area 1: top


This is text in layout area 2: left
    
You can close and collapse this area.
    

This is text in layout area 3: center
    
    

This is text in layout area 4: right
    
You can collapse this, but not close it.
    
It is initially collapsed.
    

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This is text in layout area 5: bottom

    
    


    Change the state of Area 2
    






    
    



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cflayoutarea
Description
Defines a region within a cflayout tag body, such as an individual tab of a tabbed layout.
Category
Display management tags
Syntax
In a border layout

area elements

In a hbox or vbox layout

area elements

In a tab layout

area elements


If you specify a source attribute, all child tags are ignored. If you do not have child tags, close the tag with />.
Note: You can specify this tag’s attribute in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute name as structure key.
See also
cfdiv, cflayout, cfpod, cfwindow, “AJAX JavaScript Functions” on page 1246, “Using layouts” on page 617 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Applies to Description

align

Optional

The

all

cflayout tag
align

attribute
value

closable

Optional

false

Specifies how to align child controls within the layout area. The
following values are valid:

•

center

•

justify

•

left

•

right

border, tab A Boolean value that specifies whether the area can close. Specifying
this attribute adds an x icon on the tab or title bar that a user can click
to close the area.
You cannot use this attribute for border layout areas with a
position attribute value of center.

collapsible

Optional

false

border

A Boolean value that specifies whether the area can collapse. Specifying this attribute adds a >> or << icon on the title bar that a user can
click to collapse the area.
You cannot use this attribute for border layout areas with a
position attribute value of center.

position

Required if
the
cflayout

border

The position of the area in the layout. Must be one of the following
values:

type is

•

top: Position the area across the top of the full layout.

border

•

bottom: Position the area across the bottom of the full layout.

•

left: Position the area on the left side of the layout, between
any visible top and bottom areas.

•

right: Position the area on the right side of the layout, between
any visible top and bottom areas.

•

center: Position the area in the space not taken by the top,
bottom, left, and right areas.

Border style layouts can have at most one layout area of each type.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Applies to Description

disabled

Optional

false

tab

A Boolean value that specifies whether the tab is disabled, that is,
whether a user can select the tab to display its contents. Disabled
tabs are greyed out.

initCollapsed

Optional

false

border

A Boolean value that specifies whether the area is initially collapsed.

Ignored if the selected attribute value is true.

You cannot use this attribute for border layout areas with a
position attribute value of center.
Ignored if the collapsible attribute value is false.
initHide

Optional

false

border, tab A Boolean value that specifies whether the area is initially hidden. To
show an initially hidden area, use the
ColdFusion.Layout.showArea or
ColdFusion.Layout.showTab function.
You cannot use this attribute for border layout areas with a
position attribute value of center.

maxSize

Optional

-1
border
(no maximum
size)

If the position attribute value is top or bottom, the maximum
height of the area, in pixels, that you can set by dragging a splitter.
If the position attribute value is left or right, the maximum
width of the area.
You cannot use this attribute for border layout areas with a
position attribute value of center.

minSize

Optional

-1
border
(no maximum
size)

If the position attribute value is top or bottom, the minimum
height of the area, in pixels, that you can set by dragging a splitter.
If the position attribute value is left or right, the minimum
width of the area.
You cannot use this attribute for border layout areas with a
position attribute value of center.

name

Optional

onBindError

Optional

See
Description

all

The name of the layout area.

all

The name of a JavaScript function to execute if evaluating a bind
expression results in an error. The function must take two attributes:
an HTTP status code and a message.
If you omit this attribute, and have specified a global error handler
(by using the ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler function), it
displays the error message; otherwise a default error pop-up
displays.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Applies to Description

overflow

Optional

auto

all

Specifies how to display child content whose size would cause the
control to overflow the window boundaries. The following values are
valid:

•

auto: show scroll bars when necessary.

•

hidden: do not allow access to overflowing content.

•

scroll: always show horizontal and vertical scroll bars, even if
they are not needed.

•

visible: content can display outside the bounds of the layout

area.
Notes:

•

You cannot use visible or scroll for layout areas in border
layouts.

•

In Internet Explorer, layout areas with the visible setting
expand to fit the size of the contents, rather than having the
contents extend beyond the layout area.
refreshOnActivate

Optional

false

tab

• true: Refresh the contents of the tab by running the source
bind expression whenever the tab display region shows (for
example, when the user selects the tab), in addition to when bind
events occur.
•

false: Refresh the tab display region only when the bind
expression is triggered by its bind event.

To use this attribute, you must also specify a source attribute.
selected

Optional

first tab is
selected

tab

A Boolean value that specifies whether this tab is initially selected so
that its contents appears in the layout.

size

Optional

-1
calculate
initial size
dynamically

border,
For hbox layouts and border layouts with position attribute values
hbox, vbox of top or bottom, the initial height of the area.
For vbox layouts and border layouts with position attribute values
of left or right, the initial width of the area.
For hbox and vbox layouts, you can use any valid CSS length or
percent format (such as 10, 10% 10px, or 10em) for this attribute.
For border layouts, this attribute value must be an integer number
of pixels.
You cannot use this attribute for border layout areas with a
position attribute value of center. ColdFusion automatically
determines the center size based on the size of all other layout areas.
Note: If a layout area in a border layout contains only AJAX controls
such as HTML format cftree tags, you must specify a size attribute.
Otherwise, the AJAX components may not be visible until the layout
area is resized.

source

Optional

all

A URL that returns the layout area contents. ColdFusion uses standard page path resolution rules. You can use a bind expression with
dependencies in this attribute.
If a file specified in this attribute includes tags that use AJAX features,
such as cfform, cfgrid, and cfpod, you must use the
cfajaximport tag on the page that includes the cflayoutarea
tag. For more information, see cfajaximport.
For more information on the source attribute, see Usage.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Applies to Description

splitter

Optional

false

border

A Boolean value that specifies whether the layout area has a divider
between it and the adjacent layoutarea control. Users can drag the
splitter to change the relative sizes of the areas.
If this attribute is set to true on a left or right position layout
area, the splitter resizes the area and its adjacent area horizontally. If
this attribute is set to true on a top or bottom position layout area,
the splitter resizes the layout vertically.
You cannot use this attribute for border layout areas with a
position attribute value of center.

style

Optional

all

A CSS style specification that controls the appearance of the area.

title

Optional;
required for
tab layouts

border, tab For tab layouts, the text to display on the tab.
For border layouts, if you specify this attribute, ColdFusion creates a
title bar for the layout area with the specified text as the title. By
default, border layouts that are not closable or collapsible do not
have a title bar.
You cannot use this attribute for border layout areas with a
position attribute value of center.

Usage
All cflayoutarea tags must be children of cflayout tags and cannot have cflayoutarea tags as immediate
children, but they can contain cflayout tags. However, the cflayoutarea tags do not have to be direct children of
the cflayout tag; instead, the cflayout tag could have a tag such as cfloop or cfquery as a child, and the
cflayoutarea tags could be in the body of the cfloop or cfquery tag. These rules let you create arbitrarily complex
combinations of different layouts.
Note: You cannot put a layout of type border inside a layout of type tab.
If you do not specify a size attribute value, ColdFusion attempts to determine the required size for the layout area
contents. However, in some cases, such as when the layout area contains AJAX controls, ColdFusion might not be
able to determine the required size, and you must specify the size attribute to make the AJAX control appear. In
these cases, a scroll bar appears for the layout area.
You can use a source attribute or a tag body to specify the layout area contents; if you specify both, ColdFusion uses
the contents specified by the source attribute and ignores the tag body. If you use a source attribute, an animated
icon and the text "Loading..." appears while the contents is being fetched.
If the source attribute specifies a page that defines JavaScript functions, the function definitions on that page must
have the following format:
functionName = function(arguments) {function body}

Function definitions that use the following format may not work:
function functionName (arguments) {function body}

However, Adobe recommends that you include all custom JavaScript in external JavaScript files and import them on
the application’s main page, and not write them inline in code that you get using the source attribute. Imported pages
do not have this function definition format restriction.
If you use the source attribute, you can use a bind expression to include form field values or other form control
attributes as part of the source specification. You can bind to HTML format form controls only. For detailed information on using bind expressions see “Using Ajax Data and Development Features” on page 648 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.

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In border type layouts, a center layout area always takes up any space that is not used by the other areas, even if you
do not specify a cflayoutarea tag with a center position attribute. Therefore, if you want only two layout areas
in either direction, one of the two must be the center area, or you must explicitly size the two areas to take up the full
layout area.
When you nest layouts, you must set the inner layout area initial sizes appropriately to ensure that they appear.
Use the following JavaScript functions to enable, disable, show, hide, expand, collapse, and select layout areas:
Function

Description

ColdFusion.Layout.createTab

Creates a tab in an existing tabbed layout.

ColdFusion.Layout.disableTab

Disables the specified tab so it cannot be selected.

ColdFusion.Layout.enableTab

Enables the specified tab so users can select it and display the area contents.

ColdFusion.Layout.hideTab

Hides a tab.

ColdFusion.Layout.selectTab

Selects a tab and displays the layout area contents.

ColdFusion.Layout.showTab

Shows a tab that was hidden using the inithide attribute or the hideTab() function.

ColdFusion.Layout.collapseArea

Collapses an area of a border layout.

ColdFusion.Layout.expandArea

Expands a collapsed area of a border layout.

ColdFusion.Layout.getTabLayout

Hides an area of a border layout.

ColdFusion.Layout.hideArea

Hides an area of a border layout.

ColdFusion.Layout.showArea

Shows an area of a border layout that was hidden using the inithide attribute or the
hideArea() function.

Note: When you use the style attribute to specify the background color of a border layout area, you must specify a
height style of 100% to make the background color cover the entire layout area. This is because the style specification

applies to an inner content area of the layout area, not the layout area itself, and the 100% specification ensures that the
content area takes up all available space in the layout area.
Example
The following example creates a three-tabbed layout and lets you use buttons to dynamically control the second tab.






    Atab
    


This is text in layout area 1


This is text in layout area 2


This is text in layout area 3



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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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfftp, cfhttp, cfmail, cfmailparam, cfpop, “Managing LDAP Directories” on page 435 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the ability to use a comma as a delimiter when specifying a list of variables in the
returnAsBinary attribute, for example, returnAsBinary="objectGUID,objectSID". Previously, the allowed
delimiter was a space.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added the returnAsBinary attribute. Added SSL V2 client based authentication; this means that
ColdFusion supports the CFSSL_CLIENT_AUTH option. If CFSSL_CLIENT_AUTH is selected, ColdFusion
assumes that the first certificate in the cacerts (or the certificate database) contains the Client Certificate.
ColdFusion MX:

•

Changed the name attribute behavior: this tag validates the query name in the name attribute.

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• 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.
• Deprecated the filterConfig and filterFile attributes. They might not work, and might cause an error, in
later releases.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

action

Required

query

Description

•

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.
server

Required

Host name or IP address of LDAP server.

attributes

Required if action
= "Query", "Add",
"ModifyDN", or

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.

"Modify"

If action = "ModifyDN", ColdFusion passes attributes to the
LDAP server without syntax checking.
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: 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.
dn

Required if action
= "Add",
"Modify",
"ModifyDN", or

Distinguished name, for update action, for example,
"cn = Bob Jensen, o = Ace Industry, c = US"

"delete"
filter

Optional

"objectclass = *"

Search criteria for action = "query".
List attributes in the form: "(attribute operator value)"
For example: "(sn = Smith)"

maxRows

Optional

Maximum number of entries for LDAP queries.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

modifyType

Optional

replace

How to process an attribute in a multivalue 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.
name

Required if action

Name of LDAP query. The tag validates the value.

= "Query"
password

Required if secure

Password that corresponds to user name.

= "CFSSL_BASIC"

If secure = "CFSSL_BASIC", V2 encrypts the password before
transmission.

port

Optional

389

Port.

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.

returnAsBinary

Optional

A space-delimited list of columns that are to be returned as binary
values.

scope

Optional

oneLevel

Scope of search, from entry specified in start attribute for
action = "Query".

secure

Optional

•

oneLevel: entries one level below entry.

•

base: only the entry.

•

subtree: entry and all levels below it.

Security to employ, and required information. One of the
following:

•

CFSSL_BASIC provides V2 SSL encryption and server authentication
separator

Optional

, (comma)

Delimiter to separate attribute values of multi-value 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.

sort

Optional

sortControl

Optional

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".
start

Required if action

Distinguished name of entry to be used to start a search.

= "Query"
startRow

Optional

1

Used with action = "query". First row of LDAP query to insert
into a ColdFusion query.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

timeout

Optional

60000

Maximum length of time, in milliseconds, to wait for LDAP
processing.

username

Required if secure (anonymous)

User ID.

= "CFSSL_BASIC"

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.
The ColdFusion 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

Then restart ColdFusion. 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 the ColdFusion 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.
    








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#results.recordCount# matches found 

    

    
Name
Organization
Title
E-Mail
Phone

    

    
#cn#
#o#
#title#

#mail#
#telephonenumber#

    


    

    
    
    

    

    Enter a name to search in the database.
    



    

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cflocation
Description
Stops execution of the current page and opens a ColdFusion page or HTML file.
Category
Flow-control tags, Page processing tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfabort, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cfif, cfloop, cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the statusCode attribute.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

url

Required

URL of HTML file or CFML page to open.

addToken

Optional

The clientManagement attribute must be enabled (see cfapplication).

• yes: appends client variable information to URL.
• no
statusCode Optional

The HTTP status code, as follows:

•

300 HTTP_MULTIPLE_CHOICES: The requested address refers to
more than one entity.

•

301 HTTP_MOVED_PERMANENTLY: The page is assigned a new
URI. The change is permanent.

•

302 HTTP_MOVED_TEMPORARILY: The page is assigned a new
URI. The change is temporary.

•

303 HTTP_SEE_OTHER: The client should try another network
address.

•

304 HTTP_NOT_MODIFIED: The requested resource has not
been modified.

•

305 HTTP_USE_PROXY: The requested resource must be
accessed through the proxy given by the Location field.

•

307 HTTP_TEMPORARY_REDIRECT: The requested data temporarily resides at a new location.
The status codes from 304 to 307 do not redirect you to the page
specified in a URL, unless you also follow the guidelines specified in
the most recent HTTP RFC.

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Usage
You might write a standard message or response in a file, and call it from several applications. 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:
    


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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 readonly 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




Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfapplication, cfassociate, cfmodule, “Using Persistent Data and Locking” on page 273 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added Request value to scope attribute.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

timeout

Required

Default

Description
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 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.

name

Optional

Locks 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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

scope

Optional

Default

Description
Locks scope. Mutually exclusive with the name attribute. 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.

•
•
•
•
throwOnTimeout

type

Optional

Optional

yes

exclusive

Application
Request
Server
Session

How time-out conditions are handled:

•

yes: exception is generated for the time-out.

•

no: execution continues past this tag.

•

readOnly: lets more than one request read shared data.

•

exclusive: lets one request read or write shared data.

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 performance-sensitive 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++.)
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. After 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 time-out.
The cflock tag uses kernel level synchronization objects that are released automatically upon time out 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 time-outs can block request threads for long periods,
and radically decrease throughput. To prevent this, always use the minimum time-out 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.

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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:

...............

.........



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:

•

“Using Persistent Data and Locking” on page 273 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

• “Locking thread data and resource access” on page 307 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide (for information on
locking the Request scope when you use the cfthread tag to create multithreaded ColdFusion applications).
•

ColdFusion Locking Best Practices, on the Adobe support website.

Example


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    cflock Example
    



Thanks for shopping E-Turtleneck. You chose size #form.size#,
color #form.color#.

    
    






timeout = "30" type = "Exclusive">
= application.number + 1>
#application.number# turtlenecks!




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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.
 

    

    

    
    

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cflog
Description
Writes a message to a log file.
Category
Data output tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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
Attribute

Req/Opt

text

Required

application

Optional

Default

Description
Message text to log.

yes

• yes: logs the application name, if it is specified in a cfapplication tag or
Application.cfc file.
•

file

Optional

no

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 extension .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 applicationspecific messages.

•

Scheduler: writes to Scheduler.log, normally used to log the execution of
scheduled tasks.
type

Optional

Information

Type (severity) of the message:

•

Information

•

Warning

•

Error

•

Fatal

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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 extension .log and must be located in the ColdFusion log directory.
Log entries are written as comma-delimited lists with these fields:

•

type

•

thread

•

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."

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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, GetUserRoles, IsUserInAnyRole, IsUserInRole ,
IsUserLoggedIn, “Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: The applicationtoken attribute lets you specify a unique application identifier for each application,
or the same value for multiple applications.
ColdFusion MX 6.1: Changed behavior: the cflogin variable exists when ColdFusion receives a request with NTLM
or Digest (HTTP Negotiated header) authentication information.
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

applicationtoken

Optional

The current
application
name

The login that applies to the application. To let users log in to only one application, specify a unique value for that application. To let users log in to multiple
applications, specify the same value for those applications. If you do not set a
value for the applicationtoken attribute, the default value is
CFAUTHORIZATION_applicationname.

cookiedomain

Optional

idletimeout

Optional

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.
1800

Time interval, in seconds, after which ColdFusion logs off the user.

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 374
CFML Reference

You control the data source and are responsible for coding the SQL within the cflogin tag; 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
cflogin.password, if the page is executing in response to any of the following:

•

Submission of a form that contains input fields with the names j_username and j_password.

• A request that uses HTTP Basic authentication and, therefore, includes an Authorization header with the user
name 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 cfloginuser tag, to log the
user in. The structure is only available in the cflogin tag body.
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=




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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, GetUserRoles, IsUserInAnyRole,IsUserInRole, IsUserLoggedIn,

“Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion 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 user name.

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 IsUserInRole 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 is stored in the Session scope.
Example
See “cflogin” on page 373.

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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, GetAuthUser, GetUserRoles, IsUserInAnyRole, IsUserInRole,
IsUserLoggedIn, “Securing Applications” on page 312 in ColdFusion 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()#

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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 378

•

“cfloop: conditional loop” on page 380

•

“cfloop: looping over a date or time range” on page 381

•

“cfloop: looping over a query” on page 382

•

“cfloop: looping over a list, a file, or an array” on page 383

•

“cfloop: looping over a COM collection or structure” on page 385

For more information, see “cfloop and cfbreak” on page 19 and “Populating arrays with data” on page 75 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Category
Flow-control tags

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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” on page 19 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

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

Description

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
The
The
The
The

loop
loop
loop
loop
loop

index
index
index
index
index

is
is
is
is
is

1.
2.
3.
4.
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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 379
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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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 380
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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” on

page 19 in the ColdFusion 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

loop
loop
loop
loop
loop

index
index
index
index
index

is
is
is
is
is

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 381
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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” on page 19 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

from

Required

Default

The beginning of the date or time range.

to

Required

The end of the date or time range.

index

Required

step

Optional

1 day

Description

Index value. ColdFusion sets it to the from value and increments by the step value, until
it equals the to value.
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")#
    
    

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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” on page 19 in the ColdFusion 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. 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





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cfloop: looping over a list, a file, or an array
Description
Looping over a list steps through elements contained in any of these entities:

•

A variable

•

A value that is returned from an expression

•

An array

•

A file

Looping over a file does not open the entire file in memory.
Syntax

list = "list items"
...


See also
cfabort, cfbreak, cfexecute, cfexit, cfif, cflocation, cfswitch, cfthrow, cftry; “cfloop and cfbreak” on

page 19 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the characters, file, and array attributes.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

index

Required

In a list loop, the variable to receive the next list element.

list

Required
unless you
specify a
filename in
the file
attribute

A list, variable, or filename; contains a list.

array

Optional

An array.

characters

Optional

The number of characters to read during each iteration of the loop from the file specified in
the file attribute. If the value of the characters attribute is more than the number of
characters in the file, ColdFusion uses the number of characters in the file.

delimiters

Optional

Characters that separate items in list.

file

Optional

The absolute path and filename of the text file to read, one line at a time. This is helpful
when reading large text files, because you can reuse the value of the index variable, which
contains the current line of the file. When the loop completes, ColdFusion closes the file.

Example
This loop displays four names:


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CFML Reference

#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.
To loop over each line of a file, use the tag as follows:

#line#
    
    

To read a specified number of characters from a text file during each iteration of the loop, use the tag as follows:

#chars#
    
    

When you read the following text file, ColdFusion reads 12 characters during each iteration of the loop; the result
appears as follows:
Text file

Result

This is line 1.

This is line

This is line 2.

1. This is

This is line 3.

line 2. Th

This is line 4.

is is line 3

This is line 5.

. This is l

This is line 6.

ine 4. This

This is line 7.

is line 5.

This is line 8.

This is lin

This is line 9.

e 6. This i

This is line 10.

s line 7. T

This is line 11.

his is line
8. This is
line 9. Thi
s is line 10
. This is l
ine 11.

To loop over an array, you can do the following:


#name#
    
    

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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 “Integrating COM and CORBA Objects in CFML Applications” on page 974 in the
ColdFusion 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# 
         
    

...









    

    
Employee
Dept.

    


    
#person#
#StructFind(Departments, person)#
    


    
    

386

cfmail
Description
Sends an e-mail message that optionally contains query output, using an SMTP server.
Category
Communications tags, Internet protocol tags
Syntax

(Optional) Mail message body and/or cfhttpparam tags


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfmailparam, cfmailpart, cfpop, cfftp, cfhttp, cfldap, Wrap; “Using ColdFusion with mail servers” on
page 998 in “Sending and Receiving E-Mail” on page 998 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added priority, useSSL, and useTLS attributes.
ColdFusion MX 7:

• The cfmail tag no longer lets you send multipart mail by embedding the entire MIME-encoded message in the
tag body. Use the cfmailpart tag, instead.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 387
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• The cfmail tag renders nonproportional fonts proportionately. This is a behavior change from ColdFusion 5.
ColdFusion MX 7 uses UTF-8 and sends this in the mail header (Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8).
ColdFusion 5 uses ISO-8859-1 (Latin 1). To avoid this behavior, add the charset="ISO-8859-1" attribute to restore
the default ColdFusion 5 encoding. Alternatively, you can change the encoding on the Mail page in the ColdFusion
Administrator.
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 Administrator Mail Settings page.

ColdFusion MX: Added the SpoolEnable attribute.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

bcc

Optional

Addresses to which to copy the message, without listing them in the
message header. To specify multiple addresses, separate the addresses with
commas.

cc

Optional

Addresses to which to copy the message. To specify multiple addresses,
separate the address with commas.

charset

Optional

Character
encoding
selected in
ColdFusion
Administrator
Mail page;
utf-8

Description

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

•

big5

•

hz-gb-2312

•

euc-cn

•

utf-16

For more information on character encodings, see www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.
debug

Optional

failto

Optional

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/servername-out.log. Caution: If you set this option to yes,
ColdFusion writes detailed debugging information to the log, including all
message contents, and can generate large logs quickly.

•

no: does not generate debugging output.

Address to which mailing systems should send delivery failure notifications.
Sets the mail envelope reverse-path value.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

from

Required

Default

Description
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.
to

Required

Message recipient e-mail addresses:

•

Static address, for example, "support@.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.
To specify multiple addresses, separate the addresses with commas.
subject

Required

Message subject. Can be dynamically generated. For example, to send
messages that give customers status updates: "Status of Order Number
#Order_ID#".

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." Case-sensitive. Eliminates adjacent duplicates when data is
sorted by the specified field.

groupcasesensitive

Optional

No

Boolean. Whether to consider case when using the group attribute. To group
on case-sensitive records, set this attribute to Yes.

mailerid

Optional

ColdFusion
Application
Server

Mailer ID to be passed in X-Mailer SMTP header, which identifies the mailer
application.

maxrows

Optional

Maximum number of messages to send when looping over a query.

mimeattach

Optional

Path of file to attach to message. Attached file is MIME-encoded. ColdFusion
attempts to determine the MIME type of the file; use the cfmailparam tag
to send an attachment and specify the MIME type.

password

Optional

A password to send to SMTP servers that require authentication. Requires a
username attribute.

port

Optional

TCP/IP port on which SMTP server listens for requests (normally 25). A value
here overrides the Administrator.

priority

Optional

3

The message priority level. Can be one of the following values:

•

An integer in the range 1-5; 1 represents the highest priority.

•

One of the following string values, which correspond to the numeric
values: highest or urgent, high, normal, low, and lowest or nonurgent.
query

Optional

Name of cfquery from which to draw data for messages. Use this attribute
to send more than one message, or to send query results within a message.

replyto

Optional

Addresses to which the recipient is directed to send replies.

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 Administrator. A value here overrides the
Administrator. A value that includes a port specification overrides the port
attribute. For details, see Usage.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

spoolenable

Optional

Default

Description
Whether to spool mail or always send it Immediately. Overrides the ColdFusion 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.

startrow

Optional

timeout

Optional

type

Optional

1

Row in a query to start from.
Number of seconds to wait before timing out connection to SMTP server. A
value here overrides the Administrator.

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/.
username

Optional

A user name to send to SMTP servers that require authentication. Requires a
password attribute.

useSSL

Optional

Whether to use Secure Sockets Layer.

useTLS

Optional

Whether to use Transport Level Security.

wraptext

Optional

Do not wrap
text

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.

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.

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 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 Administrator. Disabling spooling
causes the e-mail to be delivered immediately.
Mail addressing

Mail addresses can have any of the following forms:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 390
CFML Reference

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 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 user name, 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
    


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 391
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ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 392
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cfmailparam
Description
Attaches a file or adds a header to an e-mail message.
Category
Communications tags, Internet protocol tags
Syntax


file = "filename"
type ="media type"
OR

...


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfmail, cfmailpart, cfftp, cfhttp, cfldap, cfpop; “Using the cfmailparam tag” on page 1004 in “Sending and
Receiving E-Mail” on page 998 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion MX 6.x: Added the Disposition and ContentID attributes.
ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added the type attribute.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

contentID

Optional

disposition

Optional

Default

Description
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.

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.

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.

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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.

If you specify the type, the value you specify becomes the content
type header; otherwise, ColdFusion generates the content type
header.
Note: For a list of all registered MIME media types, see

www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/.
value

Optional

Value of the header. Not used with the file attribute.

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, as Example 2 shows. To include multiple files, use multiple cfmailparam
tags.
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.
Example
Example 1: This view-only example uses the cfmailparamtag to add a header to a message, attach files, and to
return a receipt to the sender.


Please review the new logo. Tell us what you think.





Example 2: 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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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
Communications tags, Internet protocol tags
Syntax

(Optional cfmailparam entries)

Mail part contents

...


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfmail, cfmailparam, cfpop, cfftp, cfhttp, cfldap, cfcontent, Wrap; “E-mail” on page 350 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion MX 6.1: Added this tag.

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

charset

Optional

Character
encoding
specified by

The character encoding in which the part text is encoded. The following list includes
commonly used values:

charset

attribute of
cfmail tag

•

utf-8

•

iso-8859-1

•

windows-1252

•

us-ascii

•

shift_jis

•

iso-2022-jp

•

euc-jp

•

euc-kr

•

big5

•

hz-gb-2312

•

euc-cn

•

utf-16

For more information on character encodings, see www.w3.org/International/Ocharset.html.
type

Required

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/mediatypes/.
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.

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.
    

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    Your mail reader handles HTML text.
    
    
    

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cfmenu
Description
Creates a horizontal or vertical menu. Any menu item can be the top level of a submenu.
Category
Display management tags
Syntax

cfmenuitem tags


The cfmenu tag must have a body that contains at least one cfmenuitem tag to define the menu items and an end
 tag.
Note: You can specify this tag’s attribute in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute name as structure key.
See also
cfajaximport, cfmenuitem, “Using menus and toolbars” on page 624 in “Using Ajax UI Components and

Features” on page 614 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

bgColor

Optional

Background
color style of
the menu

The color of the menu background. You can use any valid HTML color specification.
This specification has the following behaviors:

•

You can override it locally by specifying the menuStyle attribute of this
tag and any cfmenuitem tag.

•

It controls the background of color surrounding a submenu whose
background is specified by a childStyle attribute.
childStyle

Optional

A CSS style specification that applies to the following menu items:

•

The items of the top-level menu

•

All child menu items, including the children of submenus

This attribute lets you use a single style specification for all menu items.
font

Optional

Browser
default font

The font to use for all child menu items. Use any valid HTML font-family style
attribute. Some common values are serif, sans-serif, Times, Courier,
and Arial.

fontColor
fontSize

Optional

black

The color of the menu text. Use any valid HTML color specification.

Optional

Font size of the The size of the font. Use a numeric value, such as 8, to specify a pixel charmenu item
acter size. Use a percentage value, such as 80%, to specify a size relative to
the default font size.
Font sizes larger than 20 pixels can result in submenu text exceeding the
menu boundary.

menuStyle

Optional

A CSS style specification that applies to the menu, including any parts of the
menu that do not have items.
If you do not specify style information in the cfmenuitem tags, this attribute
controls the style of the top-level items.

name

Optional

The name of the menu.

selectedFontColor

Optional

black

The color of the text for the menu item that has the focus. Use any valid HTML
color specification.

selectedItemColor

Optional

light blue

The color that highlights the menu item that has the focus. You can use any
valid HTML color specification.

type

Optional

horizontal

The orientation of the menu. The following values are valid:

•

horizontal: Menu items are arranged horizontally.

•

vertical: Menu items are arranged vertically.

Submenus of both menu types are always arranged vertically.
width

Optional

Width of the
container

The width of a vertical menu; not valid for horizontal menus.
Use a numeric value, such as 50, to specify a pixel size. Use a percentage
value, such as 30%, to specify a size relative to the parent element’s size.

Usage
The cfmenu tag defines a horizontal or vertical ColdFusion menu. You use a single cfmenu tag to define the general
menu characteristics, and you use cfmenuitem child tags to define the individual menu entries and any submenus.
You create submenus by putting cfmenuitem tags in the body of a cfmenuitem tag.
You cannot nest a cfmenu tag inside a form or inside a cfmenu tag or cfmenuitem tag.

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Example
The following example creates a simple menu bar. When you click an entry in the bar, the browser displays the Adobe
website page for the selected product. You can expand the ColdFusion item by clicking the icon, and then select an
item to display a specific ColdFusion web page.



















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cfmenuitem
Description
Defines an entry in a menu, including an item that is the head of a submenu.
Category
Display management tags
Syntax

Optional child menuitem tags

OR


If the cfmenuitem tag does not have a body with an end  tag, you must close the tag with a forward
slash character before the closing greater than character (/>), for example, .
Note: You can specify this tag’s attribute in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute name as structure key.
See also
cfmenu, “Using menus and toolbars” on page 624 in “Using Ajax UI Components and Features” on page 614 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

display

Required if
divider attribute
is not specified

childStyle

Optional

divider

Optional

Default

Description
The text to show as the menu item label.

Style determined
by parent

A CSS style specification that applies to all child menu items, including the
children of submenus.
This attribute specifies that the item is a divider. If you specify this attribute,
you cannot specify any other attributes. You can use this attribute without a
value, as in the following example:
.

You cannot use this attribute in a top-level horizontal menu.
href

Optional

A URL link to activate or JavaScript function to call when the user clicks the
menu item.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

image

Optional

Default

Description
URL of an image to display at the left side of the menu item. The file type can
be any format that the browser can display.
For most displays, you should use 15x15 pixel images, because larger images
conflict with the menu item text.

menuStyle

Optional

Style determined
by parent

A CSS style specification that controls the overall style of any submenu of this
menu item. This attribute controls the submenu of the current menu item, but
not any child submenus of the submenu.

style

Optional

Style determined
by parent

A CSS style specification that applies to the current menu item only. It is not
overridden by the childStyle attribute.

name

Optional

target

Optional

The name of the menu item.
The current
window and
frame (if any)

The target in which to display the contents returned by the href attribute.
The attribute can be a browser window or frame name, or an HTML target
value, such as _self.

Usage
Every cfmenuitem tag must be a child of a cfmenu tag or a cfmenuitem tag. To create a submenu, put the
cfmenuitem tags for submenu items in the body of the cfmenuitem tag for the submenu root in the parent menu.
For an example of a simple submenu, see cfmenu.
Example
The following menu shows the effects of the various style attributes on the menu and menu item appearance.



























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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; “Creating and Using Custom CFML Tags” on page 190 in the ColdFusion

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

attributeCollection

Optional

Default

Description
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.
Note: This attribute functions differently from the
attributeCollection attribute that is supported by most other tags.
You must specify the name and template attributes as direct cfmodule
tag attributes, not in the attributeCollection structure.

attribute_name

Optional

Attribute for a custom tag. You can include multiple instances of this
attribute to specify the parameters of a custom tag.

name

Required unless

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):

template

attribute is used



This identifies the page GetUserOptions.cfm in the directory CustomTags\\Forums40 under the ColdFusion root directory.
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 by using ColdFusion mapping.

A physical path is not valid.

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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 the attributeCollection attribute and explicit custom tag attributes 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” on page 198 in the ColdFusion 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, 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#
    

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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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cflogin, cfloginuser, IsUserInAnyRole, GetAuthUser

History
ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

domain

Required

Default

Description
Domain against which to authenticate the user. The ColdFusion J2EE
server must be running on this domain.

password

Required

User’s password.

username

Required

User’s login name.

listGroups

Optional

No

Boolean value that specifies whether to include a comma-delimited list
of the user’s groups in the result structure.

result

Optional

cfntauthenticate

Name of the variable in which to return the results.

throwOnError

Optional

no

Boolean value that specifies whether to throw an exception if the validation fails. If this attribute is yes, ColdFusion throws an error if the username 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 the
example shows.
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:

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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 username 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 the ColdFusion 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
    

Save the following page as loginform.cfm:


    Please Log In
    


User Name: 
    
Password: 
    
Domain: 
    

    

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Save the following page as Application.cfm:



























    The password for #theusername# is not correct
    
Please Try again
    



    The user name #theusername# is not valid
    
Please Try again
    
    
    


    
    
    

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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: .NET object” on page 410

•

“cfobject: COM object” on page 413

•

“cfobject: component object” on page 415

•

“cfobject: CORBA object” on page 416

•

“cfobject: Java or EJB object” on page 418

•

“cfobject: web service object” on page 420

Note: On UNIX, this tag does not support COM objects.
See also
cfargument, cfcomponent, cffunction, cfinvoke, cfinvokeargument, cfproperty, cfreturn; “Using Java

objects” on page 938 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8:

•

Added password, proxyPassword, proxyPort, proxyServer, proxyUser, refreshWSDL, userName,

wsdl2JavaArgs, and wsportname attributes to for use with web service objects.

•

Added .NET/dotnet type and the associated assembly, port, protocol, and secure attributes.

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:
•

"/Eng/CF"

•

".current/Eng.current/CF"

(In earlier releases, the format was ".Eng.CF".)

•
file.

For CORBA object: changed the locale attribute; it specifies the Java configuration that contains the properties

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cfobject: .NET object
Description
Creates a .NET object, that is, a ColdFusion proxy for accessing a class in a local or remote .NET assembly.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
CreateObject: .NET object, DotNetToCFType, “Using Microsoft .NET Assemblies” on page 952 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added .NET and dotnet type values, and the assembly, port, protocol, and secure attributes.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

class

Required

Name of the .NET class to instantiate as an object.

name

Required

String; reference name of the component to use in your application.

type

Required for
.NET

Object type. Must be .NET or dotnet for .NET objects.

action

Optional

create

Action to take. Must be create.

assembly

Optional.

mscorlib.dll
which
contains the
.NET core
classes.

For local .NET assemblies, the absolute path or paths to the assembly or assemblies (EXE
or DLL files) from which to access the .NET class and its supporting classes. If a class in an
assembly requires supporting classes that are in other assemblies, you must also specify
those assemblies. You can, however, omit the supporting assemblies for the following
types of supporting classes:

•

.NET core classes (classes in mscorlib.dll)

•

Classes in assemblies that are in the global assembly cache (GAC)

To specify multiple assemblies, use a comma-delimited list.
For remote .NET assemblies, you must specify the absolute path or paths of the local
proxy JAR file or files that represent the assemblies.
If you omit this attribute, and there is no local .NET installation, the tag fails without
generating an error. If you omit this attribute, there is a local .NET installation, and the
specified class is not in the .NET core classes, ColdFusion generates an error.
port

Optional

6086

Port number at which the .NET-side agent is listening.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

protocol

Optional

tcp

Protocol to use to use for communication between ColdFusion and .NET. Must be one of
the following values:

• http: Use HTTP/SOAP communication protocol. This option is slower than tcp, but
might be required for access through a firewall.
•

tcp: Use binary TCP/IP protocol. This method is more efficient than HTTP.

secure

Optional

false

Whether to secure communications with the .NET-side agent. If true, ColdFusion uses
SSL to communicate with .NET.

server

Optional

localhost

Host name or IP address of the server where the .NET-side agent is running. Can be in any
of these forms:

•

server name (for example, myserver)

•

IP address (for example, 127.0.0.1)

You must specify this attribute to access .NET components on a remote server.

Usage
The cfobject tag with a .NET or dotnet value for the type attribute creates a reference to a .NET object of a given
class. Using the reference, you can access the .NET object’s fields and methods. The .NET classes do not have to be
local, and you can use the cfobject tag on a system that does not have .NET installed, including UNIX-based or
OS-X systems.
To access .NET assemblies, you must do the following:

• Install the ColdFusion 8 .NET extension and run the .NET extension service on the system on which the assemblies are installed. You do not have to install the extension or run the extension service on a ColdFusion system that
accesses only remote assemblies. For installation instructions, see Installing and Using ColdFusion.
• If the assemblies are located on a remote system, create Java proxies for the .NET classes that you use, copy the
proxies to the ColdFusion system, and configure the remote system for access by the proxies. For information on
these steps, see “Using Microsoft .NET Assemblies” on page 952 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide. If the .NET
assemblies are on your ColdFusion system, you do not have to perform these steps.
Accessing methods and fields
You call .NET methods as you use any other ColdFusion object methods. In the simplest case, your application code
uses the following format to call a .NET class method:

assembly="C:/Net/Assemblies/math.dll">


If a .NET class has multiple constructors, and you do not want ColdFusion to use the default constructor to create
the object, invoke a specific constructor by calling the special init method of the ColdFusion object with the
constructor’s arguments. For example, you can use the following tags to instantiate com.foo.MyClass(int, int):



You access and change .NET class public fields by calling the following methods:
Get_fieldName()
Set_fieldName()

For example, if the .NET class has a public field named account, you can access and modify its value by using
Get_acount() and Set_account() methods, respectively.

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You can access, but not modify final fields, so you can only call Get_fieldName() for these fields.
Example
The following example uses the GetProcess method of the .NET System.Diagnostics.Process class to get and display
information about the processes running on the local system. Because it uses a core .NET class, for which
ColdFusion automatically generates proxies, you do not have to specify an assembly name in the cfobject tag.
For more complex examples, including examples that use custom .NET classes, see “Using Microsoft .NET Assemblies” on page 952 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.









    

    
Process ID
Name
Memory (KB)
Peak Memory (KB)
Virtual Memory Size (KB)
Start Time
Total Processor Time

    

    
#process.Get_Id()#
#process.Get_ProcessName()#
#process.Get_PagedMemorySize()/1000#
#process.Get_PeakPagedMemorySize()/1000#
#process.Get_VirtualMemorySize()/1000#
#process.Get_StartTime()#
#process.Get_TotalProcessorTime()#

    




    

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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, the cfobject tag does not support COM objects.
Syntax

type = "com"

Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
ReleaseComObject, cfcollection, cfexecute; “COM” on page 351 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

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.

action

Optional

create

Description

•

create: instantiates a COM object (typically, a DLL) before invoking methods or prop-

erties.

context

Optional

•

connect: ionnects to a COM object (typically, an EXE) running on server.

•
•
•

inproc
local
remote

In Windows, if not specified, uses Registry setting.

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CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

server

Required if
context =
"Remote"

type

Optional

Default

Description
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

Object type. The value com specifies COM objects:

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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CFML Reference

cfobject: component object
Description
Creates an instance of a ColdFusion component (CFC) object.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcollection, cfcomponent, cfexecute, cfindex, IsInstanceOf, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx; “Using

ColdFusion components” on page 170 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

component

Required

Name of component to instantiate.

name

Required

String; name for the instantiated component. The name must not have a period as the first
or last character.

type

Optional

component

Description

The object type. You can omit this attribute or specify component. ColdFusion automatically sets the type to component.

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#

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CFML Reference

cfobject: CORBA object
Description
Calls methods on a registered CORBA object.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcollection, cfexecute, cfindex, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx; “CORBA” on page 351 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide

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

Req/Opt

class

Required

Default

Description

• 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.
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.
locale

Optional

Sets arguments for a call to init_orb. Use this attribute only for 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.
name

Required

String; name for the instantiated component. An application uses it to reference the CORBA
object’s methods and attributes.

type

Required for
CORBA

Object type. Must be corba for CORBA objects.

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 417
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Example


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 418
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cfobject: Java or EJB object
Description
Creates and manipulates a Java and Enterprise Java Bean (EJB) object.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcollection, cfexecute, cfindex, IsInstanceOf, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx; “Using Java objects” on

page 938 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

Optional

create

Only the default create action, which creates the object, is supported.

class

Required

The Java class.

name

Required

String; name for the instantiated component.

type

Required for
Java

Object type. Must be java for Java and EJB objects.

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, by using the cfobject tag.
Access Java methods and fields
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.
Calling EJBs

To create and call EJB objects, use the cfobject tag. In the second example in the following section, the WebLogic
JNDI is used to register and find EJBHome instances.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 419
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Example










Share value = #value#



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 420
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cfobject: web service object
Description
Creates a web service proxy object.
Syntax

webservice= "service identifier"
password = "string"
proxyPassword = "string"
proxyPort = "port number"
proxyServer = "URL or IP address"
proxyUser = "string"
refreshWSDL = "no|yes"
type = "webservice"
username = "string"
wsdl2javaArgs = "argument string"
wsportname = "port name">

Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcollection, cfexecute, cfindex, cfreport, cfsearch, cfwddx; “Consuming web services” on page 906 in

“Using Web Services” on page 902 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
See the History section of the main cfobject tag page.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Required

Default

Local name for the web service. String.

Description

webservice

Required

One of the following:

•

The absolute URL of the web service.

•

The name (string) assigned in the ColdFusion Administrator to the
web service.
password

Optional

Password set in the
Administrator, if any

The password to use to access the web service. If the webservice
attribute specifies a web service name configured in the ColdFusion
Administrator, overrides any password specified in the Administrator
entry.

proxyPassword

Optional

http.proxyPassword
system property, if any

The user’s password on the proxy server.

proxyPort

Optional

http.proxyPort system
property, if any.

The port to use on the proxy server.

proxyServer

Optional

http.proxyHost system
property, if any.

The proxy server required to access the web service URL.

proxyUser

Optional

http.proxyUser system
property, if any

The user ID to send to the proxy server.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 421
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

refreshWSDL

Optional

no

Description

• yes: reloads the WSDL file and regenerates the artifacts used to
consume the web service
•

type

Optional

username

Optional

wsdl2javaArgs

Optional

no

The object type. You can omit this attribute or specify webservice.
User name set in the
Administrator, if any

The user name to use to access the web service. If the webservice
attribute specifies a web service configured name in the ColdFusion
Administrator, overrides any user name specified in the Administrator
entry.
A string that contains a space-delimited list of arguments to pass to the
WSDL2Java tool that generates Java stubs for the web services. Useful
arguments include the following:

•

-W or --noWrapped: turns off the special treatment of wrapped
document/literal style operations.

• -a or --all: generates code for all elements in the WSDL, even
unreferenced ones.
• -w or --wrapArrays: prefers building beans to straight arrays for
wrapped XML array types. This switch is not in included in the Axis
documentation.
For detailed information on valid arguments, see the Apache Axis
WSDL2Java Reference.
wsportname

Optional

First port in the WSDL

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.

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 422
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cfobjectcache
Description
Flushes the query cache.
Category
Database manipulation tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 423
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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



Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcol, cfcontent, cfdirectory, cftable

History
ColdFusion 4.5.0: Added the groupCaseSensitive attribute.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

group

Optional

Default

Description

groupCaseSensitive

Optional

yes

Boolean. Whether to consider the case in grouping rows.

maxRows

Optional

Displays all
rows

Maximum number of rows to display.

query

Optional

startRow

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."

Name of cfquery from which to draw data for output section.
1

Row from which to start output.

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#

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 424
CFML Reference

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()))#

    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#
    


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 425
CFML Reference








    
Employee
Salary

    

    
#empSalary.lastname#, #empSalary.firstname#
#DollarFormat(empSalary.salary)#

    

    
Total
#DollarFormat(deptTotal)#

    

    
    

426

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.
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, XML, and zipcode values of the type attribute.

Category
Variable manipulation tags
Syntax


See also
cfcookie, cfregistry, cfsavecontent, cfschedule, cfset; “Validating data with the IsValid function and the

cfparam tag” on page 573 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Attributes
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.

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.

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 427
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

type

Optional

any

The valid format for the data; one of the following. For detailed information on validation algorithms, see “Validating form data using hidden fields” on page 566 in “Validating Data” on
page 554 in the ColdFusion 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-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" 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-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX’, where ‘X’ is a hexadecimal number. See “CreateUUID” on page 739.
•

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.

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 428
CFML Reference

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.
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# "
    



    The value of tempVar has changed: the new value is
#tempVar#
    
    

    

    
Type in a new value for tempVar, and hit submit:
    



    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 429
CFML Reference

cfpdf
Description
Manipulates existing PDF documents. The following list describes some of the tasks you can perform with the cfpdf
tag:

•

Merge several PDF documents into one PDF document.

•

Delete pages from a PDF document.

•

Merge pages from one or more PDF documents and generate a new PDF document.

•

Linearize PDF documents for faster web display.

•

Remove interactivity from forms created in Acrobat® to generate flat PDF documents.

•

Encrypt and add password protection to PDF documents.

•

Generate thumbnail images from PDF documents or pages.

•

Add or remove watermarks from PDF documents or pages.

• Retrieve information associated with a PDF document, such as the software used to generate the file or the
author, and set information for a PDF document, such as the title, author and keywords.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Data output tags
Syntax
Add a watermark to a PDF document

one of the following:
destination = "PDF output file pathname"
name = "PDF document variable name"
Delete pages from a PDF document

Retrieve information about a PDF document

Merge PDF documents into an output PDF file

required if directory is specified:
order = "name|time"
one of the following if  is specified:
name = "PDF document variable name"
destination = "PDF output file pathname"
optional
ascending = "yes|no"
keepBookmark = "yes|no"
overwrite = "yes|no"
pages = "pages to merge in PDF source file"
password = "PDF source file password"
stopOnError = "yes|no"
one of the following:
destination = "PDF output file pathname"
name = "PDF document variable name">
Use DDX instructions to manipulate PDF documents

optional
action="processddx"
Set passwords and encrypt PDF documnets

Name a PDF document variable

Remove a watermark from a PDF document

one of the following:
destination = "PDF output file pathname"
name = "PDF document variable name"
Set information about a PDF document

Generate thumbnails from pages in a PDF document

pages = "page or pages to make into thumbnails"
resolution= "low|high"
scale = "percentage between 1 and 100"
transparent = "yes|no">
Write a PDF document to an output file


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfdocument, cfdocumentsection, cfpdfform, cfpdfformparamUsage, cfpdfparam, cfpdfsubform, cfprint,
IsDDX, IsPDFFile, IsPDFObject, “Assembling PDF Documents” on page 741 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

N/A

Optional

processdd Action to take:
x

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

ascending

merge

Optional

no

addWa termark
deletePages
getInfo
merge
processddx
protect
read
removeWatermark
setInfo
thumbnail
write

Order in which the PDF files are sorted:

•

yes: Files are sorted in ascending order

•

no: Files are sorted in descending order

Applicable only when you specify the
directory attribute.
copyFrom

addWatermark

Optional

Pathname of the PDF document from which
to use the first page as a watermark

ddxfile

processddx

Required

Pathname of the DDX file, or a string with
DDX instructions

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 433
CFML Reference

Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

destination

addWatermark
deletePages
merge
protect
removeWatermark
setInfo
thumbnail
write

Required for the write
action

Default

Description
Pathname of the modified PDF document. If
the destination file exists, you must set the
overwrite attribute to yes. If the destination
file does not exist, ColdFusion creates the
file, if the parent directory exists.

Optional for all other
actions

You can specify the destination attribute
or the name attribute, but not both.
For the thumbnail action, the destination
is the directory path where the images are
written. If you specify a relative pathname
to the destination directory, the destination
directory is relative to the template directory. If you do not specify a destination
directory, ColdFusion creates a directory
called thumbnails in the directory in the
template directory.

directory

merge

Optional

encrypt

protect

Optional

Directory of the PDF documents to merge.
You must specify either the directory
attribute or the source attribute. If you
specify the directory attribute,
ColdFusion orders the documents by filename in descending order, by default. To
change the order of the files, use the order
attribute.
RC4_128
(Acrobat 5.0
or higher)

Encryption type for the PDF output file:

•
•
•
•
•

RC4_40
RC4_128
RC4_128M
AES_128
None

For more information, see “Encryption for
PDF documents” on page 445.
flatten

write

Optional

no

Applies to forms created in Acrobat only
(not forms created in LiveCycle); specifies
whether interactivity is turned off:

•

yes: the form fields are no longer inter-

active.

•
foreground

addWatermark

Optional

no

no: the form fields remain interactive.

Placement of the watermark on the page:

•

yes: the watermark appears in the
foreground (over the page content).

•

no: the watermark appears in the background (behind the page content).
format

thumbnail

Optional

jpg

File type of thumbnail image output:

•
•
•
image

addWatermark

Optional

jpg
tiff
png

Image used as a watermark. You can specify
a pathname, a variable that contains an
image file, or a ColdFusion image variable.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 434
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Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

Default

Description

imagePrefix

thumbnail

Optional

If the source is
a pathname,
the filename
is used as the
prefix;
otherwise
thumbnail is
the prefix

Prefix used for each image thumbnail file
generated. The image filenames use the
format: imagePrefix_page_n.format.
For example, the thumbnail for page 1 of a
document with the imagePrefix attribute
set to myThumbnail is
myThumbnail_page_1.jpg.

info

setInfo

Required

Structure variable for relevant information,
for example, “#infoStruct#”. You can
specify the Author, Subject, Title, and
Keywords for the PDF output file.

inputFiles

processddx

Required

Structure that maps the PDF source files to
the input variables in the DDX file, or a string
of elements and their pathname.

isBase64

addWatermark

Optional

keepBookmark

name

merge

addWatermark
deletePages
getInfo
merge
processddx
protect

Required:

read

addWatermark
deletePages
merge
protect
removeWatermark
write

removeWatemark
write

newOwnerPassword

Optional

protect

getInfo
processddx
read

Optional:

Optional (see
Description)

no

no

Valid only when the image attribute is specified. Specifies whether the image used as a
watermark is in Base64 format:

•

yes: the image is in Base64 format.

•

no: the image is not in Base64 format.

Specifies whether bookmarks from the
source PDF documents are retained in the
merged document:

•

yes: the bookmarks are retained.

•

no: the bookmarks are removed.

PDF document variable name, for example,
myBook.
If the source is a PDF document variable,
you cannot specify the name attribute
again; you can write the modified PDF
document to the destination.
You can specify the destination attribute
or the name attribute, but not both.
For the processddx action, the name
represents the structure that is populated
with the success or failure of the output
variables.
Password used to set permissions on a PDF
document.
To change the default permissions, you
must specify the newOwnerPassword
attribute. For more information, see “PDF
document passwords” on page 444.

newUserPassword

protect

Optional (see
Description)

Password used to open PDF document.
You must specify either the
newUserPassword attribute or a
newOwnerPassword attribute; if you
specify both, the passwords must differ. For
more information, see “PDF document passwords” on page 444.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 435
CFML Reference

Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

Default

Description

opacity

addWatermark

Optional

3

Opacity of the watermark. Valid values are
integers in the range 0 (transparent)
through 10 (opaque).

order

merge

Optional

time

Order in which the PDF documents in the
directory are merged:

•

name: orders the documents alphabetically by filename.

•

time: orders the documents by times-

tamp.
By default, ColdFusion merges the files in
descending order (for example, from Z to A).
To change this, set the ascending attribute
to yes.
outputFiles

processddx

Required

overwrite

addWatermark
deletePages
merge
protect
removeWatermark
setInfo
thumbnail
write

Optional

addWatermark
deletePages
merge
removeWatermark

Required:

pages

Structure that contains the output files in
the DDX file or string as keys and the pathname to the result file as the value.
no

Specifies whether PDF output overwrites
the destination file:

•

yes: overwrites the destination file.

•

no: does not overwrite the destination

file.
For the thumbnail action, specifies
whether to overwrite the destination directory. If the directory exists, the thumbnails
are not generated unless overwrite is set
to yes.

Optional:

Page or pages in the source PDF document
on which to perform the action. You can
specify multiple pages and page ranges as
follows: “1,6–9,56–89,100, 110–120”.

addWatermark
merge
removeWatermark
thumbnail

For the removeWatermark action, the
pages attribute applies only to the watermark type.

deletePages

all

ColdFusion ignores duplicate pages and
numbers greater than the total page count.
password

addWatermark
deletePages
getInfo
merge
protect
read
removeWatermark
setInfo
thumbnail
write

Optional

Owner or user password of the source PDF
document, if the document is passwordprotected.

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Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

Default

Description

permissions

protect

Optional

All

Type of permissions on the PDF document:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

All
AllowAssembly
AllowCopy
AllowDegradedPrinting
AllowFillIn
AllowModifyAnnotations
AllowModifyContents
AllowPrinting
AllowScreenReaders
AllowSecure
None

Except for All or None, you can specify a
comma-separated list of permissions. To set
permissions, you must also set the
newOwnerPassword attribute.
position

addWatermark

Optional

resolution

thumbnail

Optional

Position on the page where the watermark
is placed. The position represents the topleft corner of the watermark. Specify the x
and y coordinates; for example “50,30”.
high

Image quality used to generate thumbnail
images:

•

high: use high resolution (uses more
memory).

•
rotation

addWatermark

Optional

saveOption

write

Optional

low: use low resolution.

Degree of rotation of the watermark image
on the page, for example, “30”.
full

Save options for the PDF output:

•

full: normal save (default)

•

incremental: required to save modifications to a signed PDF document.

•

linear: for faster display.

scale

thumbnail

Optional

25

Size of the thumbnail relative to the source
page. The value represents a percentage
from 1 through 100.

showOnPrint

addWatermark

Optional

no

Specify whether to print the watermark
with the PDF document:

•

yes: the watermark is printed with the
PDF document.

•

no: the watermark is display-only.

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Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

source

addWatermark
deletePages
getInfo
merge
protect
read
removeWatermark
setInfo
thumbnail
write

Required (see Usage
section for merge)

merge

Optional

stopOnError

Default

Description
PDF document used as the source. The
source can be one of the following:

•

An absolute or relative pathname to a
PDF document, for example,
c:\work\myPDF.pdf or myPDF.pdf.

•

A PDF document variable in memory
that is generated by the cfdocument tag
or the cfpdf tag, for example,
“myPDFdoc”.
no

Valid only if the directory attribute is
specified. If the specified directory contains
files other then ColdFusion-readable PDF
files, ColdFusion either stops merge process
or continues.

•

yes: stops the merge process if invalid
PDF files exist in the specified directory.

•

no: continues the merge process even
if invalid files exist in the specified directory.
transparent

version

thumbnail

write

Optional

Optional

no

(format="png" only) Specifies whether
the image background is transparent or
opaque:

•

yes: the background is transparent.

•

no: the background is opaque.

Version of the PDF used to write the document:

•

1.1

•

1.2

•

1.3

•

1.4

•

1.5

•

1.6

For more information, see “PDF versions” on
page 447.

Note: To modify the PDF source document, specify the same file pathname for the source and destination attributes,
and set the overwrite attribute to yes.
Usage
You use the cfpdf tag to manipulate and assemble existing PDF documents. Although the cfpdf tag provides much
of the functionality available in Acrobat, you cannot use this tag to generate a PDF document from another file
format. To create PDF output from HTML and CFML content, use the cfdocument tag.
You cannot embed a cfpdf tag within a cfdocument tag or embed a cfdocument tag within a cfdpdf tag; however,
you can write the output of a cfdocument tag to a variable and pass the variable to the cfpdf tag. The following
example shows how to use the cfdocument tag to create a cover page and add it to a merged PDF document:



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    Here is a cover page
    


    







You can use the cfpdf tag to assemble interactive PDF form files into a single PDF document and flatten forms
created in Acrobat (by using the flatten attribute with the write action); however, to process PDF form data, use
the cfpdfform and related tags. You cannot use the cfpdf tag to flatten forms created in Adobe LiveCycle Designer
ES.
Reading and writing PDF files

The cfpdf tag provides several options for reading and writing PDF files. You can specify a PDF variable or a PDF
file as the source, and you can write the output to a variable or to a file (but not both). The following table explains
the read and write operations:
Task
Overwrite a source PDF file

Attributes

Example

Specify the PDF file pathname as the



source and do not specify a
destination.

Write a PDF document in
memory to a file

Specify the PDF variable as the source and 

Write a PDF document to a new Specify a PDF file pathname as the source 
destination.
Write a PDF file to a PDF variable

Specify the PDF file pathname as the
source and a PDF variable name.



Overwrite a PDF document in
memory

Specify the PDF variable name as the
source and do not specify a destination.



Working with PDF files in memory

ColdFusion gives you the option to write a PDF file to a variable by using the name attribute, which is useful if you
want to perform multiple operations on a document before writing it to a file. However, this is practical for small
files only because of memory requirements. If you are working with large PDF documents, write the PDF documents
to files.
ColdFusion recommends that you do not specify the name attribute when you specify a variable as the source because
it creates a copy, which increases processing. In most cases, this is unnecessary because you can reuse variables even
after you write them to files.
Note: When you use PDF variables within a try/catch block and ColdFusion generates an error, the variables are
unusable after the error is generated.

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Printing PDF documents

Use the cfprint tag to print PDF documents. Markups, such as sticky notes, comments, and editorial revisions, are
not printed with the document.
Use the addwatermark action to add a watermark to specified pages in a PDF document.
You can add a watermark in one of the following ways:

addWatermark action

• Use the first page of another PDF document as a watermark. ColdFusion overlays the copyfrom page on the
source document, without enlarging the image.
•

Specify an image file to use as a watermark.

•

Specify an image in memory by using an image variable.

The following code shows how to use the first page of a PDF document as a watermark:


By default, ColdFusion applies the watermark to all of the pages in the output file, with the watermark image centered
on the page. The following code applies a JPEG image as a watermark to the first page of the output file:


To specify a ColdFusion image as a watermark, use the cfimage tag or Image functions. The following example
converts an image to grayscale and applies it as a watermark to a PDF file:







For more information on ColdFusion images, see “Creating and Manipulating ColdFusion Images” on page 765 in
the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Use the deletePages action to remove pages from a specified PDF document. You can
specify a single page, a page range, or a comma-separated list of pages, as the following code shows:

deletePages action



getInfo action
Use the getInfo action to extract information associated with the PDF document, such as the
author, title, and creation date. You specify the name of the structure variable that contains the relevant data
associated with the file, as the following code shows:


    #PDFInfo.title#
    

    #PDFInfo.author#
    

    #PDFInfo.keywords#
    

    #PDFInfo.created#
    

For a complete list of information elements, use the cfdump tag, as the following code shows:


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Note: To view the permissions for a PDF document that is password-protected, specify the user password, not the owner
password. If you specify the owner password, all permissions are set to Allowed.
PDF file information elements

The following table describes the information elements you can retrieve with the getinfo action:
Element

Example

Description

Application

Acrobat PDFMaker 7.0.7 for Word

Application used to create the PDF document. This value is readonly.

Author

Harper Lee

Author of the PDF document. You can specify a text string with
the setInfo action.

CenterWindowOnScreen

[empty string]

Display setting for initial view of the PDF document. To change
this setting, use the processddx action with the
InitialViewProfile DDX element.

ChangingDocument

Not Allowed

Permissions assigned for editing the PDF content. To change this
setting, use the permissions attribute with the protect
action.

Commenting

Allowed

Permissions assigned for adding comments to the PDF document. To change this setting, use the permissions attribute
with the protect action.

ContentExtraction

Allowed

Permissions assigned for extracting content from the PDF document. To change this setting, use the permissions attribute
with the protect action.

CopyContent

Allowed

Permissions assigned for copying content from the PDF document. To change this setting, use the permissions attribute
with the protect action.

Created

D:20061121155226-05'00'

System-generated creation date of the PDF document. You can
specify a text string with the setInfo action.

DocumentAssembly

Not Allowed

Permissions assigned for merging the PDF document with other
PDF documents. To change this setting, use the permissions
attribute with the protect action.

Encryption

Password Security

Specifies whether the PDF file is password-protected. To change
the encryption algorithm, or add a password, use the protect
action.

FilePath

C:\ColdFusion\wwwroot\lion\myDoc.pdf

Absolute pathname for the PDF file. This value is read-only.

FillingForm

Allowed

Permissions assigned for entering data in form fields. To change
this setting, use the permissions attribute with the protect
action.

FitToWindow

[empty string]

Display setting for initial view of the PDF document. To change
this setting use the processddx action with the
InitialViewProfile DDX element.

HideMenubar

[empty string]

Display setting for initial view of the PDF document. To change
this setting, use the processddx action with the
InitialViewProfile DDX element.

HideToolbar

[empty string]

Display setting for initial view of the PDF document. To change
this setting, use the processddx action with the
InitialViewProfile DDX element.

HideWindowUI

[empty string]

Display setting for initial view of the PDF document. To change
this setting, use the processddx action with the
InitialViewProfile DDX element.

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Element

Example

Description

Keywords

marketing,sales,production

Keywords specified for searches in the PDF document. You can
specify a comma-separated list of keywords with the setInfo
action.

Language

EN-US

Language version used to create the source file for the PDF
document. This value is read-only.

Modified

D:20061121155226-06'00'

System-generated timestamp for when the PDF file was last
modified. You can specify a text string with the setInfo action

PageLayout

OneColumn

Display setting for the initial view of the PDF document. To
change this setting, use the processddx action with the
InitialViewProfile DDX element.

Printing

Allowed

Permissions assigned for printing the document. To change this
setting, use the permissions attribute with the protect
action.

Producer

Acrobat Distiller 7.0.5 (Windows)

Version of Acrobat Distiller used to generate the PDF document.
This value is read-only.

Properties

[empty string]

This value is read-only.

Secure

Not Allowed

Display setting that shows whether the PDF document is password protected.

ShowDocumentsOption

[empty string]

Display setting for initial view of the PDF document. To change
this setting, use the processddx action with the
InitialViewProfile DDX element.

ShowWindowsOption

[empty string]

Display setting for initial view of the PDF document. To change
this setting, use the processddx action with the
InitialViewProfile DDX element.

Signing

Allowed

Permissions for allowing electronic signatures to the PDF document. To change this setting, use the permissions attribute
with the protect action.

Subject

Product Marketing

The subject assigned to the PDF document. You can specify a
text string with the setInfo action.

Title

Chapter 1: Getting Started

The title assigned to the PDF document. You can specify a text
string with the setInfo action.

TotalPages

25

Total pages in the PDF document. This value is read-only.

Trapped

[empty string]

Indicates whether trapping is applied to the PDF document.
Trapping is used in printing to eliminate gaps between two
adjoining ink colors. You can specify a text string with the
setInfo action.

Version

1.6

Version of the Adobe PDF generator used to create the PDF
document. To change this setting use the version attribute
with the write action. For more information, see “PDF versions”
on page 447.

Use the merge action to assemble PDF documents or pages from PDF source files into one output
file. The following code shows how to merge all the PDF files in a directory:

merge action



By default, ColdFusion adds the files in descending order by timestamp. The following code merges the source files
in ascending order by filename:


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This is useful if the source files have logical names, such as Chap0.pdf, Chap1.pdf, Chap2.pdf, and so on.
By default, ColdFusion continues the merge process even if it encounters a file in the specified directory that is not
a valid PDF document. To stop the merge process if the directory contains files other than valid PDF documents, set
the stopOnError attribute to yes:


To create a PDF file from specific pages in a document, use the source attribute with the pages attribute. The
following code creates a file from pages 1–5 of the source document:


To merge several files into one document, specify the absolute pathnames of the files in a comma-separated list, as
the following code shows:


For more control over the order of files, to assemble files in different locations, and to extract pages from multiple
PDF files, use the cfpdfparam tag with the merge action. For more information on merging PDF files, see “Assembling PDF Documents” on page 741 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Use the proccessddx action to assemble PDF files by processing Document Description XML
(DDX) instructions. DDX is a declarative markup language used by Adobe® LiveCycle® Assembler. You can use DDX
instructions to perform advanced tasks, such as adding table of contents pages, headers and footers, automatic page
numbers, and text-string watermarks to PDF documents.

processddx action

ColdFusion provides a subset of LiveCycle Assembler functionality. To determine whether you can perform the your
tasks in ColdFusion or whether you have to purchase LiveCycle Assembler, see the tables in the following sections.
For complete DDX syntax, see the Adobe LiveCycle Assembler Document Description XML Reference.
Supported DDX elements

The following table lists the DDX elements that ColdFusion supports:
About

Author

Background

Center

DatePattern

DDX

DocumentInformation

DocumentText

Footer

Header

InitialViewProfile

Keyword

Keywords

Left

MasterPassword

Metadata

NoBookmarks

OpenPassword

PageLabel

Password

PasswordAccessProfile

PasswordEncryptionProfile

PDF (see Note)

PDFGroup

Permissions

Right

StyledText

StyleProfile

Subject

TableOfContents

TableOfContentsEntryPattern

TableOfContentsPagePattern

Title

Watermark

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Note: ColdFusion does not support the certification and mergeLayers attributes of the PDF element.
Restricted DDX elements

The following table lists the DDX elements that ColdFusion excludes:
ArtBox

AttachmentAppearance

Bookmarks

BlankPage

BleedBox

Comments

Description

FileAttachments

FilenameEncoding

LinkAlias

Links

NoBackgrounds

NoComments

NoFileAttchments

NoFooters

NoForms

NoHeaders

NoLinks

NoPageLabels

NoThumbnails

NoWatermarks

NoXFA

PageMargins

PageSize

PageRotation

PageOverlay

PageUnderlay

PDFsFromBookmarks

Transform

TrimBox

Simple DDX instructions

You can create DDX instructions in any text editor and save the file with a DDX extension. The following example
shows the DDX instructions for merging several documents and generating a table of contents with bookmarks from
the source PDF documents:










Processing DDX instructions in ColdFusion

The following code processes the DDX instructions in ColdFusion:











ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 444
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    The DDX instructions are not valid.
    
    

#ddxVar.Out1#

The name attribute defines a variable that you use to determine the success or failure of the process. Use the
cfoutput tag to display the success or failure message, as the previous example shows, or use the cfdump tag to
display a structure:


This code returns the following information for each output file in the structure:

•

“Successful”, if the file is assembled successfully.

•

“Reason for failure”, if the file is not assembled successfully and the reason for failure is known.

•

“Failure”, if the file is not assembled successfully and the reason for failure is not known.

Use the IsDDX function to determine whether a DDX file or set of instructions is valid.
For detailed examples, see “Assembling PDF Documents” on page 741 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
protect action

Use the protect action to password-protect PDF output files, set permissions, and encrypt PDF

output files.
When you use the protect action, you must set a newUserPassword or a newOwnerPassword. (You can set both,
as long as the passwords differ.) When you assign a user password to a document, all users must use this password
to open the PDF document. The following code adds a user password to a PDF document:


To set the permissions on the output file, you must set the newOwnerPassword. A user who enters the owner
password when accessing the PDF file is considered the owner of file. The following example shows how to set a new
owner password:


Because the permissions are set to AllowDegradedPrinting in this example, ColdFusion lets users print the
document at 150 DPI, but prohibits all other actions. If a user tries to delete the file, for example, ColdFusion
generates an error message indicates that the password was entered incorrectly or the permissions do not allow the
action to be performed.
ColdFusion does not retain permissions: if you add a newUserPassword attribute, you also must set the permission
explicitly.
To work with myVar, you specify newownerpw as the password.
PDF document passwords

A PDF document can have two kinds of passwords: a user password and an owner password. The following table
describes the two types of ColdFusion passwords and their equivalents in Acrobat:

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ColdFusion password

Acrobat equivalent

Description

User password

Document Open password, Anyone who tries to open the PDF document must enter the password that you
user password
specify. A user password does not allow a user to change restricted features in the
PDF document.

Owner password

Permissions password,
master password

Lets the person who enters the password restrict access to features in a PDF document.

When you protect a PDF, your password changes to the one you provide. ColdFusion updates the variable’s saved
password to the one you provide. However, if you provide both passwords, ColdFusion uses the owner password.
The following protects a PDF:


To get all the properties of the PDF, you do the following:


To get only the properties allowed for the user, you do the following:

Permissions for PDF documents

The following table lists the permissions an owner can set for PDF documents:
Permissions

Description

All

There are no restrictions on the PDF document.

AllowAssembly

Users can add the PDF document to a merged document.

AllowCopy

Users can copy text, images, and other file content. This setting is required to generate thumbnail
images with the thumbnail action.

AllowDegradedPrinting

Users can print the document at low-resolution (150 DPI).

AllowFillIn

Users can enter data into PDF form fields. Users can sign PDF forms electronically.

AllowModifyAnnotations

Users can add or change comments in the PDF document.

AllowModifyContents

Users can change the file content. Users can add the PDF document to a merged document.

AllowPrinting

Users can print the document at high-resolution (print-production quality). This setting is required for
use with the cfprint tag.

AllowScreenReaders

Users can extract content from the PDF document.

AllowSecure

Users can sign the PDF document (with an electronic signature).

None

Users can view the document only.

Encryption for PDF documents

The encrypt attribute sets the type of encryption used for opening a password-protected document. By default,
ColdFusion uses the RC4 128-bit encryption algorithm to encrypt PDF files. To change the encryption algorithm,
use the encrypt attribute with the protect action. The following code encrypts the PDF output file with the AES
algorithm:


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ColdFusion supports the following encryption algorithms:
Encryption algorithm

Compatibility

Description

AES_128

Adobe Acrobat 7.0
and later

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) specifies the Rijndael algorithm, a symmetric
block cipher that can process data blocks of 128 bits. This is the highest encryption level.
This encryption algorithm lets users do the following:

Adobe Acrobat 6.0
and later

RC4_128M

•

Encrypt all document contents.

•

Encrypt all document contents except for the metadata.

•

Encrypt only the file attachments.

RC4 specifies the RSA Security software stream cipher for algorithms such as Secure
Sockets Layer (SSL), to protect Internet traffic, and WEP, to secure wireless networks.
This encryption algorithm lets users do the following:

•

Encrypt all document contents.

•

Encrypt all document contents except for the metadata.

RC4_128

Adobe Acrobat 5.0
and later

RC4 128-bit encryption. This encryption algorithm lets users encrypt the document
contents, but not the document metadata.

RC4_40

Adobe Acrobat 3.0
and later

RC4 40-bit encryption. This is the lowest encryption level.

The document is not encrypted.

None

Note: Document metadata is used in Internet searches. If the metadata is encrypted, search engines cannot search the
PDF document. Users running an earlier version of Acrobat cannot open a PDF document with a higher encryption
setting. For example, if you specify AES 128 encryption, a user cannot open the document in Acrobat 6.0 or earlier.
read action

Use the read action to read the source PDF document into the name variable, as the following code

shows:


...


Use the removewatermark action to remove a watermark from a PDF document or
specified pages in a document. The following example removes a watermark from the first page of a PDF document
and writes the output to a new file:

removeWatermark action



setInfo action
Use the setinfo action to specify information associated with a PDF document to be saved with
it. Create a structure that contains the relevant information. Use the info attribute of the cfpdf tag to refer to the
structure. The following code shows the elements that you can modify by using the setInfo action:

PDFinfo.Title="Make Way for Ducklings">
PDFinfo.Author="Donald Duck">
PDFinfo.Keywords="Huey,Dewy,Louie">
PDFinfo.Subject="Ducks">



thumbnail action

Use the thumbnail action to generate thumbnail images from the source PDF document.

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If you do not specify a destination directory for the thumbnail files, ColdFusion creates a directory for the thumbnails in the directory where the CFM page is located. If you specify a filename as the source, the thumbnail directory
name is a concatenation of the name of the source file and _thumbnails. For example, the following code generates
a thumbnail image for each page in myBook.pdf and stores them in a directory called myBook_thumbnails:


If the CFM page is located in the directory c:\myProject\genThumbnails.cfm, the pathname for the thumbnails
directory is c:\myProject\myBook_thumbnails.
By default, ColdFusion generates thumbnail files in JPEG format; the images are scaled to 25% of the original.
You can specify individual pages within the source document to generate thumbnails. Also, you can change the size
of the thumbnail; the resolution, the output format (JPEG, PNG, or TIFF); and the prefix used for the thumbnail
filenames. The following code generates a low-resolution thumbnail from the first page of the source document that
is scaled at 50% of the original size:


The full output file pathname is as follows:
c:\myBook\images\Cover_page_1.png

Note: To generate thumbnail images, the permissions of the source document must include AllowCopy. For more information, see “Permissions for PDF documents” on page 445.
write action
se the write action to write the source PDF document, or the PDF document stored in memory as
a variable, to a file. The following code converts a PDF file stored in memory to a different PDF version and writes
the output to a new file:


PDF versions

Change the PDF version so that users running an older version of Acrobat or Adobe Reader can open the file. The
following table shows the compatibility between the PDF version and the corresponding Acrobat and Adobe Reader
versions:
PDF version

Compatibility

1.1

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 2

1.2

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 3

1.3

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 4

1.4

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 5

1.5

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 6

1.6

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 7

To linearize PDF documents for faster web display, set the saveOption attribute to linear, as the following code
shows:


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 448
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Do not use the linear save option if you have to maintain interactivity in PDF forms or if the PDF document is
enabled for electronic signatures. To allow for electronic signatures, set the saveOption attribute to incremental,
as the following code shows:


Use the flatten attribute to flatten forms created in Acrobat:


Note: ColdFusion does not support flattening forms created in Adobe® LiveCycle®. For more information about forms
created in LiveCycle and Acrobat, see “Manipulating PDF Forms in ColdFusion” on page 725 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide
Example
The following example generates thumbnail images from pages in a PDF document and links the thumbnail images
to the pages in the PDF document:

    PDF Thumbnail Demo
    

















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cfpdfform
Description
Manipulates existing forms created in Adobe® Acrobat® and Adobe® LiveCycle® Designer. The following list describes
some of the tasks you can perform with the cfpdfform tag:

• Embed an interactive form created in Acrobat LiveCycle in a PDF document. You use the cfpdfform tag to
embed the PDF form in a cfdocument tag.
• Render an existing form created in Acrobat or LiveCycle. This includes prefilling fields from a database or an
XML data file and processing form data from an HTTP post or PDF submission.
•

Extract or prefill values in stored PDF forms and save the output to a file or use it to update a data source.

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Forms tags
Syntax
populate

read


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfdocument, cfdocumentsection, cfform, cfinput, cfpdf, cfpdfformparam, Usagecfpdfparam, cfpdfsubform, cfprint, IsPDFFile, IsPDFObject, “Manipulating PDF Forms in ColdFusion” on page 725 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

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Attributes
Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

action

NA

Required

Default

Description
Action to perform on the source:

•
•
destination

populate

Optional

write to
browser

populate
read

Pathname for the output file. You can specify an absolute pathname or a pathname relative to the context root.
The file extension must be PDF or XDP. The file extension determines the format of the file. (The XDP format applies only to LiveCycle forms.)
If you do not specify the destination, ColdFusion displays the
form in the browser.
Do not specify the destination when you embed a form in a PDF
document.

overwrite

populate
read

Optional

no

Specifies whether to overwrite the destination file (if
action="populate") or the data file (if action="read"):

•
•
overwriteData

populate

Optional

no

yes
no

Specifies whether to overwrite existing data in PDF form fields
with data from the data source:

•

yes: Overwrite existing data in the form fields with that
from the data source.

•

no: Retain existing data in form fields and populate only
those fields without data.

This attribute applies to data supplied from an XML data source
and from the cfpdfparam and cfpdfsubform tags.
result

read

Optional
(see Description)

ColdFusion structure that contains the form field values.
You must specify the XMLdata attribute or the result attribute;
you can specify both.

source

populate
read

Required

Pathname of the source PDF (absolute path or path relative to
the context root) or byte array representing a PDF.

XMLdata

populate
read

Optional
(see Description)

Pathname for the XML data file.

•

If action="populate", the data from this file, XML object,
or XML string populates the form fields. You can specify a
pathname relative to the context root or a relative pathname.

•

If action="read", ColdFusion writes the data to the variable.
You must specify either the XMLdata attribute or the result
attribute for the read action; you can specify both.

Usage
ColdFusion supports two types of interactive forms: forms created in Adobe Acrobat 6.0 or earlier, and forms created
in Adobe LiveCycle. In Adobe Acrobat Professional and Standard 7.0, Adobe introduced Adobe® LiveCycle®
Designer for creating PDF forms. ColdFusion supports forms created in LiveCycle Designer 7.0 and later.

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Forms created in Acrobat have a flat structure: a list of fields at the same level. Forms created in LiveCycle Designer
are hierarchical, often composed of nested subforms. To map the data to the form field, you use cfpdfsubform tags
to recreate the structure of the form in ColdFusion. For examples, see the Usage section of the cfpdfsubform tag,
and ““Manipulating PDF Forms in ColdFusion” on page 725 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
populate action
Use the populate action to populate PDF form fields from the specified data file. You can specify
a destination to write the output to a file or write the populated form directly to the browser. To display the interactive PDF form in the browser, do not specify a destination.

The following example shows how to populate a PDF form with an XML data file and display the completed form in
a browser:


This example shows how to populate a PDF form with an XML data file and write the completed form to a new PDF
file:



Also, you can specify a URL that returns XML data. In the following example, "http://test1.com/xyz" returns
XML content:


For forms created in Acrobat, you can write the output to a PDF file only. For forms created in LiveCycle, you have
the option to write the output to an XML Data Package (XDP) file. An XDP file is an XML representation of a PDF
file.
Note: Supplied values in form fields created in Acrobat or LiveCycle Designer are case-sensitive. For example, if a check
box in a form requires a “Yes” value, the value “yes” does not populate that field.
The file extension determines the file format: to save the output in XDP format, use an XDP extension in the destination filename:



You can use one or more cfpdfformparam tags within a cfpdfform tag to populate individual fields in a PDF form.
The following example shows how to populate an existing form created in Acrobat (payslipTemplate.pdf) and create
a PDF form (employeeid123.pdf) with the employeeID and salary fields filled in:






ColdFusion requires that you reproduce the exact structure of the source PDF form to populate fields. To verify the
structure of a PDF form in ColdFusion, use the read action of cfpdfform tag, and then use the cfdump tag to display
the result structure. Use a cfpdfsubform tag for each level within the structure. For more information, see “Manipulating PDF Forms in ColdFusion” on page 725 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

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The following example shows how to populate a form created in LiveCycle. Many forms created from templates in
LiveCycle contain a subform called form1. Use the cfpdfsubform tag to create a subform in ColdFusion.








read action
Use the read action to read the data from the source PDF form and generate a result structure that
contains the form fields and their values. Also, you can use the read action to generate an XML data file from a PDF
source file.

The following example shows how to read a PDF file and generate a result structure from the data:



You can use the cfdump tag to display the result structure:


You can use the result fields in ColdFusion, for example, #resultStruct.employeeId# and
#resultStruct.salary#.
The following example shows how to read a PDF file and write the data to an XML file:


The following example shows how to read a PDF file into a variable that contains XML data:


The following example shows how to read a PDF file into an XML data variable and generate a result structure. The
cffile tag writes the data to an XML file:








Extracting data from a PDF submission

Use the following code to extract data from a PDF submission and write it to a structure called fields:



Use the cfdump tag to display the data structure, as follows:


Note: When you extract data from a PDF submission, always specify "#PDF.content#" as the source.

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You can set the form fields to a variable, as the following code shows:


Use the populate action of the cfpdfform tag to write the output to a file. Specify "#PDF.content#" as the source.
In the following example, the unique filename is generated from a field on the PDF form:

Extracting data from an HTTP post submission

An HTTP post submission transmits the data from the PDF form, but not the form itself. You can extract data from
the PDF form fields, but you cannot write the output directly to a file. To extract the data and update a database, for
example, you must map the fields in the database to the structure and HTTP post data exactly.
Note: The structure of the HTTP post data (after submission) is not the same as the structure of the PDF form (before
data submission). For examples of both, see “Manipulating PDF Forms in ColdFusion” on page 725 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.
To determine the structure of the HTTP post data, use the cfdump tag with the form name as the variable to display
the data structure, as follows:


Note: When you extract data from an HTTP post submission, always specify the form name as the source. For example,
specify "#FORM.form1#" for a form generated from a template in LiveCycle Designer. When data extraction that uses
the cfpdfform tag results in more than one page, instead of returning one structure, ColdFusion returns one structure
per page.
Embedding PDF forms within a PDF document

You can use the cfpdfform tag inside the cfdocument tag to embed an existing interactive PDF form within a PDF
document. Use at least one cfdocumentsection tag with the cfpdfform tag, but do not place the cfpdfform tag
within the cfdocumentsection tag. For more information about embedding PDF forms, see “Manipulating PDF
Forms in ColdFusion” on page 725 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Flattening forms created in Acrobat

You use the cfpdf tag to flatten forms created in Acrobat. ColdFusion does not support flattening forms created in
LiveCycle. For more information, see “Assembling PDF Documents” on page 741 in the ColdFusion Developer’s
Guide.
Printing forms

Use the cfprint tag to print forms created in Acrobat. Markups, such as sticky notes, comments, and editorial
revisions, are not printed with the form. You cannot use the cfprint tag to print forms created in LiveCycle
Designer.
Example
The following example shows how to embed an interactive PDF form in a PDF document created with the
cfdocument tag:


SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEES
WHERE EMAIL = 


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Nondisclosure Agreement


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




    Employee Nondisclosure Agreement
    

    Please verify the information in the enclosed form. Make any of the
necessary changes in the online form and click the Print button.
Sign and date the last page. Staple the pages together and return the
completed form to your manager.
    
    













    I, #getEmpInfo.FIRSTNAME# #getEmpInfo.LASTNAME#,
hereby attest that the information in this document is accurate and complete.
    


    


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cfpdfformparam
Description
Provides additional information to the cfpdfform tag.
The cfpdfformparam tag is always a child tag of the cfpdfform or cfpdfsubform tag. Use the cfpdfformparam
tag to populate fields in a PDF form.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Forms tags
Syntax




Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfdocument, cfdocumentsection, cfform, cfinput, cfpdf, cfpdfform Usage, Usagecfpdfparam, cfpdfsubform, cfprint, IsPDFFile, IsPDFObject

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

index

Optional

1

Index associated with the field name. If multiple fields have the same name, use the index
value to locate one of them. Applies to forms created in LiveCycle only.

name

Required

Field name on the PDF form.

value

Required

Value associated with the field name. For interactive fields, specify a ColdFusion variable.

Usage
Use the cfpdfformparam tag inside the cfpdfform tag or the cfpdfsubform tag to populate fields in a PDF form.
Use the index attribute of the cfpdfformparam tag to specify fields with the same name and different values, as the
following code shows:






Note: Use the index attribute with forms created in LiveCycle only. Forms created in Acrobat cannot contain more than
one field with the same name; therefore the index attribute is not valid.

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Example
See the cfpdfform tag examples.

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cfpdfparam
Description
Provides additional information for the cfpdf tag. The cfpdfparam tag applies only to the merge action of the
cfpdf tag and is always a child tag of the cfpdf tag.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Forms tags
Syntax




Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfdocument, cfdocumentsection, cfpdf, Usagecfpdfform, Usagecfpdfformparam, cfpdfparam, cfpdfsubform, cfprint, IsPDFFile, IsPDFObject

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

pages

Optional

Page or pages of the PDF source file to merge. You can specify a range of pages, for example,
“1–5 “, or a comma-separated list of pages, for example, “1-5,9–10,18”.

password

Optional

User or owner password, if the source PDF file is password-protected.

source

Required

Source PDF file to merge. You can specify a PDF variable, a cfdocument variable, or the pathname to a file.

Usage
Use the cfpdfparam tag to merge several PDF documents into one file. The cfpdfparam tag lets you specify the
order of source files explicitly. You can use this tag to merge pages from multiple PDF document source files in
different locations.
The following code creates a single PDF document called combined.pdf that contains pages 1–3 and page 5 of the
file abc.pdf, followed by all of the pages in xyz.pdf, a file in memory with the variable name myPDFvariable, and
lastly pages 10–90 from the file abc.pdf. The password attribute applies only if the source file is password-protected:







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Note: When you use the cfpdfparam tag with the cfpdf merge action, you must specify either the destination
attribute or the name attribute for the cfpdf tag.
Example
The following ColdFusion page creates a form for downloading tax forms and tax information booklets:

    Downloading Federal Tax Documents
    Please choose the your type of business.
    

    

    

    Signature
    		

    

    Today's Date
    





    


    

    
Sole Proprieter
    

    Partnership
    

    S Corporation
    

    



    

The ColdFusion action page merges PDF files in different locations based on the selection in the form:


































Note: ColdFusion automatically flattens form fields when you use the merge action of the cfpdf tag.

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cfpdfsubform
Description
Populates a subform within the cfpdfform tag.
The cfpdfsubform tag can be a child tag of the cfpdfform tag or nested in another cfpdfsubform tag.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Forms tags
Syntax





Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfdocument, cfdocumentsection, cfform, cfinput, cfpdf, cfpdfformUsage, cfpdfformparam, cfpdfparam,
cfprint, IsPDFFile, IsPDFObject

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

index

Optional

1

Index associated with the field name. If multiple fields have the same name, ColdFusion uses the
index value to locate one of them.

name

Required

Name of the subform corresponding to subform name in the PDF form.

Usage
Use the cfpdfsubform tag with the cfpdfform tag to populate one or more subforms within a PDF form. The
cfpdfsubform tag can contain multiple cfpdfformparam tags. Also, you can nest subforms, as the following
example shows:















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Use subforms to match the exact structure of the source PDF form. If you do not, ColdFusion cannot prefill the form
with data and generates an error. Many of the forms generated from templates in LiveCycle contain a subform called
form1. You must specify this as a subform in your code, as the following example shows:







To verify the structure of a PDF form in ColdFusion, use the read action of the cfpdfform tag, as the following
example shows:


Then use the cfdump tag to display the structure:


Example
See the cfpdfform tag examples.

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cfpod
Description
Creates a pod, an area of the browser window or layout area with an optional title bar and a body that contains display
elements.
Category
Display management tags
Syntax

OR

pod contents


If the tag does not have a body and end tag, you must close it with /> character combination.
Note: You can specify this tag’s attribute in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute name as structure key.
See also
cfajaximport, cfdiv, cflayout, cfwindow

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

bodyStyle

Optional

Default

Description
A CSS style specification for the pod body.
As a general rule, use this attribute to set color and font styles. Using this attribute to
set the height and width, for example, can result in distorted output.

headerStyle

Optional

A CSS style specification for the pod header.
As a general rule, use this attribute to set color and font styles. Using this attribute to
set the height and width, for example, can result in distorted output.

height

Optional

100

Height if the control, including the title bar and borders, in pixels

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Attribute

Req/Opt

name

Optional

onBindError

Optional

Default

Description
Name of the pod control.

See
Description

The name of a JavaScript function to execute if evaluating a bind expression results
in an error. The function must take two attributes: an HTTP status code and a
message.
If you omit this attribute, and have specified a global error handler (by using the
ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler function), it displays the error message;
otherwise a default error pop-up displays.

overflow

Optional

auto

Specifies how to display child content whose size would cause the control to overflow the pod boundaries. The following values are valid:

•

auto: shows scrollbars when necessary.

•

hidden: does not allow access to overflowing content.

•

scroll: always shows horizontal and vertical scroll bars, even if they are not

needed.

•

visible: content can display outside the bounds of the pod.

Note: In Internet Explorer, pods with the visible setting expand to fit the size of the
contents, rather than having the contents extend beyond the layout area.
source

Required if the
tag does not have
a body

A URL that returns the pod contents. ColdFusion uses standard page path resolution
rules.
If you specify this attribute and the cfpod tag has a body, ColdFusion ignores the
body contents.
You can use a bind expression with dependencies in this attribute; for more information see Usage.
Note: If a CFML page specified in this attribute contains tags that use AJAX
features, such as cfform, cfgrid, and cfwindow, you must use a cfajaximport
tag on the page with the cfpod tag. For more information, see cfajaximport.

title

Optional

width

Optional

Text to display in the pod’s title bar. You can use HTML mark-up to control the title
appearance, of example to show the text in red italic font. If you omit this attribute,
the pod does not have a title bar.
500

Width if the control, including borders, in pixels.

Usage
You use a source attribute or a tag body to specify the pod contents; if you specify both, ColdFusion uses the
contents specified by the source attribute and ignores the tag body. If you use a source attribute, an animated icon
and the text "Loading..." appears while the contents is being fetched.
If the source attribute specifies a page that defines JavaScript functions, the function definitions on that page must
have the following format:
functionName = function(arguments) {function body}

Function definitions that use the following format may not work:
function functionName (arguments) {function body}

However, Adobe recommends that you include all custom JavaScript in external JavaScript files and import them on
the application’s main page, and not write them inline in code that you get using the source attribute. Imported
pages do not have this function definition format restriction.
If you use the source attribute, you can use a bind expression to include form field values or other form control
attributes as part of the source specification. You can bind to HTML format form controls only.

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To use a bind expression, specify a URL and pass one or more URL parameters the page, including bind parameters.
In its most basic form, a bind parameter consists of the name or id attribute of the control to which you are binding
in braces ({ }). To include the value of the city control as a bind parameter, for example, use the following format:
source="/myapplication/cityPod.cfm?cityname={city}"

For detailed information about using bind expressions, see “Binding data to form fields” on page 650 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Example
The following CFML page displays two pods in a vertical layout. Each pod gets its contents from a displayforpod.cfm
page that uses the cffeed tag to get an Atom feed.



Untitled Document













The following code shows the contents of the displayforpod.cfm page:


#feedQuery.content#
    
=========================================
    
    
    

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cfpop
Description
Retrieves or deletes e-mail messages from a POP mail server.
Category
Communications tags, Internet protocol tags
Syntax

generateUniqueFilenames = "yes|no"
maxRows = "number"
messageNumber = "number"
name = "query name"
password = "password"
port = "port number"
startRow = "number"
timeout = "seconds"
uid = "number"
username = "user name">

Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfftp, cfhttp, cfldap, cfmail, cfmailparam, SetLocale; “Sending and Receiving E-Mail” on page 998 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion MX 7.01: Added cids query variable.
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.

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

server

Required

action

Optional

Default

Description
POP server identifier:

getHeaderOnly

•

A host name, for example, "biff.upperlip.com".

•

An IP address, for example, "192.1.2.225".

•

getHeaderOnly: returns message header information only

•

getAll: returns message header information,
message text, and attachments if attachmentPath is
specified

•
attachmentPath

Optional

delete: deletes messages on POP server

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.

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 writes detailed
debugging information to the log, including all
retrieved message contents, and can generate large
logs quickly.

•
generateUniqueFilenames

Optional

no

•

yes: generate unique filenames for files attached to
an e-mail message, to avoid naming conflicts when
files are saved.

•
maxRows

Optional

Retrieves all
available rows

no: does not generate debugging output.

no

Number of messages to return or delete, starting with
the number in startRow. Ignored if messageNumber or
uid is specified.
Message number or comma-separated list of message
numbers to get or delete. Invalid message numbers are
ignored.

messageNumber

Ignored if uid is specified.
name

Required if action =
"getAll" or
"getHeaderOnly"

Name for query object that contains the retrieved
message information.

password

Optional

Password that corresponds to username.

port

Optional

110

POP port.

startRow

Optional

1

First row number to get or delete. Ignored if
messageNumber or uid is specified.

timeout

Optional

60

Maximum time, in seconds, to wait for mail processing.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

UID or a comma-separated list of UIDs to get or delete.
Invalid UIDs are ignored.

uid

username

Description

Optional

A user name.

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.
The 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.

queryname.cids

Structure that contains key-value pairs. The keys are the names of image files that are embedded in the email message; the values are their cids. You can use the cid to find the correct place of an image in an
HTML e-mail message that the cfpop tag retrieves. If the e-mail message contains more than one
embedded image, only the last embedded image is available.

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

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Column name

getHeaderOnly returns

getAll returns

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 Content-Type 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.
For more information on cfpop, see “Sending and Receiving E-Mail” on page 998 in the ColdFusion 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:
    

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    Enter your username:
    

    

    Enter your password:
    

    

    

    
--->

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cfpresentation
Description
Defines the look of a dynamic slide presentation and determines whether to write the presentation files to disk. The
cfpresentation tag is the parent tag for one or more cfpresentationslide tags, where you define the content
for the presentation, and the cfpresenter tags, which provide information about the people presenting the slides.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Data output tags
Syntax

presentation content...


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfchart, cfpresentationslide, cfpresenter, cfreport, “Creating Slide Presentations” on page 856 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

authPassword

Optional

Sends 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.

authUser

Optional

Sends 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.

autoPlay

Optional

yes

Description

Specifies whether to play the presentation automatically:

• yes: the presentation automatically runs through the entire presentation at startup.
•

no: the user must click the Play button to start the presentation and click
the Next button to advance to the next slide in the presentation.
backgroundColor

Optional

727971

Background color of the presentation. The value is hexadecimal: use the form
"##xxxxxx" or "##xxxxxxxx", where x = 0–9 or A–F; use two number
signs or none. Also, you can use a subset of HTML named colors. For more
information, see “Named colors” on page 472.

control

Optional

normal

Presentation control:

•
•
controlLocation

Optional

right

Optional

brief

Specifies the location of the presentation control:

•
•
directory

normal

right
left

Directory where the presentation is saved. This can be an absolute path or a
path relative to the CFM page. Also, ColdFusion creates a subdirectory called
data that contains:

•

A SWF file for each slide

•

srchdata.xml (which creates the search interface)

•

vconfig.xml

•

viewer.xml

•

images, video clips, and SWF files referenced by the

cfpresentationslide tags

If you do not specify a directory, ColdFusion writes the files to a temp directory
and runs the presentation in the client browser.
glowColor

Optional

35D334

Color used for glow effects on the buttons. The value is hexadecimal: use the
form "##xxxxxx" or "##xxxxxxxx", where x = 0–9 or A–F; use two
number signs or none. Also, you can use a subset of HTML named colors. For
more information, see “Named colors” on page 472.

initialTab

Optional

outline

Specifies which tab displays on top when the presentation is run. This applies
only when the control value is normal:

•
•
•

outline
search
notes

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 471
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

lightColor

Optional

4E5D60

Light color used for light-and-shadow effects. The value is hexadecimal: use
the form "##xxxxxx" or "##xxxxxxxx", where x = 0–9 or A–F; use two
number signs or none. Also, you can use a subset of HTML named colors. For
more information, see “Named colors” on page 472.

loop

Optional

no

Specifies whether the presentation runs in a loop:

overwrite

Optional

yes

6F8488

•

yes: the presentation restarts automatically after it ends.

•

no: the user must click the Play button to restart the presentation.

Specifies whether files in the directory are overwritten. Valid only when the
directory attribute is specified.

•

yes: overwrites files if they are already present

•

no: creates new files

primaryColor

Optional

proxyHost

Optional

Host name or IP address of a proxy server to which to send the request.

proxyPassword

Optional

Password required by the proxy server.

proxyPort

Optional

proxyUser

Optional

shadowColor

Optional

000000

Shadow color used for light-and-shadow effects. The value is hexadecimal:
use the form "##xxxxxx" or "##xxxxxxxx", where x = 0–9 or A–F; use two
number signs or none. Also, you can use a subset of HTML named colors. For
more information, see “Named colors” on page 472.

showNotes

Optional

no

Specifies whether the Notes tab is present in the presentation control panel:

80

Primary color of the presentation. The value is hexadecimal: use the form
"##xxxxxx" or "##xxxxxxxx", where x = 0–9 or A–F; use two number
signs or none. Also, you can use a subset of HTML named colors. For more
information, see “Named colors” on page 472.

The port to connect to on the proxy server.
User name to provide to the proxy server.

•
•
showOutline

Optional

yes

Optional

yes

Optional

title

Required

userAgent

Optional

FFFFFF

yes
no

Specifies whether the Search tab is present in the presentation control panel:

•
•
textColor

no

Specifies whether the Outline is present in the presentation control panel:

•
•
showSearch

yes

yes
no

Color for all the text in the presentation user interface. The value is hexadecimal: use the form "##xxxxxx" or "##xxxxxxxx", where x = 0–9 or A–F;
use two number signs or none. Also, you can use a subset of HTML named
colors. For more information, see “Named colors” on page 472.
Title of the presentation

ColdFusion

Text to put in the HTTP User-Agent request header field. Used to identify the
request client software.

Usage
Use the cfpresentation tag to create the container for a slide presentation. You can define the position and
appearance of the presentation controls, the background color, and the text for the presentation. Also, use this tag to
determine whether to write the presentation to files or to run it directly in the client browser.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 472
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The settings in the cfpresentation tag do not affect the appearance of the content defined in the
cfpresentationslide tags.
Named colors

The cfpresentation tag supports the following named colors for use with the backgroundColor, glowColor,
lightColor, primaryColor, shadowColor, and textColor attributes:
Named color

Hexadecimal value

red

FF0000

green

008000

blue

0000FF

black

000000

white

FFFFFF

yellow

FFFF00

gray

808080

darkgray

A9A9A9

lightgray

D3D3D3

cyan

00FFFF

magenta

FF00FF

orange

FFA500

pink

FFC0CB

Example













    Sales
    

      

    • Overview
      • 

    • Q1 Sales Figures
      • 

    • Projected Sales
      • 

    • Competition
      • 

    • Advantages
      • 

    • Long Term Growth
      • 

    
    



    Q1 Sales Figures
    








    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 474
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cfpresentationslide
Description
Creates a slide dynamically from a source file or HTML and CFML code on the ColdFusion page. The
cfpresentationslide is a child tag of the cfpresentation tag.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Data output tags
Syntax




Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfchart, cfpresentation, cfpresenter, cfreport, “Creating Slide Presentations” on page 856 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 475
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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

advance

Optional

See
Description

Overrides the cfpresentation tag autoPlay attribute for the slide:

•

auto: after the slide plays, the presentation advances to the next slide
automatically. This is the default value if cfpresentation
autoPlay="yes".

•

never: after the slide plays, the presentation does not advance to the next
slide until the user clicks the Next button. This is the default value if
cfpresentation autoPlay="no".

•

click: after the slide plays, the presentation advances to the next slide if
the user clicks anywhere in the main presentation area.
audio

Optional

Pathname of the audio file relative to the CFM page or the web root. The audio
file must be an MP3 file.
You cannot specify both audio and video for a slide.

authPassword

Optional

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.

authUser

Optional

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.

duration

Optional

Duration in seconds that the slide is played. If you do not specify a duration, the
slide plays for the duration of the audio clip associated with the slide.

marginBottom

Optional

0

Bottom margin of the slide.

marginLeft

Optional

0

Left margin of the slide.

marginRight

Optional

0

Right margin of the slide

marginTop

Optional

0

Top margin of the slide

notes

Optional

Notes used for the slide. Notes are displayed only if the showNotes attribute of
the cfpresentationslide tag is set to yes.

presenter

Optional

Presenter of the slide. A slide can have only one presenter. This name must
match one of the presenter names in the cfpresenter tag.

scale

Optional

src

Optional

1.0

Scale used for the HTML content in the slide presentation. If you do not specify
the scale, ColdFusion automatically scales the content to fit in the slide.
HTML or SWF source files used as a slide. You can specify the following as the
slide source:

•

An absolute path

•

A path relative to the CFM page

•

A URL: Specify if the source returns HTML content

SWF files must be present on the system running ColdFusion and the path must
be either an absolute path or a path relative to the CFM page.
If you do not specify a source file, you must include HTML/CFML code as the
body. If you specify a source file and HTML /CFML, ColdFusion ignores the source
file and displays the HTML/CFML content in the slide.
title

Optional

Title of the slide

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 476
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

userAgent

Optional

ColdFusion

Text to put in the HTTP User-Agent request header field. Identifies the request
client software.

video

Optional

Video file used for the presenter of the slide. If you specify video for the slide and
an image for the presenter, the video is used instead of the image for the slide.
You cannot specify both audio and video for a slide. The video must be an FLV
or SWF file.
The video file pathname must be relative to the CFM page or the web root.

Usage
Use the cfpresentationslide tag within the cfpresentation tag to create a slide presentation from individual
SWF or HTML source files. If you do not specify a source file, you must include the HMTL or CFML code for the
body of the slide within the cfpresentationslide tag. You can assign one presenter to each slide. Use the cfpresenter tag to define presenters referenced by the cfpresentationslide tags.
The following code shows how to create a slide presentation from existing SWF files:










Note: The cfpresentationslide tag requires an end tag. If you specify a source file as the content for the slide instead
of CFML and HTML code within start and end tags, use the end slash as a shortcut for the end tag.
You can reference source files from a URL as long as they return HTML content. The following code shows how to
create a slide presentation from HTML files located on an external website:











Note: The links within slides created from HTML files are not active.
Also, you can enter HTML and CFML code as the body for a slide. Within the code, you can include charts, graphs,
and images, as the following code shows:






ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 477
CFML Reference




    Introduction
    

    

    


      

    • Overview
      • 

    • Q1 Sales Figures
      • 

    • Projected Sales
      • 

    • Competition
      • 

    • Advantages
      • 

    • Long Term Growth
      • 

    
    		


    

    
    


    Q1 Sales Figures
    








    
    

Example









    USGS Naming Conventions
    

      

    • Overview
      • 

    • General Naming Conventions
      • 

    • Domestic Naming Conventions
      • 

    • Foreign Naming Conventions
      • 

    

    
    
duration="10" presenter="Robert L. Payne"/>


    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 478
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cfpresenter
Description
Describes a presenter in a slide presentation. A slide presentation can have multiple presenters. The presenters must
be referenced from the slides defined by the cfpresentationslide tag.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Data output tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfchart, cfpresentation, cfpresentationslide

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

biography

Optional

Default

A text string that provides information about the presenter; for example, “Sally
Maverick has been a top seller of Adobe products for the last five years.”

Description

email

Optional

E-mail address of the presenter. This attribute activates the Contact link in the
presentation control panel, which opens an e-mail message when you click on it.

image

Optional

Pathname for the presenter’s image in JPEG format. The JPEG file must be relative to
the CFM page. If you specify a video for the cfpresentationslide tag, the video
clip overrides this value for that slide.

name

Required

Name of the presenter. Use this value in the presenter attribute of the
cfpresentationslide tag to associate the presenter with the slide.

logo

Optional

Pathname of the image file that represents the presenter’s logo or the logo of the
presenter’s organization. The logo must be in JPEG format. The file must be relative
to the CFM file website.

title

Optional

Title of the presenter, for example, “VP of Sales”.

Usage
Use the cfpresenter tag to define the presenters that you specify for each slide. The presenter information appears
in the control panel for the slide to which it is assigned. To specify a presenter for a slide, use the presenter attribute
of the cfpresentationslide tag.
You can specify an image of the presenter and the presenter’s company logo by using the image and logo attributes
of the presenter tag, respectively. To display a video clip in place of the presenter’s image, you can specify an FLV
or SWF file for video attribute of the cfpresentationslide tag.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 479
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Example
















ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 480
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cfprint
Description
Prints specified pages from a PDF file. Use this tag to perform automated batch print jobs. Use the cfprint tag to
print any PDF document, including those generated by the cfdocument, cfpdf, and cfpdfform tag. Also, you use
this tag to print Report Builder reports exported in PDF format.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
Data output tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfdocument, cfpdf, cfpdfform, cfpdfformparam, cfpdfparam, cfpdfsubform, GetPrinterInfo,
IsPDFFile, IsPDFObject

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

attributeStruct

Optional

ColdFusion structure used to specify additional print instructions. Individually
named attributes take precedence over the key-value pairs in the attribute
structure. For information about key-value pairs, see the table in the section
“attributeStruct” on page 483.

color

Optional

Color or monochrome printing:

copies

Optional

fidelity

Optional

Default

Description

•

yes: print in color

•

no: print in black and white, with colors in shades of gray

Number of copies to print. The value must be greater than or equal to 1.
no

Whether to print a job based on the print requirements specified. Valid values
are:

• yes: if the job cannot be printed exactly as specified in the print requirements, the job is rejected.
•

no: a reasonable attempt to print the job is acceptable

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 481
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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

pages

Optional

all

Pages in the source file to print. Duplicate pages and pages beyond the total
count of pages in the document are ignored as long as there is at least one page
between 1 and the total number of pages in the document. You can combine
individual page numbers and page ranges, for example, 1–3,6,10–20. If you do
not specify a value for the pages attribute, ColdFusion prints the entire document.

paper

Optional

Paper used for the print job. The value can be any returned by the

GetPrinterInfo function. The following values are valid:

•

na-letter

•

na-legal

•

iso-a4

•

iso-a5

•

iso-b4

•

iso-b5

•

jis-b4

•

jis-b5

For more information, see “Supported paper types” on page 482.
password

Optional

The owner or user password for the PDF source file. If the PDF file is passwordprotected, you must specify this attribute for the file to print.

printer

Optional

The name of a printer. An example in Windows is \\s1001prn02\NTN-2WHP_BW02. The default name is the default printer for the account where the
ColdFusion server is running. Printer names are case-sensitive and must be
entered exactly as they appear in the System Information page of the
ColdFusion Administrator. For more information, see Usage.

source

Required

Source document to print. Specify one of the following:

•

An absolute or relative pathname to a PDF document, for example,
c:\work\myPDF.pdf or myPDF.pdf. The default directory is the template directory.

• A PDF document variable in memory that is generated by the cfdocument
tag or the cfpdf tag, for example, "myPDFdoc".
type

Required

PDF

The file type of the document being printed. The only valid value is PDF.

Usage
Use the cfprint tag for automated batch printing of PDF documents. For example, you can run a batch job each
evening that generates a report in PDF format and then prints either the entire report or selected pages for review
the next morning without user intervention.
Most of the cfprint tag attributes are printer-dependent. If a printer does not support a specified attribute, it
ignores the instruction. The default settings for the attributes also are printer-dependent. If you set a default printer,
only specify the PDF file source and the password, if the file is password-protected.
Note: The particular printer attributes supported are dependent on the operating system, the network printer server, if
there is one, and the printer. The cfprint tag is dependent on the Java Print Service (JPS). Many printers support
attributes that are not accessible from JPS. For example, the JPS for a Macintosh OSX running JDK 1.5 supports the
fewest printer attributes. Upgrading to JDK 1.6 adds some functionality, but finishing attributes are still not supported.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 482
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If the fidelity attribute is set to yes, the job does not print if any of the specified attributes are not supported by
the printer. If the fidelity attribute is set to no, the printer accepts the print job and either ignores any attribute it
does not support or substitutes a reasonable alternative for the attribute.
To determine which attributes are supported on a specified printer, use the GetPrinterInfo function.
Supported paper types

You can use the equivalent page types supported by the cfdocument tag, but they are not returned by the
GetPrinterInfo function:
cfdocument

cfprint

•

letter

•

na-letter

•

legal

•

na-legal

•

A4

•

iso-a4

•

A5

•

iso-a5

•

B4

•

iso-b4

•

B5

•

iso-b5

•

B4-JIS

•

jis-b4

•

B5-JIS

•

jis-b5

View a list of configured printers
1 Log on to the ColdFusion Administrator.
2 Click on the System Information icon located at the top right of the Administrator Console window. (The icon
has an “i” on it.)
3 Scroll to the bottom of the System Information page. Under Printer Details is the Default Printer. Below the
default printer is Printers, which lists the configured printers available to ColdFusion, including the default printer.

Printer configuration is operating system-dependent. Configure printers outside of ColdFusion.
View the print log
1 Log on to the ColdFusion Administrator.
2

Expand the Debugging and Logging topic.

3

Click the Log Files link. The print.log file appears in the list of log files.

Permissions for printing

If the PDF file is encrypted, the permissions for the file must be set to AllowPrinting, or you must specify the
owner password to print the file. Use the protect action of the cfpdf tag to set permissions and passwords on PDF
files. For more information, see “Permissions for PDF documents” on page 445.
If a Security Manager is installed, the following permission is required in the coldfusion.policy file to initiate a print
job request:
grant { permission java.lang.RuntimePermission "queuePrintJob"; };

In Windows systems, the account running the ColdFusion server must have PRINTER_ACCESS_USE access rights for
each printer it uses. Even if the printer is configured locally on the system, the printer is not available if the account
in which ColdFusion is running does not have the proper permissions.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 483
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Note: By default, ColdFusion installs and runs as the Local System account, which may not have printer queue access
rights. For information on running ColdFusion as a specific user, see the following Tech Note:
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=tn_17279
attributeStruct

The following table lists the optional attributeStruct key-value pairs that you use to specify print requests:
Element

Description

autoRotateAndCenter

Adjusts the document's orientation to match the orientation specified in the printer attributes and centers
the page in the imaging area:

collate or sheetCollate

color or chromaticity

•

yes: the orientation, if specified, is ignored (default)

•

no: the orientation, if specified, is applied to the document

Specifies whether the sheets of each copy of each printed document in a job are in sequence when
multiple copies of the document are specified by the copies attribute:

•

yes

•

no

Specifies color or monochrome printing. Monochrome printing displays colors in shades of gray:

•

yes: print in color.

•

no: print in monochrome.

copies

Number of copies of the source document to print. Valid values are integers greater than or equal to 1.

coverPage or jobSheets

Specifies which job start and end sheets, if any, are printed with a job:

fidelity

finishings

•

none

•

standard

Specifies whether to print a job based on the print requirements specified. The following values are valid
values:

•

yes: If the job cannot be printed exactly as specified in the print requirements, the job is rejected.

•

no: A reasonable attempt to print the job is acceptable (default).

Finishing operation to perform after each copy of a document is printed:

•

staple-top-left

•

staple-bottom-left

•

staple-top-right

•

staple-bottom-right

•

edge-stitch-left

•

edge-stitch-right

•

edge-stitch-top

•

edge-stitch-bottom

•

dual-right

•

dual-top

•

dual-bottom

•

dual-left

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 484
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Element

Description

jobHoldUntil

Date-time attribute for the exact date and time at which the job is available for printing. Valid values are
ColdFusion date and time variables.

jobName

The name of a print job.

jobPriority

Integer value that represents a print job's priority. Among those jobs that are ready to print, a printer must
print all jobs with a priority value of n before printing those with a priority value of n-1 for all n. Valid values
are integers from 1 (lowest priority) through 100 (highest priority).

numberUp

Number of pages to print on a single side of paper. The value must be a number greater than or equal to 1.

orientation or
orientationRequested

Orientation of the page to be printed. The only valid value for PDF documents is portrait. To change the
orientation to landscape, set the autoRotateAndCenter to yes (which is the default value). The
autoRotateAndCenter instruction overrides the orientation instruction.

pages

Pages in the source file to print. Duplicate pages and pages beyond the total count of pages in the document are ignored as long as there is at least one page between 1 and the total number of pages in the
document. You can combine individual page numbers and page ranges,for example, 1–3,6,10–20. If you
do not specify a value for the pages attribute, ColdFusion prints the entire document.

pageScaling

Specifies how pages are scaled on the paper:

•

fit-to-printer-margins: Reduces or enlarges each page to fit the printable area of the currently

selected paper size (Default).

•

reduce-to-printer-margins: Shrinks large pages to fit the currently selected paper size but
does not enlarge small pages. If an area is selected and is larger than the printable area of the currently
selected paper, the page is scaled to fit the printable area.

• none: Prints the upper left or center of a page (if autorotated and centered) without scaling. Pages
that don’t fit on the paper are cropped.
pageSubset

paper

Prints a subset of pages in specified by the pages attribute:

•

all: Prints all the pages in the specified page range (Default).

•

odd: Prints only the odd pages in the specified page range.

•

even: Prints only the even pages in the specified page range.

Paper used for the print job. The value can be any returned by the GetPrinterInfo function. The
following values are the most common:

•

na-letter

•

iso-a4

presentationDirection

Used in conjunction with the numberUp attribute to indicate the layout of multiple document pages on
one side of the paper.

printer

The name of a printer. An example in Windows is \\s1001prn02\NTN-2W-HP_BW02. The default name is
the default printer for the account where the ColdFusion server is running. Printer names are case-sensitive and you must enter the names exactly as they appear in the System Information page of the
ColdFusion Administrator. For more information on viewing print logs, see Usage.

quality

Print quality for the print job:

requestingUserName

•

draft

•

high

•

normal

A string that specifies the name of the end user that submitted the print job.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 485
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Element

Description

reversePages

Prints pages in reverse order. If page ranges are entered, the pages print opposite of the order in which
they were entered. For example, if the Pages box shows 3-5, 7-10, selecting Reverse Pages prints pages 107, and then 5-3.

•

yes

•

no (default)

Sides of the paper on which the pages are printed:

sides

usePdfPageSize

•

one-sided (default)

•

duplex or two-sided-long-edge

•

tumble or two-sided-short-edge

Uses the PDF page size to determine the area of the paper printed rather than the paper size. This is useful
for printing PDF documents that contain multiple page sizes:

•

yes

•

no (default)

Example
The following example shows how to use the attributeStruct attribute and the cfprint tag to print five, doublesided copies of a letter-sized PDF document, which are stapled on the top-left corner and collated:




The following example shows how to specify all of the print attributes with the attributeStruct attribute:

aset["paper"] = "letter">
aset["sides"] = "duplex">
aset["copies"] = "5">
aset["printer"] = "\\s1001prn02\NTN-2W-HP_BW02">



Printers have a setting called autoRotateAndCenter, which is set to yes by default. The following example shows
how to override the default autoRotatateAndCenter setting and use the orientation setting instead:





To run a print job asynchronously, start a print job in a thread. Do not wait for the print job to be sent to the printer
before proceeding. To start a print job in a thread, enclose the cfprint tag within cfthread start and end tags, as
the following example shows:



....

For more information, see “cfthread” on page 581.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 486
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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; “Developing Globalized Applica-

tions” on page 337 in the ColdFusion 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.

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

pageEncoding

Optional

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

•

iso-2022-jp

•

euc-jp

•

euc-kr

•

big5

•

euc-cn

•

utf-16

shift_jis

For more information on character encodings, see www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html.
suppressWhiteSpace

Optional

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.

Usage
The cfprocssingdirective tag has limitations that depend on the attribute you use. For this reason, Adobe
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.
• 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.

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• 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:


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cfprocparam
Description
Defines stored procedure parameters. This tag is nested within a cfstoredproc tag.
Category
Database manipulation tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfinsert, cfprocresult, cfquery, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc, cftransaction, cfupdate; “Optimizing
ColdFusion applications” on page 239 in “Designing and Optimizing a ColdFusion Application” on page 219 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion MX:

•

The maxrows attribute is obsolete.

• Changed the dbvarname attribute behavior: it is now ignored for all drivers. ColdFusion uses JDBC 2.2 and does
not support named parameters.
•

Changed the maxLength attribute behavior: it now applies to IN and INOUT parameter values.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 490
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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

CFSQLType

Required

Default

Description
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. For
information on supported parameter types, see your DBMS documentation.

•

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 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.

null

Optional

no

Whether the parameter is passed in as a null value. Not used with OUT type parameters.

scale

Optional

0

•

yes: tag ignores the value attribute.

•

no

Number of decimal places in numeric parameter. A scale of 0 limits the value to an
integer.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

type

Optional

in

Description

•

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.
value

Required if
type = "IN"

variable

Required if
type = "OUT" or
"INOUT"

Value that ColdFusion passes to the stored procedure.This is optional for inout
parameters.
ColdFusion variable name; references the value that the output parameter has after
the stored procedure is called. This is ignored for in parameters.

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 supports both
positional and named parameters. If you use positional parameters, you must code cfprocparam tags in the same
order as the associated parameters in the stored procedure definition.
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 examples lists the equivalent Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server stored procedures that insert data into
the database. The CFML to invoke either stored procedure is the same.
The following example shows the Oracle stored procedure:
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE Insert_Book (
arg_Title Books.Title%type,
arg_Price Books.Price%type,
arg_PublishDate Books.PublishDate%type,
arg_BookID OUT Books.BookID%type)
AS
num_BookID NUMBER;
BEGIN
SELECT seq_Books.NEXTVAL
INTO num_BookID
FROM DUAL;
INSERT INTO
Books (
BookID,
Title,
Price,
PublishDate )
VALUES (
num_BookID,
arg_Title,
arg_Price,
arg_PublishDate );
arg_BookID := num_BookID;
END;
/

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 492
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The following example shows the SQL Server stored procedure:
CREATE PROCEDURE Insert_Book (
@arg_Title VARCHAR(255),
@arg_Price SMALLMONEY,
@arg_PublishDate DATETIME,
@arg_BookID INT OUT)
AS
BEGIN
INSERT INTO
Books (
Title,
Price,
PublishDate )
VALUES (
@arg_Title,
@arg_Price,
@arg_PublishDate );
SELECT @arg_BookID = @@IDENTITY;
END;

You use the following CFML code to call either stored procedure:












    '#form.title#' inserted into database.The ID is #bookId#.
    
    
    


    Insert a new book
    
Title:


    
Price:


    
Publish Date:


    

    

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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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfinsert, cfprocparam, cfquery, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc, cftransaction, cfupdate; “Optimizing
database use” on page 243 in “Designing and Optimizing a ColdFusion Application” on page 219 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

name

Required

maxRows

Optional

-1 (All)

Maximum number of rows returned in result set.

resultSet

Optional

1

Names one result set, if stored procedure returns more than one.

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




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 494
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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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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” on page 168 in “Building and Using ColdFusion Components” on page 158 in the ColdFusion Developer’s
Guide
History
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

name

Required

A string; a property name. Must be a static value.

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

Optional

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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

required

Optional

no

Whether the parameter is required:

type

Optional

any

•

yes

•

no

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-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 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-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx where each x is a character representing a hexadecimal number (0-9AF).
•

variableName: a string formatted according to ColdFusion variable naming conven-

tions.

•

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.

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.
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:



name="Number" type="numeric">
name="Street" type="string">
name="City" type="string">
name="State" type="string">
name="Country" type="string">

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:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 497
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ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 498
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cfquery
Description
Passes queries or SQL statements to a data source.
Adobe 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 Security Zone, www.adobe.com/devnet/security/security_zone/asb99-04.html, and
“Accessing and Retrieving Data” on page 393 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Category
Database manipulation tags
Syntax



Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfdbinfo, cfinsert, cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc, cftransaction,
cfupdate; “Optimizing database use” on page 243 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the result variable that specifies the ID of a row.
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).
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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 499
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•

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

blockFactor

Optional

cachedAfter

Optional

Default

Description
Name of query. Used in page to reference query record set. Must begin with a letter.
Can include letters, numbers, and underscores.

1

Maximum rows to get at a time from server. Range: 1 - 100. Might not be supported
by some database systems.
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.

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.

dbtype=query.

Name of data source from which query gets data. You must specify either dbtype
or dataSource.

dbtype

Optional

Results of a query as input. You must specify either dbtype or dataSource.

debug

Optional; value
and equals sign
may be omitted

dataSource

Required unless

•

yes, or if omitted: if debugging is enabled, but the Administrator Database
Activity option is not enabled, displays SQL submitted to the data source and
number of records returned by query.

•

no: if the Administrator Database Activity option is enabled, suppresses
display.

maxRows

Optional

-1 (All)

Maximum number of rows to return in record set.

password

Optional

Overrides the password in the data source setup.

result

Optional

Name for the structure in which cfquery returns the result variables. For more
information, see Usage.
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.

timeout

For JDBC statements, ColdFusion sets this attribute. For other drivers, see the driver
documentation.
username

Optional

Overrides user name in the data source setup.

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:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 500
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Variable name

Description

query_name.currentRow

Current row of query that cfoutput is processing.

query_name.columnList

Comma-separated 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. The result variable of INSERT queries contains a key-value pair
that is the automatically generated ID of the inserted row; this is available only for databases that support this feature.
If more than one record was inserted, the value can be a list of IDs. The key name is database-specific.
Variable name

Description

result_name.sql

The SQL statement that was executed.

result_name.recordcount

Number of records (rows) returned from the query.

result_name.cached

True if the query was cached; False otherwise.

result_name.sqlparameters

An ordered Array of cfqueryparam values.

result_name.columnList

Comma-separated list of the query columns.

result_name.ExecutionTime

Cumulative time required to process the query.

result_name.IDENTITYCOL

SQL Server only. The ID of an inserted row.

result_name.ROWID

Oracle only. The ID of an inserted row. This is not the primary key of the row, although you can
retrieve rows based on this ID.

result_name.SYB_IDENTITY

Sybase only. The ID of an inserted row.

result_name.SERIAL_COL

Informix only. The ID of an inserted row.

result_name.GENERATED_KEY

MySQL only. The ID of an inserted row. MySQL 3 does not support this feature.

You can cache query results and execute stored procedures. For information about this and about displaying
cfquery output, see the ColdFusion 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 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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 501
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For a list of reserved keywords in ColdFusion, see “Escaping reserved keywords” on page 431 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.
Example







SELECT PARKNAME, REGION, STATE
FROM Parks
ORDER BY ParkName, State




    

    

 


Park Name


Region


State


    


    

#GetParks.CurrentRow#


#ParkName#


#Region#


#State#


    



    



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 502
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See next #MaxRows# rows



    

    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 503
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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.
Adobe 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.adobe.com/devnet/security/security_zone/asb99-04.html, and “Accessing and Retrieving
Data” on page 393 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Category
Database manipulation tags
Syntax

AND/OR ...additional criteria of the WHERE clause...>


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfinsert, cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cfquery, cfstoredproc, cftransaction, cfupdate; “Enhancing
security with cfqueryparam” on page 399 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 504
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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

list

Optional

Optional

CF_SQL_CHAR

no

SQL type that parameter (any type) is bound to:

•

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

•

yes: the value attribute value is a delimited list.

•

no

maxLength

Optional

Length of string
in value
attribute

Maximum length of parameter. Ensures that the length check is done by ColdFusion before the string is sent to the DBMS, thereby helping to prevent the
submission of malicious strings.

null

Optional

no

Whether parameter is passed as a null value:

•

yes: tag ignores the value attribute.

•

no

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 505
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

scale

Optional

0

Number of decimal places in parameter. Applies to CF_SQL_NUMERIC and
CF_SQL_DECIMAL.

separator

Required, if
you specify a
list in value
attribute

, (comma)

Character that separates values in list, in value attribute.

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

Oracle

MSSQL

binary
timestamp

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 506
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ColdFusion

JDBC

DB2

Informix

Oracle

CF_SQL_BIT

BIT

CF_SQL_BLOB

BLOB

Blob

blob

blob, bfile

CF_SQL_CHAR

CHAR

Char

char, nchar

char, nchar

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

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, uniqueidentifier

CF_SQL_INTEGER

INTEGER

Integer

integer, serial

CF_SQL_LONGVARBINARY

LONGVARBINARY Long Varchar for
Bit Data

byte

long raw

image

CF_SQL_LONGVARCHAR

LONGVARCHAR

Long Varchar

text

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

boolean

MSSQL
bit

number

char, nchar, unique identifier

decimal, money, smallmoney

int

Numeric

numeric

Real

smallfloat

real

Smallint

smallint

smallint

CF_SQL_REFCURSOR

REF

CF_SQL_SMALLINT

SMALLINT

CF_SQL_STRUCT

STRUCT

CF_SQL_TIME

TIME

Time

datetime hour to
second

CF_SQL_TIMESTAMP

TIMESTAMP

Timestamp

datetime year to
fraction(5),
datetime year to
second

CF_SQL_TINYINT

TINYINT

CF_SQL_VARBINARY

VARBINARY

Rowid

CF_SQL_VARCHAR

VARCHAR

Varchar

date

datetime, smalldatetime

tinyint
raw
varchar, nvarchar, varchar2,
lvarchar
nvarchar2

varbinary
varchar, nvarchar, sysname

Example


    cfqueryparam Example
    


SELECT *
FROM courses
WHERE Course_ID = 

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 507
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    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# 
    
    

508

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 Administrator. For more information, see Configuring
and Administering ColdFusion.
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 509

•

“cfregistry action = "get"” on page 511

•

“cfregistry action = "set"” on page 512

•

“cfregistry action = "delete"” on page 513

See also
cfcookie, cfparam, cfsavecontent, cfschedule, cfset; “About resource and sandbox security” on page 313 in

“Securing Applications” on page 312 and “Using Persistent Data and Locking” on page 273 in the ColdFusion
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.

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CFML Reference

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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
“Using Persistent Data and Locking” on page 273 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

action

Required

Always getall.

branch

Required

Name of a registry branch.

name

Required

Name of record set to contain returned keys and values.

sort

Optional

asc

Description

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:
sort = "value desc, entry asc"

type

Optional

string

•

asc: ascending (a to z) sort order.

•

desc: descending (z to a) sort order.

•

string: returns string values.

•

dWord: returns DWord values.

•

key: returns keys.

•

any: returns keys and values.

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 action = "getAll"
    

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cfregistry action = "get"
Description
Accesses a registry value and stores it in a ColdFusion variable.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
“Using Persistent Data and Locking” on page 273 in the ColdFusion 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#


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cfregistry action = "set"
Description
Adds a registry key, adds a value, or updates a value.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
“Using Persistent Data and Locking” on page 273 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required

Always set.

branch

Required

Name of a registry branch.

entry

Required

Key or value to set.

type

Optional

value

Optional

Default

Description

•

string: sets a string value (default).

•

dWord: sets a DWord value.

•

key: creates a key.

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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cfregistry action = "delete"
Description
Deletes a registry key or value.
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
“Using Persistent Data and Locking” on page 273 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required

branch

Required

Default

Description
Always delete.

•

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"
    

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cfreport
Description
Used to do either of the following:

• Execute a report created with the ColdFusion Report Builder, displaying it in PDF, Adobe® FlashPaper®, RTF,
HTML, XML or Excel format. Optionally, you can save this report to a file.
•

Run a predefined Crystal Reports report. Applies only to Windows systems.

Category
Data output tags
Syntax
ColdFusion Report Builder syntax:



Crystal Reports syntax:



Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcollection, cfdocument, cfdocumentitem, cfdocumentsection, cfexecute, cfindex, cfobject,
cfreportparam, cfsearch, cfwddx; “Creating Reports with Report Builder” on page 820 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide; Report Builder online Help

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the style and resourceTimespan attributes. Added the HTML and XML values to the format
attribute.
ColdFusion MX 7.0.1: Added the RTF value to the format attribute, to let you generate reports in RTF format.

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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
Administrator.
Attributes
Attribute

Applies to Req/Opt

datasource

Crystal
Reports

Optional

encryption

Report
Builder

Optional

filename

Report
Builder

Optional

Default

Description
Name of registered or native data source.

none

(format="PDF" only) Type of encryption for the report output. Valid values
are:

•

128-bit

•

40-bit

•

none

Filename to contain the report. You cannot specify both the name and
filename attributes. The filename extension must match the value of the
format attribute.
If you write report output to an HTML file, ColdFusion automatically creates a
directory relative to the output file in the format filename_files. Also, it
generates PNG files for any charts in the report and copies of any image files
imported into the report and stores them in this directory.

format

Report
Builder

Required

Format of the report output:

•

PDF

•

FlashPaper

•

Excel

•

RTF

•

XML

•

HTML

When you write report output directly to the browser in HTML format, ColdFusion generates a temporary directory and files for the images in the report. The
location of the temporary directory that contains the image files is:
C:\ColdFusion8\tmpCache\CFFileServlet\_cfreport\_report[unique_identifier]
To determine when the images are removed from the browser, use the
resourceTimespan attribute.
formula

Crystal
Reports

Optional

One or more named formulas. Terminate each formula with a semicolon. Use
the format:
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';"
name

Report
Builder

Optional

Name of the ColdFusion variable that contains the report output. You cannot
specify both name and filename. This attribute is not valid when
format="HTML".

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Attribute

Applies to Req/Opt

orderBy

Crystal
Reports

Optional

overwrite

Report
Builder

Optional

Default

Description
Orders results according to your specifications.

no

Specifies whether to overwrite files that have the same name as that specified
in the filename attribute:

•

yes

•

no

ownerPassword

Report
Builder

Optional

(format="PDF" only) Owner password for the report,

password

Crystal
Reports

Optional

Password that corresponds to username required for database access. Overrides default settings for data source in the ColdFusion Administrator.

permissions

Report
Builder

Optional

(format="PDF" only) Specifies one or more of the following permissions:

•

AllowPrinting

•

AllowModifyContents

•

AllowCopy

•

AllowModifyAnnotations

•

AllowFillIn

•

AllowScreenReaders

•

AllowAssembly

•

AllowDegradedPrinting

Separate multiple permissions with commas.
query

Report
Builder

Optional

Name of the query that contains input data for the report. This query overrides
the query in the Report Builder report. The ColdFusion query must contain at
least all of the columns included in the Report Builder query; however, the
WHERE clause can differ. If you omit this parameter, Report Builder uses the
data from the internal SQL statement or from cfreportparam items.

report

Crystal
Reports

Required

Report pathname. Store Crystal Reports files in the same directories as ColdFusion page files.

resourceTimesp Report
Builder
an

Optional

5 minutes (format="HTML" only) Life span of the resource directory. When you export a

Report Builder report in HTML format, ColdFusion writes any images or other
resource files in the report to a temporary resource directory. Use this attribute
to determine when the resource directory is deleted. For the value, use the
CreateTimeSpan function and specify the timespan in days, hours, minutes,
and seconds, separated by commas; for example, to delete the resource directory after one hour, specify: #CreateTimeSpan(0,1,0,0)#
If the value is set to 0, the resource directory persists until the next server
restart.
ColdFusion deletes the resource directory only when format="HTML" and
neither the name nor filename attribute is specified.The default setting is 5
minutes: #CreateTimeSpan(0,0,5,0)#

style

Report
Builder

Optional

Style in CSS format that overrides a style defined in the Report Builder report at
run time. You can specify an absolute file path, a file path relative to the report,
or a string in valid CSS format. For the styles to take effect, the style names must
match Style Name attributes assigned to elements in the Report Builder report.
You can generate a CSS file in Report Builder and export it or you can create a
CSS file with a text editor. For a list of supported CSS styles, see “Style properties” on page 518.

template

Report
Builder

Required

Specifies the pathname to the Report Builder (CFR) file, relative to the web root.

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Attribute

Applies to Req/Opt

timeout

Crystal
Reports

Optional

type

Crystal
Reports

Optional

Default

Description
Specifies the maximum time, in seconds, in which a connection must be made
to a Crystal Reports file.

standard

Type of report:

•

standard (not valid for Crystal Reports 8.0)

•

netscape

•

microsoft

userName

Crystal
Reports

Optional

Username required for entry into a database from which the report is created.
Overrides default settings for data source in ColdFusion Administrator.

userPassword

Report
Builder

Optional

(format="PDF" only) User password.

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.)
Note: The Excel report output format type provides limited support for the formatting options available in ColdFusion
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 Adobe recommends
that you give careful design and layout consideration to reports designed for Excel output.
This tag requires an end tag.
Using Cascading Style Sheets

You can override Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) in Report Builder reports at run time by using the style attribute of
the cfreport tag in ColdFusion.
You can create CSS files in one of two ways: by exporting styles with the Export Report Styles icon in Report Builder
or by creating a CSS file in any text editor. For the CSS styles to take effect, however, you must use Report Builder to
assign the style names to the elements in the report. (The exception is the default style: you can use the style
attribute to define the default style in ColdFusion and apply it to the report even if the default style is not defined in
Report Builder.)
After you assign the style names in Report Builder, you can update the style definitions in the CSS file at any time
and apply them at run time by using the cfreport and cfreportparam tags. If your report contains subreports, the
default style applies to the master report and to all of the subreports. If the master report uses CSS styles other than
the default style, the CSS styles do not apply to the subreports unless you specify them explicitly.
The following code shows how to apply three different style sheets to the main report and two subreports at run time:





The following code shows how to apply a CSS style as a value of the style attribute:



The following code shows how to create a variable called myStyle and use it as a value of the style attribute:


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Style attribute syntax

The style file or string must be valid CSS syntax. For more information, see http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/. The style
must contain one or more rule sets. Each rule set consists of a simple selector, which is the Report Builder style name,
followed by a declaration block, which consists of a series of declarations separated by semicolons. A declaration is
a property:value pair.
If a selector contains invalid syntax, ColdFusion ignores the selector and its declaration block. Selectors and
properties not supported by this feature are ignored. Styles are case-insensitive, except parts not under the control
of CSS (such as font names).
The following example shows the CSS definition for the default style:
DefaultStyle
{
default-style: true;
color: black;
font-family: Arial, "Comic Sans MS";
font-size: 16;
text-decoration: underline;
}

The following example shows the CSS definition for a custom style called PurpleBoldItalicText:
PurpleBoldItalicText
{
color: purple;
font: italic bold 20px 30px Arial;
}

Identifiers for styles must be CSS2-compliant. For example, CSS1 allows '_' in identifiers, but CSS2 does not.
In CSS2, identifiers, including element names, classes, and IDs in selectors, can contain only the characters A-Z, az, and 0-9. Also, they can include ISO 10646 characters 161 and higher and the hyphen character (-); however, identifiers cannot start with a hyphen or a digit. They can contain escaped characters and any ISO 10646 character as a
numeric code. For example, you can write the identifier "B&W?" as "B\&W\?" or "B\26 W\3F".
Style properties

The following table shows the style properties exported by Report Builder:
Property name

Report Builder
only

Valid values

Description

background-color

No

See “Valid color values” on
page 523

Background color of the specified report element, if the
element is not transparent. The default background color is
white.

border

No

[border-width]

A shorthand property that specifies the border-width,
border-style, and border-color properties for all of
the borders in an element.

[border-style]
[border-color]

border-color

No

See “Valid color values” on
page 523

Border color for text, images, and charts. You can customize
each side of the border. The default color is white.

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Property name

Report Builder
only

Valid values

Description

border-style

No

solid

A shorthand property that specifies the border-topstyle, border-right-style, border-bottomstyle, and border-left-style (the comma-separated
values must be in this order). If one or more values are not
specified, the value for the opposite side is used. If only one
value is listed, that value applies to all sides.

dashed
none

The none value overrides the border-width value. Any
other values, including hidden, dotted, groove, ridge,
inset, outset, and double, are displayed as solid.
border-top-color

No

border-left-color

See “Valid color values” on
page 523.

Color of the element’s top, left, bottom, and right border.
See “Border and margin styles” on page 523.
If no border-color property is specified, the value of the
color property is used instead.

border-bottom-color
border-right-color
border-top-style

No

border-left-style

solid

Line style of the element’s top, left, bottom, and right
border. See “Border and margin styles” on page 523.

dashed

Any value other than dashed displays as solid.

border-bottom-style
border-right-style
border-top-width

No

thin

Thickness of the top, left, bottom, and right border of an
element. Negative values are not valid. See “Border and
margin styles” on page 523:

border-left-width

medium

border-bottom-width

thick

•

thin = 1/2 pt

border-right-width

1px

•

medium = 2px

2px

•

thick = 4px

4px

border-width

No

thin
medium
thick
1px

A shorthand property that specifies the border-topwidth, border-right-width, and border-bottomwidth properties with a single property and value notation
(the comma-separated values must be in this order). If one
or more values are not specified, the value for the opposite
side is used. If only one value is listed, it applies to all sides:

2px

•

thin = 1/2 pt

4px

•

medium = 2px

•

thick = 4px

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Property name

Report Builder
only

Valid values

Description

clip

No

auto

Specifies how images are resized:

stretch
ratio

•

auto: If the dimensions of the source image differ
from the element in the report, this attribute crops the
image to fit within the element boundaries. The image is
not resized. Only the part of the image that fits in the
boundaries is displayed.

•

stretch: If the dimensions of the source image differ
from the element in the report, this attribute resizes the
image so that it fits within the element boundaries. If the
dimensions differ, the image is distorted.

•

ratio: If the dimensions of the source image differ
from the element in the report, this attribute resizes the
image to fit within the element boundaries but maintains the aspect ratio of the source so that the image is
not distorted.

color

No

See “Valid color values” on
page 523

Color of the text (in text elements) and the border (in
graphic elements). The default color is black.

corner-radius

Yes

integer

Radius for arcs used to draw the corner of rectangles. The
default is 0 (square corners). Values less than 0 are interpreted as 0.

default-style

Yes

true

Default style for elements that do not or cannot have a style
applied. A subreport inherits its parent’s default-style if it
does not have one of its own.

false

embed-pdf-font

empty-cells

Yes

No

false

Specifies whether fonts are embedded in the PDF document. Embedded fonts insure that the fonts display properly even if the font is not installed on the system where the
report is viewed.

show

Shows or hides a null value for text expressions:

true

hide

• show: If the text expression returns a null value, the
string "null" is displayed.
•

hide: If the text expression returns a null value, the
null value is replaced with an empty string. This is the
default.

font

No

[font-style]

Font characteristic specifications. Use this as a shorthand to
specifying multiple property values; for example:

[font-weight]
font: italic 20px Arial;
[font-size]
[line-height]
[font-family]

font-family

No

Comma-separated list of font
names.

Default values for this property match those used for the
individual properties. Default values for the individual
properties are applied to the values omitted from the font
property.
Group of fonts to apply to the element. The first font found
in the list is applied to the element. The default is:
font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sansserif ;

If a font name contains spaces, enclose the name in quotation marks, for example:
font-family: Courier, "Courier New", Arial;

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Property name

Report Builder
only

Valid values

Description

font-size

No

[length]

Font size measured in points or pixels. Negative values are
not valid. The default value is 10 points. You can specify
points or pixels. 1 pixel = 0.75. points. This property also is a
component of the font property.
Standard CSS supports other types of values not supported
by Report Builder.

font-style

No

normal
italic

Font style. The italic and oblique values are similar. The
default value is normal. Also, this property is a component
of the font property.

oblique

font-weight

No

normal
bold
bolder

Font weight. Report Builder does not support varying
degrees of boldness or lightness; therefore, normal and
lighter appear as normal; all other values appear as
bold. The default is normal. Also, this property is a component of the font property.

lighter
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900

line-height

No

normal
[number]

Amount of space between consecutive lines of text:

•

normal: Sets the line-height to single-spacing

(default).
[length]
[percentage]

•

number: A multiplier that determines the line height
as a factor of the element’s font size. To determine the
line height from this number, multiply the current
element font-size by the number. Negative values are
not valid.

•

length: Sets the line height to an explicit length. You
can specify points (for example, "20") or pixels (for
example, "20px"). 1 pixel = 0.75 points. Negative values
are not valid. Standard CSS allows other units of length
not supported by Report Builder.

•

percentage: Defines the line-height as a percentage.
The percent symbol is required (for example, 150%).
Negative values are invalid.

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Property name

Report Builder
only

Valid values

Description

line-size

Yes

none

Type of the border around a graphic element or the type
and the thickness of line elements. By default, lines and
rectangles have a 1-pixel border; thin is 0.05 pixels.

thin
1px
2px
4px
dashed

margin

No

[top-integer]
[right-integer]
[bottom-integer]
[left-integer]

Amount of blank space within the bounding box of an
element. This is a shorthand property that specifies the
margin-top, margin-right, margin-bottom, and
margin-left properties with a single property and value
notation (the values must be in this order separated by
commas.) If one or more values are not specified, the value
for the opposite side is used. If only one value is listed, it
applies to all sides. See “Border and margin styles” on
page 523.
CSS margins are transparent, which reveals the background
of the parent element. Negative values are valid; this allows
for text overlays.
Examples:
margin: 10,20,30,40;
margin: 10;
margin: 10,20,30;

margin-top

No

integer

See margin.

parent-style

Yes

styleName

Name of the parent report style from which this style
inherits some or all of its properties. The style name must
be defined in either the report or the before this style definition in the CSS file or text.

text-align

No

left

Alignment of text and images on the horizontal axis. The
default value is left.

margin-left
margin-bottom
margin-right

center
right
justify

text-decoration

No

underline
line-through
underline line-through

text-rotation

Yes

none

Text characteristics not defined with the font-style and
font-weight properties. The color of the text-decoration
is determined by the color property for the element.
Unknown values are ignored.
Rotation of text elements. Use it to change the text direction by rotating it 90 degrees to the right or left.

left
right

transparency-mode

Yes

opaque
transparent

Transparency of elements. Graphic elements, such as rectangles and lines, are opaque by default, but images are
transparent. Subreport elements, static text, and text fields
are transparent by default.

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Property name

Report Builder
only

Valid values

Description

vertical-align

No

top

Alignment of text and images on the vertical axis. The
default value is top.

middle
bottom

xhtml-formatted-text

Yes

true

Specifies whether the text element contains XHTMLcompatible instructions:

false

•

true: The text element contains xhtml-compatible
instructions, for example, My Text Label. In this
example, the text within the tags displays in bold (My
Text Label), and the tags ( ) are not displayed.

•

false: The text element does not contain xhtmlcompatible instructions; therefore, all the text within the
text element is displayed. This is the default.

Styles or values that are not supported by Report Builder are ignored in the report, in which case, if a default-style is
defined, Report Builder applies the default style to the element.
Valid color values

You can specify a color as #RRGGBB. This represents a color that uses a triplet of hexadecimal values concatenated
together. The values represent the red, green, and blue components for a given color. The range of each component
value is 00-FF in hexadecimal. Also, you can use one of the 140 X11 color names (see
http://www.blooberry.com/indexdot/color/x11makerFrameNS.htm). The color name is case-insensitive. This set of
names assigns names to specific RGB values. Also, a color name can also be specified as ##RGB, rgb(r,g,b), or
rgb(r%,g%,b%). See CSS Color Units for syntax details (see
http://www.blooberry.com/indexdot/css/syntax/units/color.htm). UI Name is not supported.
The following example shows the different ways you can represent the color lime:
color:lime
color:#00FF00
color:#0F0
color:rgb(0,255,0)
color:rgb(0%,50%,0%)

If you specify a color in hexadecimal format as part of the style attribute for the cfreport tag, you must use the
format ##00FF00. For example:

Border and margin styles

Use the border-width, border-style, border-color, and margin properties when all four sides of the element
have the same value. You can specify from one to four parameters for these properties:
Number of
parameters

Example

Result

1

border-width: thick

Parameter applied to all four sides of the element’s border.

2

border-width: thick, thin

First parameter (thick) applied to the top and bottom sides; second parameter (thin)
applied to the left and right sides.

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Number of
parameters

Example

Result

3

border-width: thick, thin,
medium

First parameter (thick) applied to the top; second parameter (thin) applied to the left
and right sides; third parameter (medium) applied to the bottom.

4

border-width: thick, thin,
medium, thick

First parameter (thick) applied to the top; second parameter (thin) applied to the right
side; third parameter (medium) applied to the bottom; fourth parameter (thick) applied
to the left side.

You can use the properties for each side of a border to override the style specified by the border-width, borderstyle, border-color, and margin properties.

Example
Example 1: This example shows the use of cfreport for the ColdFusion Report Builder.

SELECT EmployeeID, LastName, FirstName, Title, City, Region, Country
FROM Employees
ORDER BY Country, City



Example 2: This view-only example shows the use of cfreport for Crystal Reports.

    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.
    

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cfreportparam
Description
The cfreportparam tag lets you perform the following tasks:

•

Pass input parameters to a ColdFusion Report Builder report definition.

•

Override query data in subreports and charts defined in Report Builder reports.

•

Override styles defined in Report Builder subreports.

The cfreportparam tag is always a child tag of the cfreport tag.
Category
Data output tags
Syntax




Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfreport; “Creating Reports with Report Builder” on page 820 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide; Report Builder

online Help
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the chart, query, series, subreport, and style attributes.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

chart

Optional

Name of the chart contained in a report or subreport. The value of this attribute must match
Name property of a chart defined in the Report Builder report. If you specify the chart
attribute, you cannot specify the subreport or name attribute.

name

Optional

Variable name for data that is passed. The value of this attribute must match the name of an
input parameter defined in the Report Builder report. If you specify the name attribute, you
cannot specify the chart or subreport attribute.

query

Optional

Query value to pass to a subreport or chart. The ColdFusion query must contain at least all of
the columns included in the Report Builder query. Charts and subreports require this
attribute.

series

Optional

1

Description

Ordinal number of a chart series to use for the query. This attribute is valid only when the
chart attribute is specified.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

subreport

Optional

Name of the subreport. The value of this attribute must match the Name property of the
subreport in Report Builder. Subreport names within a report must be unique. If you specify
the subreport attribute, you cannot specify the chart or name attribute.

style

Optional

Style in CSS format for a subreport. The value can be an absolute file path, a file path relative
to the report, or a string in valid CSS format. For the styles to take effect, the style names must
match Style Name attributes assigned to elements in the Report Builder report. You can
generate the CSS file in Report Builder and exported or created with a text editor. For a list of
supported CSS styles, see “Style properties” on page 518.

value

Optional (see
Description)

Value of the data that is sent. You must specify the value attribute with the name attribute.
You cannot specify this attribute when a chart or subreport attribute is specified. The
value can be a string or a variable.

Usage
You can specify only one of the following attributes in a cfreportparam tag:

• name
• subreport
• chart
You can use the query, subreport, and chart attributes to override Report Builder queries and chart information
at run time. This way you can customize subreport and chart data from the CFM page without having to change the
queries built into your report.
For example, in Report Builder, you can create a master report that contains several subreports and populate each
subreport with a different query. Instead of modifying the queries in Report Builder, you can customize your reports
by creating modified queries on the ColdFusion calling page. The ColdFusion query must contain at least all of the
columns included in the Report Builder query.
Note: You cannot specify a subreport query that depends on arguments from the master report. Instead, you can define
a CFML function or CFC method that returns the subreport query given the arguments from the master report.
ColdFusion calls this code when it executes the subreport.
On the calling CFM page, you can specify a cfreportparam tag for any subreport and chart in the Report Builder
report. The value of the subreport or chart attribute must match the Name property of the subreport or chart
defined in the Report Builder report. (Charts are treated like subreports.)
The following code shows a master report that contains two subreports and a chart with two chart series:








The cfreportparam tag also lets you override CSS styles assigned to subreports in Report Builder. Use the style
attribute with the subreport attribute; the value of the subreport attribute must match the name of the subreport
in Report Builder. The following code applies a style sheet to the master report and two different style sheets to the
subreports:





For more information, see “Using Cascading Style Sheets” on page 517.

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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





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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” on page 259 in the ColdFusion

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]#

    
    
    
    

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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; “Building and

Using ColdFusion Components” on page 158 in the ColdFusion 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 “Building and Using ColdFusion Components” on page 158 in the ColdFusion Developer’s
Guide.
Example



SELECT FIRSTNAME, LASTNAME, EMAIL
FROM tblEmployees





SELECT *
FROM tblDepartments



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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


Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
“Caching parts of ColdFusion pages” on page 241 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

variable

Required

Default

Description
Name of the variable in which to save the generated content of the tag.

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")#


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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

OR

OR


Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcookie, cfparam, cfregistry, cfsavecontent, cfset

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.

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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

action

Required

Default

Description

•

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.

•

pause: pauses the specified task.

•

resume: continues executing the specified task.

task

Required

Name of the task.

endDate

Optional

Date when scheduled task ends.

endTime

Optional

Time when scheduled task ends (seconds).

file

Required if publish =

Name of the file in which to store the published output of the scheduled task.

"Yes"
interval

Required if action =

Interval at which task is scheduled:

"update"

operation

Required if action =

•

number of seconds

•

once

•

daily

•

weekly

•

monthly

Operation that the scheduler performs. Must be HTTPRequest.

"update"
password

Optional

Password, if URL is protected.

path

Required if publish =

Path to the directory in which to put the published file.

"Yes"
port

Optional

proxyPassword

Opt

proxyPort

Optional

proxyServer

Optional

Host name or IP address of a proxy server.

proxyUser

Opt

User name to provide to the proxy server.

publish

Optional

requestTimeOut

Optional

resolveURL

Optional

startDate

Required if action =

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.
Password to provide to the proxy server.

80

no

Port number to use on the proxy server.

•

yes: saves the result to a file.

•

no

Can be used to extend the default time-out period.
no

•

yes: resolves links in the output page to absolute references.

•

no

Date on which to first run the scheduled task.

"update"
startTime

Required if action =
"update"

Time at which to run the scheduled of task starts.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

url

Required if action =

Default

Description
URL of the page to execute.

"update"
username

Optional

User name, if URL is protected.

Usage
This tag and the ColdFusion 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
    



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cfscript
Description
Encloses a code block that contains cfscript statements.
Category
Application framework tags, Other tags
Syntax

cfscript code here


Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfinvoke, cfmodule, CreateObject; “Extending ColdFusion Pages with CFML Scripting” on page 92 in the

ColdFusion 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 “Extending ColdFusion Pages with CFML Scripting” on page 92 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
You can use this tag to enclose a series of assignment statements that would otherwise require cfset statements.
Important: 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:

•

cf

•

cf_

•

_cf

•

coldfusion

•

coldfusion_

•

_coldfusion

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CFML Reference

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 “Extending ColdFusion Pages with CFML Scripting” on page 92 in the
ColdFusion 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.zipcode = "55987";

...

The temperature at zip code 55987 is #aTemp#

In this example, the structure is created in a cfscript block, but you can use any ColdFusion method to create the
structure.
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/TemperatureService.wsdl");
xlatstring = ws.getTemp("55987");
writeoutput(xlatstring);


For more information, see “Using Web Services” on page 902 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Example

    This simple example shows variable declaration and manipulation.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 537
CFML Reference





y = x;
z = 2 * y;
StringVar = form.myString;


    twice #x# is #z#.

    Your string value was: #StringVar#


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 538
CFML Reference

cfsearch
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 “Introducing Verity and Verity Tools” on page 109 in Configuring and Administering ColdFusion.
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 Administrator, which calls the cfindex tag

•

Using a native Verity indexing tool, such as Vspider or MKVDK

For more information, see “Building a Search Interface” on page 460 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Category
Extensibility tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcollection, cfexecute, cfindex, cfobject, cfreport, cfwddx

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 539
CFML Reference

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
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

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).

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.

criteria

Optional

Search criteria. Follows the syntax rules of the type attribute. If you pass a mixedcase entry in this attribute, the search is case-sensitive. If you pass all uppercase or
all lowercase, the search is case-insensitive. Follow Verity syntax and delimiter character rules; see “Using Verity Search Expressions” on page 489 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.

contextBytes

Optional

300

Description

The maximum number of bytes Verity returns in the context summary.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

contextHighlightBegi Optional
n

Default

Description



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.

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.

language

Optional

english

Deprecated. This attribute is now ignored and the language of the collection is used
to perform the search.

maxRows

Optional

all

Maximum number of rows to return in query results.

previousCriteria

Optional

startRow

Optional

status

Optional

suggestions

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.
1

First row number to get.
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 541.

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.
type

Optional

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-youget) 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 “Using Verity Search Expressions” on page 489 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide. Also see your Verity documentation.

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

•

cf_root\verity\Data\stylesets\ColdFusionK2

UNIX:

•

cf_root//verity/k2/common/style

•

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 “Using Verity Search Expressions” on page 489 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Example



    
Search Result total =#name.RecordCount# 
    

url=#name.url#
    
key=#name.key#
    
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#
    
currentrow=#book.currentrow#
    
columnlist=#book.columnlist#
    
recordssearched=#book.recordssearched#
    
    


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cfselect
Description
Constructs a drop-down list box form control. Used in a cfform tag. You can populate the list from a query, or by
using the HTML option tag.
Category
Forms tags
Syntax

zero or more HTML option tags


Some attributes apply to only specific display formats. For details see the Attributes table.
Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfslider, cftextarea, cftree;

“Introduction to Retrieving and Formatting Data” on page 512 and “Using Ajax UI Components and Features” on
page 614 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

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History
ColdFusion 8:

•

Added support for binding in HTML format forms, including the bind, bindAttribute, and bindOnLoad, and

onBindError attributes.

•

Added support for tool tips in HTML format forms, including the sourceForTooltip attribute.

ColdFusion MX 7:

• When populating a cfselect tag with a query when the database field has spaces instead of a value, the error
processing of the cfform tag required field is not triggered as it was in ColdFusion MX 6.1.
•

Added support for specifying multiple values to the selected attribute.

•

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

•

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. They are,
however, included in the generated XML.
Attribute

Req/Opt;

Default

Description

Format
name

Required;
All

Name of the select form element.

bind

Optional;
HTML

A bind expression that dynamically sets an attribute of the control. For details, see
Usage.

bindAttribute

Optional;
HTML

Populate the
options

Specifies the HTML tag attribute whose value is set by the bind attribute. You can
only specify attributes in the browser’s HTML DOM tree, not ColdFusion-specific
attributes.
Ignored if there is no bind attribute.

bindOnLoad

Optional;
HTML

no

display

Optional;
All

Value of value Query column to use for the display label of each list element. Used with the query
attribute
attribute.

editable

Optional;
Flash

no

Boolean value specifying whether you can edit the contents of 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.

group

Optional;
HTML and
XML

Query column to use to group the items in the drop-down list into a two-level hierarchical list.

height

Optional;
Flash

The height of the control, in pixels.

id

Optional;
HTML

Value of name
attribute

A Boolean value that specifies whether to execute the bind attribute expression
when first loading the form. Ignored if there is no bind attribute.

The HTML ID of the control.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;

Default

Description

Format
label

Optional;
Flash and
XML

Label to put next to the control on a Flash or XML-format form.

message

Optional;
All

Message to display if required = "yes" and no selection is made.

multiple

Optional;
All

no

onBindError

Optional;
HTML

See
Description

•

yes: allows selecting multiple elements in drop-down list.

•

no

The name of a JavaScript function to execute if evaluating a bind expression results
in an error. The function must take two attributes: an HTTP status code and a
message. (The status code is -1 if the error is not an HTTP error.)
If you omit this attribute, and specified a global error handler (by using the ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler function), it displays the error message; otherwise a default error pop-up appears.

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.

onError

Optional;
HTML and
XML

Custom JavaScript function to execute if validation fails.

onKeyDown

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run when the user presses a
keyboard key in the control.

onKeyUp

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run when the user releases a
keyboard key in the control.

onMouseDown

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run when the user releases a mouse
button in the control.

onMouseUp

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run when the user presses a mouse
button in the control.

query

Optional;
All

Name of query to populate drop-down list.

queryPosition

Optional;
All

required

selected

Optional;
All

Optional;
All

above

no

If you populate the options list with a query and use HTML option child tags to
specify additional entries, this attribute 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.

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=" " (notice the space
character between the quotation marks).

•

yes: a list element must be selected when the form is submitted.

•

no

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 tag preserveData attribute can override
this value.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;

Default

Description

1

Number of entries to display at one time. The default value displays a drop-down list.
Any other value displays a list box with size number of entries visible at one time.

Format
size

Optional;
All

sourceForToolti Optional;
HTML
p

The URL of a page to display as a tool tip. The page can include CFML and HTML
markup to control the tip contents and format, and the tip can include images.
If you specify this attribute, an animated icon appears with the text "Loading..." while
the tip is being loaded.

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 Flex for the corresponding Flash element.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash, HTML

Text to display when the mouse pointer hovers over the control. The text can include
HTML markup.
Ignored if you specify a sourceForTooltip attribute.

value

Optional;
All

visible

Optional;
Flash

width

Optional;
Flash

Query column to use for the value of each list element. Used with the query
attribute.
yes

Boolean value that specifies whether to show the control. The display reserves empty
space for an invisible control.
The width of the control, in pixels.

Usage
For this tag to work properly. the browser must have JavaScript enabled.
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 tag 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 yes and the form posts back to the same page, and if the control is
populated by a query, the posted selections 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 tags.
The group option generates a query by 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.
The bind attribute lets you set cfselect attributes dynamically. Often, it is used to dynamically create the options
list based on values that the user enters in the form. For example, you can use the bind attribute to create a Cities
option list based on the user’s selection from a States cfselect control.
When you use a bind attribute to populate the selection list, the function or URL that returns the selection values
must return one of the following:

• A two-dimensional array, where the first element in each array row is the option value and the second element
in the row is the text to display in the option list.

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• If the bind specifies a CFC function, a query, or, if the bind specifies a URL, a JSON representation of a query.
The query must include columns whose names are the values of the cfselect tag value and display attributes.
Although you can return additional columns, you cannot use them in your client-side code. When you call a CFC
function, you do not have to convert the query to JSON format yourself; ColdFusion automatically does the
conversion.
To use this format, you must specify a value attribute. If you omit the display attribute, you must have only a
single column in the query that contains the values; the values are also used as the displayed text.
For detailed information on binding, see “Binding data to form fields” on page 650 in the ColdFusion Developer’s
Guide.
For more information, see the cfform tag entry.
Example
Example 1: Without data binding
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 e-mail 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#
    

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Email: #email#
    

    
    
    
    


    Select one or more employees
    







    

    

Example 2: With data binding
The following example uses binding to fill in the options list of the Cities control only after the user selects a state.
(In this example, only two states, California and New Jersey, have city entries.)
The CFML page is the simplest part of the example. It consists of the following lines:
















The BinFcns CFC has three functions: getstates, to get the states; getcities, to get the cities; and an internal
getXmlData function that parses an XML file to get the state and city information. The following examples shows
the CFC:


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The states.xml file has the following code. To keep the code short, only two states have cities, and only four states are
listed.



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New Jersey












California











Maine


Massachusetts



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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.

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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; “Elements of CFML” on page 10 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

variable_name

Required

A variable.

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.

Usage
You use the cfset tag in several ways in your applications.
Calling functions

When you use the cfset tag to call a function, you do not have to assign the function return value to a variable if
the function does not return a value or you do not have 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 Scores array:


This example assigns, to index position two in the array months, the value February :

Dynamic variable names

In this example, the variable name is itself a variable:



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Function local variables

The var keyword specifies that the variable being defined is only available inside the body of a function that you
define by 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 tag 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# 

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: 

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 556
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">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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcache, cfflush, cfheader, cfhtmlhead, cfinclude, cfprocessingdirective, cfsilent; “Controlling

debugging output with the cfsetting tag” on page 362 in the ColdFusion 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

enableCFoutputOnly

Required

requestTimeout

Optional

showDebugOutput

Optional

Default

Description

•

yes: blocks output of HTML that is outside cfoutput tags.

•

no: displays HTML that is outside cfoutput tags.

•

integer; number of seconds. Time limit, after which ColdFusion processes
the page as an unresponsive thread. Overrides the time-out set in the ColdFusion Administrator.

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.

Usage
The cfsetting requestTimeout attribute replaces the use of requestTimeOut within a URL. To enforce a page
time-out, detect the URL variable and use code such as the following to change the page time-out:


You can use this tag to manage whitespace in ColdFusion output pages.

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CFML Reference

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



    Text within cfoutput


"Yes">
"No">
"Yes">
is always shown
"No">
is always shown

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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; “Writing and Calling User-Defined
Functions” on page 134 in the ColdFusion 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#


    

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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


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cftextarea, cftree;

“Introduction to Retrieving and Formatting Data” on page 512 and “Building Dynamic Forms with cfform Tags” on
page 531 in the ColdFusion 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

name

Required

Name of cfslider control.

align

Optional

Alignment of slider:

bgColor

Default

Optional

Description

•

top

•

left

•

bottom

•

baseline

•

texttop

•

absbottom

•

middle

•

absmiddle

•

right

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.

bold

Optional

no

•

any color, in hexadecimal format

•

black

•

red

•

blue

•

magenta

•

cyan

•

orange

•

darkgray

•

pink

•

gray

•

white

•

lightgray

•

yellow

•

yes: label text in bold.

•

no: medium text.

font

Optional

Font name for label text.

fontSize

Optional

Font size for label text, in points.

height

Optional

hSpace

Optional

italic

Optional

label

Optional

40

Slider control height, in pixels.
Horizontal spacing to left and right of slider, in pixels.

no

•

yes: label text in italics.

•

no: normal text.

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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

lookAndFeel

Optional

Windows

Description

•

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.
message

Optional

Message text to appear if validation fails.

notSupported

Optional

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!    
onError

Optional

Custom JavaScript function to execute if validation fails.
Specify only the function name.

onValidate

Optional

Custom JavaScript function to validate user input; in this case, a change to the default slider
value.
Specify only the function name.

range

Optional

"0,100"

Numeric slider range values.
Separate values with a comma.

scale

Optional

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.

textColor

Optional

Options: same as for bgcolor attribute.

value

Optional

Minimum
in range

vertical

Optional

no

Starting slider setting. Must be within the range values.

•

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.

vSpace

Optional

Vertical spacing above and below slider, in pixels.

width

Optional

Slider control width, in pixels.

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.
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.

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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

    
    

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cfsprydataset
Description
Creates a Spry XML or JSON data set from the results of a bind expression.
Category
Internet protocol tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfajaximport, “Using Spry with ColdFusion” on page 662 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

bind

Required

Default

Description
A bind expression that returns an XML- or JSON- formatted string to populate the
Spry data set. The bind expression specifies a CFC function or URL and includes bind
parameters that represent the values of ColdFusion controls.
For detailed information on bind expressions, see “Binding data to form fields” on
page 650 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

name

Required

The name of the Spry data set.

onBindError

Optional;
HTML

See
The name of a JavaScript function to execute if the bind expression results in an error.
Descriptio The function must take two attributes: an HTTP status code and a message.
n
If you omit this attribute, and specified a global error handler (by using the ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler function), the handler displays the error
message; otherwise a default error pop-up appears.

options

Optional

A JavaScript object containing constructor options for the data set. For example, to
request the data using the HTTP POST method, specify the following attribute:
options="{method: 'POST'}".

For detailed information on Spry options, see the Spry documentation.
type

xpath

Optional

Required for xml type
Not used for JSON

xml

Specifies data set type, corresponding to the format of the data that is returned by
the bind expression. The following values are valid:

•

json

•

xml

An XPath expression that extracts data from the XML returned by the bind expression. The data set contains only the data that matches the XPath expression.

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Usage
Use this tag to use a bind expression to dynamically create the contents of a Spry XML or JSON data set based on the
value of a ColdFusion control or another Spry data set. To create a Spry data set without using a bind expression, use
the Spry.Data.JSONDataSet() and Spry.Data.XMLDataSet() JavaScript functions.
This tag cannot create a Spry HTML data set.
To use a filter to select the contents of a JSON data set from a JSON expression, specify a path or subpath option in
the options attribute. For example, to create a Spry JSON data set by using only the items.item element from the
JSON data, use a tag such as the following:



Example
The following cfsprydataset tag updates the dsProduct Spry XML data set by calling the
GridDataManager.getProductDetails CFC function each time the selected row in the bookgird control changes.
It passes the TITLE field of the selected row to the CFC function as a prodname parameter. For a complete example
that uses this tag, see “Using Spry with ColdFusion” on page 662 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.


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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


Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfinsert, cfqueryparam, cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cftransaction, cfquery, cfupdate; “Optimizing

database use” on page 243 in the ColdFusion 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. (Releases starting with
ColdFusion MX use Type 4 JDBC drivers.)
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

dataSource

Required

Default

procedure

Required

blockFactor

Optional

1

debug

Optional

no

Description
Name of data source that points to database that contains stored procedure.
Name of stored procedure on database server.
Maximum number of rows to get at a time from server. Range is 1 to 100.

•

yes: lists debug information on each statement.

•

no

password

Optional

Overrides password in data source setup.

result

Optional

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 Usage.

returnCode

Optional

no

• yes: populates cfstoredproc.statusCode with status code returned by the stored
procedure.
•

username

Optional

no

Overrides username in data source setup.

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Usage
Use this tag to call a database stored procedure. Within this tag, you code cfprocresult and cfprocparam tags as
follows:

•

cfprocresult: If the stored procedure returns one or more result sets, code one cfprocresult tag per result

set.

• cfprocparam: If the stored procedure uses input or output parameters, code one cfprocparam tag per
parameter, ensuring that you include every parameter in the stored procedure definition.
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











    '#form.title#' inserted into database.The ID is #bookId#.
    

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    Insert a new book
    
Title:


    
Price:


    
Publish Date:


    

    

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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” on page 18 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Changed the way the ColdFusion parses  values. Previously,  tags with numeric
value dates did not return expected results. For example,  and  tag now returns the expected result.
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.
Example


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

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    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.

    
    
    
    

571

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 fixed-width 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

...


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcol, cfcontent, cflog, cfoutput, cfprocessingdirective, cftable; “Retrieving data” on page 393 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

query

Required

Name of cfquery from which to draw data.

border

Optional

Displays a border around the 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.

colHeaders

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.

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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

maxRows

Optional

startRow

Optional

Default

Description
Maximum number of rows to display in the table.

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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cftextarea
Description
Puts a multiline text entry box in a cfform tag and controls its display characteristics. Optionally, displays a rich text
editor with configurable controls for formatting HTML text.
Category
Forms tags
Syntax

text


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Some attributes apply to only specific display formats. For details see the Attributes table.
Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfajaximport, cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect,
cfslider, cftree; “Introduction to Retrieving and Formatting Data” on page 512 and “Using Ajax form controls

and features” on page 627 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8:

•

Added support for the bind attribute in HTML format forms, including the bindAttribute, bindOnLoad, and

onBindError attributes.

•

Added support for tool tips in HTML format, including the sourceForTooltip attribute.

•

Added support for a rich text editor in HTML format, including the richtext, basepath, fontFormats,

fontNames, fontSizes, skin, stylesXML, templatesXML, toolbar, and toolbarOnFocus attributes and support

for the height and width attributes.
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.
Note: Attributes that are not marked as All or XML are not handled by the skins provided with ColdFusion. They are,
however, included in the generated XML.
Attribute

Req/Opt;

Default

Description

Format
name

Required;
All

basepath

Optional;
HTML

Name of the cftextinput control.
/CFIDE/scripts/ajax/FCKEd Path to the directory that contains the rich text editor. The editor
configuration files are at the top level of this directory.
itor

Meaningful only if the richText attribute is true.
bind

Optional;
Flash,
HTML

bindAttribute

Optional;
HTML

A bind expression that dynamically sets an attribute of the
control. For details, see Usage.

value

Specifies the HTML tag attribute whose value is set by the bind
attribute. You can only specify attributes in the browser’s HTML
DOM tree, not ColdFusion-specific attributes.
Ignored if there is no bind attribute.

bindOnLoad

Optional;
HTML

no

A Boolean value that specifies whether to execute the bind
attribute expression when first loading the form. Ignored if there
is no bind attribute.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;

Default

Description

Format
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).

enabled

Optional;
Flash

yes

Boolean value that specifies whether the control is enabled. A
disabled control appears in light gray. The inverse of the
disabled attribute.

fontFormats

Optional;
HTML

All valid formats

A comma separated list of the font names to display in the rich
text editor Formats selector. The formats specify the HTML tags to
apply to typed or selected text. You can specify any subset of the
following list: "p,div,pre,address,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6".

fontNames

Optional;
HTML

All valid font names

A comma separated list of the font names to display in the rich
text editor Font selector. You can specify any subset of the
following list: "Arial,Comic Sans MS,Courier New,Tahoma,Times
New Roman,Verdana".

FontSizes

Optional;
HTML

See Description

A comma separated list of the font sizes to display in the rich text
editor Size selector. List entries must have the format of numeric
font size/descriptive text. For example, to display the text "small
font" to indicate a font size of 1, specify "1/small font". By default,
the following values appear in the selector: 1/xx-small,2/xsmall,3/small,4/medium,5/large,6/x-large,7/xx-large.

height

Optional;
Flash,
HTML

In Flash forms, height of the control, in pixels.
In HTML forms, this attribute has an effect only if you specify
richtext="true"; in this case, it is the height, in pixels, of the
control, including the control bar and text box.

html

Optional;
Flash

label

Optional;
Flash and XML

Label to put beside the control on a form.

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.

message

Optional;
All

Message text to display if validation fails.

onBindError

Optional;
HTML

no

See Description

Boolean value that specifies whether the text area contains HTML.

The name of a JavaScript function to execute if evaluating a bind
expression results in an error. The function must take two
attributes: an HTTP status code and a message. (The status code
is -1 if the error is not an HTTP error.)
If you omit this attribute, and have specified a global error
handler (by using the ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler
function), it displays the error message; otherwise a default error
pop-up displays.

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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;

Default

Description

Format
onError

Optional;
HTML and
XML

Custom JavaScript function to execute if validation fails.

onKeyDown

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) ActionScript to run
when the user presses a keyboard key in the control.

onKeyUp

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run when the
user releases a keyboard key in the control.

onMouseDown

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run when the
user releases a mouse button in the control.

onMouseUp

Optional;
All

JavaScript (HTML/XML) or ActionScript (Flash) to run when the
user presses a mouse button in the control.

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 the function, which should return True if validation succeeds,
False otherwise. If you specify this attribute, ColdFusion ignores
the validate attribute.

pattern

Required if

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 “Building Dynamic Forms with cfform Tags” on
page 531 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

validate =
"regular_ex
pression"

HTML and
XML.
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.

•

yes: the field must contain text.

•

no: the field can be empty.

Optional;
All

no

richText

Optional;
HTML

no

A Boolean value specifying whether this control is a rich text
editor with tool bars to control the text formatting. For detailed
information on using the rich text editor, see “Using the rich text
editor” on page 641 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

skin

Optional;
HTML

default

Specifies the skin to be used for the rich text editor. By default, the
valid values are Default, silver, and office2003. You can
also create custom skins that you can then specify in this
attribute. For more information, see “Using the rich text editor” on
page 641 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

required

sourceForTooltip Optional;

HTML

The URL of a page to display as a tool tip. The page can include
CFML and HTML to control the contents and format, and the tip
can include images.
If you specify this attribute, an animated icon appears with the
text "Loading..." while the tip is being loaded.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;

Default

Description

Format
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 Flex for the corresponding Flash element.

stylesXML

Optional;
HTML

/CFIDE/scripts/ajax/FCKEd The path of the file that defines the styles in the rich text editor
Styles selector. Relative paths start at the directory that contains
itor/fckstyles.xml

the fckeditor.html file, normally
cf_webRoot/CFIDE/scripts/ajax/FCKeditor/editor. You can specify
an absolute path starting at the web root, such as
/myApps/RTEeditor.mystyles.xml. For information on configuring
styles, see “Using the rich text editor” on page 641 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
templatesXML

Optional;
HTML

/CFIDE/scripts/ajax/FCKEd The pathof the file that defines the templates that are displayed
when you click the rich text editor Templates icon. For pathing
itor/fcktemplates.xml
details, see stylesXML. For information on configuring

templates, see “Using the rich text editor” on page 641 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
toolbar

Optional;
HTML

default

Specifies the rich text editor toolbar. By default, the valid values
for this attribute are: Default, a complete set of controls, and
Basic, a minimal configuration. You can add configurations; for
details see “Using the rich text editor” on page 641 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Note: This attribute’s value is case sensitive.

toolbarOnFocus

Optional;
HTML

tooltip

Optional;
Flash, HTML

no

A Boolean value that specifies whether the rich text editor toolbar
expands and displays its controls only when the rich text editor
has the focus.
Text to display when the mouse pointer hovers over the control.
Can include HTML formatting.
Ignored if you specify a sourceForTooltip attribute.

validate

Optional;
All

validateAt

Optional;
HTML and
XML

The type or types of validation to perform. 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; for
both, 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.
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
.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;

Default

Description

yes

Boolean value that specifies whether to show the control. Space
that would be occupied by an invisible control is blank.

Format
visible

Optional;
Flash

width

Optional;
Flash,
HTML

wrap

Optional
All

The width of the control, in pixels.
In HTML forms, this attribute has an effect only if you specify
richtext="true".

•

hard: wraps long lines, and sends the carriage return to the
server.

•

off: does not wrap long lines.

•

physical: wraps long lines, and transmits the text at all wrap
points.

•

soft: wraps long lines, but does not send the carriage return
to the server.

•

virtual: wraps long lines, but does not send the carriage
return to the server.

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 validation techniques, see “Validating
Data” on page 554 in the ColdFusion 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
Flash form 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




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HTML form data binding

The bind attribute lets you set any cftextarea attribute dynamically from the value of another form control or by
calling a CFC or JavaScript function. By default it sets the control’s value attribute, but you can specify a different
attribute to set by using the bindAttribute attribute. For more information on binding, see “Binding data to form
fields” on page 650 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
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.


    

    
    

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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.

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cfthread
Description
The cfthread tag enables you to create threads, independent streams of code execution, in your ColdFusion application. You use this tag to run or end a thread, temporarily stop thread execution, or join together multiple threads.
Category
Application framework tags
Syntax
join

run

Thread code

sleep

terminate


For all actions except run, the cfthread tag must have an empty body and be followed immediately by a
 end tag, or must have no end tag and have a slash before the tag closure, as in .
Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
Sleep, “Using ColdFusion Threads” on page 301 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 582
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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Applies to

Description

action

Optional

run

All

The action to take, one of the following values:

•

join: Makes the current thread wait until the thread or threads specified in
the name attribute complete processing, or until the period specified in the
timeout attribute passes, before continuing processing. If you don’t specify a
timeout and the thread you are joining to doesn’t finish, the current thread also
cannot finish processing.

• run: Creates a thread and starts it processing. Code in the cfthread tag body
runs simultaneously and independently of page-level code and code in other
cfthread tags.
•

sleep: Suspends the current thread’s processing for the time specified by the

duration attribute. Equivalent to the Sleep function.

•

terminate: Stops processing of the thread specified in the name attribute. If
you terminate a thread, the thread scope includes an ERROR metadata structure
with information about the termination.
duration

Required

sleep

The number of milliseconds for which to suspend thread processing.

name

Optional,
Required , if

join

The name of the thread to which the action applies:

action =
"join" or
"terminate"

run

•

terminate

•

join: The name of the thread or threads to join to the current thread. To
specify multiple threads, use a comma-delimited list.

•
priority

Optional

NORMAL

run

terminate: The name of the thread to stop.

run: The name to use to identify the thread being created.

The priority level at which to run the thread. The following values are valid:

•
•
•

HIGH
LOW
NORMAL

Higher priority threads get more processing time than lower priority threads. Pagelevel code, the code that is outside of cfthread tags, always has NORMAL priority.
timeout

Optional

0

join

The number of milliseconds that the current thread waits for the thread or threads
being joined to finish. If any thread does not finish by the specified time, the
current thread proceeds.
If the attribute value is 0, the following action occurs:

•

The current thread continues waiting until all joining threads finish.

•

If the current thread is the page thread, the page continues waiting until the
threads are joined, even if you specify a page time-out.

Usage
Page-level code (code outside any cfthread tags) executes in its own thread, referred to as the page thread. Only the
page thread can create other threads. A thread that you create cannot create a child thread.
Note: If a thread never completes processing (is hung), it continues to occupy system resources. You can use the
ColdFusion Sever Monitor to check for and terminate hung threads.
ColdFusion makes a complete (deep) copy of all the attribute variables before passing them to the thread, so the
values of the variables inside the thread are independent of the values of any corresponding variables in other
threads, including the page thread. Thus, the values passed to threads are thread safe because the attribute values
cannot be changed by any other thread.

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Thread scopes

Each thread has three special scopes:

• The thread-local scope is an implicit scope that contains variables that are available only to the thread, and exist
only for the life of the thread.
• The Thread scope is available to the page and to all other threads started from the page. Its data remains available
until the page and all threads started from the page finish, even if the page finishes before the threads complete
processing.
• The Attributes scope contains attributes that are passed to the scope, and is available only within the thread and
only for the life of the thread.
For detailed information about using ColdFusion scopes in threads, see “Using ColdFusion Threads” on page 301 in
the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
All threads in a page share a single Variables scope, so you can use it for data that is common across all threads. You
must be careful to lock access to the variables, if necessary, to prevent deadlocks or race conditions between threads.
Note: When ColdFusion uses a connector to access the web server, after the page gets completed, the CGI and Request
scopes are not accessible to threads that you create by using the cfthread tag. This limitation does not apply if you use
the integrated web server or if you run ColdFusion as a J2EE application.
Metadata variables

The thread scope contains the following variables that provide information about the thread (metadata):
Variable

Description

ElapsedTime

The amount of processor time that was spent handling the thread.

Error

The structure that is generated if an error occurs during thread execution. The structure contains the
keys that you can access in a cfcatch tag.
If an error occurs in a thread, page-level processing is not affected, and ColdFusion does not generate
an error message. The thread with the error terminates and the page-level code or other threads can
get the error information from the Error field and handle the error appropriately. For detailed information, see “Handling ColdFusion thread errors” on page 309 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

Name

The thread name.

Output

Output that is generated by the thread. A thread cannot display output; page-level code must use
this variable to display thread results. For detailed information, see “Handling thread output” on
page 309 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 584
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Variable

Description

Priority

The thread processing priority, as specified in the cfthread priority attribute. The following
values are valid:

•

HIGH

•

LOW

• NORMAL
Starttime

The time at which the thread began processing, in ColdFusion date-time format.

Status

The current status of the thread; one of the following values:

•

NOT_STARTED: The thread has been queued but is not processing yet.

•

RUNNNG: The thread is running normally.

• TERMINATED: The thread stopped running due to a cfthread tag with a terminate action,
an error, or an administrator action.
•

COMPLETED: The thread ended normally.

• WAITING: The thread has executed a cfthread tag with action="join", but one or more
threads being joined has not completed.
Example
The following example uses three threads to get the results of three RSS feeds. The user must submit the form with
all three feeds specified. The application joins the threads with a time-out of 6 seconds, and displays the feed titles
and the individual item titles as links.













    This example requires three feeds.
    
Click the Back button and try again.
    

    
    









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    #feedResult.myProps.title#
    


    #TITLE#
    
    
    
    
    



    Enter three RSS Feeds
    

    

    

    

    

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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

OR


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cferror, cfrethrow, cftry, onError; “Handling Errors” on page 247 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion MX: Changed thrown exceptions: this tag can throw ColdFusion component method exceptions.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

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.

extendedInfo

Optional

A custom error code that you supply.

message

Optional

Message that describes exception event.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 587
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Attribute

Req/Opt

object

Optional

Default

Description
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.

type

Optional

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.

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 Administrator Debugging page, select
Enable CFML Stack Trace.
To use this tag with the object parameter, you must first use a cfobject 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):


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 “Integrating J2EE and Java Elements in CFML Applications” on page 929 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Example

    cfthrow Example
    








ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 588
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    You've Thrown an Error
    



    #cfcatch.message#
    

    The contents of the tag stack are:
    



    #i# #sCurrent["ID"]#
(#sCurrent["LINE"]#,#sCurrent["COLUMN"]#)
#sCurrent["TEMPLATE"]#
    
    
    
    

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 “Building and Using ColdFusion Components” on
page 158 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

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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 Enable Debugging and the Timer Information options on the
Debugging Settings page in the ColdFusion Administrator.
Category
Debugging tags
Syntax

CFML statement(s)


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfdump, cftrace; “Debugging and Troubleshooting Applications” on page 352 in the ColdFusion 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 Administrator.
Example
...


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SELECT *
FROM Employees


#lastname#, #firstname#
    
    
    


    



SELECT *
FROM CourseList



    

    
#Course_ID#
#CorName#
#CorLevel#

    


    
    


    



SELECT *
FROM Parks


    Select View > Source to see timing information
    


    

    
#Parkname#

    


    
    


    



SELECT *
FROM Departments


    Scroll down to CFTimer Times heading to see timing information
    



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#Dept_ID#
#Dept_Name#

    

    
    
...

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cftooltip
Description
Specifies tool tip text that displays when the user hovers the mouse pointer over the elements in the tag body. This
tag does not require a form and is not used inside Flash forms.
Category
Display management tags
Syntax

Display tags


This tag must have an end tag.
Note: You can specify this tag’s attribute in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute name as structure key.
See also
cfajaximport, “Using Ajax UI Components and Features” on page 614 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

autoDismissDelay Optional

Default

Description

5000

The number of milliseconds between the time when the user moves the mouse pointer
over the component (and leaves it there) and when the tool tip disappears.

hideDelay

Optional

250

The number of milliseconds to delay between the time when the user moves the mouse
pointer away from the component and when the tool tip disappears.

preventOverlap

Optional

true

A Boolean value specifying whether to prevent the tool tip from overlapping the
component that it describes.

showDelay

Optional

200

The number of milliseconds to delay between the time when the user moves the mouse
over the component and when the tool tip appears.

sourceForTooltip Optional

The URL of a page with the tool tip contents. The page can include HTML markup to
control the format, and the tip can include images.
If you specify this attribute, an animated icon appears with the text "Loading..." while the
tip is being loaded.

tooltip

Optional

Tip text to display. The text can include HTML formatting.
Ignored if you specify a sourceForTooltip attribute.

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Usage
Specify a tooltip or a sourceForTooltip attribute; otherwise, this tag has no effect.
If you specify the path to a CFML page in the sourceForTooltip attribute, ColdFusion processes the page and uses
its output in the tip text. You can therefore use CFML programming, in addition to HTML formatting, to control the
contents and appearance of the tip text.
You should use the cftooltip tag for text and simple components, such as images, not for complex Ajax components such as windows, pods, or layout areas. If you use the cftooltip tag with complex components, you might
get unexpected behavior; for example, the tool tip might overlap window contents, even if you specify the
preventoverlap attribute.
You can nest tool tips, although this may result in multiple tool tips obscuring one another. Example
The following simple example can dynamically display different tool-tip text based on the value of the theItem
variable on the main CFML page.
The main CFML page:






Try this one!




The tiptext.cfm page could have a single CFML tag:
 Click to find more about #URL.itemid# 

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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 Administrator. Optionally, to report
trace summaries, enable the Trace section
Category
Debugging tags, Variable manipulation tags
Syntax



Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfdump, cferror, cfrethrow, cftimer, cftry; “Debugging and Troubleshooting Applications” on page 352 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion MX: Added this tag.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

abort

Optional

no

category

Optional

inline

Optional

Description

•

yes: calls a cfabort tag when the tag is executed.

•

no

User-defined string that identifies trace groups.
no

• yes: displays trace code inline on the page in the location of the cftrace tag, in addition to the debugging information output.
•

text

Optional

no

User-defined string, which can include simple variables, but not complex variables such as
arrays. Outputs to the cflog text attribute.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

type

Optional

Information

Corresponds to the cflog type attribute; displays an appropriate icon:

var

Optional

•

Information

•

Warning

•

Error

•

Fatal 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

• Inline in an application page, and as a section in debugging output. If you specify inline 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:\CFusion\wwwroot\generic.cfm @ line: 9] [thisPage = /generic.cfm]"
"Information","web-0","04/08/02","23:58:58", ,"[5187 ms (10)]
[C:\CFusion\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!
    
    

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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



Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfinsert, cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cfquery, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc, cfupdate; “Commits,

rollbacks, and transactions” on page 382 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the setsavepoint value to the action attribute. Added the savepoint attribute.
Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

action

Optional

begin

isolation

savepoint

Optional

Optional

Description

•

begin: The start of the block of code to execute.

•

commit: Commits a pending transaction.

•

rollback: Rolls back a pending transaction.

•

setsavepoint: Saves a specific state within a transaction

Isolation level, which indicates which type of read can occur during the execution of concurrent
SQL transactions. The possible read actions include dirty read, in which a second SQL transaction
reads a row before the first SQL transaction executes a COMMIT; non-repeatable read, in which a
SQL transaction reads a row and then a second SQL transaction modifies or deletes the row and
executes a COMMIT; and phantom, in which a SQL transaction reads rows that meet search criteria,
a second SQL transaction then generates at least one row that meets the first transaction’s search
criteria, and then the first transaction repeats the search, resulting in a different result set.

•

read_uncommitted: Allows dirty read, non-repeatable read, and phantom

•

read_committed: Allows non-repeatable read and phantom. Does not allow dirty read.

•

repeatable_read: Allows phantom. Does not allow dirty read or non-repeatable read.

•

serializable: Does not allow dirty read, non-repeatable read, or phantom.

The name of the savepoint in the transaction. Setting savepoints lets you roll back portions of a
transaction. For example, if your transaction includes an insert, an update, and a delete, and you
set a savepoint after the update, you can roll back the transaction to exclude the delete.

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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.
By using CFML error handling and the action attribute, however, you can explicitly control whether a transaction
is committed or rolled back, based on the success or failure of the database query. In a transaction block, you can do
the following:

•

Commit a database transaction by nesting the  tag in the block.

•

Roll back a transaction by nesting the  tag in the block.

(In these examples, the slash is an alternate syntax that is the equivalent of an end tag.)
In 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.
The cftransaction tag does not work as expected if you use the cfthread tag in it to make query calls.
Example

    The cftransaction tag can be used to group multiple queries that use
the cfquery tag 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.


You can set savepoints at the completion of insert, update, and delete actions of a transaction. You then use error
handling logic to determine whether it is necessary to roll back to a previous savepoint.
Example



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cftree
Description
Inserts a tree control in a form. Validates user selections. Used within a cfform tag block. Use a ColdFusion query
to supply data to the tree.
Category
Forms tags
Syntax

onBlur="ActionScript to invoke"
onChange="ActionScript to invoke"
onError="text"
onFocus="Actionscript to invoke"
onValidate="script name"
required="yes|no"
style= "style specification"
tooltip="text"
visible="yes|no"
vScroll="yes|no”
vSpace="integer"
width="integer">


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfajaximport, cfapplet, cfcalendar, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect,
cfslider, cftextarea, cftreeitem; “Working with action pages” on page 515,“Building tree controls with the
cftree tag” on page 533,and “Using HTML format trees” on page 636 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

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History
ColdFusion 8: Added support for Ajax based HTML trees, including the cache attribute and the html value for
format attribute.
ColdFusion MX7.01: Added support for onBlur and onFocus events.
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 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

Description

Format
name

Required;
All

align

Optional;
Applet,
object

appendKey

bold

border

cache

Optional;
All

Name for a tree control.

yes

Optional;
Applet,
Flash,
HTML

no

Optional;
Applet,
object

yes

Optional;
HTML

yes

•

top

•

left

•

bottom

•

baseline

•

texttop

•

absbottom

•

middle

•

absmiddle

•

right

•

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.

•

yes: displays tree control text in bold.

•

no

•

yes: displays a border around the tree control.

•

no

Applies only if the tree’s child treeitem tag uses a bind expression.
A Boolean value that specifies whether to get new data each time the user expands
tree nodes, as follows:

•

yes: fetches a node’s child items only once, when the node is first expanded

•

no: fetches child items each time the node is expanded.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

Format
completePath

Optional;
Applet,
HTML,
object

no

•

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.

delimiter

Optional;
All

\\

Character to separate elements in the Forms.treename.path variable of the action
page.

enabled

Optional;
Flash

yes

Flash format only: Boolean value that specifies whether the control is enabled. A
disabled control appears in light gray.

font

Optional;
Applet,
HTML

Font name for text in the tree control.

fontSize

Optional;
Applet,
Flash,
HTML

Font size for text in the tree control, in pixels.

format

Optional;
All

applet

•

applet: displays the tree using a Java applet in the browser.

•

flash: displays the tree using a Flash control

•

html: displays the tree uses Ajax-based HTML

•

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.
height

Optional;
Applet,
Flash

320 (applet only)

highlightHre
f

Optional;
Applet,
Object

yes

Optional;
Applet,
object

yes

hScroll

hSpace

Optional;
Applet

italic

Optional;
Applet,
Flash,
HTML

Tree control height, in pixels. If you omit this attribute in Flash format, Flash automatically sizes the tree.

•

yes: highlights as a link the displayed value for any cftreeitem tag that
specifies an href attribute.

•

no: disables highlighting.

•

yes: permits horizontal scrolling.

•

no

Horizontal spacing to left and right of tree control, in pixels.

no

•

yes: displays tree control text in italics.

•

no

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

Format
lookAndFeel

Optional;
Applet,
object

windows

•

motif : renders the tree in Motif style.

•

windows: renders the tree in Windows style.

•

metal: renders the tree in Java Swing style.

If the platform does not support a style option, the tag uses the default style for the
platform.
message

Optional;
Applet,
HTML

notSupported

Optional;
Applet

Message to display if validation fails.

See Description

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!    
onBlur

Optional

ActionScript to run when the tree loses focus.

onChange

Optional;
Flash

ActionScript to run when the control changes due to user action.

onError

Optional;
Applet,
HTML

A JavaScript function to run if validation fails.

onFocus

Optional;
Flash

ActionScript to run when the tree gets focus. The JavaScript DOM form object,
value of the name attribute, value that failed validation, and any error text specified
by the message attribute are passed to the method.

onValidate

Optional;
Applet,
HTML

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.

required

Optional;
Applet,
Flash,
HTML

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.

no

•

yes: users must select an item in the tree control.

•

no

style

Optional;
Flash,
HTML

Must be a style specification in CSS format. In HTML format, this attribute corresponds to the value of an HTML style attribute. In Flash format, use the same
syntax and contents as used in Flex for the corresponding Flash element.

tooltip

Optional;
Flash

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

visible

Optional;
Flash

yes

vScroll

Optional;
Applet,
object

yes

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

•

yes: permits vertical scrolling.

•

no

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Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

Format
vSpace

Optional;
Applet

width

Optional;
Applet,
Flash

Vertical margin above and below tree control, in pixels.
200 (applet only)

Tree control width, in pixels. If you omit this attribute in Flash format, Flash automatically sizes the tree.

Note: All attributes are passed to the XML generated in XML format, but no ColdFusion 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 plug-in installed, the system might also have to download an updated Java plug-in 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 Flash, HTML, 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 following table lists the fields:
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.
The structure variable name is specified by the cftree name attribute. The top level of the structure has two types
of entries:

•

Attribute settings

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•

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. You can
use the img attribute to display custom icons only in the Applet version; not in the Flash version.

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
FROM CourseList c, Departments d
WHERE d.Dept_ID = c.Dept_ID
ORDER BY d.dept_Name, c.corName, c.corLevel







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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 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#
    

    
    
    






















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cftreeitem
Description
Populates a form tree control, created with the cftree tag, with one or more elements.
Category
Forms tags
Syntax

OR

onBindError = "JavaScript function name"

Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the bind and onBindError attributes.
See also
cfapplet, cfform, cfformgroup, cfformitem, cfgrid, cfinput, cfselect, cfslider, cftextarea, cftree;
“Building tree controls with the cftree tag” on page 533 and “Using HTML format trees” on page 636 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Attributes
Note: In XML format, ColdFusion 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.

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Attribute

Req/Opt;

Default

Description

Format
value

Required for
applet,
Flash, XML.
value or
bind is
required for
HTML.

Value passed when the form containing the tree 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.

bind

value or
bind is

A bind expression specifying a CFC function, JavaScript function, or URL that dynamically
gets all tree nodes. You can use this attribute only at the top level of the tree, and in this case,
the tree can have only cftreeitem tag.

required for
HTML

If you use the bind attribute, the only other allowed attribute is onBindError.
For details creating trees that using binding, see “Using HTML format trees” on page 636 in
the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

display

Optional;
All

value

Tree item label. When populating a tree with data from a query, specify names in a delimited
list, for example:
display = "dept_name,emp_name"

expand

href

Optional;
All

yes

Optional;
All

•

yes: expands tree to show tree item children.

•

no: keeps tree item collapsed.

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"

img

Optional;
Applet,
HTML,
object

folder

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:
img = "../images/page1.gif"

You can also specify a path relative to the web root.
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)

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Attribute

Req/Opt;

Default

Description

Format
imgopen

Optional;
Applet,
HTML,
object

onBindError

Optional;
HTML

Icon displayed with open tree item, as described for the img attribute.

see
Description

The name of a JavaScript function to execute if evaluating a bind expression results in an
error. The function must take two attributes: an HTTP status code and a message.
If you omit this attribute, and you specified a global error handler (by using the ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler function), it displays the error message; otherwise a
default error pop-up appears.

parent

Optional;
All

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.

query

Optional;
All

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.

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 lets you 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.
target

Optional;
All

Target attribute of href URL. When populating a tree with data from a query, specify targets
in a comma-delimited list, for example:
target = "FRAME_BODY,_blank"

Usage
For this tag to work properly. the browser must be JavaScript-enabled. This tag must be a child of a cftree tag.
The cftreeitem tag has three basic formats:

•

If you do not use a query or bind attribute to populate this tag, it creates a single tree item.

• If you use a query, it creates multiple items; each row of the query creates a hierarchically nested set of items with
one item per column.
• If you use the bind attribute, the client side tree dynamically gets the data for the tree item’s immediate children,
and creates the child items, when a tree item expands. For detailed information on using the bind attribute to
populate an HTML format tree, see “Using HTML format trees” on page 636 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Example
The following example creates a simple tree by using a single cftreeitem tag and a query:






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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 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




    cftreeitem Example
    




You Requested information on #URL.cftreeitemKey#; User ID #URL.user_ID#



    
    






















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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; “Handling Errors” on page 247 in the ColdFusion 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 EMPLOYEES






    You've Thrown a Database Error
    



    #cfcatch.message#
    

    Caught an exception, type = #CFCATCH.TYPE# 
    

    The contents of the tag stack are:
    



    #i# #sCurrent["ID"]#
(#sCurrent["LINE"]#,#sCurrent["COLUMN"]#)
#sCurrent["TEMPLATE"]#

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613

cfupdate
Description
Updates records in a data source from data in a ColdFusion form or form Scope.
Category
Database manipulation tags
Syntax


Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfinsert, cfprocparam, cfprocresult, cfquery, cfqueryparam, cfstoredproc, cftransaction; “Creating an
update action page with cfupdate” on page 409 in the ColdFusion 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
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

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.
formFields

Optional

(all on form, except Comma-delimited list of form fields to update.
keys)

If a form field is not matched by a column name in the database, ColdFusion
throws an error.
The formFields list must include the database table primary key field, which
must be present in the form. It can be hidden.

password

Optional

Overrides the password value specified in ODBC setup.

tableOwner

Optional

For data sources that support table ownership (for example, SQL Server, Oracle,
Sybase SQL Anywhere), the table owner.

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Attribute

Req/Opt

tableQualifier

Optional

username

Optional

Default

Description
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

Overrides username value specified in ODBC setup.

Example





SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEES




    

    
#firstName#
#lastName#
#phone#
Edit

    


    


SELECT * FROM employees WHERE emp_id=#url.id#




    
#phoneQuery.firstName# #phoneQuery.lastName#





    
    
    

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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


Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfcollection, cfdump, cfexecute, cfindex, cfobject, cfreport, cfsearch, ToScript; “Using XML and

WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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

Default

Description

•

cfml2wddx: serializes CFML to WDDX.

•

wddx2cfml: deserializes WDDX to CFML.

•

cfml2js: serializes CFML to JavaScript.

•

wddx2js: deserializes WDDX to JavaScript.

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 in HTML stream.

action =
"wddx2cfml"

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Attribute

Req/Opt

topLevelVariable

Required if

Default

Name of top-level JavaScript object created by deserialization. The object is an
instance of the WddxRecordset object.

action =
"wddx2js" or
"cfml2js"

Optional

useTimeZoneInfo

Optional

validate

Description

yes

no

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.

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.

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 “Using XML and WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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:...
    

#Message_ID# #Thread_ID# #Username#
    

    

Serializing CFML data...
    



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Resulting WDDX packet is:

    <cfoutput>#wddxText#</cfoutput>

Deserializing WDDX packet...
    

The recordset data is:...
    

#Message_ID# #Thread_ID# #Username#
    

    

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cfwindow
Description
Creates a pop-up window in the browser. Does not create a separate browser pop-up instance.
Category
Display management tags
Syntax

window contents


If you use the source attribute, ColdFusion ignores any tag body contents. If you do not have a tag body and omit
the  end tag, you must close the cfwindow tag with the /> character combination.
Note: You can specify this tag’s attribute in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute name as structure key.
See also
cfajaximport, cfdiv, cflayout, cfpod, ColdFusion.Window.create, “Using pop-up windows” on page 620 in

the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 619
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Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

bodyStyle

Optional

center

Optional

Default

Description
A CSS style specification for the window body. As a general rule, use this attribute to
set color and font styles. Using this attribute to set the height and width, for
example, can result in distorted output.

false

A Boolean value that specifies whether to center the window over the browser
window.

•

If true, ColdFusion ignores the x and y attribute values.

•

If false, and you do not specify x and y attributes, ColdFusion centers the
window.
closable

Optional

true

A Boolean value that specifies whether the user can close the window. If true, the
window has an X close icon.

draggable

Optional

true

A Boolean value that specifies whether the user can drag the window. To drag the
window, click the mouse on the title bar and hold the button down while dragging.
If the window does not have a title, users cannot drag it.

headerStyle

Optional

height

Optional

300

Height of the window in pixels. If you specify a value greater than the available
space, the window occupies the available space and the resize handles do not
appear.

initShow

Optional

false

A Boolean value that specifies whether to display the window when the containing
page first appears. If this value is false, use the ColdFusion.Window.show JavaScript function to display the window.

minHeight

Optional

0

The minimum height, in pixels, to which users can resize the window.

minWidth

Optional

0

The minimum width, in pixels, to which users can resize the window.

modal

Optional

false

A Boolean value that specifies whether the window is modal, that is, whether the
user can interact with the main window while this window is displayed. If true, the
user cannot interact with the main window.

name

Optional

onBindError

Optional

A CSS style specification for the window header. As a general rule, use this attribute
to set color and font styles. Using this attribute to set the height and width, for
example, can result in distorted output.

The name of the window. Must be unique on the pages. This attribute is required to
interact with the window, including to dynamically show or hide it.
see Description

The name of a JavaScript function to execute if evaluating a bind expression results
in an error. The function must take two attributes: an HTTP status code and a
message.
If you omit this attribute, and specified a global error handler (by using the ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler function), it displays the error message;
otherwise a default error pop-up appears.

refreshOnShow

Optional

false

• true Refresh the contents of the window by running the source bind
expression whenever the window shows (for example, by calling the
ColdFusion.Window.show JavaScript function), in addition to when bind
events occur
•

false

Refresh the window only when the bind expression is triggered by its

bind event.
To use this attribute, you must also specify a source attribute.
resizable

Optional

true

A Boolean value specifying whether the user can resize the window.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 620
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Attribute

Req/Opt

source

Optional

Default

Description
A URL that returns the window contents. This attribute can use URL parameters to
pass data to the page. ColdFusion uses standard page path resolution rules to locate
the page.
You can use a bind expressions in this attribute; for more information see Usage.
Note: If a CFML page specified in this attribute contains tags that use Ajax
features, such as cfform, cfgrid, and cfpod, you must use a cfajaximport tag
on the page with the cfwindow tag. For more information, see cfajaximport.

title

Optional

width

Optional

x

Optional

The text to display in the window’s title bar. You can use HTML mark-up to control
the title appearance; for example, to show the text in red italic font.
500

Width of the window in pixels. If you specify a value greater than the available space,
the window occupies the available space and the resize handles do not appear.
The X (horizontal) coordinate of the upper-left corner of the window, relative to the
browser window.
ColdFusion ignores this attribute if the center attribute value is true and if you do
not set the y attribute value.

y

Optional

The Y (vertical) coordinate of the upper-left corner of the window, relative to the
browser window.
ColdFusion ignores this attribute if the center attribute value is true and if you do
not set the x attribute value.

Usage
You cannot use this tag in a form or as a child of a cflayout, or cflayoutarea tag.
You must define the cfwindow tag on the page that displays it (or a page that is included by using the cfinclude
tag). So, you cannot use the cfwindow tag on a page that is specified by a cfmenuitem tag http attribute, cfdiv tag
bind attribute, or cflayoutarea or cfpod tag source attribute. Instead, for example, you can display a window
when a user clicks a menu item by defining the window on the same page as your menu and using a JavaScript
function in the cfmenuitem tag http attribute to call the window’s show function. The cfwindow tag uses its source
attribute to get its contents from another page.
You can use a source attribute or a tag body to specify the window contents; if you specify both, ColdFusion uses
the contents specified by the source attribute and ignores the tag body. If you use a source attribute, an animated
icon and the text "Loading..." appears while the contents is being fetched.
If the source attribute specifies a page that defines JavaScript functions, the function definitions on that page must
have the following format:
functionName = function(arguments) {function body}

Function definitions that use the following format may not work:
function functionName (arguments) {function body}

However, Adobe recommends that you include all custom JavaScript in external JavaScript files and import them on
the application’s main page, and not write them inline in code that you get by using the source attribute. Imported
pages do not have this function definition format restriction.
If you use the source attribute, you can use a bind expression to include form field values or other form control
attributes as part of the source specification. You can bind to HTML format form controls only. For detailed information on using bind expressions, see “Binding data to form fields” on page 650 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
JavaScript functions

You can use the following JavaScript functions to manage an HTML format window:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 621
CFML Reference

Function

Description

ColdFusion.Window.create

Creates a window without using a cfwindow tag.

ColdFusion.Window.getWindowObject

Gets the underlying Ext JS - JavaScript Library object for the specified HTML format
cfwindow control.

ColdFusion.Window.hide

Closes a window.

ColdFusion.Window.onHide

Specifies a function to run each time a specific window closes.

ColdFusion.Window.onShow

Specifies a function to run each time a specific window opens.

ColdFusion.Window.show

Opens a window.

Example
The following example shows several features of the cfwindow tag and dynamic binding of the cfwindow tag source
attribute to form controls. It shows how you can use x and y attributes to position the windows and how several
attributes, such as closable and resizable affect the window appearance. It also shows how you can use bind
expressions to dynamically update window contents when form control values change, including different ways to
trigger updating the window contents.






Click the mouse on the control to show its text in window 1.

    
Click the button to show the input control text in window 2.


    
Click the Checkbox to change and show its status in window 3

    
Click the button to open a window containing the page
specified by the input control.


    











The windowsource.cfm page that the cfwindow tag source attributes specify to display in the windows contains the
following code:

    Main page input:
    

#url.text#


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 623
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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


Note: You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
IsXmlDoc, IsXmlElem, IsXmlRoot, ToString, XmlChildPos, XmlNew, XmlParse, XmlSearch, XmlTransform;

“Using XML and WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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

Name of the document object.

variable
caseSensitive

Description

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.
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:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 624
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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#.






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cfzip
Description
Manipulates ZIP and Java Archive (JAR) files. In addition to the basic zip and unzip functions, use the cfzip tag to
delete entries from an archive, filter files, read files in binary format, list the contents of an archive, and specify an
entry path used in an executable JAR file.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
File management tags
Syntax
delete

list

read

readBinary

unzip

zip

optional
action = "zip"
filter = "file filter"
overwrite = "yes|no"
prefix = "string"
recurse = "yes|no"
storePath = "yes|no">

Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfzipparam

Attributes
Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

Default

Description

action

N/A

Optional

zip

Action to take. Must be one of the following:

•

delete

•

list

•

read

•

readBinary

•

unzip

•

zip

If you do not specify an action, ColdFusion applies the default action, zip.
charset

read

Optional

default
Character set used to translate the ZIP or JAR entry into a text string.
encoding Examples of character sets:
of the host
• JIS
machine

•
•

RFC1345
UTF-16

destination

unzip

Required

Destination directory where the ZIP or JAR file is extracted.

entryPath

delete
read
readBinary
unzip

Optional

Pathname on which the action is performed.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 627
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Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

Default

Description

file

delete
list
read
readBinary
unzip
zip

Required

filter

delete
list
unzip
zip

Optional

File filter applied to the action. The action applies to all files in the specified pathname that match the filter.

name

list

Required

Record set name in which the result of the list action is stored. The
record set columns are the following:

Absolute pathname of the file on which the action is performed; for
example, the full pathname of the ZIP file: c:\temp\log.zip.
If you do not specify the full pathname (for example, file="log.zip"),
ColdFusion creates the file in a temporary directory. You can use the
GetTempDirectory function to access the ZIP or JAR file.

• name: Filename of the entry in the JAR file. For example, if the entry
is help/docs/index.htm, the name is index.htm.
• directory: Directory containing the entry. For the preceding
example, the directory is help/docs. You can obtain the full entry name
by concatenating directory and name. If an entry is at the root level, the
directory is empty (“ “).

overwrite

unzip
zip

Optional

no

•

size: Uncompressed size of the entry, in bytes.

•

compressedSize: Compressed size of the entry, in bytes.

•

type: Type of entry (directory or file).

•

dateLastModified: Last modified date of the entry, cfdate object.

•

comment: Any comment, if present, for the entry.

•

crc: Crc-32 checksum of the uncompressed entry data.

unzip: Specifies whether to overwrite the extracted files:

• yes: If the extracted file already exists at the destination specified,
the file is overwritten.
•

no: If the extracted file already exists at the destination specified, the
file is not overwritten and that entry is not extracted. The remaining
entries are extracted.
zip: Specifies whether to overwrite the contents of a ZIP or JAR file:

•

yes: Overwrites all of the content in the ZIP or JAR file if it exists.

•

no: Updates existing entries and adds new entries to the ZIP or JAR
file if it exists.
prefix

zip

Optional

recurse

delete
list
unzip
zip

Optional

list

Optional

showDirectory

source

zip

Required (see
description)

String added as a prefix to the ZIP or JAR entry. The string is the name of
a subdirectory in which the entries are added.
yes

no

Specifies whether the action applies to subdirectories:

•

yes: Includes subdirectories.

•

no: Does not include subdirectories.

Specifies whether to show the directory structure:

•

yes: Lists the directories.

•

no: Does not list directories.

Source directory to be zipped. Not required if the cfzipparam tag is
specified.

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Attribute

Action

Req/Opt

Default

Description

storePath

unzip
zip

Optional

yes

unzip: Specifies whether files are stored at the entry path:

•

yes: The files are extracted to the entry path.

•

no: The entry path is ignored and all the files are extracted at the root
level.
zip: Specifies whether pathnames are stored in the ZIP or JAR file:

•

yes: Pathnames of entries are stored in the ZIP or JAR file.

•

no: Pathnames of the entries are not stored in the ZIP or JAR file. All
the files are placed at the root level. In case of a name conflict, the last
file in the iteration is added.

read
readBinary

variable

Required

Variable in which the content is stored.

Usage
Use the cfzip tag to zip and unzip files and manipulate existing ZIP or JAR files in ColdFusion. You can use the
cfzip tag independently or with one or more cfzipparam tags to manipulate multiple files or directories. The
cfzip tag is the parent tag of the cfzipparam tag.
The ZIP format is the standard format for file archiving and compression. The JAR format is based on the ZIP
format. JAR files are platform-independent.
Note: The
error.

cfzip

tag does not create directories. If you specify a directory that does not exist, ColdFusion generates an

delete action

Use the delete action to delete entries from a ZIP or JAR file.











list action

Use the list action to list the entries of a ZIP or JAR file. The following table shows the types of information you
can retrieve for entries in the archive:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 629
CFML Reference

Field

Description

comment

Text string description saved with the entry source.

compressedSize

Compressed size of the entry in bytes.

crc

Checksum for the entry source.

dateLastModified

Date and time when the source was last modified.

directory

Name of the directory where the entry is stored.

name

Entry pathname.

size

Uncompressed size of the entry source in bytes.

type

Source type for the entry, for example, file.

You can use the cfdump tag to list all of the information in a ZIP or JAR file, as the following example shows:



You can use the cfoutput tag to list individual fields for the entries in an archive, as the following example shows:



    

    
Entry Name: #entry.name#
Last Modified Date:
#dateFormat(entry.dateLastModified)#,#timeFormat(entry.dateLastModified)#
Size (uncompressed): #numberFormat(entry.size/1000)# KB

    		


    

    
read action

Use the read action to read the content of the ZIP or JAR file entry in human-readable format. The read action uses
the charset value to create the string.


readBinary action

Use the readBinary action to read the content of a ZIP or JAR file in binary format.





unzip action

Use the unzip action to extract the entries from a ZIP or JAR file.


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 630
CFML Reference







zip action

Use the zip action to create or update a ZIP or JAR file. This is the default action; you do not have to specify it
explicitly. If you specify a ZIP or JAR file that does not exist, ColdFusion creates it. If the ZIP or JAR file exists,
ColdFusion adds new entries from the source and updates existing entries if they have changed. If you set the
overwrite attribute to yes, all of the entries in the ZIP or JAR file are replaced by the new content.







Example
The following example shows how to zip image files chosen from a form and e-mail the ZIP file to the person
requesting the images.
The first ColdFusion page populates a pop-up menu with the names of artists generated from a database query:


SELECT FIRSTNAME || ' ' || LASTNAME AS FULLNAME,ARTISTS.ARTISTID
FROM ARTISTS




    Choose an Artist
    

    Please choose an artist:
    



    
    

The first action page displays the images by the selected artist, zips the files, and writes the ZIP file to a temporary
directory. Also, it includes a form to e-mail the ZIP file:


SELECT FIRSTNAME, LASTNAME, LARGEIMAGE

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 631
CFML Reference

FROM ARTISTS, ART
WHERE ARTISTS.ARTISTID = ART.ARTISTID
AND ARTISTS.ARTISTID=
ORDER BY ARTNAME



    You have chosen the work of #artwork.FirstName# #artwork.LastName#.
    


    









    

    








    

    

    Mail the ZIP File
    

    Please enter your e-mail address so we can send you the ZIP file as an attachment.
    

Your e-mail address: 




    


The second action page mails the ZIP file as an attachment:

    Mail the ZIP file
    

    Your file has been mailed to you.
    



The images you requested are enclosed in a ZIP file.



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 632
CFML Reference

cfzipparam
Description
Provides additional information to the cfzip tag.
The cfzipparam tag is always a child tag of the cfzip tag.
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this tag.
Category
File management tags
Syntax




Note: You can specify this tag’s attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the
structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag’s attribute names as structure keys.
See also
cfzip

Attributes
Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

charset

Optional

default
Converts string content into binary data before putting it into a ZIP
encoding or JAR file. Used only when cfzip action="zip" and the
of the host cfzipparam content is a string.
machine
Examples of character sets:

•
•
•
content

Optional

JIS
RFC1345
UTF-16

Content written to the ZIP or JAR entry. Used only when cfzip
action="zip".
Valid content data types are binary and string. If you specify the
content attribute, you must specify the entrypath attribute.

entryPath

Optional

Pathname used:

•

For cfzip action="zip", it is the entry path used. This is
valid only when the source is a file. The entry path creates a
subdirectory in the ZIP or JAR file.

•
•

For cfzip action="unzip", it is the pathname to unzip.

For cfzip action="delete", it is the pathname to delete
from the ZIP or JAR file.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 633
CFML Reference

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

filter

Optional

File filter applied to the action. For example, for the zip action, all
the files in the source directory that match the filter are zipped.

prefix

Optional

String added as a prefix to the ZIP or JAR entry. Used only when
cfzip action="zip".

recurse

Optional

source

Optional

yes

Description

Include the directory to be zipped, unzipped, or deleted, as specified by the cfzip parent tag.
Source directory or file. Used only when cfzip action="zip".
Specified files are added to the ZIP or JAR file:

•

If you specify source attribute for the cfzip tag, the
cfzipparam source is relative to it.

•

If you do not specify a source attribute for the cfzip tag, the
cfzipparam source must be an absolute pathname.

Usage
Use the cfzipparam tag with the cfzip tag to zip, extract, or delete multiple files or directories. For example, to zip
multiple directories, specify a cfzipparam tag for each source directory.
Example
Example 1






Example 2







Example 3









Example 4



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 634
CFML Reference





Example 5
The following example shows how to zip multiple image files chosen from a form and e-mail the ZIP file to the
person requesting the images.
The first ColdFusion page populates a pop-up menu with the names of artists generated from a database query:


    Select the images
    

    Please choose the images you would like sent to you.
    



    

    

    
Cube    		

    
Pentagon    		

    
Surfer Dude    		

    
Surfer Girl
    

    

    
    

The first action page zips the files selected from the form, and writes the ZIP file to the hard drive. Also, it includes
a form to e-mail the ZIP file:


















    Mail the ZIP File
    

    Please enter your e-mail address so we can send you the ZIP file as an attachment.
    




The images you requested are enclosed in a ZIP file.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 635
CFML Reference







Your e-mail address: 




    


The second action page mails the ZIP file as an attachment:

    Mail the ZIP file
    

    Your file has been mailed to you.
    



The images you requested are enclosed in a ZIP file.



636

Chapter 4: ColdFusion Functions
The following tables list and categorize ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) functions.
Contents

Function list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 636
Functions by category. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641
Function changes since ColdFusion 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648
“Abs” on page 654

Function list
ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) includes a set of functions that you use in ColdFusion 8 pages to perform
logical and arithmetic operations and manipulate data.
The following table lists CFML functions:
Abs

ACos

AddSOAPRequestHeader

AddSOAPResponseHeader

AjaxLink

AjaxOnLoad

ArrayAppend

ArrayAvg

ArrayClear

ArrayDeleteAt

ArrayInsertAt

ArrayIsDefined

ArrayIsEmpty

ArrayLen

ArrayMax

ArrayMin

ArraySet

ArraySort

ArraySum

ArraySwap

ArrayToList

Asc

ASin

Atn

BinaryDecode

BinaryEncode

BitAnd

BitMaskClear

BitMaskRead

BitMaskSet

BitNot

BitOr

BitSHLN

BitSHRN

BitXor

Ceiling

CharsetDecode

CharsetEncode

Chr

CJustify

Compare

CompareNoCase

Cos

CreateDate

CreateDateTime

CreateObject

CreateODBCDate

CreateODBCDateTime

CreateODBCTime

CreateTime

CreateTimeSpan

CreateUUID

DateAdd

DateCompare

DateConvert

DateDiff

DateFormat

DatePart

Day

DayOfWeek

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 637
CFML Reference

DayOfWeekAsString

DayOfYear

DaysInMonth

DaysInYear

DE

DecimalFormat

DecrementValue

Decrypt

DecryptBinary

DeleteClientVariable

DeserializeJSON

DirectoryExists

DollarFormat

DotNetToCFType

Duplicate

Encrypt

EncryptBinary

Evaluate

Exp

ExpandPath

FileClose

FileCopy

FileDelete

FileExists

FileIsEOF

FileMove

FileOpen

FileRead

FileReadBinary

FileReadLine

FileSetAccessMode

FileSetAttribute

FileSetLastModified

FileWrite

Find

FindNoCase

FindOneOf

FirstDayOfMonth

Fix

FormatBaseN

GenerateSecretKey

GetAuthUser

GetBaseTagData

GetBaseTagList

GetBaseTemplatePath

GetClientVariablesList

GetComponentMetaData

GetContextRoot

GetCurrentTemplatePath

GetDirectoryFromPath

GetEncoding

GetException

GetFileFromPath

GetFileInfo

GetFunctionList

GetGatewayHelper

GetHttpRequestData

GetHttpTimeString

GetK2ServerDocCount

GetK2ServerDocCountLimit

GetLocale

GetLocaleDisplayName

GetLocalHostIP

GetMetaData

GetMetricData

GetPageContext

GetPrinterInfo

GetProfileSections

GetProfileString

GetReadableImageFormats

GetSOAPRequest

GetSOAPRequestHeader

GetSOAPResponse

GetSOAPResponseHeader

GetTempDirectory

GetTempFile

GetTemplatePath

GetTickCount

GetTimeZoneInfo

GetToken

GetUserRoles

GetWriteableImageFormats

Hash

Hour

HTMLCodeFormat

HTMLEditFormat

IIf

ImageAddBorder

ImageBlur

ImageClearRect

ImageCopy

ImageCrop

ImageDrawArc

ImageDrawBeveledRect

ImageDrawCubicCurve

ImageDrawLine

ImageDrawLines

ImageDrawOval

ImageDrawPoint

ImageDrawQuadraticCurve

ImageDrawRect

ImageDrawRoundRect

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 638
CFML Reference

ImageDrawText

ImageFlip

ImageGetBlob

ImageGetBufferedImage

ImageGetEXIFTag

ImageGetHeight

ImageGetIPTCTag

ImageGetWidth

ImageGrayscale

ImageInfo

ImageNegative

ImageNew

ImageOverlay

ImagePaste

ImageRead

ImageReadBase64

ImageResize

ImageRotate

ImageRotateDrawingAxis

ImageScaleToFit

ImageSetAntialiasing

ImageSetBackgroundColor

ImageSetDrawingColor

ImageSetDrawingStroke

ImageSetDrawingTransparency

ImageSharpen

ImageShear

ImageShearDrawingAxis

ImageTranslate

ImageTranslateDrawingAxis

ImageWrite

ImageWriteBase64

ImageXORDrawingMode

IncrementValue

InputBaseN

Insert

Int

IsArray

IsBinary

IsBoolean

IsCustomFunction

IsDate

IsDDX

IsDebugMode

IsDefined

IsImage

IsImageFile

IsInstanceOf

IsJSON

IsLeapYear

IsLocalHost

IsNumeric

IsNumericDate

IsObject

IsPDFFile

IsPDFObject

IsQuery

IsSimpleValue

IsSOAPRequest

IsStruct

IsUserInAnyRole

IsUserInRole

IsUserLoggedIn

IsValid

IsWDDX

IsXML

IsXmlAttribute

IsXmlDoc

IsXmlElem

IsXmlNode

IsXmlRoot

JavaCast

JSStringFormat

LCase

Left

Len

ListAppend

ListChangeDelims

ListContains

ListContainsNoCase

ListDeleteAt

ListFind

ListFindNoCase

ListFirst

ListGetAt

ListInsertAt

ListLast

ListLen

ListPrepend

ListQualify

ListRest

ListSetAt

ListSort

ListToArray

ListValueCount

ListValueCountNoCase

LJustify

Log

Log10

LSCurrencyFormat

LSDateFormat

LSEuroCurrencyFormat

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 639
CFML Reference

LSIsCurrency

LSIsDate

LSIsNumeric

LSNumberFormat

LSParseCurrency

LSParseDateTime

LSParseEuroCurrency

LSParseNumber

LSTimeFormat

LTrim

Maxfilename

Mid

Min

Minute

Month

MonthAsString

Now

NumberFormat

ParagraphFormat

ParseDateTime

Pi

PrecisionEvaluate

PreserveSingleQuotes

Quarter

QueryAddColumn

QueryAddRow

QueryConvertForGrid

QueryNew

QuerySetCell

QuotedValueList

Rand

Randomize

RandRange

REFind

REFindNoCase

ReleaseComObject

REMatch

REMatchNoCase

RemoveChars

RepeatString

Replace

ReplaceList

ReplaceNoCase

REReplace

REReplaceNoCase

Reverse

Right

RJustify

Round

RTrim

Second

SendGatewayMessage

SerializeJSON

SetEncoding

SetLocale

SetProfileString

SetVariable

Sgn

Sin

Sleep

SpanExcluding

SpanIncluding

Sqr

StripCR

StructAppend

StructClear

StructCopy

StructCount

StructDelete

StructFind

StructFindKey

StructFindValue

StructGet

StructInsert

StructIsEmpty

StructKeyArray

StructKeyExists

StructKeyList

StructKeyList

StructNew

StructSort

StructUpdate

Tan

TimeFormat

ToBase64

ToBinary

ToScript

ToString

Trim

UCase

URLDecode

URLEncodedFormat

URLSessionFormat

Val

ValueList

VerifyClient

Week

Wrap

Wrap

WriteOutput

XmlChildPos

XmlElemNew

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 640
CFML Reference

XmlFormat

XmlGetNodeType

XmlNew

XmlParse

XmlSearch

XmlTransform

XmlValidate

Year

YesNoFormat

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 641
CFML Reference

Functions by category
The following tables list functions by their category or purpose.
Array functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641
Conversion functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641
Date and time functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642
Decision functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642
Display and formatting functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642
Dynamic evaluation functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643
Extensibility functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643
Full-text search functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643
Image functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643
International functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 644
List functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 644
Mathematical functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 644
Other functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645
Query functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645
String functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645
Structure functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646
System functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646
XML functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647

Array functions
ArrayAppend

ArrayIsDefined

ArrayNew

ArraySum

ArrayAvg

ArrayIsEmpty

ArrayPrepend

ArraySwap

ArrayClear

ArrayLen

ArrayResize

ArrayToList

ArrayDeleteAt

ArrayMax

ArraySet

IsArray

ArrayInsertAt

ArrayMin

ArraySort

ListToArray

ArrayToList

DotNetToCFType

ToBinary

XmlFormat

BinaryDecode

Hash

ToScript

XmlParse

BinaryEncode

LCase

ToString

XmlTransform

CharsetDecode

ListToArray

URLDecode

CharsetEncode

SerializeJSON

URLEncodedFormat

DeserializeJSON

ToBase64

Val

Conversion functions

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 642
CFML Reference

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

DirectoryExists

IsDefined

IsPDFFile

IsXmlDoc

FileExists

IsInstanceOf

IsPDFObject

IsXmlElem

FileIsEOF

IsJSON

IsQuery

IsXmlNode

IIf

IsK2ServerABroker

IsSimpleValue

IsXmlRoot

IsArray

IsK2ServerDocCountExc IsStruct
eeded

LSIsCurrency

IsBinary

IsK2ServerOnline

IsUserInAnyRole

LSIsDate

IsBoolean

IsLeapYear

IsValid

LSIsNumeric

IsCustomFunction

IsNumeric

IsWDDX

StructIsEmpty

IsDate

IsNumericDate

IsXML

StructKeyExists

IsDebugMode

IsObject

IsXmlAttribute

YesNoFormat

Decision functions

IsDDX

Display and formatting functions
AjaxLink

GetLocaleDisplayName

LSIsDate

ParagraphFormat

AjaxOnLoad

HTMLCodeFormat

LSNumberFormat

RJustify

CJustify

HTMLEditFormat

LSParseCurrency

StripCR

DateFormat

LJustify

LSParseDateTime

TimeFormat

DecimalFormat

LSCurrencyFormat

LSParseEuroCurrency

YesNoFormat

DollarFormat

LSDateFormat

LSParseNumber

FormatBaseN

LSEuroCurrencyFormat

LSTimeFormat

GetLocale

LSIsCurrency

NumberFormat

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 643
CFML Reference

Dynamic evaluation functions
DE

IIf

SetVariable

Evaluate

PrecisionEvaluate

Extensibility functions
CreateObject

GetGatewayHelper

SendGatewayMessage

DotNetToCFType

IsInstanceOf

ToScript

GetComponentMetaData

ReleaseComObject

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

Image functions
ImageAddBorder

ImageGetBlob

ImageScaleToFit

ImageBlur

ImageGetBufferedImage

ImageSetAntialiasing

ImageClearRect

ImageGetEXIFTag

ImageSetBackgroundColor

ImageCopy

ImageGetHeight

ImageSetDrawingColor

ImageCrop

ImageGetIPTCTag

ImageSetDrawingStroke

ImageDrawArc

ImageGetWidth

ImageSetDrawingTransparency

ImageDrawBeveledRect

ImageGrayscale

ImageSharpen

ImageDrawCubicCurve

ImageInfo

ImageShear

ImageDrawLine

ImageNegative

ImageShearDrawingAxis

ImageDrawLines

ImageNew

ImageTranslate

ImageDrawOval

ImageOverlay

ImageTranslateDrawingAxis

ImageDrawPoint

ImagePaste

ImageWrite

ImageDrawQuadraticCurve

ImageRead

ImageWriteBase64

ImageDrawRect

ImageReadBase64

ImageXORDrawingMode

ImageDrawRoundRect

ImageResize

IsImage

ImageDrawText

ImageRotate

IsImageFile

ImageFlip

ImageRotateDrawingAxis

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 644
CFML Reference

International functions
DateConvert

LSIsCurrency

LSIsNumeric

SetEncoding

GetEncoding

LSCurrencyFormat

LSNumberFormat

SetLocale

GetHttpTimeString

LSDateFormat

LSParseCurrency

GetLocale

LSEuroCurrencyFormat

LSParseEuroCurrency

GetLocaleDisplayName

LSIsDate

LSParseNumber

GetTimeZoneInfo

LSParseDateTime

LSTimeFormat

List functions
ArraySort

FindOneOf

ListFind

ListSort

ArrayToList

FormatBaseN

ListFindNoCase

ListToArray

Asc

GetClientVariablesList

ListFirst

ListValueCount

Chr

LCase

ListGetAt

ListValueCountNoCase

CJustify

Left

ListInsertAt

ReplaceList

Compare

Len

ListLast

ValueList

CompareNoCase

ListAppend

ListLen

Decrypt

ListChangeDelims

ListPrepend

Encrypt

ListContains

ListQualify

Find

ListContainsNoCase

ListRest

FindNoCase

ListDeleteAt

ListSetAt

Mathematical functions
Abs

BitNot

FormatBaseN

Rand

ACos

BitOr

IncrementValue

Randomize

ArrayAvg

BitSHLN

InputBaseN

RandRange

ArraySum

BitSHRN

Int

Round

ASin

BitXor

Log

Sgn

Atn

Ceiling

Log10

Sin

BitAnd

Cos

Maxfilename

Sqr

BitMaskClear

DecrementValue

Min

Tan

BitMaskRead

Exp

Pi

BitMaskSet

Fix

PrecisionEvaluate

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 645
CFML Reference

Other functions
CreateUUID

GetBaseTemplatePath

PreserveSingleQuotes

DeleteClientVariable

GetClientVariablesList

URLSessionFormat

GetBaseTagData

GetLocalHostIP

WriteOutput

GetBaseTagList

IsLocalHost

Query functions
IsQuery

QueryAddRow

QueryNew

QuotedValueList

QueryAddColumn

QueryConvertForGrid

QuerySetCell

ValueList

Decrypt

GetAuthUser

GetUserRoles

IsUserLoggedIn

DecryptBinary

GenerateSecretKey

Hash

Encrypt

GetTempDirectory

IsUserInAnyRole

EncryptBinary

GetTempDirectory

IsUserInRole

Security functions

String functions
History
ColdFusion MX: ColdFusion now supports the Java UCS-2 representation of Unicode character values 0–65535.
(Earlier releases supported ASCII values.)
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

HTMLEditFormat

ParagraphFormat

ToBase64

BinaryDecode

Insert

ParseDateTime

ToBinary

BinaryEncode

JavaCast

REFind

ToString

CharsetDecode

JSStringFormat

REFindNoCase

Trim

CharsetEncode

LCase

REMatch

UCase

Chr

Left

REMatchNoCase

URLDecode

CJustify

Len

RemoveChars

URLEncodedFormat

Compare

LJustify

RepeatString

Val

CompareNoCase

ListValueCount

Replace

Wrap

DayOfWeekAsString

LSParseNumber

RTrim

XmlFormat

Decrypt

LTrim

SpanExcluding

Encrypt

ListValueCountNoCase

ReplaceNoCase

Find

LSIsDate

REReplace

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 646
CFML Reference

FindNoCase

LSIsNumeric

REReplaceNoCase

FindOneOf

LSParseCurrency

ReplaceList

FormatBaseN

LSIsCurrency

Reverse

GenerateSecretKey

LSParseDateTime

Right

GetToken

LSParseEuroCurrency

RJustify

Hash

Mid

SpanIncluding

HTMLCodeFormat

MonthAsString

StripCR

See also “Conversion functions” on page 641.

Structure functions
Duplicate

StructCount

StructGet

StructKeyList

IsStruct

StructDelete

StructInsert

StructNew

StructAppend

StructFind

StructIsEmpty

StructSort

StructClear

StructFindKey

StructKeyArray

StructUpdate

StructCopy

StructFindValue

StructKeyExists

System functions
DirectoryExists

FileWrite

GetPageContext

Duplicate

GetBaseTemplatePath

GetPrinterInfo

ExpandPath

GetContextRoot

GetProfileSections

FileClose

GetCurrentTemplatePath

GetProfileString

FileCopy

GetDirectoryFromPath

GetReadableImageFormats

FileDelete

GetDirectoryFromPath

GetTempDirectory

FileExists

GetEncoding

GetTempFile

FileIsEOF

GetException

GetTemplatePath

FileMove

GetFileFromPath

GetTickCount

FileOpen

GetFileInfo

GetWriteableImageFormats

FileRead

GetFunctionList

SetEncoding

FileReadBinary

GetHttpRequestData

SetLocale

FileReadLine

GetLocale

SetProfileString

FileSetAccessMode

GetLocaleDisplayName

Sleep

FileSetAttribute

GetMetaData

WriteOutput

FileSetLastModified

GetMetricData

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 647
CFML Reference

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 648
CFML Reference

Function changes since ColdFusion 5
The following tables list functions, parameters and values that have changed since ColdFusion 5 and indicate the
specific release in which the change was made.
New functions, parameters, and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648
Deprecated functions, parameters, and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653
Obsolete functions, parameters, and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653

New functions, parameters, and values
Function

Parameter or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

AjaxLink

All

ColdFusion 8

AjaxOnLoad

All

ColdFusion 8

ArrayIsDefined

All

ColdFusion 8

BinaryDecode

All

ColdFusion MX 7

BinaryEncode

All

ColdFusion MX 7

CharsetDecode

All

ColdFusion MX 7

CharsetEncode

All

ColdFusion MX 7

CreateObject

.net value of the type parameter and asso- ColdFusion 8
ciated assembly, server, port, protocol,
and secure parameters.
WSDL2Java and argStruct parameters for
web service objects
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

IVorSalt

and iterations parameters

ColdFusion MX 7.0.1

algorithm and encoding parameters

ColdFusion MX 7

DecryptBinary

All

ColdFusion MX 7.0.1

DeserializeJSON

All

ColdFusion 8

DotNetToCFType

All

ColdFusion 8

Encrypt

IVorSalt

and iterations parameters

ColdFusion MX 7.0.1

algorithm and encoding parameters

ColdFusion MX 7

EncryptBinary

All

ColdFusion MX 7.0.1

FileClose

All

ColdFusion 8

FileCopy

All

ColdFusion 8

FileDelete

All

ColdFusion 8

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 649
CFML Reference

Function

Parameter or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

FileIsEOF

All

ColdFusion 8

FileMove

All

ColdFusion 8

FileOpen

All

ColdFusion 8

FileRead

All

ColdFusion 8

FileReadBinary

All

ColdFusion 8

FileReadLine

All

ColdFusion 8

FileSetAccessMode

All

ColdFusion 8

FileSetAttribute

All

ColdFusion 8

FileSetLastModified

All

ColdFusion 8

FileWrite

All

ColdFusion 8

GenerateSecretKey

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetGatewayHelper

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetAuthUser

All

ColdFusion MX

GetComponentMetaData

All

ColdFusion 8

GetContextRoot

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetEncoding

All

ColdFusion MX

GetFileInfo

All

ColdFusion 8

GetLocaleDisplayName

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetLocalHostIP

All

ColdFusion MX 7.0.1

GetMetaData

All

ColdFusion MX

GetPageContext

All

ColdFusion MX

GetPrinterInfo

All

ColdFusion 8

GetProfileSections

All

ColdFusion MX

GetReadableImageFormats

All

ColdFusion 8

GetSOAPRequest

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetSOAPRequestHeader

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetSOAPResponse

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetSOAPResponseHeader

All

ColdFusion MX 7

GetUserRoles

All

ColdFusion 8

GetWriteableImageFormats

All

ColdFusion 8

Hash

algorithm and encoding parameters

ColdFusion MX 7

ImageAddBorder

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageBlur

All

ColdFusion 8

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 650
CFML Reference

Function

Parameter or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

ImageClearRect

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageCopy

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageCrop

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageDrawArc

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageDrawBeveledRect

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageDrawCubicCurve

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageDrawPoint

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageDrawLine

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageDrawLines

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageDrawOval

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageDrawQuadraticCurve

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageDrawRect

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageDrawRoundRect

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageDrawText

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageFlip

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageGetBlob

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageGetBufferedImage

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageGetEXIFMetadata

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageGetEXIFTag

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageGetHeight

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageGetIPTCMetadata

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageGetIPTCTag

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageGetWidth

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageGrayscale

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageInfo

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageNegative

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageNew

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageOverlay

All

ColdFusion 8

ImagePaste

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageRead

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageReadBase64

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageResize

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageRotate

All

ColdFusion 8

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 651
CFML Reference

Function

Parameter or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

ImageRotateDrawingAxis

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageScaleToFit

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageSetAntialiasing

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageSetBackgroundColor

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageSetDrawingColor

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageSetDrawingStroke

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageSetDrawingTransparency

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageSharpen

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageShear

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageShearDrawingAxis

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageTranslate

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageTranslateDrawingAxis

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageWrite

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageWriteBase64

All

ColdFusion 8

ImageXORDrawingMode

All

ColdFusion 8

IsDDX

All

ColdFusion 8

IsImage

All

ColdFusion 8

IsImageFile

All

ColdFusion 8

IsInstanceOf

All

ColdFusion 8

IsJSON

All

ColdFusion 8

IsLocalHost

All

ColdFusion MX 7.0.1

IsObject

All

ColdFusion MX

IsPDFFile

All

ColdFusion 8

IsPDFObject

All

ColdFusion 8

IsSOAPRequest

All

ColdFusion MX 7

IsUserInAnyRole

All

ColdFusion 8

IsUserInRole

All

ColdFusion MX

IsUserLoggedIn

All

ColdFusion 8

IsValid

All

ColdFusion MX 7

IsXML

All

ColdFusion MX 7

IsXmlAttribute

All

ColdFusion MX 7

IsXmlDoc

All

ColdFusion MX

IsXmlElem

All

ColdFusion MX

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 652
CFML Reference

Function

Parameter or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

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

QueryConvertForGrid

All

ColdFusion 8

QueryNew

columntypelist parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

PrecisionEvaluate

All

ColdFusion 8

Rand

algorithm parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

Randomize

algorithm parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

RandRange

algorithm parameter

ColdFusion MX 7

ReleaseComObject

All

ColdFusion MX 6.1

REMatch

All

ColdFusion 8

REMatchNoCase

All

ColdFusion 8

SerializeJSON

All

ColdFusion 8

SendGatewayMessage

All

ColdFusion MX 7

SetEncoding

All

ColdFusion MX

Sleep

All

ColdFusion 8

TimeFormat

l key of mask parameter

ColdFusion MX 6.1

ToScript

All

ColdFusion MX 7

URLDecode

charset parameter

ColdFusion MX

URLEncodedFormat

charset parameter

ColdFusion MX

URLSessionFormat

All

ColdFusion MX

VerifyClient

All

ColdFusion 8

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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 653
CFML Reference

Function

Parameter or value

Added in this ColdFusion release

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

GetK2ServerDocCountLimit

All

ColdFusion MX 6.1

GetTemplatePath

All

ColdFusion MX

IsK2ServerABroker

All

ColdFusion MX 6.1

IsK2ServerDocCountExceeded

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).

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.
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

654

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.
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 655
CFML Reference

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.

    

     

    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 656
CFML Reference

AddSOAPRequestHeader
Description
Adds a SOAP header to a web service request before making the request.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
XML functions
Function syntax
AddSOAPRequestHeader(webservice, namespace, name, value [, mustunderstand])

See also
AddSOAPResponseHeader, GetSOAPRequest, GetSOAPRequestHeader, GetSOAPResponse, GetSOAPResponseHeader, IsSOAPRequest; “Basic web service concepts” on page 903 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
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 Example
    

// Create the web service object.
ws = CreateObject("webservice", "http://localhost/soapheaders/headerservice.cfc?WSDL");

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 657
CFML Reference

// 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)#
    
    

    


The cfinvoke tag returned: #ret#

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 658
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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
Function syntax
AddSOAPResponseHeader(namespace, name, value [, mustunderstand])

See also
AddSOAPRequestHeader, GetSOAPRequest, GetSOAPRequestHeader, GetSOAPResponse, GetSOAPResponseHeader, IsSOAPRequest; “Basic web service concepts” on page 903 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
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.
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>
















ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 660
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AjaxLink
Description
Causes an HTML href attribute to display link results in the current Ajax container. When the browser follows a
link that is specified by this function, the HTTP response does not replace the current page; instead, it populates the
containing cfdiv, cflayoutarea, cfpod, or cfwindow control.
Returns
Code that causes the linked page to be displayed in the containing control.
Category
Display and formatting functions
Function syntax
AjaxLink(URL)

See also
cfdiv, cflayoutarea, cfpod, cfwindow, “Using Ajax UI Components and Features” on page 614 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

URL

The URL of the link.

Usage
This function has an effect only when it is used to specify the URL of an href attribute when the HTML a tag is
inside a cfdiv, cflayoutarea, cfpod, or cfwindow control. Otherwise, the link has its normal effect.
To prevent cross-site scripting, ColdFusion does not load a remote web page.
Example

Click me


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 661
CFML Reference

AjaxOnLoad
Description
Causes the specified JavaScript function to run when the page loads.
Returns
This function does not return a value.
Category
Display and formatting functions
Function syntax
AjaxOnLoad(functionName)

See also
cfdiv, cflayoutarea, cfpod, cfwindow, “Using Ajax UI Components and Features” on page 614 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

functionName

The name of the function to run when the page loads. The specified function does not take a parameter.

Usage
This function causes a JavaScript function to run when a page loads in the browser. The JavaScript function can
perform any initialization actions that are required for the page to function properly. For example, a login window
might open on a page if the user is not already logged in. You can use the AjaxOnLoad function to specify a JavaScript
function that determines the login status and opens the window only if needed.
You can use this function on top-level pages, or on pages that you dynamically include in your application by using
the source attribute of the cfpod, cfwindow, cfpod, and cfwindow tags.
Example
The following example uses the AjaxOnLoad function to call an init function each time the page loads. The init
function displays a login window.


Enter Mail Login Details





ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 662
CFML Reference



    

    

    
mail server:


    

    
username:


    

    
password:


    

    
 


    

    

    
    
    




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 663
CFML Reference

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” on page 73 in the ColdFusion 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#
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 664
CFML Reference

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
ArraySum; “Basic array techniques” on page 70 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

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 click the more button.

    

    




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 665
CFML Reference



    

    
Number #LoopItem#



    


    


    













    The average of the numbers that you entered is
#ArrayAvg(myNumberArray)#.

Try again. You must enter at least two numeric values.






ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 666
CFML Reference

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” on page 879 in the ColdFusion 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)#

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 667
CFML Reference

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” on page 879 in the ColdFusion 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:
    

#DaysArray[1][1]#  #DaysArray[1][2]#
    
#DaysArray[2][1]#  #DaysArray[2][2]#
    
#DaysArray[3][1]#  #DaysArray[3][2]#
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 668
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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]#
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 669
CFML Reference

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
ArrayDeleteAt; “Functions for XML object management” on page 879 in the ColdFusion 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

Index position at which to insert value

value

Value to insert

Usage
To apply the ArrayInsertAt() function to a multidimensional array, you must specify all but the last index in the
array parameter. The following example 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
    








    Add an element before position 3:
#ArrayInsertAt(DaysArray,3,"Wednesday")#

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 670
CFML Reference


    Now output the array as a list:
#ArrayToList(DaysArray)#


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 671
CFML Reference

ArrayIsDefined
Description
Determines whether an array element is defined.
Returns
True, if the array element is defined (exists); false, otherwise.
Category
Array functions
Function syntax
ArrayIsDefiend(array, elementIndex)

See also
ArrayIsEmpty

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of a one dimensional array, or the array name and indexes into higher-order dimensions of a multidimensional
array.

elementIndex

Index of the element in a one dimensional array, or the index of the element in the final dimension of a multidimensional
array.

Usage
To test the existence of an element in a multidimensional array, specify all but the last dimension of the array in the
first parameter. For example, the following line tests the existence of element MyArray[2][4][1]:
ArrayIsDefined(MyArray[2][4], 1)

Example

    ArrayIsDefined Example
    








    Your array contents are:

    


    Does element 3 exist?: 
#ArrayIsDefined(MyArray, 3)#
    


    Does element 2 exist? 
#ArrayIsDefined(MyArray, 2)#


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 672
CFML Reference

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
ArrayIsDefined, ArrayLen, “Functions for XML object management” on page 879 in the ColdFusion Developer’s

Guide
History
ColdFusion MX: Changed behavior: this function can be used on XML objects.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

Usage
You can test whether an element of a higher level dimension of a multidimensional array is empty by specifying the
element in the ArrayIsEmpty function. To test whether the first row of the two-dimensional array MyArray is
empty, use the following function:
ArrayIsEmpty(MyArray2[1])

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)#

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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” on page 879 in the ColdFusion 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.
    
    

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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)#.




    



    

    


    

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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)#.




    



    

    


    

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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)#
    

    

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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” on page 73 in the ColdFusion 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#


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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.


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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” on page 75 in the ColdFusion 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
    








...

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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 sort_type = "textnocase" and
sort_order = "desc", ColdFusion processes elements that differ only in case differently from earlier releases, as
follows:
•

ColdFusion reverses the elements’ original order.

•

Releases earlier than ColdFusion MX 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 and later returns d,b,A,a,a

•

Releases earlier than ColdFusion MX return d,b,a,a,A

Parameters
Parameter

Description

array

Name of an array

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Parameter
sort_type

Description

•

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 case-insensitive). 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 something 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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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.
     
    








    The sum of the numbers is
#ArraySum(myNumberArray)#.




    




    


    


    

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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” on page 879 in the ColdFusion 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#

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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.


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Asc
Description
Determines the value of a character.
Returns
The value of the first character of a string; if the 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.
    
    



    Enter the sine of the angle to calculate, in degrees and radians. The
value must be between 1 and -1,inclusive.
    
    
    

    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 687
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    Enter a number to get its arcsine in Radians and Degrees.

    

     

    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 688
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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

    

     
    

    

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AuthenticatedContext
Description
This function is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 641 and “Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
History
ColdFusion MX: This function is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later ColdFusion releases.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 690
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AuthenticatedUser
Description
This function is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 641 and “Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
History
ColdFusion MX: This function is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later ColdFusion releases.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 691
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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 that specifies 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.
Adobe 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:

•

cffile for loading and reading binary data in files

•

cfwddx for serializing and deserializing binary data

•

IsBinary for checking variables for binary format

•

Len 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 binaryencoded data back to binary data and writes the result to a file. It displays the encoded string and the image in the
output file.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 692
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    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
    

    

    


    

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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 that specifies 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.
Adobe recommends that you use the BinaryEncode function, and not the ToBase64(binarydata) function, to
convert binary data to Base64 data in all new applications.
This function provides a superset of the functionality of the ToBase64(binarydata) function.
See the following pages for additional information on handling binary data:

•

cffile for loading and reading binary data

•

cfwddx for serializing and deserializing binary data

•

IsBinary for checking variables for binary format

•

Len for determining the length of a binary object

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 694
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Example
The following example reads a GIF file as binary data, converts it to a binary-encoded string, converts the binaryencoded 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
    

    

    


    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 695
CFML Reference

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)#
    

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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)#
    

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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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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)#
    

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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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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)#
    

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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)#
    

704

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)#
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 705
CFML Reference

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” on page 344 in
the ColdFusion 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 that specifies 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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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. If you select the Asian language encodings, characters that are not in the
specified character set are 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
    

    

    


    

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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” on page 344 in
the ColdFusion 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
Adobe recommends that you use this function, and not the ToString function, to convert binary data to strings in
all new applications.

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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. If you select the Asian language encodings, characters that are not in the
specified character set are 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
    

    

    


    

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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.
    


     


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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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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
    


    This is the default case
    
    
    
    

    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 712
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    String 1

    

    String 2

    

    


    

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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” on page 40 in the ColdFusion 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
    
    



    

    String 1

    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 714
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    String 2

    

    


    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 715
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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.
    
    
    

    
Enter an angle in degrees to get its cosine:



    
  


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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” on page 40

in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

year

Integer in the range 0-9999. Integers in the range 0-29 are converted to 2000-2029. 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:

      

    • 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, 12,13,0))#
      • 

    • Formatted with CreateODBCDate and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateODBCDate(yourDate), "mmmm d, yyyy")#
      • 

    • Formatted with CreateODBCDateTime and DateFormat:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 717
CFML Reference

#DateFormat(CreateODBCDateTime(yourDate), "d/m/yy")#
      • 

    
    
    


    Enter the year, month and day, as integers:

    Year
Month
Day

    

     


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 718
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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” on page 40 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

year

Integer in the range 0-9999. Integers in the range 0-29 are converted to 2000-2029. 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)#
      • 

    

    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))#
      • 

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 719
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    • 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

    

     


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 720
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CreateObject
Description
Creates a ColdFusion object, of a specified type.
Returns
An object, of the specified type.
Category
Extensibility functions
History
ColdFusion 8:

•

Added the .NET/dotnet type

•

For web service object, added the WSDL2Java parameter

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.

1

For more information, see the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
2 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:

•

"/Eng/CF"

•

".current/Eng.current/CF"

(In earlier releases, the format was ".Eng.CF".)
3

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: .NET object” on page 721

•

“CreateObject: COM object” on page 723

•

“CreateObject: component object” on page 725

•

“CreateObject: CORBA object” on page 726

•

“CreateObject: Java or EJB object” on page 728

•

“CreateObject: web service object” on page 729

Note: On UNIX, this function does not support COM objects.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 721
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CreateObject: .NET object
Description
Creates a .NET object, that is, a ColdFusion proxy for accessing a class in a local or remote .NET assembly.
Returns
A .NET object, that is, a ColdFusion reference to a local or remote .NET assembly class.
Function syntax
CreateObject(type, class, assembly[, server, port, protocol, secure])

See also
cfobject: .NET object, DotNetToCFType, “Using Microsoft .NET Assemblies” on page 952 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Attribute

Default

Description

type

Object type. Must be .NET or dotnet for .NET objects.

class

Name of the .NET class to represent as an object.

assembly

mscorlib.dll
which contains
the .NET core
classes

For local .NET assemblies, the absolute path or paths to the assembly or assemblies (.exe or .dll files)
from which to access the .NET class and its supporting classes. If a class in an assembly requires
supporting classes that are in other assemblies, you must also specify those assemblies. You can,
however, omit the supporting assemblies for the following types of supporting classes:

•

.NET core classes (classes in mscorlib.dll)

•

classes in assemblies that are in the global assembly cache (GAC)

To specify multiple assemblies, use a comma-delimited list.
For remote .NET assemblies, you must specify the absolute path or paths of the local proxy JAR file
or files that represent the assemblies.
If you omit this parameter, and there is no local .NET installation, the function fails without generating
an error. If you omit this parameter, there is a local .NET installation, and the specified class is not in the
.NET core classes, ColdFusion generates an error.
server

localhost

Host name or IP address of the server where the .NET-side agent is running. Can be in any of these
forms:

•

server name (for example, myserver)

•

IP address (for example, 127.0.0.1)

You must specify this attribute to access .NET components on a remote server.
port

6086

Port number at which the .NET-side agent is listening.

protocol

tcp

Protocol to use to use for communication between ColdFusion and .NET. Must be one of the following
values:

•

http: Use HTTP/SOAP communication protocol. This option is slower than tcp, but might be
required for access through a firewall.

•
secure

false

tcp: Use binary TCP/IP protocol. This method is more efficient than HTTP.

Whether to secure communications with the .NET-side agent. If true, ColdFusion uses SSL to communicate with .NET.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 722
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Usage
The CreateObject function and cfobject tag differ only in syntax. For more information on creating ColdFusion
.NET objects, see “cfobject: .NET object” on page 410. For detailed information on using the .NET assemblies in
ColdFusion, see “Using Microsoft .NET Assemblies” on page 952 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 723
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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; “Integrating COM and CORBA Objects in CFML Applications” on page 974 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

type

Type of object to create.

class
context

serverName

•

com

•

corba

•

java

•

component

•

webservice

Component ProgID for the object to invoke.

•
•
•

InProc
Local
Remote

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 724
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Usage
The following example creates the Windows Collaborative Data Objects (CDO) for NTS NewMail object to send
mail. You use this code in a cfscript tag.
Mailer = CreateObject("COM", "CDONTS.NewMail");

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 725
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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
“Building and Using ColdFusion Components” on page 158 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

type

Type of object to create.

component-name

•

com

•

corba

•

java

•

component

•

webservice

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 filename 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();


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 726
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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
“Integrating COM and CORBA Objects in CFML Applications” on page 974 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
See the History section of the main CreateObject function page.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

type

Type of object to create.

context

•

com

•

corba

•

java

•

component

•

webservice

•

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.

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:

•

"/Eng/CF"

•

".current/Eng.current/CF"

ColdFusion 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).

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 727
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Example
myobj = CreateObject("corba", "d:\temp\tester.ior", "ior",
"visibroker") //
uses IOR
myobj = CreateObject("corba", "/Eng/CF", "nameservice",
"visibroker")
// uses nameservice
myobj = CreateObject("corba", "d:\temp\tester.ior", "nameservice")
// uses nameservice and default configuration

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 728
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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.

class

•

com

•

corba

•

java

•

component

•

webservice

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.

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CreateObject: web service object
Description
This function can create a web service object.
Returns
A web service object.
Function syntax
CreateObject(type, urltowsdl[, portname, wsdl2JavaArgs])
OR
CreateObject(type, urltowsdl, argStruct)

Parameters
Parameter

Description

type

Type of object to create.

urltowsdl

•

com

•

corba

•

java

•

component

•

webservice

Specifies the URL to web service WSDL file. One of the following:

•

The absolute URL of the web service

•

The Name (string) assigned in the ColdFusion Administrator to the 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.

wsdl2JavaArgs

A string containing a space-delimited list of arguments to pass to the WSDL2Java tool that generates Java stubs for the
web services. Useful arguments include the following:

•

-W or --noWrapped: Turns off the special treatment of wrapped document/literal style operations.

•

-a or --all: Generates code for all elements in the WSDL, even unreferenced ones.

• -w or --wrapArrays: Prefers building beans to straight arrays for wrapped XML array types. This switch is not in
included in the Axis documentation.
For detailed information on valid arguments, see the Apache Axis WSDL2Java Reference.
argStruct

A structure containing web service configuration arguments. For more information see Usage

Usage
You can use the CreateObject function to create a web service.
The argStruct structure can contain any combination of the following values:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 730
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Name

Default

Description

password

Password set in the
Administrator, if
any

The password to use to access the web service. If the webservice attribute specifies
a web service name configured in the Administrator, overrides any user name specified in the Administrator entry.
See portname in the Syntax Parameter table.

port
proxyPassword

http.proxyPassword
system property, if
any

The user’s password on the proxy server.

proxyPort

http.proxyPort
system property, if
any

The port to use on the proxy server.

proxyServer

http.proxyHost
system property, if
any

The proxy server required to access the webservice URL.

proxyUser

http.proxyUser
system property, if
any

The user ID to send to the proxy server.

refreshWSDL

no

• yes: Reload the WSDL file and regenerate the artifacts used to consume the web
service
•

saveJava

no

no

• yes: Save the Java generated by the WSDL2Java converter that generates Java
web server stubs. This code can be useful in debugging errors.
•

no

timeout

0 (no time-out)

The time-out for retrieving the web service WSDL, in seconds.

username

User name set in the
Administrator, if
any

The user name to use to access the web service. If the webservice attribute specifies
a web service name configured in the Administrator, overrides any user name specified in the Administrator entry.

wsdl2javaArgs

See the Syntax parameter table.

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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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), Adobe
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:
#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")#
      • 

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 732
CFML Reference


    
    
    


    Enter the year, month and day, as integers:

    Year

Month

Day

Hour

Minute 
Second 

    

     


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 733
CFML Reference

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” on page 39

in the ColdFusion 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))#

    • Formatted with CreateODBCDate and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateODBCDate(yourDate), "mmmm d, yyyy")#

    • Formatted with CreateODBCDateTime and DateFormat:
#DateFormat(CreateODBCDateTime(yourDate), "d/m/yy")#

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 734
CFML Reference


    
    
    


    Enter a year, month and day, as integers:

    Year



Month



Day



Hour



Minute


Second



    

     


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 735
CFML Reference

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” on page 39 in the ColdFusion

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 

    

     


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 736
CFML Reference

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” on page 39 in the ColdFusion

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 CFINPUT TYPE="Text" NAME="hour" VALUE="16" RANGE="0,23"
MESSAGE="You must enter an hour (0-23)" VALIDATE="integer" REQUIRED="Yes">
Minute 
Second 

    

     
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 737
CFML Reference

CreateTimeSpan
Description
Creates a date/time object that defines a time period. You can add or subtract it from other date-time 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” on page 226 in the

ColdFusion 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 date-time 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




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 738
CFML Reference



    

    

Park Name


Region


State


    


    

#GetParks.CurrentRow#


#ParkName#


#Region#


#State#


    



    


See next #MaxRows# rows



    

    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 739
CFML Reference

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()#
    
    


     
    


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 740
CFML Reference

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



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 741
CFML Reference











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:





ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 743
CFML Reference

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)#
#TimeFormat(FORM.date2)# (Date 2)
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 744
CFML Reference

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
    



1) is equal
2)
    

1) is later
2)
    


    

    

    Date 1

    

    Date 2

    

    Specify precision to the:

    

    


    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 745
CFML Reference

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
conversion-type

date

Description

•

local2Utc: Converts local time to UTC time.

•

utc2Local: Converts UTC time to local time.

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(2007, 4, 10))#

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#.
    


    Your date and time value, converted to Coordinated Universal Time
(UTC): #yourUTC#.
    

    Your UTC date and time, converted back to local date and time:

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 746
CFML Reference

#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

    

    


    

    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 747
CFML Reference

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 that specifies 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.
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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 748
CFML Reference

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 ...



    Please enter two valid date/time values, formatted like this:
#DateFormat(Now())#




    Date 1

Date 2

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 749
CFML Reference


What kind of unit to show difference?


    



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 750
CFML Reference

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 ddmmm-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
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

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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 751
CFML Reference

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, Adobe 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 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")#

    


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 752
CFML Reference

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:

date

•

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/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


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 753
CFML Reference


      

    • 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)#
      • 

    


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 754
CFML Reference

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



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 755
CFML Reference

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



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 756
CFML Reference

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 [, locale])

See also
Day, DayOfWeek, DayOfYear, DaysInMonth, DaysInYear, FirstDayOfMonth
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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).

locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 757
CFML Reference

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



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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



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 759
CFML Reference

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)#).


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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, PrecisionEvaluate, “Using Expressions and Number Signs” on page 50 in the ColdFusion
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, Evaluate, or PrecisionEvaluate 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 (#). The
ColdFusion function evaluates the variable regardless of whether the DE function is present.
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:





ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 761
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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.

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.
2
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.

The cfset tag gets the expression result="Green", and sets the value of the myresult variable to the string
Green.

6

ColdFusion evaluates #myresult# in the output text, replaces the variable with its value, the string Green, and
displays the result.

7

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))#





    Sorry, there’s been an Error.
Try a simple expression, such as "2+2".
    



    #cfcatch.message#





    Enter any valid ColdFusion expression
    



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 762
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ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 763
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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))#


    
    

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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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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, IVorSalt, iterations])

See also
Duplicate, Encrypt

History
ColdFusion 8: Added support for encryption using the RSA BSafe Crypto-J library on Enterprise Edition.
ColdFusion MX 7.01: Added the IVorSalt and iterations parameters.
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
string generated by the generateSecretKey() method.

algorithm

(Optional) The Enterprise Edition of ColdFusion installs the RSA BSafe Crypto-J library, which provides FIPS-140
Compliant Strong Cryptography. For a list of algorithms, see the Encrypt function.
The Standard Edition of ColdFusion installs a cryptography library with the following algorithms:

•

CFMX_COMPAT: the algorithm used in ColdFusion MX 7 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).

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Parameter

Description

IVorSalt

(Optional) Specify this parameter to adjust ColdFusion encryption to match the details of other encryption software. If you specify this parameter, you must also specify the algorithm parameter.

•

For Block Encryption Algorithms: This is the binary Initialization Vector value to use with the algorithm. The
algorithm must contain a Feedback Mode other than ECB. This must be a binary value that is exactly the same
size as the algorithm block size.

•
iterations

For Password Based Encryption Algorithms: This is the binary Salt value to transform the password into a key.

(Optional) The number of iterations to transform the password into a binary key. Specify this parameter to adjust
ColdFusion encryption to match the details of other encryption software. If you specify this parameter, you must
also specify the algorithm parameter with a Password Based Encryption (PBE) algorithm. Do not specify this
parameter for Block Encryption Algorithms. You must use the same value to encrypt and decrypt the data.

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 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, cannot provide technical support
for third-party 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#
    
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 767
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Select the encoding
    

    

    
Select the algorithm
    

    

    
Input your key (used for CFMX_COMPAT encryption only)
    

    

    
Enter string to encrypt
    

    


    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 768
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DecryptBinary
Description
Decrypts encrypted binary data with the specified key, value, algorithm, salt, and iterations.
Returns
Unencrypted binary data.
Category
Security functions, String functions
Function syntax
DecryptBinary(bytes, key[, algorithm, IVorSalt, iterations])

See also
Duplicate, Encrypt, Decrypt

History
ColdFusion 8: Added support for encryption using the RSA BSafe Crypto-J library on Enterprise Edition.
ColdFusion MX 7.01: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

bytes

Binary data to decrypt.

key

String. For the CFMX_COMPAT algorithm, the seed that was used to encrypt the binary data; for
all other algorithms, the string generated by the generateSecretKey() method.

algorithm

(Optional) The Enterprise Edition of ColdFusion installs the RSA BSafe Crypto-J library, which
provides FIPS-140 Compliant Strong Cryptography. For a list of algorithms, see the Encrypt
function.
The Standard Edition of ColdFusion installs a cryptography library with the following algorithms:

•

CFMX_COMPAT: the algorithm used in ColdFusion 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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 769
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Parameter

Description

IVorSalt

(Optional) Specify this parameter to adjust ColdFusion encryption to match the details of other
encryption software. If you specify this parameter, you must also specify the algorithm
parameter.

•

For Block Encryption Algorithms: This is the binary Initialization Vector value to use with
the algorithm. The algorithm must contain a Feedback Mode other than ECB. This must be a
binary value that is exactly the same size as the algorithm block size.

•

For Password Based Encryption Algorithms:- This is the binary Salt value to transform the
password into a key.

iterations

(Optional) The number of iterations to transform the password into a binary key. Specify this
parameter to adjust ColdFusion encryption to match the details of other encryption software.
If you specify this parameter, you must also specify the algorithm parameter with a Password
Based Encryption (PBE) algorithm. Do not specify this parameter for Block Encryption Algorithms. You must use the same value must to encrypt and decrypt the data.

Usage
This function uses a symmetric key-based algorithm, in which the same key is used to encrypt and decrypt data. The
parameter values must match the values used to encode the string. The security of the encrypted string depends on
maintaining the secrecy of the key.
ColdFusion 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, cannot provide technical support
for third-party security providers.
Example

    DecryptBinary Example
    
< !--- Do the following if the form has been submitted. --->



/* 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=encryptBinary(myData, theKey, Form.myAlgorithm);
//Decrypt it
decrypted=decryptBinary(encrypted, theKey, Form.myAlgorithm);







The algorithm: #Form.myAlgorithm#
    
The key: #theKey#
    

    
The InputFile: #Form.myfile# 
    

    
Encrypted: #encfile#
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 770
CFML Reference


    
Decrypted: #decfile#
    
    
    


    
Select the algorithm
    

    

    
Input your key (used for CFMX_COMPAT encryption only)
    

    

    
Enter filename to encrypt
    

    


    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 771
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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.


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 772
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DeserializeJSON
Description
Converts a JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) string data representation into CFML data, such as a CFML structure
or array.
Returns
The data value in ColdFusion format: a structure, array, query, or simple value.
Category
Conversion functions

Syntax
DeserializeJSON(JSONVar[, strictMapping])

See also
IsJSON, SerializeJSON, cfajaxproxy, “Using Ajax Data and Development Features” on page 648 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, http://www.json.org
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

JSONVar

A string that contains a valid JSON construct, or variable that represents one.

strictMapping

A Boolean value that specifies whether to convert the JSON strictly, as follows:

•

true: (Default) Convert the JSON string to ColdFusion data types that correspond directly to the JSON data types.

•

false: Determine if the JSON string contains representations of ColdFusion queries, and if so, convert them to

queries.

Usage
This function is useful any time a ColdFusion page receives data as JSON strings. It is useful in ColdFusion applications that use Ajax to represent data on the client browser, and lets you consume on the server JSON format data
from the client-side Ajax JavaScript. You can also use it on pages that get data from services that supply data as JavaScript function calls with JSON parameters; the example shows this use case.
The DeserializeJSON function converts each JSON data type directly into the equivalent ColdFusion data type, as
follows:

•

If the strictMapping parameter is true (the default), all JSON objects become CFML structures.

• If the strictMapping parameter is false, ColdFusion determines if JSON objects represent queries and, if so,
converts them to ColdFusion query object. All other JSON objects become ColdFusion structures. The
DeserializeJSON function recognizes a JSON structure as a query and converts it properly if the structure uses
either of the two query representation formats described in the SerializeJSON reference.
•

JSON Arrays, Strings, and Numbers become ColdFusion arrays, strings, and numbers.

•

The JSON null value becomes the string null.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 773
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• JSON string representations of a dates and times remain strings, but ColdFusion date/time handling code can
recognize them as representing dates and times.
Example
This example displays weather information from a JSON-format data feed that is generated by the example for the
SerializeJSON function. Similar code might consume data that is exported as a JavaScript page. The feed is in the
form of a JavaScript function call where the parameter is a JSON string that contains the feed data. The example does
the following operations:
1

Uses a cfhttp tag to get the feed (in the cfhttp.fileContent variable).

2

Strips the function call wrapper from the text.

Uses the IsJSON function to check whether the result of the previous step is a valid JSON format string. If it is
not, it displays a message and stops processing.

3

4 If the string is valid JSON text, uses the DeserializeJSON function to convert the string to a ColdFusion
variable; in this case, a structure that contains two arrays that represent a ColdFusion query. The first array has the
query column names, the second has the query data.
5

Parses the object and displays the contents of its arrays.

To run this example, put this file and the example for the SerializeJSON function in an appropriate location under
your ColdFusion web root, replace the URL with the correct URL for the serialization example, and run this page.








    The URL you requested does not provide valid JSON
    














    #cfData.DATA[i][cityIdx]#
    
Current Temperature: #cfData.DATA[i][tempIdx]#

    
Forecasts

    


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 774
CFML Reference

Day #j#
    
Outlook: #cfData.DATA[i][fcstIdx][j].WEATHER#
    
High: #cfData.DATA[i][fcstIdx][j].HIGH#
    
Low: #cfData.DATA[i][fcstIdx][j].LOW#

    
    
    
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 775
CFML Reference

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.
    
    
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 776
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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))#

    
    
    
...

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 777
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DotNetToCFType
Description
Explicitly converts a value returned by a .NET method to the corresponding ColdFusion data type.
Returns
A ColdFusion data value.
Category
Structure functions, System functions
Function syntax
DotNetToCFType(variable_name)

See also
CreateObject: .NET object, cfobject: .NET object, “Converting between .NET and ColdFusion data types”
on page 960 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

variable_name

Name of the .NET variable to convert

Usage
For detailed information on when and why you use this function, see “Working with complex .NET data types” on
page 964 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Example
The following example creates a .NET System.Data.DataTable object and converts it to a ColdFusion query.










ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 778
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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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Changed behavior: this function can duplicate CFCs.
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.
When you duplicate a CFC instance, the entire CFC contents is copied, including the values of the variables in the
this scope at the time you call the Duplicate function. Thereafter, the two CFC instances are independent, and
changes to one copy, for example by calling one of its functions, have no effect on the other copy.
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#
    
    

779

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, IVorSalt, iterations])

See also
Decrypt, EncryptBinary, DecryptBinary

History
ColdFusion 8: Added support for encryption using the RSA BSafe Crypto-J library on Enterprise Edition.
ColdFusion MX 7.01 : Added the IVorSalt and iterations parameters.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added the algorithm and encoding parameters.
Parameters
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 GenerateS-

ecretKey function to generate the key.
algorithm

(Optional) The algorithm to use to encrypt the string.
The Enterprise Edition of ColdFusion installs the RSA BSafe Crypto-J library, which provides FIPS-140 Compliant Strong
Cryptography. It includes the following algorithms:

•

AES: the Advanced Encryption Standard specified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
FIPS-197.

•

DES: the Data Encryption Standard algorithm defined by NIST FIPS-46-3.

•

DES-EDE: the "Triple DES" algorithm defined by NIST FIPS-46-3.

•

DESX: The extended Data Encryption Standard symmetric encryption algorithm.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 780
CFML Reference

Parameter

Description

•

RC2: The RC2 block symmetric encryption algorithm defined by RFC 2268.

•

RC4: The RC4 symmetric encryption algorithm.

•

RC5: The RC5 encryption algorithm.

•

PBE: Password-based encryption algorithm defined in PKCS #5.

•

MD2: The MD2 hash algorithm defined by RFC 1319.

•

MD5: The defined by RFC 1321.

•

RIPEMD160: RACE Integrity Primitives Evaluation Message Digest 160-bit message digest algorithm and cryptographic hash function.

•

SHA-1: The 160-bit secure hash algorithm defined by FIPS 180-2 and FIPS 198.

•

SHA-224: The 224-bit secure hash algorithm defined by FIPS 180-2 and FIPS 198.

•

SHA-256: The 256-bit secure hash algorithm defined by FIPS 180-2 and FIPS 198.

•

SHA-384: The 384-bit secure hash algorithm defined by FIPS 180-2 and FIPS 198.

•

SHA-512: The 512-bit secure hash algorithm defined by FIPS 180-2 and FIPS 198.

•

HMAC-MD5: The hash message authentication code calculated using the MD5 hash algorithm.

• HMAC-RIPEMD160: The hash message authentication code calculated using the RACE Integrity Primitives Evaluation Message Digest 160-bit message digest algorithm and cryptographic hash function.
•

HMAC-SHA1: The hash message authentication code calculated using the 160-bit secure hash algorithm defined
by FIPS 180-2 and FIPS 198.

• HMAC-SHA224: The hash message authentication code calculated using the 224-bit secure hash algorithm defined
by FIPS 180-2 and FIPS 198.
• HMAC-SHA256: The hash message authentication code calculated using the 256-bit secure hash algorithm defined
by FIPS 180-2 and FIPS 198.
• HMAC-SHA384: The hash message authentication code calculated using the 384-bit secure hash algorithm defined
by FIPS 180-2 and FIPS 198.
• HMAC-SHA512: The hash message authentication code calculated using the 512-bit secure hash algorithm defined
by FIPS 180-2 and FIPS 198.
•

RSA: The RSA public key algorithm defined by PKCS#1 v1.5 and v2.0.

•

DSA: The digital signature algorithm defined by FIPS 186-2.

•

Diffie-Hellman: The Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithmdefined by PKCS #3.

In addition to these algorithms, you can use the algorithms provided in the Standard Edition of ColdFusion.
The Standard Edition of ColdFusion 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.

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Parameter

Description

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.

IVorSalt

•

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).

(Optional) Specify this parameter to adjust ColdFusion encryption to match the details of other encryption software. If
you specify this parameter, you must also specify the algorithm parameter.

•

For Block Encryption algorithms: This is the binary Initialization Vector value to use with the algorithm. The algorithm must contain a Feedback Mode other than ECB. This must be a binary value that is exactly the same size as the
algorithm block size. You must use the same value in the Decrypt function to successfully decrypt the data.

•

For Password Based Encryption algorithms: This is the binary Salt value to transform the password into a key. The
same value must be used to decrypt the data.
iterations

(Optional) The number of iterations to transform the password into a binary key. Specify this parameter to adjust ColdFusion encryption to match the details of other encryption software. If you specify this parameter, you must also specify
the algorithm parameter with a Password Based Encryption (PBE) algorithm. Do not specify this parameter for Block
Encryption algorithms. You must use the same value to encrypt and decrypt the data.

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.
The following are the FIPS-140 approved algorithms included in the RSA BSafe Crypto-J library:

•

AES – ECB, CBC, CFB (128), OFB (128) – [128, 192, 256 bit key sizes]

•

AES – CTR

•

Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement

•

DSA

•

FIPS 186-2 General Purpose [(x-Change Notice); (SHA-1)]

•

FIPS 186-2 [(x-Change Notice); (SHA-1)]

•

HMAC-SHAx (where x is 1, 224, 256, 384, or 512)

•

RSASSA-PSS (sign, verify) (SHA-1)

•

RSASSA-PSS (sign, verify) (SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512)

•

RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 (sign, verify) (SHA-1,SHA-224,SHA-256,SHA-384,SHA-512)

•

Secure Hash Standard (SHA-1, SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512)

•

Triple DES - ECB, CBC, CFB (64 bit), and OFB (64 bit)

•

RSA X9.31 (keygen, sign, verify)

All algorithms included in the RSA BSafe Crypto-J library are available for use in the Enterprise Edition. In certain
cases, you may want to restrict the available algorithms to FIPS-140 approved algorithms only. To do so, you specify
the following in the JVM arguments on the Java and JVM page of the ColdFusion Administrator:
-Dcoldfusion.enablefipscrypto=true

FIPS-140 approved cryptography is not available if you are running ColdFusion on Websphere of JBoss.

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To use the IBM/Lotus Sametime Instant Messaging Gateway in the Enterprise edition, you must disable the FIPS140-only cryptography setting by specifying the following in the JVM arguments on the Java and JVM page of the
ColdFusion Administrator:
-Dcoldfusion.disablejsafe=true

In Standard Edition, for all algorithms except the default algorithm, ColdFusion uses the Java Cryptography
Extension (JCE) and installs a Sun Java 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, cannot provide technical support for third-party security providers.
The default algorithm, which is the same one 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#
    
    
    


    
Select the encoding
    

    

    
Select the algorithm
    

    

    
Input your key (used for CFMX_COMPAT encryption only)
    

    

    
Enter string to encrypt
    

    


    

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EncryptBinary
Description
Encrypts binary data using a specific algorithm and encoding method.
Returns
Binary data.
Category
Security functions, String functions
Function syntax
EncryptBinary(bytes, key [, algorithm, IVorSalt, iterations])

See also
Decrypt, DecryptBinary, Encrypt

History
ColdFusion 8: Added support for encryption using the RSA BSafe Crypto-J library on Enterprise Edition.
ColdFusion MX 7.01 : Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

bytes

Bindary data 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 GenerateS-

ecretKey function to generate the key.
algorithm

(Optional) The algorithm to use to decrypt the string.
The Enterprise Edition of ColdFusion installs the RSA BSafe Crypto-J library, which provides FIPS-140 Compliant Strong
Cryptography. For a list of algorithms, see the Encrypt function.
The Standard Edition of ColdFusion installs a cryptography library with the following algorithms:

•

CFMX_COMPAT: the algorithm used in ColdFusion 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.

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Parameter

Description

IVorSalt

(Optional) Specify this parameter to adjust ColdFusion encryption to match the details of other encryption software. If
you specify this parameter, you must also specify the algorithm parameter.

•

For Block Encryption algorithms: This is the binary Initialization Vector value to use with the algorithm. The algorithm must contain a Feedback Mode other than ECB. This must be a binary value that is exactly the same size as the
algorithm block size. You must use the same value in the Decrypt function to successfully decrypt the data.

•

For Password Based Encryption algorithms: This is the binary Salt value to transform the password into a key. The
same value must be used to decrypt the data.
iterations

(Optional) The number of iterations to transform the password into a binary key. Specify this parameter to adjust
ColdFusion encryption to match the details of other encryption software. If you specify this parameter, you must also
specify the algorithm parameter with a Password Based Encryption (PBE) algorithm. Do not specify this parameter for
Block Encryption algorithms. You must use the same value to encrypt and decrypt the data.

Usage
This function uses a symmetric key-based algorithm, in which the same key is used to encrypt and decrypt binary
data. The security of the encrypted data 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, 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 binary data. It encrypts the binary data contained in a file and then
decrypts the encrypted file. 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.

    EncryptBinary 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=encryptBinary(myData, theKey, Form.myAlgorithm);
//Decrypt it
decrypted=decryptBinary(encrypted, theKey, Form.myAlgorithm);







The algorithm: #Form.myAlgorithm#
    
The key: #theKey#
    

    
The InputFile: #Form.myfile# 
    

    
Encrypted: #encfile#
    

    
Decrypted: #decfile#
    
    
    


    
Select the algorithm
    

    

    
Input your key (used for CFMX_COMPAT encryption only)
    

    

    
Enter filename to encrypt
    

    


    

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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, PrecisionEvaluate, “Using Expressions and Number Signs” on page 50 in the ColdFusion Developer’s
Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string_expression1,
Expressions to evaluate
string_expression2...

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:


Example


    Evaluate Example
    






The value of the expression #Evaluate(DE(FORM.MyExpression))#
is #theExpression#.
    

The value of the expression #FORM.MyExpression#
is #theExpression#.
    
    

Could not evaluate the expression #Form.myExpression#.
    
Make sure you enter a valid ColdFusion Expression.
    

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    Enter a ColdFusion expression for evaluation
    

    

    

    

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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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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 filename, 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")

Example

    ExpandPath Example - View Only
    







    
    


    Please enter a filename
    
    
    

    

    Enter the name of a file in this directory 
(try expandpath.cfm)
    



    
--->

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FileClose
Description
Closes a file that is open. When you use the FileOpen function, ColdFusion returns a handle to a file object.When
you close the file, the handle is still available; however, it lists the file as closed.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
FileClose(fileObj)

See also
FileCopy, FileIsEOF, FileOpen, FileRead, FileReadLine, FileWrite

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

fileobj

The file to close.

Usage
You should always close a file after opening it. When you use the FileOpen function to open a file, the file stream
from the disk is opened and contents are read from or written to it. The FileClose function closes the stream. If
you do not close a file, the stream remains open; in that case, the operating system can lock the file, which results in
the file not being usable until the server is restarted.
Example
The following example checks to see if a file is still open and closes it.

myfile = FileOpen("c:\ColdFusionScorpio\wwwroot\test1.txt", "read");
while(NOT FileIsEOF(myfile))
{
x = FileReadLine(myfile);
WriteOutput("#x# 
    ");
}
    


The file #myfile.filepath# is #myfile.status#
    

FileClose(myfile);

    

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FileCopy
Description
Copies the specified source file to the specified destination file.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
FileCopy(source, destination)

See also
FileClose, FileIsEOF, FileOpen, FileRead, FileReadLine, FileWrite, cffile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

source

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

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

Example
The following example copies the test1.txt file from the c:\testingdir\ directory to the c:\productiondir\ directory in
Windows and names the new copy of the file test2.txt:

    FileCopy Example
    




A copy of #destinationfile# already exists.


FileCopy(#sourcefile#, #destinationfile#);

Copied: #sourcefile# 
    
To: #destinationfile#
    
    

The source file does not exist.
    
    

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FileDelete
Description
Deletes the specified file on the server.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
FileDelete(filepath)

See also
FileClose, FileIsEOF, FileOpen, FileRead, FileReadLine, FileWrite, cffile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

filepath

Pathname of the file to delete. If not an absolute path (starting 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 file c:\productiondir\test1.txt before moving c:\testdir\test1.txt:

    FileDelete Example
    




The destination file already exists.
    
Deleting previous copy of #destinationfile#.
    
Moving: #sourcefile# 
    
To: 
     #destinationfile#.
    

FileDelete(#destinationfile#);
FileMove(#sourcefile#, #destinationfile#);



FileMove(#sourcefile#, #destinationfile#);

Moved: #sourcefile# 
    
To: 
     #destinationfile#.
    
    

The source file does not exist.
    
    

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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 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 filename, #GetFileFromPath("#thisPath#/#yourfile#")#
    


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FileIsEOF
Description
Determines whether ColdFusion has reached the end of the file while reading it.
Returns
Yes, if the end of the file has been reached; No, otherwise.
Category
System functions, Decision functions
Function syntax
FileIsEOF(fileObj)

See also
FileClose, FileOpen, FileRead, FileReadLine

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

fileObj

The file object.

Example
The following example reads a file until it reaches the end of the file:

    FileIsEOF Example
    

myfile = FileOpen("c:\ColdFusionScorpio\wwwroot\test1.txt", "read");
while(NOT FileIsEOF(myfile))
{
x = FileReadLine(myfile);
WriteOutput("#x# 
    ");
}
FileClose(myfile);
    

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FileMove
Description
Moves a file from one location to another on the server.
Category
System functions
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Function syntax
FileMove(source, destination)

See also
FileClose, FileCopy, FileOpen, FileRead, FileReadLine, FileWrite, cffile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

source

Pathname of the file to move. If not an absolute path (starting 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

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

Example
The following example moves the test1.txt file from the c:\testingdir\ directory to the c:\productiondir\ directory in
Windows and renames the file test2.txt:

    FileMove Example
    




The destination file already exists.


FileMove(#sourcefile#, #destinationfile#);

Moved: #sourcefile# 
    
To: 
     #destinationfile#.
    
    

The source file does not exist.
    
    

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FileOpen
Description
Opens a file to read, write, or append. Use this function with the FileRead function to read large files.
Returns
The filename, the absolute filepath, when the file was most recently modified, the mode for which you opened the
file, the file size in bytes, and whether the file is open or closed.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
FileOpen(filepath, [mode, charset])

See also
FileClose, FileCopy, FileReadBinary, FileRead, FileReadLine, FileWrite, cffile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

filepath

An absolute path of a file on the server.

mode

Action to perform on the file, including the following:

•
•
•
•

read
readBinary
write
append

If you do not specify the mode, ColdFusion opens the file in read mode.
charset

The character set of the file.

Usage
The file object is a handle to a file. The handle includes the following information:

•

filename Name of the file you opened

•

filepath

•

lastmodified The time when the file was most recently modified

•

mode The action for which the file was opened

•

size The file size in bytes

•

status

Absolute path and filename

Whether the file object is open or closed

You refer to these as elements of a structure, for example fileobj.filename. The following opens a file, and then
displays the absolute path and filename of that file:

myfile = FileOpen("c:\temp\test1.txt", "read");


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 799
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myfile refers to:


You should always close a file after opening it. When you use the FileOpen function to open a file, the file stream
from the disk is opened and contents are read from or written to it. The FileClose function closes the stream. If
you do not close a file, the stream remains open; in that case, the operating system can lock the file, which results in
the file not being usable until the server is restarted.
Example
The following example opens a file, reads and outputs each line of the file, then closes the file.

    FileOpen Example
    

myfile = FileOpen("c:\temp\test1.txt", "read");
while(NOT FileIsEOF(myfile))
{
x = FileReadLine(myfile);
WriteOutput("#x# 
    "); }
FileClose(myfile);
    

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FileRead
Description
Reads a text file or a file object created with the FileOpen function. You use this function either as an alternative to
the cffile tag with the action="read" attribute or to read very large file by reading the file object created by the
FileOpen function to improve performance, because FileRead does not read the entire file into memory.
Returns
If you specify a filepath, the full text content of the file.
If you specify a file object, the character or byte buffer of the specified size.
If the file was opened in read mode, FileRead returns the character data (a string), otherwise it returns binary data.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
FileRead(filepath [, charset])
OR
FileRead(fileobj [, buffersize])

See also
FileClose, FileIsEOF, FileReadBinary, FileReadLine, FileWrite

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

filepath

An absolute path to a text file on the server.

charset

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.
fileobj

The file object from which to read.

buffersize

The number of characters to read.

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Usage
You can read a text file or a file object with the FileRead function. When you specify an absolute path of a text file,
ColdFusion reads the entire contents of the file. When you specify a file object, which you created using the
FileOpen function, ColdFusion reads the number of characters specified in buffersize.
Example

    FileRead Example - Reading a file
    


myfile = FileRead("c:\temp\myfile.txt");
WriteOutput("#myfile#");




myfile = FileOpen("c:\temp\test1.txt", "read");
x = FileRead(myfile, 100);
WriteOutput("#x#");
FileClose(myfile);


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FileReadBinary
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 by 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.
Returns
The entire contents of a binary file.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
FileReadBinary(filepath)

See also
FileClose, FileIsEOF, FileRead, FileReadLine, FileWrite

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

filepath

An absolute path to a binary file on the server

Usage
You convert the binary file to Base64 to transfer it to another site. ColdFusion 8 supports reading an image file as a
binary and passing the result to a cfimage.
Example
The following example reads a binary file.

    FileReadBinary Example
    

myfile = FileReadBinary("c:\testingdir\test3.jpg");


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FileReadLine
Description
Reads a line from the file.
Returns
The line of the file.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
FileReadLine(fileObj)

See also
FileClose, FileIsEOF, FileRead, FileWrite

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

fileObj

The file object

Example
The following example opens a file, reads each line, outputs each line, and then closes the file.

    FileReadLIne Example
    

myfile = FileOpen("c:\ColdFusionScorpio\wwwroot\test1.txt", "read");
while(NOT FileisEOF(myfile))
{
x = FileReadLine(myfile); // read line
WriteOutput("#x#");
}
FileClose(myfile);
FileSetAccessMode Example
    

FileSetAccessMode("test1.txt", "004");


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FileSetAttribute
Description
Sets the attributes of a file in Windows.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
FileSetAttribute(filepath, attribute)

See also
FileCopy, FileDelete, FileExists, FileMove

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

filepath

An absolute path to a file on the server.

attribute

One of the following:

•
•
•

readOnly
hidden
normal

Set the attribute to normal to make a file not read-only and not hidden.

Example
The following example sets the access mode of a file to be read-only.

    FileSetAttribute Example
    

FileSetAttribute("c:\temp\test1.txt", "readOnly");


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FileSetLastModified
Description
Sets the date when the file was most recently modified.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
FileSetLastModified(filepath, date)

See also
FileCopy, FileDelete, FileExists, FileMove, FileSetAccessMode, FileSetAttribute

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

filepath

An absolute path to a file on the server.

date

A valid ColdFusiondate or datetime.

Example

FileSetLastModified("c:\temp\test1.txt", "#Now()#");
WriteOutput(#GetFileInfo("c:\temp\test1.txt").lastmodified#);


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 807
CFML Reference

FileWrite
Description
If you specify a file path, writes the entire content to the file. If you specify a file object, writes text or binary data to
the file object.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
FileWrite(filepath, data [, charset])
OR
FileWrite(fileobj, data)

See also
FileCopy, FileDelete, FileExists, FileMove, cffile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

charset

The character encoding in which the file contents is encoded. The following list includes commonly used values:

•
•

utf-8

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

windows-1252

iso-8859-1

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.
data

Content of the file or file object to create.

fileobj

Name of the file object to write.

filepath

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.

Example

    FileWrite Example
    




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 808
CFML Reference



SELECT EMAIL
FROM Employees






FileWrite("mail_list", "#companymail#");
mlist = FileRead("mail_list");
FileWrite("c:\temp\mail_list.txt", "#mlist#");


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 809
CFML Reference

FileWriteLine
Description
Appends the specified text to the file object.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
FileWriteLine(fileobj, text)

See also
FileCopy, FileDelete, FileExists, FileMove, FileWrite, cffile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

text

Content to add to the file object.

fileobj

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.

Example

    FileWriteLine Example
    

myfile = FileOpen("c:\temp\test1.txt", "read");
FileWriteLine(myfile,"this line is new");
FileWrite("c:\temp\mail_list.txt", "#myfile#");
FileClose(myfile);


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 810
CFML Reference

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)#
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 811
CFML Reference

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)#

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 812
CFML Reference

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)#
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 813
CFML Reference

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 that corresponds 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.


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 814
CFML Reference

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)#
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 815
CFML Reference

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)#
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 816
CFML Reference

GenerateSecretKey
Description
Gets a secure key value for use in the Encrypt function.
Returns
A string that contains the encryption key.
Category
Security functions, String functions
Function syntax
GenerateSecretKey(algorithm [,keysize])

See also
Decrypt, Encrypt

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the keysize attribute.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

algorithm

The encryption algorithm for which to generate the key. ColdFusion 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.
keysize

Number of bits requested in the key for the specified algorithm.
You can use this to request longer keys when allowed by the JDK. For example, the AES algorithm keys are limited to
128 bits unless the Java Unlimited Strength Jurisdiction Policy Files are installed. For more information, see
http://java.sun.com/products/jce/index-14.html.

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 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, cannot provide technical support
for third-party security providers.
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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 817
CFML Reference


    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
    

    


    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 818
CFML Reference

GetAuthUser
Description
Gets the name of an authenticated user.
Returns
The name of an authenticated user.
Category
Security functions
Function syntax
GetAuthUser()

See also
cflogin, cfloginuser, cflogout, GetUserRoles, IsUserInAnyRole, IsUserInRole, IsUserLoggedIn, “Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion 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()#

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 819
CFML Reference

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” on page 202 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

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


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 820
CFML Reference

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” on page 202 in the ColdFusion 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.
    
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 821
CFML Reference

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()#

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 822
CFML Reference

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.
    


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 823
CFML Reference

GetComponentMetaData
Description
Gets metadata (such as the functions and implemented interfaces of a component) for a CFC or ColdFusion
interface.
Returns
A structure containing the metadata for the CFC or interface. For information on the structure contents, see the
component entry in the table in the GetMetaData Usage section.
Category
Extensibility functions
Function syntax
GetComponentMetaData(path)

See also
GetMetaData

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

path

The dot-delimited path of the interface or CFC definition.
The path can be relative to the current directory or the web root. For example, if a cfm page that calls this function is in
web_root/my_apps/interfaces, the interface file is in web_root/my_apps/interfaces/definitions, and you want to get the
metadata for the interface defined in I2.cfc, specify either of the following values in this parameter:

•

definitions.I2

•

my_apps.interface.definitions.I2.cfc

Usage
This function and the getMetaData function return the same data. This function, however, takes a path to the CFC
or Interface definition file, and does not use or create an object instance. Also, this function can get data about CFCs
and interfaces only, and you cannot specify an interface in the getMetaData function.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 824
CFML Reference

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 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 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:
 

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 825
CFML Reference

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()#

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 826
CFML Reference

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 filename,
#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 filename
    
    
    

    

    Enter the name of a file in this directory 
(try expandpath.cfm)
    


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 827
CFML Reference



     --->

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 828
CFML Reference

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
scope_name

Description

•

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.");
WriteOutput("The encoding is " & theEncoding);
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 829
CFML Reference

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# 
    
    
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 830
CFML Reference

GetFileInfo
Description
Retrieves information about a file.
Returns
The filename, path, parent directory, type, size, when the file was most recently modified, whether the file has read
permission, write permission, and is hidden.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
GetFileInfo(path)

See also
FileOpen

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

path

Absolute path (drive, directory, filename, and extension)

Usage
The function returns a structure that includes the following keys:

•

Name: name of the file

•

Path: absolute path of the file

•

Parent: path to the file’s parent directory

•

Type: either "directory" or "file"

•

Size: file size in bytes

•

Lastmodified: datetime when it was the file was most recently modified

•

canRead: whether the file can be read

•

canWrite: whether the file has write permission

•

isHidden: whether the file is a hidden

Example

FileSetLastModified("c:\temp\test1.txt", "#Now()#");
WriteOutput(#GetFileInfo("c:\temp\test1.txt").lastmodified#);


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 831
CFML Reference

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:






...

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 832
CFML Reference

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#
    
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 833
CFML Reference

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 Administrator Event Gateways section’s Gateways page.

Usage
The ColdFusion GetGatewayHelper function returns a Java GatewayHelper object that provides event gatewayspecific 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” on page 1069 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide.
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”);


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 834
CFML Reference

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 that contains the following entries:
Structure element

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.




    

    
HTTP Request item
Value 
    

    
#http_item#
#StructFind(x.headers, http_item)#
    


    
request_method
#x.method#
    

    
server_protocol
#x.protocol#
    

    
http_content --- #x.content#
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 835
CFML Reference

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())#


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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 =
$*#GetK2ServerDocCount()#*$

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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 =
$*#GetK2ServerDocCountLimit()#*$

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GetLocale
Description
Gets the current ColdFusion 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 used prior to
the ColdFusion MX 7 release (for example, en_US and English (US)), ColdFusion 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; 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(Espanya).
This function determines whether a locale value is set for ColdFusion. (The value is set with the SetLocale
function.)

•

If the ColdFusion locale value is present, the function returns it.

• If the ColdFusion 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 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 used prior to the ColdFusion MX 7
release.
For more information, see “Locales” on page 341 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

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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:
    






    

    

    
    

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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 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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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:
    







    

    

    
    



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GetLocalHostIP
Description
Returns the localhost IP address, which is 127.0.0.1 for IPv4 and ::1 for IPv6 addresses.
Returns
The localhost IP address.
Category
Decision functions
Function syntax
GetLocalHostIP()

See also
IsLocalHost

History
ColdFusion MX 7.01 : Added this function.
Example

    GetLocalHostIP Example
    
The localhost IP address is #GetLocalHostIP()#.

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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, GetComponentMetaData, 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 user-defined functions that are not part of CFCs. Use the GetComponentMetaData
function to get information about ColdFusion interfaces, or about CFC definitions that you have not instantiated.
The following table lists the data returned by the function for supported object types:

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Object

Field

Description
A structure containing the following fields:

Component
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.

fullname

The dot delimited path from the cf_webroot of the component.

functions

Array of metadata structures for the component’s functions.

hint

Value of the cfcomponent tag displayname attribute, if any.

implements

A structure containing the metadata of the interfaces that the component implements. The
key of the structure is the interface name, and the value is a structure containing the interface
metadata.

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
A structure containing the following fields.

Function
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.

Parameter or Property

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 property 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.

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Object

Field

Description
An array of structures containing the following elements:

Query
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” on page 186 in the
ColdFusion 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
    



SELECT *
FROM Employees



    The Employees table has the following columns
    


#employeemeta[i].name# #employeemeta[i].TypeName#
#employeemeta[i].isCaseSensitive#
    
    
    

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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:
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.

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.

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Field

Description

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# 
    


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GetPageContext
Description
Gets the current ColdFusion PageContext object that provides access to page attributes and configuration, request,
and response objects.
Returns
The current ColdFusion Java PageContext Java object.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
GetPageContext()

History
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Usage
The ColdFusion 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.
The methods supported on the returned PageContext are only those mandated by the JSP specification. To look up
scopes by name, use the StructGet function, for example:



For more information, see your Java Server Pages (JSP) documentation.
Note: On Weblogic, you may need to flush the output of the CFML page (using cfflush) before calling a JSP page. If
you do not, the ColdFusion output appears after the JSP output.
Example



name: #variables.name#
    
Language of the current locale is
#pc.getRequest().getLocale().getDisplayLanguage()#.

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GetPrinterInfo
Description
Determines which print attributes are supported by a selected printer.
Returns
A structure that contains the attributes supported by the printer. If the printer is an empty string, the structure
contains attributes supported by the default printer, if one exists.
Category
System functions
Function syntax
GetPrinterInfo("printer")

See also
cfpdf, cfprint
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

printer

The name of a printer. An example in Windows is “\\s1001prn02\NTN-2W-HP_BW02”. The default is the default printer for
the account where the ColdFusion server is running. Printer names are case-sensitive and must be entered exactly as they
appear in the System Information page of the ColdFusion Administrator.
If you specify an empty string, for example GetPrinterInfo(""), ColdFusion generates and error. Use the following
code to retrieve information on the default printer: GetPrinterInfo().

Usage
Use this function in conjunction with the cfprint tag when processing large print jobs. Not all printers support the
complete list of print attributes allowed by the cfprint tag. If the selected printer does not support a print attribute,
the printer ignores the attribute.
For more information, see “attributeStruct” on page 483.
Example





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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 structure whose format is as follows:

•

Each initialization file section name is a key in the structure

•

Each list of entries in a section of an initialization file is a value in the structure

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

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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#.
    
    

    

    

    
Full Path of Init File



    

    



    

    

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GetReadableImageFormats
Description
Returns a list of image formats that ColdFusion can read on the operating system where ColdFusion is deployed.
Returns
A list of image file formats.
Category
System functions
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Function syntax
GetReadableImageFormats()

See also
GetWriteableImageFormats“Supported image file formats” on page 304

Usage
Use this function to determine image file compatibility on the ColdFusion server.
Example
#GetReadableImageFormats()#

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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” on page 903 in the ColdFusion 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");

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ws.echo_me("hello world");
req = getSOAPRequest(ws);



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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” on page 903 in the ColdFusion 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 IsSOAPRequest
function to determine whether the CFC is running as a web service.
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.

    GetSOAPRequestHeader Example
    









 as XML: " & xmlusername>




 as XML: " & xmlpassword>
















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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” on page 903 in the ColdFusion 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” on page 903 in the ColdFusion 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.
Execute the following example to see how the GetSOAPResponseHeader function operates:


    GetSOAPResponseHeader Example
    


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// 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")#
    

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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.

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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#.
    
    

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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 1

In the following example, the function call requests element number 2 from the string, using the delimiter ":;".
GetToken("red,blue:;red,black,tan:;red,pink,brown:;red,three", 2, ":;")

The output is as follows:
red,black,tan
Example 2


#mystring#

    
    

The output is as follows:
four,

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,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 3


#mystring2#
    
    

The output is as follows:
four,
,five,nine,zero:;
nine,ten:,eleven:;twelve:;thirteen,
,four

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:;".

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Example

    GetToken Example
    











    Element #FORM.ReturnElement# in #FORM.yourString#,
delimited by "#yourDelimiter#"

    is:#GetToken(FORM.yourString, FORM.returnElement, yourDelimiter)#

...

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GetUserRoles
Description
Retrieves the list of roles for the current user. This function returns only ColdFusion roles, not roles set for the servlet
API.
Returns
The list of roles for the current user.
Category
Security functions
Function syntax
GetUserRoles()

See also
cflogin, cfloginuser, cflogout, GetAuthUser, IsUserInAnyRole, IsUserInRole, IsUserLoggedIn,

“Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Example


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GetWriteableImageFormats
Description
Returns a list of image formats that ColdFusion can write on the operating system where ColdFusion is deployed.
Returns
A list of image file formats.
Category
System functions
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Function syntax
GetWriteableImageFormats()

See also
GetReadableImageFormats“Supported image file formats” on page 304

Usage
Use this function to determine image file compatibility on the ColdFusion server.
Example
#GetWriteableImageFormats()#

870

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 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 FIPS180-2.

•

SHA-384: Generates a 64-character string using the SHA-384 algorithm specified by FIPS180-2.

•

SHA-512: Generates an 88-character string using the SHA-1 algorithm specified by FIPS180-2.
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 UTF8. Ignored when using the CFMX_COMPAT algorithm.

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.

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ColdFusion 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, cannot provide technical support
for third-party security providers.
The encoding attribute 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 entries:
User ID

Password

blaw

blaw

dknob

dknob


    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#.





    
User ID: 

    
Password: 


    


    

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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.
Example




    The text without processing
    
#testString#
    

    Using HTMLCodeFormat
    
#HTMLCodeFormat(testString)#

    Using HTMLEditFormat
    
#HTMLEditFormat(testString)#
    

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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 used 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.
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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IIf
Description
Evaluates a Boolean conditional dynamic expression. Depending on whether the expression is yes or no, 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 the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Returns
If result is yes, 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 yes.

string_expression2

A string or a variable that contains one. Expression to evaluate and return if condition is no.

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 DE function.
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.”

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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 (yes: run expression 1; no: run expression 2).
    

    The result of the expression
IIf( Hour(Now()) GTE 12,
DE("It is afternoon or evening"),
DE("It is morning"))
is:
    

#IIf( Hour(Now()) GTE 12,
DE("It is afternoon or evening"),
DE("It is morning"))#



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ImageAddBorder
Description
Adds a rectangular border around the outside edge of a ColdFusion image.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageAddBorder(name, thickness [, color, borderType])

See also
cfimage, ImageDrawRect, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

thickness

Required. Thickness of the border in pixels. The default value is 1. The border is added to the outside edge of the
image; the image area is increased accordingly.

color

Optional. Border color. The default border color is black. See Usage.
Only valid if the borderType is not specified or if borderType = "constant".

borderType

Optional. The type of border:

•

zero: Sets the border color to black.

•

constant: Sets the border to the specified color (default).

•

copy: Sets sample values to copies of the nearest valid pixel. For example, pixels to the left of the valid rectangle assume the value of the valid edge pixel in the same row. Pixels both above and to the left of the valid rectangle assume the value of the upper-left pixel.

• reflect: Mirrors the edges of the source image. For example, if the left edge of the valid rectangle is located
at x = 10, pixel (9, y) is a copy of pixel (10, y) and pixel (6, y) is a copy of pixel (13, y).
•

wrap: Tiles the source image in the plane.

Usage
The thickness of the border is specified in pixels by the thickness parameter. The thickness cannot be less than 0.
For the color value, specify a hexadecimal value or supported named color; see the name list in “Valid HTML named
colors” on page 305. For a hexadecimal value, use the form "##xxxxxx" or "xxxxxx", where x = 0–9 or A–F; use two
number signs or none.
Example
Example 1


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Example 2











Example 3











Example 4










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ImageBlur
Description
Smooths (blurs) the ColdFusion image.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageBlur(name [, blurRadius])

See also
ImageSharpen, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

blurRadius

Optional. The size of the blur radius.
Value must be greater than or equal to 3 and less than or equal to 10. The default value is 3.

Usage
The blurRadius operation affects performance: as the blurRadius value increases, performance decreases.
Example











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ImageClearRect
Description
Clears the specified rectangle by filling it with the background color of the current drawing surface.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageClearRect(name, x, y, width, height)

See also
ImageSetBackgroundColor, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

x

Required. The x coordinate of the rectangle to clear.

y

Required. The y coordinate of the rectangle to clear.

width

Required. The width of the rectangle to clear.

height

Required. The height of the rectangle to clear.

Usage
Use this function in conjunction with the ImageSetBackgroundColor function.
Example
















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ImageCopy
Description
Copies a rectangular area of an image.
Returns
A ColdFusion image for the copied area.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageCopy(name, x, y, width, height [, dx, dy])

See also
ImageNew, ImagePaste, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

x

Required. The x coordinate of the source rectangle.

y

Required. The y coordinate of the source rectangle.

width

Required. The width of the source rectangle.

height

Required. The height of the source rectangle.

dx

Optional. The x coordinate of the destination rectangle.

dy

Optional. The y coordinate of the destination rectangle.

Usage
The rectangle is specified by (x,y,width,height). The area is copied to the rectangle with the upper-left corner
specified by (dx,dy).
Example
Example 1











Example 2

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ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 885
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ImageCrop
Description
Crops a ColdFusion image to a specified rectangular area.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageCrop(name, x, y, width, height)

See also
ImageFlip, ImageResize, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

x

Required. The x origin of the crop area.

y

Required. The y origin of the crop area.

width

Required. The width of the crop area.

height

Required. The height of the crop area.

Usage
The rectangular area cannot be empty, and must be fully contained within the source image bounds.
Example











ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 886
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ImageDrawArc
Description
Draws a circular or elliptical arc.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageDrawArc(name, x, y, width, height, startAngle, arcAngle [, filled])

See also
ImageDrawCubicCurve, ImageDrawOval, ImageDrawQuadraticCurve, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

x

Required. The x coordinate of the upper-left corner of the arc.

y

Required. The y coordinate of the upper-left corner of the arc.

width

Required. The width of the arc.

height

Required. The height of the arc.

startAngle

Required. The beginning angle in degrees.

arcAngle

Required. The angular extent of the arc, relative to the start angle.

filled

Optional. Specify whether the arc is filled:

•

yes: The arc is filled with the specified drawing color.

•

no: Only the outline of the arc is drawn (default).

Usage
The resulting arc begins at startAngle and extends for arcAngle degrees. Degrees start at 0 in the three o’clock
position. A positive value indicates a counter-clockwise rotation; a negative value indicates a clockwise rotation.
The center of the arc is the center of the rectangle whose origin is (x,y) and whose size is specified by the width and
height parameters.
The angles are specified relative to the non-square extents of the bounding rectangle so that 45 degrees always falls
on the line from the center of the ellipse to the upper-right corner of the bounding rectangle. As a result, if the
bounding rectangle is noticeably longer on one axis than the other, the angles to the start and end of the arc segment
are skewed farther along the longer axis of the bounds.
If the filled parameter is set to yes, the area inside the oval is filled with the current drawing color.

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Use the ImageSetDrawingColor and ImageSetDrawingStroke functions to specify the color and line attributes of
the arc. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example











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ImageDrawBeveledRect
Description
Draws a rectangle with beveled edges.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageDrawBeveledRect(name, x, y, width, height, raised [, filled])

See also
ImageClearRect, ImageDrawLine, ImageDrawLines, ImageDrawRect, ImageDrawRoundRect, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

x

Required. The x coordinate of the rectangle.

y

Required. The y coordinate of the rectangle.

width

Required. The width of the rectangle.

height

Required. The height of the rectangle.

raised

Required. Specify whether the rectangle appears raised above the surface or sunk into the surface:

filled

•

yes: The rectangle is raised.

•

no: The rectangle is sunk (default).

Optional. Specify whether the rectangle is filled:

•

yes: The rectangle is filled with the specified drawing color.

•

no: Only the outline of the rectangle is drawn (default).

Usage
The edges of the rectangle are highlighted so that they appear beveled and lit from the upper-left corner. The colors
used for the highlighting effect are determined by the current drawing color.
If the filled parameter is set to yes, the cuboid area is filled with the current drawing color.
Use the ImageSetDrawingColor and ImageSetDrawingStroke functions to specify the color and line attributes of
the rectangle. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example





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ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 890
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ImageDrawCubicCurve
Description
Draws a cubic curve.
Returns
Nothing.
Category,
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageDrawCubicCurve(name, ctrlx1, ctrly1, ctrlx2, ctrly2, x1, y1, x2, y2)

See also
ImageDrawQuadraticCurve, ImageDrawRect, ImageDrawRoundRect, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

ctrlx1

Required. The x coordinate of the first control point of the cubic curve segment.

ctrly1

Required. The y coordinate of the first control point of the cubic curve segment.

ctrlx2

Required. The x coordinate of the second control point of the cubic curve segment.

ctrly2

Required. The y coordinate of the second control point of the cubic curve segment.

x1

Required. The x coordinate of the start point of the cubic curve segment.

y1

Required. The y coordinate of the start point of the cubic curve segment.

x2

Required. The x coordinate of the end point of the cubic curve segment.

y2

Required. The y coordinate of the end point of the cubic curve segment.

Usage
Coordinates can be integers or real numbers.

Use the ImageSetDrawingColor and ImageSetDrawingStroke functions to specify the color and line attributes of
the cubic curve. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example








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ImageDrawLine
Description
Draws a single line defined by two sets of x and y coordinates on a ColdFusion image.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageDrawLine(name, x1, y1, x2, y2)

See also
ImageDrawLines, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

x1

Required. The x coordinate for the start point of the line.

y1

Required. The y coordinate for the start point of a line.

x2

Required. The x coordinate for the end point of the line.

y2

Required. The y coordinate for the end point of the line.

Usage
Each pair of coordinates, (x1,y1) and (x2,y2), defines a point. The start and end points cannot be the same.
This function is affected by the attributes defined in the ImageSetDrawingStroke and ImageSetDrawingColor
functions. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example










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ImageDrawLines
Description
Draws a sequence of connected lines defined by arrays of x and y coordinates.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageDrawLines(name, xcoords, ycoords [, isPolygon, filled])

See also
ImageDrawBeveledRect, ImageDrawCubicCurve, ImageDrawLine, ImageDrawRect, ImageDrawRoundRect,
ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

xcoords

Required. A CFML array of x coordinates.

ycoords

Required. A CFML array of y coordinates.

isPolygon

Optional. Specify whether the lines form a polygon:

filled

•

yes: The lines are connected to form a polygon.

•

no: The lines do not form a polygon (default).

Optional. Specify whether the polygon is filled:

•

yes: The polygon is filled with the specified drawing color.

•

no: Only the outline of the polygon is drawn (default).

Usage
Each pair of (x,y) coordinates defines a point.
To draw a polygon, set isPolygon to yes. The start point cannot be the same value as the end point. If isPolygon
is yes, a line joining start point and the end point is drawn to complete a polygon. If isPolygon is no, line
completing the polygon is not drawn.
Set the isPolygon and filled parameters to yes to draw a polygon filled with the current drawing color.
Use the ImageSetDrawingColor and ImageSetDrawingStroke functions to control the color and line attributes.
Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example




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ImageDrawOval
Description
Draws an oval.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageDrawOval(name, x, y, width, height [, filled])

See also
ImageDrawArc, ImageDrawCubicCurve, ImageDrawQuadraticCurve, ImageDrawRoundRect, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

x

Required. The x coordinate of the upper left corner of the oval to draw.

y

Required. The y coordinate of the upper left corner of the oval to draw.

width

Required. The width of the oval to draw.

height

Required. The height of the oval to draw.

filled

Optional. Specify whether the oval is filled:

•

yes: The oval is filled with the specified drawing color.

•

no: Only the outline of the oval is drawn (default).

Usage
The result is a circle or ellipse that fits within the rectangle specified by the x, y, width, and height arguments.
If the filled parameter is set to yes, the area inside the oval is filled with the current drawing color.
Use the ImageSetDrawingColor and ImageSetDrawingStroke functions to specify the color and line attributes of
the oval. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example
Example 1








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Example 2


















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ImageDrawPoint
Description
Draws a point at the specified (x,y) coordinate.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageDrawPoint(name, x, y)

See also
ImageDrawLine, ImageDrawLines, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

x

Required. The x coordinate of the point.

y

Required. The y coordinate of the point.

Usage
Use the ImageSetDrawingStroke and ImageSetDrawingColor functions to control the appearance of the drawing
point. For example, set the width attribute of the ImageSetDrawingStroke function to 10 pixels to draw a 20-pixelsquare centered at (x,y). Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example
















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ImageDrawQuadraticCurve
Description
Draws a curved line. The curve is controlled by a single point.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageDrawQuadraticCurve(name, ctrlx1, ctrly1, ctrlx2, ctrly2, x1, y1, x2, y2)

See also
ImageDrawArc, ImageDrawOval, ImageDrawRoundRect,ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetDrawingColor,
ImageSetDrawingStroke

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

ctrlx1

Required. The x coordinate of the first control point of the quadratic curve segment.

ctrly1

Required. The y coordinate of the first control point of the quadratic curve segment.

ctrlx2

Required. The x coordinate of the second control point of the quadratic curve segment.

ctrly2

Required. The y coordinate of the second control point of the quadratic curve segment.

x1

Required. The x coordinate of the start point of the quadratic curve segment.

y1

Required. The y coordinate of the start point of the quadratic curve segment.

x2

Required. The x coordinate of the end point of the quadratic curve segment.

y2

Required. The y coordinate of the end point of the quadratic curve segment.

Usage
A quadratic curve is a curve controlled by a single control point. The curve is drawn from the last point in the shape
to the target x and y coordinates. Coordinates can be integers or real numbers.
Use the ImageSetDrawingColor and ImageSetDrawingStroke functions to specify the color and lines of the
quadratic curve. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example









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ImageDrawRect
Description
Draws a rectangle.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageDrawRect(name, x, y, width, height [, filled])

See also
ImageDrawBeveledRect, ImageDrawCubicCurve, ImageDrawLine, ImageDrawLines, ImageDrawOval, ImageDrawQuadraticCurve, ImageDrawRoundRect, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke, ImageDrawText, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

x

Required. The x coordinate of the rectangle.

y

Required. The y coordinate of the rectangle.

width

Required. The width of the rectangle.

height

Required. The height of the rectangle.

filled

Optional. Specify whether the rectangle is filled:

•

yes: The rectangle is filled with the specified drawing color.

•

no: Only the outline of the rectangle is drawn (default).

Usage
The left and right edges of the rectangle are at x and x plus width, respectively. The upper and lower edges are at y
and y plus height, respectively.
Set the filled parameter to yes to fill the rectangle with the current drawing color.
Use the ImageSetDrawingColor and ImageSetDrawingStroke functions to format the color and lines of the
rectangle. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example






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ImageDrawRoundRect
Description
Draws a rectangle with rounded corners.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageDrawRoundRect(name, x, y, width, height, arcWidth, arcHeight [, filled])

See also
ImageDrawBeveledRect, ImageDrawCubicCurve, ImageDrawLine, ImageDrawLines, ImageDrawOval, ImageDrawQuadraticCurve, ImageDrawRect, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

x

Required. The x coordinate of the rectangle.

y

Required. The y coordinate of the rectangle.

width

Required. The width of the rectangle.

height

Required. The height of the rectangle.

arcWidth

Required. The horizontal diameter of the arc at the four corners.

arcHeight

Required. The vertical diameter of the arc at the four corners.

filled

Optional. Specify whether the rectangle is filled:

•

yes: The rectangle is filled with the specified drawing color.

•

no: Only the outline of the rectangle is drawn (default).

Usage
The left and right edges of the rectangle are at x and x plus width, respectively. The upper and lower edges are at y
and y plus height, respectively.
Set the filled parameter to yes to fill the rectangle with the current drawing color.
Use the ImageSetDrawingColor and ImageSetDrawingStroke functions to control the color and line attributes
of the rectangle. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example
Example 1


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Example 2




























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ImageDrawText
Description
Draws a text string on a ColdFusion image with the baseline of the first character positioned at (x,y) in the image.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageDrawText(name, str, x, y [, attributeCollection])

See also
ImageDrawArc, ImageDrawBeveledRect, ImageDrawCubicCurve, ImageDrawLine, ImageDrawLines, ImageDrawOval, ImageDrawQuadraticCurve, ImageDrawRect, ImageDrawRoundRect, ImageSetAntialiasing,
ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageTranslateDrawingAxis, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

str

Required. The text string to draw.

x

Required. The x coordinate for the start point of the string.

y

Required. The y coordinate for the start point of the string.

attributeCollection Optional. The structure used to specify the text characteristics. See the Usage section.

Usage
You must specify all the optional key-value pairs in an attributeCollection structure. To specify the text color,
use the ImageSetDrawingColor function.
attributeCollection
Element

Description

font

The name of the font used to draw the text string. If you do not specify the font attribute, the text is drawn in
the default system font.

size

The font size for the text string. The default value is 10 points.

style

The style to apply to the font:

•
•
•
•

bold
italic
boldItalic
plain (default)

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Element

Description

strikethrough

Specify whether strikethrough is applied to the text image:

underline

•

yes: For vertical text, strikethrough is applied to each character individually.

•

no (default)

Specify whether underline is applied to the text image:

•

yes: For vertical text, underline is applied to each character individually.

•

no (default)

Example
Example 1










Example 2






























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ImageFlip
Description
Flips an image across an axis.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageFlip(name [, transpose])

See also
ImageBlur, ImageClearRect, ImageCrop, ImageNegative, ImageNew, ImageOverlay, ImagePaste, ImageResize, ImageRotate, ImageScaleToFit, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSharpen, ImageShear, ImageTranslate, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

transpose

Optional. Transpose the image:

•

vertical: Flip an image across an imaginary horizontal line that runs through the center of the image

(default).

•

horizontal: Flip an image across an imaginary vertical line that runs through the center of the image.

•

diagonal: Flip an image across its main diagonal that runs from the upper-left to the lower-right corner.

•

antidiagonal: Flip an image across its main diagonal that runs from the upper-right to the lower-left

corner.

•

("90|180|270"): Rotate an image clockwise by 90, 180, or 270 degrees.

Usage
If you do not specify the transpose parameter for the ImageFlip function, the image is transposed on a vertical
axis, creating an image that is an upside-down version of the source. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to
improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example
Example 1









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Example 2










Example 3










Example 4










Example 5










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ImageGetBlob
Description
Retrieves the bytes of the underlying image. The bytes are in the same image format as the source image.
Returns
The bytes of the underlying image of a BLOB.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageGetBlob(source)

See also
cfimage, ImageGetBufferedImage, ImageGetEXIFTag, ImageGetHeight, ImageGetIPTCTag, ImageGetWidth,
ImageInfo, IsImage

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

source

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

Usage
Use this function to insert ColdFusion images into BLOB columns of databases.
If you do not specify a source image, an “unknown source image format” error is generated.Example
Example 1





INSERT into EMPLOYEES (FirstName,LastName,Photo)
VALUES ('Aiden','Quinn',)


Example 2
The following example shows how to use the ImageNew function to generate thumbnail images in JPEG format from
BLOB data retrieved from a database:


SELECT EMLPOYEEID, PHOTO FROM Employees




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ImageGetBufferedImage
Description
Returns the java.awt.BufferedImage object underlying the current ColdFusion image.
Returns
The java.awt.BufferedImage object.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageGetBufferedImage(name)

See also
cfimage, ImageGetBlob, ImageGetEXIFTag, ImageGetHeight, ImageGetIPTCTag, ImageGetWidth, ImageInfo,
IsImage, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

Usage
Use this function to return an image object that can be used with other Java Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT)
objects embedded in the page.
Example








#x.getWidth()#


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ImageGetEXIFMetadata
Description
Retrieves the Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) headers in an image as a CFML structure.
Returns
A structure with the EXIF header values.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageGetEXIFMetadata(name)

See also
cfimage, ImageGetEXIFTag, ImageGetBlob, ImageGetBufferedImage, ImageGetHeight, ImageGetIPTCTag,
ImageGetWidth, ImageInfo, IsImage, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

Usage
The EXIF is a standard for storing interchange information in image files, especially those using JPEG compression.
Most digital cameras use the EXIF format.
EXIF metadata includes information pertaining to the creation of the image, such as the creation date, the software
used to create the image, the aperture, the make and model, and the resolution of the image.
The result of the ImageGetEXIFMetadata function is cached in the ColdFusion image to optimize performance.
The ImageGetEXIFMetadata function applies only to JPEG images. If you try to retrieve metadata for Base64,
BLOB, or other types of images, ColdFusion generates errors.
Example










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ImageGetEXIFTag
Description
Retrieves the specified EXIF tag in an image.
Returns
The value of the specified EXIF tag.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageGetEXIFTag(name, tagName)

See also
cfimage, ImageGetBlob, ImageGetBufferedImage, ImageGetHeight, ImageGetIPTCTag, ImageGetWidth,
ImageInfo, IsImage, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

tagName

Required. The EXIF tag name to be returned.

Usage
The ImageGetEXIFTag function applies only to JPEG images. If you try to retrieve metadata for Base64, BLOB, or
other types of images, ColdFusion generates errors.
Example








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ImageGetHeight
Description
Retrieves the height of the ColdFusion image in pixels.
Returns
The height of the specified ColdFusion image in pixels.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageGetHeight(name)

See also
cfimage, ImageGetBlob, ImageGetBufferedImage, ImageGetEXIFTag, ImageGetIPTCTag, ImageGetWidth,
ImageInfo, IsImage, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

Usage
Use this function to retrieve the height of a ColdFusion image.
Example








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ImageGetIPTCMetadata
Description
Retrieves the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC )headers in a ColdFusion image as a structure.
The IPTC metadata contains text that describes the image that is stored with it. IPTC metadata includes, but is not
limited to, caption, keywords, credit, copyright, object name, created date, byline, headline, and source.
Returns
A structure containing IPTC header values.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageGetIPTCMetadata(name)

See also
cfimage, ImageGetBlob, ImageGetBufferedImage, ImageGetEXIFMetadata, ImageGetEXIFTag, ImageGetHeight, z, ImageGetWidth, ImageInfo, IsImage, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

Usage
The IPTC metadata contains text that describes the image that is stored with it. IPTC metadata includes, but is not
limited to, caption, keywords, credit, copyright, object name, created date, byline, headline, and source.
The result of the ImageGetIPTCMetadata function is cached in the ColdFusion image to optimize performance.
The ImageGetIPTCMetada function applies only to JPEG images. If you try to retrieve metadata for Base64, BLOB,
or other types of images, ColdFusion generates errors.
Example










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ImageGetIPTCTag
Description
Retrieves the value of the IPTC tag for a ColdFusion image.
Returns
The value of the IPTC tag.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageGetIPTCTag(name, tagName)

See also
cfimage, ImageGetBlob, ImageGetBufferedImage, ImageGetEXIFMetadata, ImageGetEXIFTag, ImageGetHeight, ImageGetIPTCMetadata, ImageGetWidth, ImageInfo, IsImage, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

tagName

Required. The IPTC tag name whose value is returned.

Usage
The ImageGetIPTCTag function applies only to JPEG images. If you try to retrieve metadata for Base64, BLOB, or
other image types, ColdFusion generates errors.
Example













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ImageGrayscale
Description
Converts a ColdFusion image to grayscale.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageGrayscale(name)

See also
ImageBlur, ImageNegative, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSharpen, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

Usage
Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example













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ImageInfo
Description
Returns a structure that contains information about the image, such as height, width, color model, size, and filename.
Returns
A structure that contains information for image parameters.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageInfo(name)

See also
cfimage, ImageGetHeight, ImageGetWidth, IsImage, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

Usage
Use this function to determine whether images are compatible. For example, to use the ImageOverlay function to
overlay two images, both images must have the same color model.
Example







    height = #info.height#

    width = #info.width#

    source = #info.source#"

    pixel size = #info.colormodel.pixel_size#

    transparency = #info.colormodel.transparency#

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ImageNegative
Description
Inverts the pixel values of a ColdFusion image.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageNegative(name)

See also
ImageBlur, ImageGrayscale, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSharpen, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

Usage
The resulting image has the same dimensions of the source image, but not necessarily the same number bytes. Use
the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example













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ImageNew
Description
Creates a ColdFusion image.
Returns
A ColdFusion image.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageNew([source, width, height, imageType, canvasColor])

See also
cfimage, ImageCopy, ImageRead, ImageReadBase64, ImageSetDrawingColor, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

source

Optional. The source image pathname, URL, a ColdFusion variable that is read into the new ColdFusion image,
or a Java buffered image.

width

Optional. The width of the new ColdFusion image. Valid when the height is specified and the source is not.

height

Optional. The height of the new ColdFusion image. Valid when the width is specified and the source is not.

imageType

Optional. The type of the ColdFusion image to create:

•
•
•

rgb
argb
grayscale

Valid only when width and height are specified.
canvasColor

Optional. Color of the image canvas:

•

Hexadecimal value of RGB color. For example, specify the color white as ##FFFFFF or FFFFFF.

•

String value of color (for example, "black", "red", "green"). The default value of the drawing color is

"black".

•

List of three numbers for (R,G,B) values. Each value must be in the range 0–255.

Usage
You can pass the ImageNew function any of the following parameters:

• Absolute or relative pathname: The image file located at the specified pathname on a disk is read and returned
as a ColdFusion image.
•

URL: The image from the specified URL is read and returned as a ColdFusion image.

•

Width and height (imageType is optional): A blank ColdFusion image with the specified attributes is returned.

•

ColdFusion image variable: An image variable in memory; for example, #myImage#.

•

A BLOB from a database that contains image data.

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•

A byte array that contains Base64 image data.

•

A Java buffered image.

ColdFusion generates an error when the passed attributes cannot create a valid ColdFusion image.
The ImageNew function and the cfimage read action support the SQL Server Image Column data type.
To read Base64 images, use the ImageReadBase64 function.
If the color value is a string, specify a supported named color; see the name list in “Valid HTML named colors” on
page 305. For a hexadecimal value, use the form "##xxxxxx" or "xxxxxx", where x = 0–9 or A–F; use two number
signs or none.
Note: If you specify the ARGB image type, the image is white; however, if you specify RGB or grayscale, the image is
black. To create blank images consistently, use the canvasColor parameter.
Example
Example 1




Example 2


SELECT LastName,Photo
FROM Employees



    

    

    

#LastName#







    


    

Example 3





Example 4




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Example 5











Example 6


bufferedImage = createObject("java", "java.awt.image.BufferedImage");
bufferedImage.init(JavaCast("int", 100), JavaCast("int", 100),
BufferedImage.TYPE_4BYTE_ABGR);
myImage = imageNew(bufferedImage);


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ImageOverlay
Description
Reads two source ColdFusion images and overlays the second source image on the first source image.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageOverlay(source1, source2)

See also
ImageCopy, ImagePaste, ImageSetAntialiasing, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

source1

Required. The ColdFusion image that is the bottom layer in the ColdFusion image.

source2

Required. The ColdFusion image that is the top layer (overlaid on the source1 image) in the ColdFusion image.

Usage
The destination image always has the same bounding rectangle as the first source image and the same image type as
the two sources. If the two source images do not intersect, the destination image is the same as the first source image.
The two source images must have the same color models. For example, you can overlay an RGB image over another
RGB image, but you cannot overlay an RGB image on a grayscale image. To verify the color model of an image, use
the ImageInfo function.
Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example












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ImagePaste
Description
Takes two images and an (x,y) coordinate and draws the second image over the first image with the upper-left corner
at coordinate (x,y).
Returns
A ColdFusion image.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImagePaste(image1, image2, x, y)

See also
ImageCopy, ImageOverlay, ImageSetAntialiasing, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

image1

Required. The bottom ColdFusion image.

Image2

Required. The ColdFusion image that is pasted on top of image1.

x

Required. The x coordinate where the upper-left corner of image2 is pasted.

y

Required. The y coordinate where the upper-left corner of image2 is pasted.

Usage
Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example
















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ImageRead
Description
Reads the source pathname or URL and creates a ColdFusion image.
Returns
A ColdFusion image.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageRead(path)

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
See also
cfimage, ImageNew, ImageReadBase64, ImageWrite, IsImageFile

Parameters
Parameter

Description

path

Required. Pathname or URL of the source image.

Usage
The ImageRead function performs the same operation as the cfimage read action. However, you cannot use the
cfimage tag to read and create a ColdFusion image variable in the cfscript tag. Use the ImageRead function
within the cfscript tag to read ColdFusion images.
The following example reads the image file aiden01.jpg into a variable called myImage and displays the image in the
browser:



For a list of valid image formats, see“Supported image file formats” on page 304. To retrieve a list of readable formats
on the server where the ColdFusion application is deployed, use the GetReadableImageFormats function.
Example


myImage=ImageRead("http://www.google.com/images/logo.gif");
ImageWrite(myImage,"google-logo.gif");


    This image has been downloaded by ColdFusion:
    


    This is the original image:
    


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ImageReadBase64
Description
Creates a ColdFusion image from a Base64 string.
Returns
A ColdFusion image.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageReadBase64(string)

See also
ImageNew, ImageRead, ImageWrite, ImageWriteBase64, BinaryDecode, BinaryEncode, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

Required. The ColdFusion variable or Base64 string.

Usage
Base64 is a way to describe binary data as a printable string of characters. The ImageReadBase64 function takes
Base64 strings as input and creates images from the strings.
The strings can be with or without the headers used to pass Base64 images to an HTML  tag.
Use this function to convert any Base64 string to a ColdFusion image. Some databases store images as Base64 strings
instead of BLOB data. You can query the database and use the ImageReadBase64 function to convert the string into
a ColdFusion image. This eliminates the intermediary step of converting images with the BinaryEncode and
BinaryDecode functions.
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds transfer images in the form of embedded Base64 strings in the XML file. Use
the ImageReadBase64 function to read these images in ColdFusion.
Example
Example 1




Example 2




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ImageResize
Description
Resizes a ColdFusion image.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageResize(name, width, height [, interpolation, blurFactor])

See also
cfimage, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageScaleToFit, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

width

Required. New width of the ColdFusion image.
If this value is blank, the width is calculated proportionately to the height.

height

Required. New height of the ColdFusion image.
If this value is blank, the height is calculated proportionately to the width.

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Parameter

Description

interpolation

Optional. The interpolation method for resampling. You can specify a specific interpolation algorithm by name
(for example, hamming), by image quality (for example, mediumQuality), or by performance (for example,
highestPerformance). Valid values are:

•

highestQuality (default)

•

highQuality

•

mediumQuality

•

highestPerformance

•

highPerformance

•

mediumPerformance

•

nearest

•

bilinear

•

bicubic

•

bessel

•

blackman

•

hamming

•

hanning

•

hermite

•

lanczos

•

mitchell

•

quadratic

See “Interpolation algorithms” on page 928 in the Usage section for more information.
blurFactor

Optional. The blur factor used for resampling. The higher the blur factor, the more blurred the image (also, the
longer it takes to resize the image). Valid values are 1–10.

Usage
You can use this function to enlarge an image or create a thumbnail image.
To specify the height or width in pixels, enter the integer, for example, 100. To specify the height or width as a
percentage, enter the percentage followed by the percent symbol, for example, 50%.
To resize an image by one dimension (for example, height), specify the height and leave width value blank ("").
ColdFusion calculates the width proportionally to the height.
Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Interpolation algorithms

Interpolation algorithms let you fine-tune how images are resampled. Each algorithm balances image quality against
performance: in general, the higher the image quality, the slower the performance. Quality and peformance differ
based on image type and the size of the source file. The following table describes the algorithms and their named
equivalents based on average test results:
Value

Named equivalents

Description

highestQuality (default)

lanczos

Highest image quality with low performance

highQuality, mediumPerformance

mitchell, quadratic

Good image quality with slightly higher performance

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Value

Named equivalents

Description

mediumQuality, highPerformance

hamming, hanning, hermite

Medium quality image with medium performance

blackman, bessel

Slightly distored image quality with high performance

nearest, bicubic, bilinear

Poor image quality with highest performance

highestPerformance

Example









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ImageRotate
Description
Rotates a ColdFusion image at a specified point by a specified angle.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageRotate(name, angle [, x, y, interpolation])

See also
cfimage, ImageFlip, ImageSetAntialiasing, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

angle

Required. The rotation angle in degrees.

x

Optional. The x coordinate for the point of rotation. The default value is 2.

y

Optional. The y coordinate for the point of rotation. The default value is 2.

interpolation

Optional. Type of interpolation:

•

nearest: Applies the nearest neighbor method of interpolation. Image quality is lower than the other
interpolation methods, but processing is fastest (default).

•

bilinear: Applies the bilinear method of interpolation. The quality of the image is less pixelated than the
default, but processing is slower.

•

bicubic: Applies the bicubic method of interpolation. Generally, the quality of image is highest with this
method and processing is slowest.

Usage
You must specify both the x and the y coordinates or neither. If you do not specify the x and y coordinates, the point
of rotation is the center of the image, which is the default position. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to
improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example
Example 1








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Example 2







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ImageRotateDrawingAxis
Description
Rotates all subsequent drawing on a ColdFusion image at a specified point by a specified angle.
Returns
A ColdFusion image.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageRotateDrawingAxis(name, angle [, x, y])

See also
ImageRotate, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetBackgroundColor, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke, ImageSetDrawingTransparency, ImageShearDrawingAxis, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

angle

Required. The rotation angle in degrees.

x

Optional. The x coordinate for the point of rotation. The default value is 0.

y

Optional. The y coordinate for the point of rotation. The default value is 0.

Usage
The default position of the origin is 0,0. To revert to the original drawing axis, call the same (x,y) parameters with
the negative of the original angle. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered
image.
Example















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ImageScaleToFit
Description
Creates a resized image with the aspect ratio maintained.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageScaleToFit(name, fitWidth, fitHeight [, interpolation , blurFactor])

See also
cfimage, ImageResize, ImageSetAntialiasing, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

fitWidth

Required. The width of the bounding box in pixels. You can specify an integer, or an empty string ("") if the
fitHeight is specified. See the Usage section for more information.

fitHeight

Required. The height of the bounding box in pixels. You can specify an integer, or an empty string ("") if the
fitWidth is specified. See the Usage section for more information.

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Parameter

Description

interpolation

Optional. The interpolation method for resampling. You can specify a specific interpolation algorithm by name
(for example, hamming), by image quality (for example, mediumQuality), or by performance (for example,
highestPerformance). Valid values are:

•

highestQuality (default)

•

highQuality

•

mediumQuality

•

highestPerformance

•

highPerformance

•

mediumPerformance

•

nearest

•

bilinear

•

bicubic

•

bessel

•

blackman

•

hamming

•

hanning

•

hermite

•

lanczos

•

mitchell

•

quadratic

See “Interpolation algorithms” on page 928 in the Usage section for more information.
blurFactor

Optional. The blur factor used for resampling. The higher the blur factor, the more blurred the image (also, the
longer it takes to resize the image). Valid values are 1–10.

Usage
Use this operation to resize images or create thumbnail images while maintaining the aspect ratio. You must specify
the fitWidth and FitHeight parameters; either the fitWidth or the fitHeight can be an empty string:


In this example, the ImageScaleToFit function resizes the image so that it fits in a 100x100-pixel square; the width
of the resulting image is 100 pixels and the height is less than or equal to 100 pixels. For example, if the source image
is 400x200 pixels, the resulting image is 100x50 pixels.
Likewise, if you specify the fitHeight parameter and an empty string for the fitWidth parameter, the
ImageScaleToFit function resizes the image so that the height equals the fitHeight parameter and the width of
the image is scaled proportionately:


In this example, a 400x200-pixel source image is resized to 200x100 pixels, and a 200x400-pixel image is resized to
50x100 pixels.
If you set both the fitWidth and the fitHeight parameters, the ImageScaleToFit function resizes the image
proportionately so that both conditions are true: the width of the resulting image is less than or equal to the
fitWidth, and the height is less than or equal to the fitHeight:


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In this example, a 400x200-pixel source image is resized to 100x50 pixels, and a 200x400-pixel source image is resized
to 100x200 pixels.
Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example









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ImageSetAntialiasing
Description
Switches antialiasing on or off in rendered graphics.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageSetAntialiasing(name [, antialias])

See also
ImageRotateDrawingAxis, ImageSetBackgroundColor, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke,
ImageSetDrawingTransparency, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

antialias

Optional. Antialiasing switch:

•

on (default)

•

off

Usage
The ImageSetAntialiasing function is used to turn antialiasing on and off when drawing shapes and text in an
image. Antialiasing is a technique used to soften jagged edges. Turn on antialiasing when using other image
functions, such as ImageDrawRoundRect and ImageRotate, to improve the quality of the rendered image. Notice
that antialiasing decreases performance.
Example
Example 1








Example 2





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ImageSetBackgroundColor
Description
Sets the background color for the ColdFusion image. The background color is used for clearing a region. Setting the
background color only affects the subsequent ImageClearRect calls.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageSetBackgroundColor(name, color)

See also
ImageClearRect, ImageSetAntialiasing, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

color

Required. Background color:

•

Hexadecimal value of RGB color. For example, specify the color white as ##FFFFFF or FFFFFF.

•

String value of color (for example, "black", "red", "green"). The default value of the drawing color is

"black".

•

List of three numbers for (R,G,B) values. Each value must be in the range 0–255.

Usage
If the color value is a string, specify a supported named color; see the name list in “Valid HTML named colors” on
page 305. For a hexadecimal value, use the form "##xxxxxx" or "xxxxxx", where x = 0–9 or A–F; use two number
signs or none.
Use this function in conjunction with the ImageClearRect function to clear a rectangular area of an image and set
it to a specified color.
Example











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ImageSetDrawingColor
Description
Sets the current drawing color for ColdFusion images. All subsequent graphics operations use the specified color.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageSetDrawingColor(name, color)

See also
ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetBackgroundColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke, ImageSetDrawingTransparency, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

color

Required. Drawing color:

•

Hexadecimal value of RGB color. For example, specify the color white as "##FFFFFF" or "FFFFFF".

•

String value of color (for example, "black", "red", "green"). The default value of the drawing color is

"black".

•

List of three numbers for (R,G,B) values. Each value must be in the range 0–255.

Usage
Use the ImageSetDrawingColor function to control the color of all subsequent drawing objects in ColdFusion
images. For example, you can use this function to set the drawing color to red once, and then draw a circle, a square,
and 10 lines in that color.
If the color value is a string, specify a supported named color; see the name list in “Valid HTML named colors” on
page 305. For a hexadecimal value, use the form "##xxxxxx" or "xxxxxx", where x = 0-9 or A-F; use two number
signs or none.
Example











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ImageSetDrawingStroke
Description
Sets the drawing stroke for points and lines in subsequent ColdFusion images.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageSetDrawingStroke(name [, attributeCollection])

See also
ImageDrawText, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetBackgroundColor, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingTransparency, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

attributeCollection Optional. The structure used to specify the line attributes. See the Usage section.

Usage
Use the ImageSetDrawingStroke function to control the line attributes of all subsequent drawing objects in a
ColdFusion image. For example, you can use this function to set the drawing stroke to a dash pattern once, and then
create a rectangle, two ovals, and five lines with that pattern.
If a blank or no attribute structure is passed, the drawing stroke is reset to the default values.
attributeCollection
Element

Description

width

Pen width, which is measured perpendicularly to the pen trajectory.

endcaps

Decoration applied to the ends of unclosed subpaths and dash segments. Subpaths that start and end on the
same point are considered unclosed if they do not have a close segment:

lineJoins

•

butt

•

round

•

square

Type of line joins:

•

bevel

•

miter

•

join

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Element

Description

miterLimit

The limit to trim a line join that has a mitered join decoration. (Use only when lineJoins = "miter".) A line
join is trimmed when the ratio of miter length to stroke width is greater than the miterLimit value. The miter
length is the diagonal length of the miter, which is the distance between the inside corner and the outside corner
of the intersection. The smaller the angle formed by two line segments, the longer the miter length and the
sharper the angle of intersection. The default value is 10.0, which trims all angles less than 11 degrees. Trimming
miters converts the decoration of the line join to bevel.

dashArray

An array of numbers that indicates the dash pattern. For example. if dashArray is (8,4), the dash pattern is 8
pixels solid, 4 pixels blank, 8 pixels solid, 4 pixels blank, and so on.

dash_phases

An offset into the dash pattern. For example, a dash_phase of 2, and a dashArray of (8,4) produces the dash
pattern of 6 pixels solid, 4 pixels blank, 8 pixels solid, 4 pixels blank, and so on.

Example
Example 1


















Example 2




















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ImageSetDrawingTransparency
Description
Specifies the degree of transparency of drawing functions.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageSetDrawingTransparency(name, percent)

See also
ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetBackgroundColor, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke,
IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

percent

Required. Percent of transparency:

•

0 = opaque

•

100 = transparent

Decimal values are valid.

Usage
By default drawing images are opaque. Use this function to create watermarks or other translucent images. Use the
ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example
Example 1














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Example 2

















Example 3
















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ImageSharpen
Description
Sharpens a ColdFusion image by using the unsharp mask filter.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageSharpen(name [, gain])

See also
ImageBlur, ImageSetAntialiasing, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

gain

Optional. -1 <= gain <= 2.
Gain values can be integers or real numbers. The default value is 1.0.
The value determines whether the image is blurred or sharpened:

•

If > 0, the image is sharpened.

•

If = 0, no effect

•

If < 0, the image is blurred.

Usage
Use this function to sharpen outlines in photographs. Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the
quality of the rendered image.
Example












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ImageShear
Description
Shears an image either horizontally or vertically. For each pixel (x, y) of the destination, the source value at the
fractional subpixel position (x', y') is constructed by means of an Interpolation object and written to the destination.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageShear(name, shear [, direction, interpolation])

See also
ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageShearDrawingAxis, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

shear

Required. Shear value. Coordinates can be integers or real numbers.

direction

Optional. Shear direction:

interpolation

•

horizontal (default)

•

vertical

Optional. Type of interpolation:

•

nearest: Applies the nearest neighbor method of interpolation. Image quality is lower than the other
interpolation methods, but processing is fastest (default).

•

bilinear: Applies the bilinear method of interpolation. The quality of the image is less pixelated than the
default, but processing is slower.

•

bicubic: Applies the bicubic method of interpolation. Generally, the quality of image is highest with this
method and processing is slowest.

Usage
Use this function to distort an image.
If the direction parameter is set to horizontal, x' = (x - y*shear) and y' = y.
If the direction parameter is set to vertical, x' = x and y' = (y - x*shear).
Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example





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ImageShearDrawingAxis
Description
Shears the drawing canvas.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageShearDrawingAxis(name, shx, shy)

See also
ImageRotateDrawingAxis, ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageShear, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

shx

Required. The multiplier by which coordinates are shifted in the positive x axis direction as a function of the y
coordinate.

shy

Required. the multiplier by which coordinates are shifted in the positive y axis direction as a function of the x
coordinate.

Usage
For each pixel (x,y) of the destination, the source value at the fractional subpixel position (x',y') is constructed by
means of an interpolation object and written to the destination.
If the direction parameter is equal to horizontal, x' = (x - y*shear) and y' = y.
If the direction parameter is equal to vertical, x' = x and y' = (y - x*shear).
Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example











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ImageTranslate
Description
Copies an image to a new location on the plane.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageTranslate(name, xTrans, yTrans [, interpolation])

See also
ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageShear, ImageTranslateDrawingAxis, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

xTrans

Required. Displacement in the x direction.

yTrans

Required. Displacement in the y direction.

interpolation

Optional. Type of interpolation used for resampling:

•

nearest: Applies the nearest neighbor method of interpolation. Image quality is lower than the other
interpolation methods, but processing is fastest (default).

•

bilinear: Applies the bilinear method of interpolation. The quality of the image is less pixelated than the
default, but processing is slower.

•

bicubic: Applies the bicubic method of interpolation. Generally, the quality of image is highest with this
method and processing is slowest.

Usage
For each pixel (x, y) of the destination, the source value at the fractional subpixel position (x - xTrans, y yTrans) is constructed by means of an interpolation object and written to the destination. If both xTrans and
yTrans are integral, the operation wraps the source image to change the image’s position in the coordinate plane.
Use the ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example









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ImageTranslateDrawingAxis
Description
Translates the origin of the image context to the point (x,y) in the current coordinate system. Modifies the image
context so that its new origin corresponds to the point (x,y) in the image’s original coordinate system.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageTranslateDrawingAxis(name, x, y)

See also
ImageSetAntialiasing, ImageSetDrawingColor, ImageSetDrawingStroke, ImageSetDrawingTransparency, ImageShearDrawingAxis, ImageTranslate, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

x

x coordinate

y

y coordinate

Usage
All coordinates used in subsequent rendering operations on this image context are relative to the new origin. Use the
ImageSetAntialiasing function to improve the quality of the rendered image.
Example











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ImageWrite
Description
Writes a ColdFusion image to the specified filename or destination.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageWrite(name [, destination, quality])

See also
cfimage, GetWriteableImageFormats, ImageNew, ImageRead, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

destination

Optional. The absolute or relative pathname where you write the file.
If you create the image with the ImageNew function or another operation where you do not specify the filename, you must specify the destination parameter.
The file format is derived from the extension of the filename. The default value for this parameter is the filename
of the original image source.

quality

Optional. Defines the JPEG quality used to encode the image. This parameter applies only to destination files
with an extension of JPG or JPEG. Valid values are fractions that range from 0 through 1 (the lower the number,
the lower the quality). The default value is 0.75.

Usage
The file format is derived from the file extension, therefore, use this function to convert images.
For a list of valid formats to write, see“Supported image file formats” on page 304. To retrieve a list of writable
formats on the server where the ColdFusion application is deployed, use the GetWriteableImageFormats function.
Note: Converting images between one file format to another is time-consuming . Also, image quality can degrade; for
example, PNG images support 24-bit color, but GIF images support only 256 colors. Converting transparent images
(images with alpha) can degrade image quality.
Example








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ImageWriteBase64
Description
Writes Base64 images to the specified filename and destination.
Returns
Base64 string.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageWriteBase64(name, destination, format [, inHTMLFormat])

See also
cfimage, ImageReadBase64, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

destination

Required. The absolute or relative pathname where you write the file.

format

Required. The format

inHTMLFormat

Optional. Specify whether Base64 output includes the headers used by the Base64 images in the HTML 
tag ("data:image/;base64,...") :

•
•

yes
no (default)

Usage
You use the ImageWriteBase64 function to encode image data as a string of printable characters. This is useful for
several applications,including sending images by e-mail and storing images in database text fields.
If you do not specify a file format, ColdFusion cannot recognize the format required to encode the image before
converting to Base64, and generates errors.
You can verify whether ColdFusion reads a Base64 string properly in the following ways:

•

Use the cfdump tag. For example: 

•

Use the ImageInfo function. For example: 

• Use the ImageWrite function and save the image as a JPEG file. Then open the JPEG file in a browser or imaging
application.
Example





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ImageXORDrawingMode
Description
Sets the paint mode of the image to alternate between the image’s current color and the new specified color.
Returns
Nothing.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
ImageXORDrawingMode(name, c1)

See also
ImageSetDrawingColor, IsImageFile

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion image on which this operation is performed.

c1

Required. XOR alternation color:

•

Hexadecimal value of the RGB color. For example, specify the color white as "##FFFFFF" or "FFFFFF".

•

String value of color (for example, "black", "red", "green").

Usage
This function alternates pixels between the current color and a new specified XOR (exclusive Or) color.
When drawing operations are performed, pixels that are the current color are changed to the specified color, and vice
versa.
Pixels that are of colors other than current color or the new specified color are changed in an unpredictable but
reversible manner. If the same figure is drawn twice, all pixels are restored to their original values.
If the color value is a string, specify a supported named color; see the name list in “Valid HTML named colors” on
page 305. For a hexadecimal value, use the form "##xxxxxx" or "xxxxxx", where x = 0–9 or A–F; use two number
signs or none.
Example











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958

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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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)#
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 960
CFML Reference

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)#



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 961
CFML Reference

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)#

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 962
CFML Reference

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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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)#


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 963
CFML Reference

IsAuthenticated
Description
This function is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 641 and “Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
History
ColdFusion MX: This function is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later ColdFusion releases.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 964
CFML Reference

IsAuthorized
Description
This function is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 641 and “Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion MX: This function is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later releases.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 965
CFML Reference

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.


    Conversion error.
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 966
CFML Reference

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.



    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 967
CFML Reference

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.
    
    




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 968
CFML Reference

myTestCFCobject.testFunc is a function.


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 969
CFML Reference

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.

    


    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 970
CFML Reference

IsDDX
Description
Determines whether a DDX file exists and is valid, or if a string contains valid DDX instructions.
Returns
True, if the value represents a valid DDX file or string. False, otherwise.
Category
Decision functions
Function syntax
IsDDX("path or string")

See also
IsPDFObject, IsPDFFile, cfpdf

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

path or string

Pathname to the DDX file or a string of DDX instructions. The pathname can be absolute or relative to the CFM
page that calls it and must be enclosed in quotation marks.

Usage
This function returns False if the pathname to the DDX file is invalid, the pathname to the DDX file is null, the DDX
file does not conform to the schema supported by ColdFusion, or the DDX instructions are invalid.
Example


inputStruct.Doc0="title.pdf">
inputStruct.Doc1="Chap1.pdf">
inputStruct.Doc2="Chap2.pdf">
inputStruct.Doc3="Chap3.pdf">
inputStruct.Doc4="Chap4.pdf">




#ddxVar.Out1#


    This is not a valid DDX file.
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 971
CFML Reference

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
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 972
CFML Reference

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#


    During the first time through this template, the variable "form.myString"
has not yet been defined, so we do not try to evaluate it.


    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 973
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ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 974
CFML Reference

IsImage
Description
Determines whether a variable returns a ColdFusion image.
Returns
True, if the value is a ColdFusion image; False, otherwise.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
IsImage(name)

See also
cfimage, ImageGetBlob, ImageInfo, ImageNew

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

Required. The ColdFusion variable that is checked.

Usage
Use this function to determine whether a variable returns a ColdFusion image.
Example


...




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 975
CFML Reference

IsImageFile
Description
Verifies whether an image file is valid.
Returns
True, if the value is a valid image file; False, otherwise.
Category
Image functions
Function syntax
IsImageFile("path")

See also
cfimage, ImageGetBlob, ImageInfo, ImageNew, IsImage

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

path

Required. The pathname of the file to be checked. The pathname can be absolute or relative to the CFM page
and must be enclosed in quotation marks.

Usage
Use this function to determine whether an image file is valid. This function returns a False value if the image file
format is not supported by the server where ColdFusion is deployed, or if the pathname to the image file is null or
invalid.
For a list of standard image file formats supported by ColdFusion, see “Supported image file formats” on page 304.
To determine which image file formats are supported on the server where ColdFusion is deployed, use the “GetReadableImageFormats” on page 852 and “GetWriteableImageFormats” on page 869.
Example







    I’m sorry, there is no image associated with the title you selected. Please click the
Back button and try again.
    

    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 976
CFML Reference

IsInstanceOf
Description
Determines whether an object is an instance of a Coldfusion interface or component, or of a Java class.
Returns
Returns true if any of the following is true:

• The object specified by the first parameter is an instance of the interface or component specified by the second
parameter.
• The Java object specified by the first parameter was created by using the cfobject tag or CreateObject method
and is an instance of the Java class specified by the second parameter.
• The object specified by the first parameter is an instance of a component that extends the component specified
in the second parameter.
• The object specified by the first parameter is an instance of a component that extends a component that implements the interface specified in the second parameter.
• The Java object specified by the first parameter was created by using the cfobject tag or CreateObject method
and is an instance of a Java class that extends the class specified by the second parameter.
Returns false otherwise.
Note: The isInstanceOf function returns false if the CFC specified by the object parameter does not define any
functions.
Category
Decision functions, Extensibility functions
Function syntax
IsInstanceOf(object, typeName)

See also
cfcomponent, cfinterface, cfobject

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

The CFC instance or Java object that you are testing

typeName

The name of the interface, component, or Java class of which the object might be an instance

Usage
For Java objects, the comparison is valid only if you created the object specified in the first parameter by using a
cfobject tag or CreateObject method.
Example



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 977
CFML Reference







C1.method1 called








IsInstanceOf(c1obj,"C1") = #IsInstanceOf(c1obj,"C1")#
(Expected = YES)

    
IsInstanceOf(c1obj,"I1") = #IsInstanceOf(c1obj,"I1")#
(Expected = YES)

    
IsInstanceOf(c1obj,"C2") = #IsInstanceOf(c1obj,"C2")#
(Expected = NO)

    
IsInstanceOf(javaObj,"java.lang.System") =
#IsInstanceOf(javaObj,"java.lang.System")# (Expected = YES)

    
IsInstanceOf(javaObj,"java.lang.String") =
#IsInstanceOf(javaObj,"java.lang.String")# (Expected = NO)

    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 978
CFML Reference

IsJSON
Description
Evaluates whether a string is in valid JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) data interchange format.
Returns
True if the parameter is a valid JSON value.
False if the parameter is not a valid JSON data representation.
Category
Conversion functions

Syntax
IsJSON(var)

See also
DeserializeJSON, SerializeJSON, cfajaxproxy, “Using Ajax Data and Development Features” on page 648 in
the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, http://www.json.org

History
ColdFusion 8: Added function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

var

A string or variable that represents one.

Example
This example checks whether the data feed that is generated by the example for the SerializeJSON function
contains valid JSON data.
The feed is in the form of a JavaScript function call where the parameter is a JSON string that contains the feed data.
The example does the following operations:
1

Uses a cfhttp tag to get the feed (in the cfhttp.fileContent variable).

2

Strips the function call wrapper from the text.

3

Uses the IsJSON function to check whether the result of the previous step is a valid JSON format string.

4

Displays a message that indicates whether the text is valid JSON data, followed by the feed text string.

To run this example, put this file and the example for the SerializeJSON function in an appropriate location under
your ColdFusion web root, replace the URL with the correct URL for the serialization example, and run this page.







ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 979
CFML Reference



    The URL you requested provides valid JSON
    


    The URL you requested does not provide valid JSON
    
    

#theData#

For a more complex example that then converts the JSON data, see DeserializeJSON.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 980
CFML Reference

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 =
$*#IsK2ServerABroker()#*$

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 981
CFML Reference

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 =
$*#IsK2ServerDocCountExceeded()#*$

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 982
CFML Reference

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 =
$*#IsK2ServerOnline()#*$

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 983
CFML Reference

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.

    


    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 984
CFML Reference

IsLocalHost
Description
Determines whether the specified IP address is the localhost. This supports both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
Returns
True, if the IP address is the localhost; False, otherwise.
Category
Decision functions
Function syntax
IsLocalHost(ipaddress)

See also
GetLocalHostIP

History
ColdFusion MX 7.01 : Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

ipaddress

Valid IP address.

Example

    IsLocalHost Example
    



    The IP address #FORM.theTestIPAddress)# is the
localhost
    


    The IP address #DE(FORM.theTestIPAddress)# is not the
localhost.
    
    
    

    

    Enter an IP address to find out if it is the localhost.

    

    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 985
CFML Reference

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.

    


    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 986
CFML Reference

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.

    



    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 987
CFML Reference

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, IsImage, 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





    
--->








ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 988
CFML Reference


The value of myColor = #myColor#
    



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 989
CFML Reference

IsPDFFile
Description
Verifies whether a PDF file is valid.
Returns
True, if the value returns a valid PDF file. False, otherwise.
Category
Decision functions
Function syntax
IsPDFFile("path")

See also
IsDate, IsImage, IsImageFile, IsNumeric, IsNumericDate, IsObject, IsPDFObject, IsQuery, IsSimpleValue, IsStruct, IsWDDX, IsXmlDoc, IsXmlElem, IsXmlRoot, cfpdf, cfpdfform, cfprint
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

path

Pathname to a PDF file. The pathname can be absolute or relative to the CFM page and must be enclosed in
quotation marks.

Usage
This function returns False if the value is not a valid pathname to a PDF file, the pathname is null, the PDF file is not
valid, or the PDF file is corrupted.
Example





    This is not a valid PDF file or the PDF document you have chosen is not available.
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 990
CFML Reference

IsPDFObject
Description
Determines whether a value is a PDF object.
Returns
True, if the value represents a PDF object. False if the value is any other type of data, such as an integer, string, date,
or structure.
Category
Decision functions
Function syntax
IsPDFObject(value)

See also
IsDate, IsImage, IsNumeric, IsNumericDate, IsObject, IsPDFFile, IsQuery, IsSimpleValue, IsStruct,
IsWDDX, IsXmlDoc, IsXmlElem, IsXmlRoot, cfpdf, cfpdfform
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

value

A value, typically the PDF object stored as a variable name.

Usage
This function returns False for query and XML objects.
Example





    This is not a PDF.
    
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 991
CFML Reference

IsProtected
Description
This function is obsolete. Use the newer security tools; see “Conversion functions” on page 641 and “Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion MX: This function is obsolete. It does not work in ColdFusion MX and later releases.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 992
CFML Reference

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


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 993
CFML Reference

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


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 994
CFML Reference

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” on page 903 in the ColdFusion 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
    









 as XML: " & xmlusername>




ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 995
CFML Reference


 as XML: " & xmlpassword>
















ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 996
CFML Reference

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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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.


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IsUserInAnyRole
Description
Determines whether an authenticated user belongs to any Role.
Returns
True, if the authenticated user, belongs to any Role; False, otherwise.
Category
Security functions, Decision functions
Function syntax
IsUserInAnyRole()

See also
cflogin, cfloginuser, cflogout, GetAuthUser, GetUserRoles, IsUserInRole, IsUserLoggedIn, “Securing

Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Usage
Role names are not 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 in these roles: #GetUserRoles()#

Authenticated user is in no roles


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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
cflogin, cfloginuser, GetAuthUser, GetUserRoles, IsUserInAnyRole, IsUserLoggedIn, “Securing Applica-

tions” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

role_name

Name of a security role

Usage
Role names are not 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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IsUserLoggedIn
Description
Determines whether a user is logged in.
Returns
True, if the user, is logged in; False, otherwise.
Category
Security functions, Decision functions
Function syntax
IsUserLoggedIn()

See also
cflogin, cfloginuser, GetAuthUser, GetUserRoles, IsUserInAnyRole, IsUserInRole, “Securing Applications” on page 312 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Example







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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” on page 573 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the component value for to the type attribute.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.

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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” on page 566 in the ColdFusion 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.

•

component: a ColdFusion component (CFC).

•

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-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX" 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-XXXX-XXXX-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: 
    

    
    

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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” on page 896 in the ColdFusion 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)#
    


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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; “Using XML and
WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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)#
    

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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, “Using XML and
WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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, 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.






1
15.95


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    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])#
    
    

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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; “Using XML and WDDX” on
page 867 in the ColdFusion 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
15.95








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; “Using XML and
WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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)#
    
    

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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;
“Using XML and WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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:







1
15.95




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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])#
    

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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; “Using XML and
WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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
15.95







    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 a specified Java type to pass as an argument to Java or .NET object.
Use only for scalar, string, and array arguments.
Returns
The variable, as type type.
Category
String functions
Function syntax
JavaCast(type, variable)

History
ColdFusion MX 8: Added support for bigdecimal, byte, char, and short data types and for casting Arrays.
ColdFusion MX 7: Added support for nulls.
See also
CreateObject, cfobject, “Converting between .NET and ColdFusion data types” on page 960 in and“Resolving

ambiguous data types with the JavaCast function” on page 944 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

type

Data type to which to convert variable:

variable

•

bigdecimal (converts to java.math.BigDecimal)

•

boolean

•

byte

•

char

•

int

•

long

•

float

•

double

•

short

•

string

•

null

•

xxx[]

•

any of the preceding types, except for null

•

a Java class name

where xxx is one of the following:

A ColdFusion variable that holds a scalar or string type. Must be "" if type is null.

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Usage
Use this method to specify the Java type to use for a variable that you use when calling a Java or .NET method when
the conversion between types is ambiguous; for example, if a method is overloaded and differs only in parameter
type or a .NET method is declared as taking a System.Object class parameter.
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.

Because there is not a one-to-one correspondence between internally stored ColdFusion types and Java scalar types,
some conversions cannot be performed.
Use the result of this function only on calls to Java or .NET objects. The following example shows the use when
calling a Java method.

x = CreateObject("java", "test.Hello");
x.init();
ret = x.sayHello(JavaCast("null", ""));


Note: Do not assign the results of JavaCast("null","") to a ColdFusion variable. Unexpected results will occur.
The format JavaCast(type[], variable) casts a ColdFusion Array variable to a single dimensional Array of the
specified type. It cannot convert multi-dimensional arrays. You can specify a primitive type or the name of a Class
as the type to cast to. For example, you can use the following format to cast a ColdFusion Array to an Array of
vom.x.yMyClass objects.
javacast("vom.x.y.MyClass[]", myCFArr)

Use an array in the first JavaCast parameter in any of the following circumstances:

• You have two functions with signatures with the same number of parameters, and a parameter takes different
types of Arrays in different signatures; for example, if you have both of the following functions: foo(int[] x) and
foo(String[] strs).
•

The method parameter requires a class array in its signature; for example, foo(com.x.y.MyClass[]).

•

The method parameter requires an Object in its signature and you need to pass an array of any particular type.

The following example shows the use of the JavaCast cunction to cast arrays:
You might have a fooClass class that defines the following two methods, each with two arguments where the first
argument differs in the type of the array:
public class fooClass {
public fooClass () {
}
public String foo(long[] arg) {
return "Argument was a long array";
}
public String foo(int[] arg) {
return "Argument was an Integer array";
}
}

To be able to use these functions in your CFML, you must use the JavaCast function to convert the ColdFusion
Arrray to the array type required by one of the functions, as shown in the following code snippet:

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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#

    




101

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?


    

    

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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.
    

    

    

    

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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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%'




    The original list: #temp#




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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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
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:


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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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.



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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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#
    




    The changed list: #temp2#

    This list element:
    #deleted_element#
     is no longer present
at position three of the list.     

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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 casesensitive.
Category
List functions
Function syntax
ListFind(list, value [, delimiters ])

See also
ListContains, ListFindNoCase; “Lists” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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:



    



SELECT FirstName, RTrim(LastName) AS LName, Phone, Department
FROM Employees




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    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.





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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 case-insensitive.
Category
List functions
Function syntax
ListFindNoCase(list, value [, delimiters ])

See also
ListContains, ListFind; “Lists” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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:



    



SELECT FirstName, RTrim(LastName) AS LName, Phone, Department
FROM Employees





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    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.





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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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
FROMMessages



    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
Value of the list element at position position.
Category
List functions
Function syntax
ListGetAt(list, position [, delimiters ])

See also
ListFirst, ListLast, ListQualify, ListSetAt; “Lists” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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
FROMMessages




    This list of usernames who have posted messages numbers
#ListLen(temp)# users.
    

      


    • Username #Counter#: #ListGetAt(temp, Counter)# 

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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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#



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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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
FROMMessages



    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)#.

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    (Users who posted more than once are listed more than once.)

    The last user in the list is: #ListLast(temp)#

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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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
FROMMessages




    This is a list of usernames who have posted messages
#ListLen(temp)# users.
    

      


    • Username #Counter#:
#ListGetAt(temp, Counter)#

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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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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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” on page 28 in “Using ColdFusion Variables” on page 24 in the ColdFusion 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.
    



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 104
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    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#
    
    

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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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
FROMMessages



    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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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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
FROMMessages




    This is a list of #ListLen(temp)#
subjects posted in messages.
    


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 104
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    • (#Counter#) SUBJECT: #ListGetAt(temptoo, Counter)#



    

    Note that element 2, "#changedElement#",
has been altered to "I changed this subject" using ListSetAt.

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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” on page 28 in “Using ColdFusion Variables” on page 24 in the ColdFusion 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

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 case-insensitive). 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

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Parameter
sort_order

Description

•

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# 

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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, includeEmptyFields])

See also
ArrayToList; “Using Arrays and Structures” on page 68 in the ColdFusion 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.

includeEmptyField
s

A Boolean value specifying whether to create empty array entries if there are two delimiters in a row.

•

false

(Default) ignore empty elements in a list; for example, convert a,,c into an array with only two

elements.

• true Convert empty elements in a list to empty array entries; for example, convert a,,c into an array with
three elements, the second of which is empty.
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
FROMMessages



    My list is a list with #ListLen(myList)#
elements.


    My array list is an array with #ArrayLen(myArrayList)#
 elements.

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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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:
    



    



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 105
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    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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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” on page 28 in the ColdFusion 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:
    




    


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 105
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    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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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

    

    

     

    

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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.




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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.




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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, locale])

See also
LSEuroCurrencyFormat, LSIsCurrency, LSParseCurrency, LSParseEuroCurrency, SetLocale; “Handling

data in ColdFusion” on page 347 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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.

locale

•

international: the international standard currency format and currency symbol of the locale.

•

none: the currency format used in the locale; no currency symbol

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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.
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 1.4.1-compliant JVM, the second entry is the result
with a 1.3.1-compliant JVM.

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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 ¤

BEF100.000,00

100.000,00

100.000,00 BF

EUR100.000,00

¤ 100.000,00

NLG100.000,00

fl 100.000,00

EUR100.000,00

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

100.000,00 FB

BEF100.000,00

French (Canadian)

100 000,00 $

CAD100 000,00

100 000,00

French (Standard)

100 000,00 ¤

EUR100 000,00

100 000,00

100 000,00 F

FRF100 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

öS 100.000,00

ATS100.000,00

100.000,00 ¤

EUR100.000,00

100.000,00 DM

DEM100.000,00

SFr. 100'000.00

CHF100'000.00

100'000.00
10.000.000

Dutch (Standard)

German (Standard)

German (Swiss)
Italian (Standard)

100.000,00

100.000,00

¤ 100.000,00

EUR10.000.000

L. 10.000.000

ITL10.000.000

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

R$100.000,00

BRC100.000,00

$100,000.00

MXN100,000.00

Spanish (Mexican)

100,000.00

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Locale

Type = Local(Continued) Type = International

Type = None

Spanish (Modern)

100.000,00 ¤

EUR10.000.000

10.000.000

10.000.000 Pts

ESP10.000.000

100.000,00 ¤

ESP10.000.000

10.000.000 Pts

EUR10.000.000

100.000,00 kr

SEK100.000,00

Spanish (Standard)

Swedish

10.000.000

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")#
    

    
    


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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, locale])

See also
LSParseDateTime, LSTimeFormat, DateFormat, SetLocale; “Handling data in ColdFusion” on page 347 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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.

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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.
locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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")#
    

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#LSDateFormat(Now(), "ddd, mmmm dd, yyyy")#
    
#LSDateFormat(Now(), "d/m/yy")#
    
#LSDateFormat(Now())#
    

    
    


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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, locale])

See also
LSParseEuroCurrency, LSCurrencyFormat, SetLocale; “Locale-specific content” on page 348 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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.

locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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 1154.

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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).
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.

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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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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 [, locale])

See also
GetLocale, SetLocale, LSCurrencyFormat

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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.

locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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 1.3.1-compliant 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
    




    Is the value "#FORM.myValue#"
a proper currency value for #GetLocale()#?

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    Answer: #LSIsCurrency(FORM.myValue)#


    

    Select a locale for which you would like to check a currency value:



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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 [, locale])

See also
CreateDateTime, GetLocale, IsNumericDate, LSDateFormat, ParseDateTime, SetLocale; “Handling data in

ColdFusion” on page 347 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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

locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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
    




    Is the value "#FORM.myValue#" a proper date
value for #GetLocale()#?

    Answer: #LSIsDate(FORM.myValue)#


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 106
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    Select a locale for which you would like to check a date value:



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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 [, locale])

See also
GetLocale, SetLocale; “Handling data in ColdFusion” on page 347 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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

locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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:
...

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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, locale])

See also
GetLocale, SetLocale; “Handling data in ColdFusion” on page 347 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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.
locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

The following table lists the LSNumberFormat mask characters:
Character

Meaning

_

(Underscore.) Digit placeholder.

9

Digit placeholder. (Shows decimal places more clearly than _ .)

.

Location of a mandatory decimal point (or locale-appropriate symbol).

0

Located to the left or right of a mandatory decimal point. Pads with zeros.

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Character

Meaning

()

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.
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:

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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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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 [, locale])

See also
LSParseEuroCurrency, LSCurrencyFormat, LSEuroCurrencyFormat, LSIsCurrency; “Locale-specific content”

on page 348 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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

locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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.
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.

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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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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 [, locale])

See also
LSDateFormat, ParseDateTime, SetLocale, GetLocale; “Locales” on page 341 in the ColdFusion Developer’s

Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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 date/time-

string parameter value time zone information differently than in earlier releases, as described in the Usage section.

Parameters
Parameter

Description

date/time-string A string a variable that contains one, in a format that is readable in the current locale.
locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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

mmm dd, yyyy h:mm:ss tt

Jan 30, 2002 7:02:12 AM

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Format

Example

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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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 [, locale])

See also
LSParseCurrency, LSEuroCurrencyFormat, SetLocale; “Locale-specific content” on page 348 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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.

locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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 1063.
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.
    



    Current Locale: #locale#
    

Value in local currency: #localCurrency#
    
Parsed using LSParseEuroCurrency:
#LSParseEuroCurrency(localCurrency)#
    

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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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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 [, locale])

See also
LSParseDateTime, SetLocale; “Locales” on page 341 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
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

locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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, "$_(_________.___)")#
    
#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "+_________.___")#
    
#LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "-_________.___")#
    
The actual number:
#LSParseNumber(LSNumberFormat(1234.5678, "_________"))#
    

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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” on page 341 in the ColdFusion 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.

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Parameters
Parameter
string

Description

•

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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    #locale#
    
#LSTimeFormat(Now())#
    
#LSTimeFormat(Now(), ‘hh:mm:ss’)#
    
#LSTimeFormat(Now(), ‘hh:mm:sst’)#
    
#LSTimeFormat(Now(), ‘hh:mm:sstt’)#
    
#LSTimeFormat(Now(), ‘HH:mm:ss’)#
    

    



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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

    

    

    

108

Maxfilename
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 

    

    

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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 double-quotation 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.
    
    
    

    

    Type in some text
    

    

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    Enter a starting position (from
How many characters do you want



the beginning of the entered text)
    
size="1">
    
to show?

value="Remove characters">
    

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Min
Description
Determines the lesser of two numbers.
Returns
The lesser of two numbers.
Category
Mathematical functions
Function syntax
Min(number1, number2)

See also
Maxfilename

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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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.


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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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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 [, locale])

See also
DatePart, Month, Quarter

History
ColdFusion 8: Added the locale parameter.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

month_number

An integer in the range 1 – 12.

locale

Locale to use instead of the locale of the page when processing the function

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




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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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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.

,

Separates every third decimal place with a comma.

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Mask character

Meaning

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:
Number

Mask

Result

3.21

C(__^__)

"( 3.21 )"

3.21

C__(^__)

" (3.21 )"

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.

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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)#
    
    
    

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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)#



    



    

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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.

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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 1930-1999.

pop-conversion

• pop: specifies that the date/time string is in POP format, which includes the local time of the sender and a timezone 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)#


    The expression #DE(form.theTestValue)# is not a valid date
    
    
    

    

    Enter an expression, and discover if it can be evaluated to a date value.



    

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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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PrecisionEvaluate
Description
Evaluates one or more string expressions, dynamically, from left to right, using BigDecimal precision arithmetic to
calculate the values of arbitrary precision arithmetic expressions.
Returns
An object; the result of the evaluation(s).
Category
Mathematical functions, Dynamic evaluation functions
Function syntax
PrecisionEvaluate(string_expression1 [, string_expression2 , ... ])

See also
Evaluate, “Using Expressions and Number Signs” on page 50 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

string_expression1, string_expression2...

Expressions to evaluate

Usage
The PrecisionEvaluate function lets you calculate arbitrarily long decimal (BigDecimal precision) values.
BigDecimal precision arithmetic accepts and generates decimal numbers of any length, and does not use exponential
notation.
The PrecisionEvaluate function calculates arbitrary precision results only for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. If you use any of the following operations, ColdFusion performs normal integer or floating point
arithmetic and does not return BigDecimal values.

•

exponentiation (^)

•

modulus (MOD or %)

•

integer division (\)

This function differs from the Evaluate function only in its use of BigDecimal precision arithmetic to calculate
numeric values; otherwise the two functions are identical. The results of an evaluation on the left can have meaning
in an expression to the right, and the function returns the result of evaluating the rightmost expression. If a string
expression contains a single- or double-quotation mark, the mark must be escaped.
If an expression, such as 1/3, results in an infinitely repeating decimal value, ColdFusion limits the decimal part to
20 digits.
Note: To increase processing efficiency, do not put the arithmetic expressions to evaluate in quotation marks (“).
ColdFusion compiles PrecisionEvaluate(a*b) more efficiently than it compiles PrecisionEvaluate(“a*b”),
although both formats produce the same results.
Example

    PrecisionEvaluate Example
    



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The value of the expression #FORM.MyExpression#
is #theExpression#.
    
    

Could not evaluate the expression #Form.myExpression#.


    
    


    Enter a ColdFusion expression for evaluation.
    

    Try using some really big decimal numbers.
    

    

    

    

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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, array-variable, 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.
You code this function correctly as follows:
 **tharwood
11/16

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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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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())#.

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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” on page 426 in the ColdFusion

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
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:

array-name

•

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)

Name of an array whose elements populate the new column.

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.

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Adobe 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.


























    

    
Fast Food
Fine Cuisine
Health Food

    

    
#FastFood#
#FineCuisine#
#HealthFood#

    


    

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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 the QueryNew() function”
on page 415 in the ColdFusion 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#
         

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QueryConvertForGrid
Description
Converts query data to a structure that contains a paged subset of the query. Used in CFC functions that return data
to Ajax format cfgrid controls in response to a bind expression.
Returns
A structure that contains one page of data from the query.
Category
Query functions
Function syntax
QueryConvertForGrid(query, page, pageSize)

See also
cfgrid, “Dynamically filling form data” on page 631 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

query

Name of the query whose data is returned.

page

The specific page of query data to be returned. Pages are numbered starting with 1.

pageSize

Number of rows of query data on a page.

Usage
You can also create the return value for a cfgrid bind CFC without using this function if your query returns only a
single grid page of data at a time. For more information see “Using Ajax UI Components and Features” on page 614
in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Example
The following example shows how a CFC function that is called by an Ajax format cfgrid tag bind attribute. uses
the QueryConvertForGrid function to prepare query data to return to the grid. The CFML page with the cfgrid
tag has the following code:








The getData function in the places.cfc page has the following code:




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#query#




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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” on page 426 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

columnlist

Comma-delimited list of column names, or an empty string.

columntypelis
t

(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.
Adobe 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.
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.

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    The query object contents
    

#Name# #Time# #Advanced#
    

    

    

    Using individual query data values
    

#MyQuery.name[2]# is at #MyQuery.Time[2]#
    

    

    

    The query metadata
    



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QuerySetCell
Description
Sets a cell to a value. If no row number is specified, the cell on the last row is set.
Starting with ColdFusion MX 7, you cannot add a string literal (for example, "All") to a column that is of type
numeric, although this was allowed in previous versions of ColdFusion.
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 the QueryNew() function” on page 415 in
the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion MX 7: Changed the behavior of the function so that it does type validation.
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#

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records.


    #Course_ID# #Course_Number# #Descript#
     
    

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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 singlequotation 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,";")#
    
    

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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 installs a cryptography library with the
following algorithms:

•

CFMX_COMPAT: the algorithm used in ColdFusion (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,
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


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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 installs a cryptography library with the
following algorithms:

•

CFMX_COMPAT: the algorithm used in ColdFusion (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,
cannot provide technical support for third-party security providers.
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
    





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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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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 installs a cryptography library
with the following algorithms:

•

CFMX_COMPAT: the algorithm used in ColdFusion (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 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,
cannot provide technical support for third-party security providers.
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
    


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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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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 “Using
Regular Expressions in Functions” on page 107 in the ColdFusion 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.

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.

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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#.
    

    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.
    

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    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])#]

    

    

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REFindNoCase
Description
Uses a regular expression (RE) to search a string for a pattern, starting from a specified position. The search is caseinsensitive.
For more information on regular expressions, including escape sequences, anchors, and modifiers, see “Using
Regular Expressions in Functions” on page 107 in the ColdFusion 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
Parameter

Description

reg_expression

Regular expression for which to search. Case-insensitive.
For more information, see “Using Regular Expressions in Functions” on page 107 in
Guide.

the ColdFusion Developer’s

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String in which to search.

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.

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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#.
    

    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

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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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REMatch
Description
Uses a regular expression (RE) to search a string for a pattern, starting from a specified position. The search is case
sensitive.
For more information on regular expressions, including escape sequences, anchors, and modifiers, see “Using
Regular Expressions in Functions” on page 107 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Returns
An array of strings that match the expression.
Category
String functions
Function syntax
REMatch(reg_expression, string)

See also
Find, FindNoCase, REFind, REReplace, REReplaceNoCase, REMatchNoCase
Parameters
Parameter

Description

reg_expression

Regular expression for which to search. Case sensitive.
For more information, see “Using Regular Expressions in Functions” on page 107 in
Guide.

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String in which to search.

Usage
This function finds all occurrence of a regular expression in a string.
Example


result = REMatch("https?://([-\w\.]+)+(:\d+)?(/([\w/_\.]*(\?\S+)?)?)?",
cfhttp.filecontent);

the ColdFusion Developer’s

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REMatchNoCase
Description
Uses a regular expression (RE) to search a string for a pattern, starting from a specified position. The search is caseinsensitive.
For more information on regular expressions, including escape sequences, anchors, and modifiers, see “Using
Regular Expressions in Functions” on page 107 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Returns
An array of strings that match the expression.
Category
String functions
Function syntax
REMatchNoCase(reg_expression, string)

See also
Find, FindNoCase, REFind, REReplace, REReplaceNoCase, REMatch
Parameters
Parameter

Description

reg_expression

Regular expression for which to search. Case-insensitive.
For more information, see “Using Regular Expressions in Functions” on page 107 in
Guide.

string

A string or a variable that contains one. String in which to search.

Example

result = REMatch("https?://([-\w\.]+)+(:\d+)?(/([\w/_\.]*(\?\S+)?)?)?",
cfhttp.filecontent);

the ColdFusion Developer’s

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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???I’d like to fill this in with something???
obj.quit();
ReleaseComObject(obj);


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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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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)#

    

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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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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 Example Two
    



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#ReplaceList(stringtoreplace,"dog,brown,fox,black", "cow,black,ferret,white")#


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ReplaceNoCase
Description
Replaces occurrences of substring1 with substring2, in the specified scope. The search is case-insensitive.
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)#


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REReplace
Description
Uses a regular expression (RE) to search a string for a string pattern and replace it with another. The search is casesensitive.
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
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.

Usage
For details on using regular expressions, see “Using Regular Expressions in Functions” on page 107 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

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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")#

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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 “Using Regular Expressions in Functions” on page 107 in

the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
substring
scope

A string or a variable that contains one. Replaces reg_expression.

•

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 “Using Regular Expressions in Functions” on page 107 in the
ColdFusion 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"):
#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"):

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#REReplaceNoCase("I LOVE JELLIES","jell(y|ies)","cookies")#


    REReplaceNoCase("I LOVE JELLY","jell(y|ies)","cookies"):
#REReplaceNoCase("I LOVE JELLY","jell(y|ies)","cookies")#


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Reverse
Description
Reverses the order of items, such as the characters in a string or the digits in a number.
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:


    

    

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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)#
    
    
    


    Please enter a string of more

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than 0 (zero) characters.
    
    
    

    

    Type in some text
    

    

    How many characters from the right do you want to show?


    

    

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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

    

    

     

    

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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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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.

    

    

    

114

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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SendGatewayMessage
Description
Sends an outgoing message through a ColdFusion 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” on page 1377, “SMS Gateway CFEvent structure
and commands” on page 1403, “CFML event gateway SendGatewayMessage data parameter” on page 1413, and
“Sending a message using the SendGatewayMessage function” on page 1075 in the ColdFusion 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 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
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.

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.

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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
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” on page 1077 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Sending an event to the CFML event gateway that is registered in the
ColdFusion 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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SerializeJSON
Description
Converts ColdFusion data into a JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) representation of the data.
Returns
A string that contains a JSON representation of the parameter value.
Category
Conversion functions

Syntax
SerializeJSON(var[, serializeQueryByColumns])

See also
DeserializeJSON, IsJSON, cfajaxproxy, “Using data interchange formats” on page 668 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide, http://www.json.org

History
ColdFusion 8: Added function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

var

A ColdFusion data value or variable that represents one.

serializeQueryByColumns

A Boolean value that specifies how to serialize ColdFusion queries.

•

false (the default): Creates an object with two entries: an array of column names and an array of
row arrays. This format is required by the HTML format cfgrid tag.

•

true: Creates an object that corresponds to WDDX query format.

For more information, see the Usage section.

Usage
This function is useful for generating JSON format data to be consumed by an Ajax application.
The SerializeJSON function converts ColdFusion dates and times into strings that can be easily parsed by the
JavaScript Date object. The strings have the following format:
MonthName, DayNumber Year Hours:Minutes:Seconds

The SerializeJSON function converts the ColdFusion date time object for October 3, 2007 at 3:01 PM, for example,
into the JSON string “October, 03 2007 15:01:00”.
The SerializeJSON function with a false serializeQueryByColumns parameter (the default) converts a
ColdFusion query into a row-oriented JSON Object with the following elements:

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Element

Description

COLUMNS

An array of the names of the columns.

DATA

A two-dimensional array, where:

•

Each entry in the outer array corresponds to a row of query data.

• Each entry in the inner arrays is a column field value in the row, in the same order as the COLUMNS array
entries.
For example, the SerializeJSON function with a serializeQueryByColumns parameter value of false converts
a ColdFusion query with two columns, City, and State, and two rows of data into following format:
{"COLUMNS":["CITY","STATE"],"DATA":[["Newton","MA"],["San Jose","CA"]]}

The SerializeJSON function with a serializeQueryByColumns parameter value of true converts a ColdFusion
query into a column-oriented JSON Object that is equivalent to the WDDX query representation. The JSON Object
has three elements:
Element

Description

ROWCOUNT

The number of rows in the query.

COLUMNS

An array of the names of the columns.

DATA

An Object with the following:

•

The keys are the query column names

•

The values are arrays that contain the column data

The SerializeJSON function with a serializeQueryByColumns parameter value of true converts a ColdFusion
query with two columns, City, and State, and two rows of data into following format:
{"ROWCOUNT":2, "COLUMNS":["CITY","STATE"],"DATA":{"City":["Newton","San
Jose"],"State":["MA","CA"]}}

Note: The SerializeJSON function generates an error if you try to convert binary data into JSON format.
The SerializeJSON function converts all other ColdFusion data types to the corresponding JSON types. It converts
structures to JSON Objects, arrays to JSON Arrays, numbers to JSON Numbers, and strings to JSON Strings.
Note: ColdFusion internally represents structure key names using all-uppercase characters, and, therefore, serializes the
key names to all-uppercase JSON representations. Any JavaScript that handles JSON representations of ColdFusion
structures must use all-uppercase structure key names, such as CITY or STATE. You also use the all-uppercase names
COLUMNS and DATA as the keys for the two arrays that represent ColdFusion queries in JSON format.
Example
This example creates a JSON-format data feed with simple weather data for two cities. The data feed is in the form
of a JavaScript application that consists of a single function call that has a JSON Object as its parameter. The example
code does the following:
1 Creates a query object with two rows of weather data. Each row has a city, the current temperature, and an array
of forecast structures, with each with the high, low, and weather prediction for one day. This data would normally be
provided by a data source; to keep the example simple, the example uses the same prediction for all cites and days.
2

Converts the query to a JSON format string and surrounds it in a JavaScript function call.

3

Writes the result to the output.

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If you view this page in your browser, you see the resulting JavaScript function and JSON parameter. To use the
results of this page in an application, put this file and the example for the DeserializeJSON function in an appropriate location under your ColdFusion web root, replace the URL in the DeserializeJSON example code with the
correct URL for this page, and run the DeserializeJSON example.






// Construct a weather query with information on cities.
// To simplify the code, we use the same weather for all cities and days.
// Normally this information would come from a data source.
weatherQuery = QueryNew("City, Temp, Forecasts");
QueryAddRow(weatherQuery, 2);
theWeather=StructNew();
theWeather.High=73;
theWeather.Low=53;
theWeather.Weather="Partly Cloudy";
weatherArray=ArrayNew(1);
for (i=1; i<=5; i++) weatherArray[i]=theWeather;
querySetCell(weatherQuery, "City", "Newton", 1);
querySetCell(weatherQuery, "Temp", "65", 1);
querySetCell(weatherQuery, "ForeCasts", weatherArray, 1);
querySetCell(weatherQuery, "City", "San Jose", 2);
querySetCell(weatherQuery, "Temp", 75, 2);
querySetCell(weatherQuery, "ForeCasts", weatherArray, 2);
// Convert the query to JSON.
// The SerializeJSON function serializes a ColdFusion query into a JSON
// structure.
theJSON = SerializeJSON(weatherQuery);
// Wrap the JSON object in a JavaScript function call.
// This makes it easy to use it directly in JavaScript.
writeOutput("onLoad( "&theJSON&" )");



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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” on page 341 in

the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

scope_name

charset

Description

•

url

•

form

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

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.

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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.");
WriteOutput("The encoding is " & theEncoding);
    
    

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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” on page 341 in the ColdFusion Developer’s

Guide
History
ColdFusion MX 7: Added support for all locales supported by the ColdFusion 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 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)

Chinese (Taiwan)

French (Standard)

Norwegian (Nynorsk)

Dutch (Belgian)

French (Swiss)

Portuguese (Brazilian)

Dutch (Standard)

German (Austrian)

Portuguese (Standard)

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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:
1 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 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 locale-sensitive 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 Content-Language 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 comma-delimited 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()#

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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 time-out value in an
initialization file. Enter the full path of your initialization
file, specify the time-out value, and submit the form.



"boot loader">
= FORM.MyTimeout>
GetProfileString(IniPath, Section, "timeout")>




    

    Setting the time-out value to #MyTimeout#

    


    Value returned from SetProfileString:
#code#
    


    

    The time-out value should be greater than zero in order to
provide time for user response.
    

    

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    The time-out value in your initialization file is already
#MyTimeout#.
    
    



    Boot Loader
    

    The time-out is set to: #timeout#.
    

    Default directory is: #default#.
    
    

    

    

    

    
Full Path of Init File


    

    
Time-out


    

    



    

    

    

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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 “Using Expressions and Number Signs” on page 50 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
Example

    SetVariable Example
    









    Your variable, #varName#

    The value of #varName# is #varNameValue#



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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)#

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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.
    
    
    

    
Enter an angle in degrees to get its sine:

    


    

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Sleep
Description
Causes the current thread to stop processing for a specified period of time.
Returns
Does not return a value.
Category
System functions

Syntax
Sleep(duration)

See also
cfthread, “Using ColdFusion Threads” on page 301 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

duration

Time, in milliseconds, to stop processing the thread.

Description
The Sleep function is useful when one thread must wait until another thread performs some action. The thread that
must wait uses the Sleep function to stop processing for a time, and, when it awakens, checks to see if the other
thread is ready. If it is not, the thread can sleep again. This type of action is useful, for example, when one thread
must wait for another thread to complete initialization operations that apply to both threads.
The Sleep function behaves identically to the cfthread tag with an action attribute value of sleep.
Example
The following example has two threads. The second thread (threadB) uses the sleep function to ensure that the first
thread (threadA) has completed before it starts processing.










thread.sleepTimes=0;
thread.initialized=false;
while ((threadA.Status != "COMPLETED") && (threadA.Status
!= "TERMINATED")) {
sleep(500);

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thread.sleeptimes++;
}
// Only do the post-initilization code if the threadA completed.
If (threadA.Status == "COMPLETED") {
thread.initialized=true;
// Post-initialization code would go here.
}







threadA index value: #threadA.j#
    
threadA status: #threadA.Status#
    
threadB status: #threadB.Status#
    
threadB sleepTimes: #threadB.sleepTimes#
    
threadB initialized: #threadB.initialized#
    
    

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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” on page 241 in the ColdFusion 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:

    

    

    

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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” on page 241in the ColdFusion 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:

    

    

    

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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)#

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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)#

    
    


    



    

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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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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



















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The person struct before the Append call:
    


#myItem#
    
    
    




    
The person struct after the Append call:
    


#myItem#
    
    
    

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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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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);
StructInsert(employee, "lastname", Form.lastname);
StructInsert(employee, "email", Form.email);
StructInsert(employee, "phone", Form.phone);
StructInsert(employee, "department", Form.department);



ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 117
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StructClear(employee);


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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” on page 90 in the ColdFusion 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 twodimensional 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 778.
The following table shows how variables are assigned:
Variable type

Assigned by

structure.any_simple_value

Value

Boolean
Binary
Base64
structure.array

Value

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Variable type

Assigned by

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)";
    

    
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 
    

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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.
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.
    


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// 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]#
    
    

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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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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.


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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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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);
StructInsert(employee, "phone", phone);
StructInsert(employee, "department", department);

Before deletion, employee structure looks like this:


ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 117
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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 --->

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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” on page 90 in the ColdFusion 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.


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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” on page 90 in the ColdFusion 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: value held in the found key

•

Path: 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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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” on page 90 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

top

ColdFusion structure 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


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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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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
    
    

Dog.Myscope.Test.Foo is not defined
    
    

#dog.myscope.test.foo#
    
    


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#request.myscope[1].test.foo#
    
    



#request.myscope[1].test[2].foo#
    
    

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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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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);
StructInsert(employee, "lastname", FORM.lastname);
StructInsert(employee, "email", FORM.email);
StructInsert(employee, "phone", FORM.phone);
StructInsert(employee, "department", FORM.department);


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    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: 


    


    

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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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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")#'
)




    Employee Add Complete    



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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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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. 
    

    

    

    

    
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]]#

    
    
    

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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” on page 90 in the ColdFusion 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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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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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 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.
    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 119
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    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.
    
    

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StructNew
Description
Creates a structure.
Returns
A structure.
Category
Structure functions
Function syntax
StructNew()

See also
Structure functions; “Structure functions” on page 90 in the ColdFusion 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")#





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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” on page 90 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

base

A ColdFusion structure with one field (an associative array).

sortType

sortOrder

pathToSubElement

•

numeric

•

text: case-sensitive (all lowercase letters precede the first uppercase letter). Default.

•

textnocase

•

asc: ascending (a to z) sort order. Default.

•

desc: descending (z to a) sort order

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 (toplevel 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 ;
employee = StructNew() ;
employee["salary"] = salary ;
// employee.salary = salary ;
employees["employee#i#"] = employee ;
departments["department#i#"] = StructNew() ;

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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#
    
    
    
    

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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” on page 878 in the ColdFusion 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");




119

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 6.12323399574E017) 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.
    
    
    

    
Enter an angle in degrees to get its tangent:

    

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 119
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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.
1

Added support for the following mask parameter options: short, medium, long, and full.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 119
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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, with no leading zeros

•

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, Adobe 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

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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")#


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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
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.

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Usage
Adobe 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.
    
    

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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” on page 31 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Parameters
Parameter

Description

string_in_Base64

A string in Base64 format to convert to binary.

Usage
Adobe 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#
    







ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 120
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    Base64 representation of binary data is identical to the Base64
representation of string data.
    


    Conversion error.
    
    

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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; “WDDX JavaScript Objects” on page 1453 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
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:

ASFormat

•

True: creates WDDX-style output (default).

•

False: creates ActionScript-style output.

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).

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:

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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 “WDDX JavaScript Objects” on page 1453.
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";

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.

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    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




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JavaScript generated by ToScript(thisQuery, "WDDXQuery"):
    
#toScript(thisQuery, "WDDXQuery")#;
    

    
JavaScript generated by ToScript(thisQuery, "ActionScriptQuery",
False):
    
#toScript(thisQuery, "ActionScriptQuery", False)#
    

    



    

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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; “Using XML and WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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.

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.

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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.
Adobe 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#
    





    The following is the string representation of the binary data.
    
#dataString#
    

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Trim
Description
Removes leading and trailing spaces and control characters from a string.
Returns
A copy of the string parameter, after removing leading and trailing spaces and control characters.
Category
String functions
Function syntax
Trim(string)

See also
LTrim, RTrim
Parameters
Parameter

Description

string

A string or a variable that contains a string.

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

    

    

    

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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:

    


    

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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 applications” on page 345 in the ColdFusion 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.

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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.");
}
    

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URLEncodedFormat
Description
Generates a URL-encoded string. For example, it replaces spaces with %20, and non-alphanumeric 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 applications” on page 345 in the ColdFusion 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.

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.

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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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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; “Maintaining client identity” on page 276 in the ColdFusion 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



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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.

    



    

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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,";")#
    
    

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VerifyClient
Description
Requires remote invocations of the page or calls to functions on the page to include an encrypted security token.
Returns
Does not return a value.
Category
Security functions
Function syntax
VerifyClient()

See also
cffunction, “Improving security” on page 674 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function.
Parameters
Does not take any parameters
Usage
Use this function to help prevent security attacks where an unauthorized party attempts to perform an action on

the server, such as changing a password. As a general rule, you should use this feature for Ajax requests to the server
to perform sensitive actions, such as updating passwords.
If you call this function, you must enable client management or session management in your application;
otherwise, you do not get an error, but ColdFusion does not verify clients. Use this function only on pages that
respond to client-side ColdFusion Ajax features, such as bind expressions. These features include code that
correctly sends the security token when needed.

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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




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Wrap
Description
Wraps text so that each line has a specified maximum number of characters.
Note: The wrap function does not insert line breaks by placing the 
     tag in HTML text. Instead, it wraps the text in
the display without adding the 
     tag.
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 value 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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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);


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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; “Using XML and WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion
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


Laura
Ingalls




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elempos=XMLChildPos(xmlobject.employee.name[1], "Status", 2);
ArrayDeleteAt(xmlobject.employee.name[1].XmlChildren, elempos);




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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; “Using XML and WDDX” on page 867 in the
ColdFusion 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.";
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 &".";

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}



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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; “Using XML and WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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.




#XmlFormat("Body of element with <, >, "" and & goes here.")#


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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; “Using XML and
WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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:








 Imported from France

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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#
    
    

    
    
    

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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; “Using XML and WDDX” on page 867 in the
ColdFusion 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.
Example
The following example creates and displays a ColdFusion document object:



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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 &".";
}



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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; “Using XML and
WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion 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 pathnames.

ColdFusion MX: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

xmlText

Any of the following:

caseSensitive

validator

•

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.

•

Yes: maintains the case of document elements and attributes.

•

No: Default

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 pathname in a parameter, ColdFusion uses the directory (or, for URLs, the logical
directory) that contains the current ColdFusion page as the path root.

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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 XmlValexample

idate

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




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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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XmlSearch
Description
Uses an XPath language expression to search an XML document object.
Returns
The results of the XPath search. For details, see Usage.
Category
XML functions
Function syntax
XmlSearch(xmlDoc, xPathString)

See also
cfxml, IsXML, XmlChildPos, XmlParse, XmlTransform; “Using XML and WDDX” on page 867 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added support for returning any valid XPath result, not just arrays of XML object nodes.
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 attempts to return the values returned by the search whenever possible. For example, if the
XPath expression returns a Boolean, the CFML variable is assigned a true or false value.
The following table lists XPath expression result data types and how they are represented in the CFML return value.
XPath return type

ColdFusion representation

Boolean

Boolean

Null

"" (empty string)

Number

Number

String

String

NodeSet

Array of XML nodes

Result Tree Fragment

Array of XML nodes

Results that are Unknown or have an unresolved variable in the expression throw an error.
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.

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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


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 & "
    ");
    

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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; “Using XML and WDDX” on page 867 in the
ColdFusion 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/.
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:

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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

    

    







    


    


    
    

The CFML file has the following lines:


#XmlTransform(xmldoc, xmltrans)#

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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:

Warning

•

True if the document is valid.

•

False if the validation check failed.

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; “Using XML and WDDX”
on page 867 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion MX 7: Added this function.
Parameters
Parameter

Description

xmlDoc

Any of the following:

validator

•

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.

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.

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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 XmlValidate function
uses the validator parameter, and ignores the specification in the XML document.
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




The custorder.xsd file is as follows:




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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.


Did custorder.xml validate against custorder.xsd? #results.status#

    
    
Dump of myResults structure returned by XMLValidate
    


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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




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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)#

    
    

124

Chapter 5: AJAX JavaScript Functions
You can use the JavaScript functions listed below on pages that use ColdFusion AJAX features.
Contents

Function summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1247
“ColdFusion.Ajax.submitForm” on page 1249

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Function summary
The following table briefly describes the JavaScript functions that you can use in ColdFusion pages that use AJAX
features:
Function

Description

ColdFusion.Ajax.submitForm

Submits form data without refreshing the entire page when the results are returned.

ColdFusion.getElementValue

Gets the value of an attribute of a bindable ColdFusion control.

ColdFusion.Grid.getGridObject

Gets the underlying Ext JS - JavaScript Library object for the specified HTML format cfgrid
control.

ColdFusion.Grid.refresh

Manually refreshes a displayed grid.

ColdFusion.Grid.sort

Sorts the specified HTML format grid.

ColdFusion.Layout.collapseArea

Collapses an area of a border layout (cflayout tag with a type attribute of border).

ColdFusion.Layout.createTab

Creates a new tab in an existing tabbed layout (cflayout tag with a type attribute of tab).

ColdFusion.Layout.disableTab

Disables the specified tab so it cannot be selected.

ColdFusion.Layout.enableTab

Enables the specified tab so users can select it and display the area contents.

ColdFusion.Layout.expandArea

Expands a collapsed area of a border layout.

ColdFusion.Layout.getBorderLayout

Gets the underlying Ext JS - JavaScript Library object for the specified border type cflayout
control.

ColdFusion.Layout.getTabLayout

Gets the underlying Ext JS - JavaScript Library object for the specified tab type cflayout
control.

ColdFusion.Layout.hideArea

Hides a bordered layout area.

ColdFusion.Layout.hideTab

Hides a tab.

ColdFusion.Layout.selectTab

Selects a tab and displays the layout area contents.

ColdFusion.Layout.showArea

Shows an area of a border layout that was hidden using the inithide attribute or the
hideArea() function.

ColdFusion.Layout.showTab

Shows a tab that was hidden using the inithide attribute or the hideTab() function.

ColdFusion.Log.debug

Displays a debug-level message in the log window.

ColdFusion.Log.dump

Displays information about a complex variable in the log window.

ColdFusion.Log.error

Displays an error-level message in the log window.

ColdFusion.Log.info

Displays an information-level message in the log window.

ColdFusion.navigate

Displays the output of a link URL in a specified cfdiv, cflayoutarea, cfpod, or cfwindow
container.

ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler

Replaces the global JavaScript error handler for displaying information about ColdFusion AJAX
errors.

ColdFusion.Tree.getTreeObject

Gets the underlying Yahoo YUI Library object for the specified HTML format cftree control.

ColdFusion.Tree.refresh

Manually refreshes a displayed HTML format tree.

ColdFusion.Window.create

Creates a ColdFusion pop-up window. Equivalent to the cfwindow tag.

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Function

Description

ColdFusion.Window.getWindowObject

Gets the underlying Ext JS - JavaScript Library object for the specified HTML format cfwindow
control.

ColdFusion.Window.hide

Hides a window

ColdFusion.Window.onHide

Specifies a JavaScript function to run each time a specific window hides.

ColdFusion.Window.onShow

Specifies a JavaScript function to run each time a specific window shows.

ColdFusion.Window.show

Shows a hidden window.

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ColdFusion.Ajax.submitForm
Description
Submits form data without refreshing the page when the results are returned.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Ajax.submitForm(formId, URL[, callbackhandler, errorhandler, httpMethod,
asynch])

See also
cfajaxproxy, ColdFusion.navigate, “Using the ColdFusion.Ajax.submitForm function” on page 630 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

formId

The ID or name attribute of the form.

URL

The URL to which to submit the form.

callbackhandler

The JavaScript function to handle a normal response. The function must take a single argument, that contains the
response body. This method is used only if the form submission is asynchronous.

errorhandler

The JavaScript function to handle an HTTP error response. The function must take two arguments: the HTTP status
code, and the error message. This method is used only if the form submission is asynchronous.

httpMethod

The HTTP method to use for the submission, must be one of the following:

asynch

•

GET

•

POST (the default)

A Boolean value specifying whether to submit the form asynchronously. The default value is true.

Returns
If the asynch argument is false, returns the response body. Otherwise, the function does not return a value.
Usage
If the page that calls this function does not have any ColdFusion AJAX-based controls, you must use a cfajaximport tag on the page to ensure that the page includes the JavaScript definition for this function.
Note: This function does not submit the contents of file fields.
Example
See “Using the ColdFusion.Ajax.submitForm function” on page 630 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

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ColdFusion.getElementValue
Description
Gets the value of an attribute of a bindable ColdFusion control.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.getElementValue(elementId [, formId, attributeName])

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

elementId

The ID or name attribute of the control.

formId

The ID attribute of the form that contains the control. Omit this attribute if the element ID is unique on the page. If
you omit this attribute and the element ID is not unique, the function uses the first element on the page with the
specified ID.

attributeName

The control attribute to get; by default, the value attribute, or, for cfselect, the value of the selected element in
the control.
For cfgrid controls, you must use this attribute and specify the name of the column whose value you are getting;
the function returns the entry in the currently selected row.
For cftree controls, you must use this attribute and specify PATH or NODE. The function returns the item path or
node value of the currently selected tree item.

Returns
The value of the specified attribute.
Usage
You can bind to, and get the attribute values of, the following HTML-format controls:

•
•

cfgrid

•

cfselect

•

cftextarea

•

cftree

cfinput controls with checkbox, datefield, file, hidden, radio, or text types

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ColdFusion.Grid.getGridObject
Description
Gets the underlying Ext (Ext JS JavaScript library) object for the specified HTML format grid.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Grid.getGridObject(name)

See also
cfgrid, ColdFusion.Grid.refresh, ColdFusion.Grid.sort, Ext JS - JavaScript Library Documentation, “Using
HTML format grids” on page 631 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The value of the name attribute of the cfgrid tag for which you want the object.

Returns
If the grid is editable, an object of type Ext.grid.EditableGrid; otherwise, an object of type Ext.grid.Grid.
Usage
Use this function to get the Ext toolkit (Ext.grid) object that underlies the ColdFusion HTML format cfgrid
control. You can then use the raw object to modify the displayed grid. For documentation on the objects and how to
manage them, see the Ext documentation.

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ColdFusion.Grid.refresh
Description
Manually refreshes a displayed grid.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Grid.refresh(name [, preservePage])

See also
cfgrid, ColdFusion.Grid.getGridObject, ColdFusion.Grid.sort, “Using HTML format grids” on page 631
in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The value of the name attribute of the cfgrid tag to refresh.

preservePage

A Boolean value specifying whether to redisplay the current page of data (true), or display the first page of data
(false, the default). This attribute applies only if the grid data requires multiple grid pages to display.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function is useful to refresh a grid when an event occurs that changes the underlying data but does not normally
trigger a grid update.
Example
The following code snippet comes from an example that lets users delete rows from a grid. When the user selects a
grid row and clicks the delete button, the AJAX proxy calls a mycfc.deleteRow function to delete the row from the
database. When the function returns successfully, the proxy calls ColdFusion.Grid.refresh to update the grid
and remove the row.


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ColdFusion.Grid.sort
Description
Sorts the specified HTML format grid.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Grid.sort(name [, columnName, direction])

See also
cfgrid, ColdFusion.Grid.getGridObject, ColdFusion.Grid.refresh, “Using HTML format grids” on
page 631 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The value of the name attribute of the cfgrid tag to sort.

columnName

The name of the column that determines the sort order.

direction

The sort direction. Must be one for these values:

•

ASC (default)

•

DESC

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function sorts the data displayed by the grid by using a case-insensitive sort for string data, or a numeric sort
for numeric data. It uses the specified column contents to determine the displayed grid order. When a grid has a
remote data source, the bound CFC function that provides the data gets the column name and sort direction in the
cfgridsortcolumn and cfgridsortdirection bind attributes. The CFC function must use these values and
perform the sort appropriately.

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ColdFusion.Layout.collapseArea
Description
Collapses an area of a border layout.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.collapseArea(layout, layoutArea)

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.expandArea, ColdFusion.Layout.getTabLayout,
ColdFusion.Layout.showArea, “Using layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

layout

The name attribute of the border layout that contains the area to collapse.

layoutArea

The position in the layout of the area to collapse. Must be one of the following: bottom, left, right, or top.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function has no effect if the area is already collapsed.
Example
The following code snippet collapses the left area of the layout border layout when the user clicks the button.


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ColdFusion.Layout.createTab
Description
Creates a new tab and layout area in a ColdFusion tabbed layout.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.createTab(layout, layoutArea, Title, URL [, configObject])

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.disableTab, ColdFusion.Layout.enableTab,
ColdFusion.Layout.hideTab, ColdFusion.Layout.selectTab, ColdFusion.Layout.showTab, “Using

layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

layout

The name attribute of the tabbed layout in which to add the tab

layoutArea

The name to assign to the layout area that is created for the new tab. Must be unique on the page.

title

The text to display on the tab. You can use HTML mark-up to control the title appearance.

URL

The URL from which to get the layout area contents. This attribute can use URL parameters to pass data to the page.
ColdFusion uses standard page path resolution rules to locate the page.

configObject

An object containing window configuration parameters. For details, see “Usage”.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function dynamically creates tabs in a tabbed layout; it is equivalent to putting a cflayoutarea tag inside a
cflayout tag with a type attribute of tag. The configuration parameter defines tab characteristics; it can have any
or all of the following entries:
Entry

Default

align

The cflayout Specifies how to align child controls within the layout area. The following values are valid:
tag align
• center
attribute value

callbackhandler

Description

•

justify

•

left

•

right

A function that will be called when the layout tab body has loaded. This function must not take any
arguments.

closable

false

A Boolean value specifying whether the user can close the window. If true, the tab has an X close
icon.

disabled

false

A Boolean value specifying whether the tab is disabled, that is, whether user can select the tab to
display its contents. Disabled tabs are greyed out.
Ignored if there is a true selected entry.

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Entry

Default

errorhandler

Description
A function that will be called if an error occurs in loading the tab body. This function must take two
arguments:

•

The HTTP status code, or -1 if the error is not a HTTP error

•

An error message

inithide

false

A Boolean value specifying whether the tab is initially hidden. To show an initially hidden tab, use
the ColdFusion.Layout.showTab function.

overflow

auto

Specifies how to display child content whose size would cause the tab layout area to overflow the
window boundaries. The following values are valid:

•

auto: Show scroll bars when necessary.

•

hidden: Do not allow access to overflowing content.

•

scroll: Always show horizontal and vertical scroll bars, even if they are not needed.

•

visible: Content can display outside the bounds of the layout area.

Note: In Internet Explorer, layout areas with the visible setting expand to fit the size of the
contents, rather than having the contents extend beyond the layout area.

selected

false

style

A Boolean value specifying whether this tab is initially selected so that its contents appears in the
layout.
A CSS style specification that controls the appearance of the layout area.

Example
The following example creates a tabbed layout with one tab. When you click the button it creates a second tab that is
immediately visible and selected.
The main page looks as follows:









Default Tab





The _tabURL.cfm page looks as follows:

    Tab 2
    
This is a simple tab

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ColdFusion.Layout.disableTab
Description
Disables the specified tab so it cannot be selected.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.disableTab(layout, layoutArea)

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.createTab, ColdFusion.Layout.enableTab,
ColdFusion.Layout.hideTab, ColdFusion.Layout.selectTab, ColdFusion.Layout.showTab, “Using

layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

layout

The name attribute of the tabbed layout that contains the area to disable.

layoutArea

The name attribute of the tab layout area to disable.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function has no effect on the currently selected tab. A disabled tab is greyed.
Example
The following example lets you enable and disable a tab by clicking a link.








    The First Tab
    
Here are the contents of the first tab.
    


    The Second Tab
    
This is the content of the second tab.
    
    

    
Use these links to test disabling/enabling via JavaScript.
Note that you cannot disable the currently selected tab.
    
Click here to enable tab 1.
    
Click here to disable tab 1.
    

    



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ColdFusion.Layout.enableTab
Description
Enables the specified tab so it can be selected.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.enableTab(layout, layoutArea)

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.createTab, ColdFusion.Layout.disableTab,
ColdFusion.Layout.hideTab, ColdFusion.Layout.selectTab, ColdFusion.Layout.showTab, “Using

layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

layout

The name attribute of the tabbed layout that contains the area to enable.

layoutArea

The name attribute of the tab layout area to enable.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Example
See ColdFusion.Layout.disableTab

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ColdFusion.Layout.expandArea
Description
Expands an area of a border layout.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.expandArea(layout, layoutArea)

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.collapseArea, ColdFusion.Layout.getTabLayout,
ColdFusion.Layout.showArea, “Using layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

layout

The name attribute of the border layout that contains the area to expand.

layoutArea

The position in the layout of the area to expand. Must be one of the following: bottom, left, right, or top.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function has no effect if the area is already expanded.
Example
The following code snippet expands the left area of the layout border layout when the user clicks the button.


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ColdFusion.Layout.getBorderLayout
Description
Gets the underlying Ext (Ext JS JavaScript library) object for the specified bordered layout.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.getBorderLayout(name)

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.getTabLayout, Ext JS - JavaScript Library Documentation,
“Using layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The value of the name attribute of the border type cflayout tag for which you want the object.

Returns
An object of type Ext.BorderLayout.
Usage
Use this function to get the Ext toolkit (Ext.BorderLayout) object that underlies the ColdFusion HTML format
cflayout control. You can then use the raw object to modify the displayed layout. For documentation on the objects
and how to manage them, see the Ext documentation.

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ColdFusion.Layout.getTabLayout
Description
Gets the underlying Ext (Ext JS JavaScript library) object for the specified tabbed layout.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.getTabLayout(name)

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.getBorderLayout, Ext JS - JavaScript Library Documentation,
“Using layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The value of the name attribute of the border type cflayout tag for which you want the object.

Returns
An object of type Ext.BorderLayout.
Usage
Use this function to get the Ext toolkit (Ext.BorderLayout) object that underlies the ColdFusion HTML format
cflayout control. You can then use the raw object to modify the displayed layout. For documentation on the objects
and how to manage them, see the Ext documentation.

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ColdFusion.Layout.hideArea
Description
Hides an area of a border layout.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.hideArea(layout, layoutArea)

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.collapseArea, ColdFusion.Layout.expandArea,
ColdFusion.Layout.showArea, “Using layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

layout

The name attribute of the border layout that contains the area to hide.

layoutArea

The position in the layout of the area to hide. Must be one of the following: bottom, left, right, or top.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function has no effect if the area is already hidden.
Example
The following code snippet hides the left area of the layout border layout when the user clicks the button.


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ColdFusion.Layout.hideTab
Description
Hides the specified tab and its layout area.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.hideTab(layout, layoutArea)

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.createTab, ColdFusion.Layout.disableTab,
ColdFusion.Layout.enableTab, ColdFusion.Layout.selectTab, ColdFusion.Layout.showTab, “Using

layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

layout

The name attribute of the tabbed layout that contains the area to hide.

layoutArea

The name attribute of the tab layout area to hide.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Example
The following example creates a layout with two tabs. Click the buttons to show and hide the second tab.







    The First Tab
    
Here are the contents of the first tab.
    


    The Second Tab
    
This is the content of the second tab.
    
    

    







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ColdFusion.Layout.selectTab
Description
Selects the specified tab and displays its layout area.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.selectTab(layout, layoutArea)

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.createTab, ColdFusion.Layout.disableTab,
ColdFusion.Layout.enableTab, ColdFusion.Layout.hideTab, ColdFusion.Layout.showTab, “Using

layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

layout

The name attribute of the tabbed layout that contains the area to select.

layoutArea

The name attribute of the tab layout area to select.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function has no effect on a disabled tab.
Example
The following code lets you select each of the two tabs in a layout.







    The First Tab
    
Here are the contents of the first tab.
    


    The Second Tab
    
This is the content of the second tab.
    
    

    
Use these links to test selecting tabs via JavaScript:
    
Click here to select tab 1.
    
Click here to select tab 2.
    

    

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ColdFusion.Layout.showArea
Description
Shows an area of a border layout that was hidden by using the cflayoutarea tag inithide attribute or the
ColdFusion.Layout.hideArea() JavaScript function.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.showArea(layout, layoutArea)

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.collapseArea, ColdFusion.Layout.expandArea,
ColdFusion.Layout.getTabLayout, “Using layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

layout

The name attribute of the border layout that contains the area to show.

layoutArea

The position in the layout of the area to show. Must be one of the following: bottom, left, right, or top.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function does not show an area that a user closed by clicking the X icon on the title bar. Other areas move if
needed to accommodate the area.
This function has no effect if the area is already visible.
Example
The following code snippet shows the left area of the layout border layout when the user clicks the button.


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ColdFusion.Layout.showTab
Description
Shows a tab that was hidden by using the inithide attribute of the cflayoutarea tag or the hideTab() JavaScript
function.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Layout.showTab(layout, layoutArea)

See also
cflayout, cflayoutarea, ColdFusion.Layout.createTab, ColdFusion.Layout.disableTab,
ColdFusion.Layout.enableTab, ColdFusion.Layout.hideTab, ColdFusion.Layout.selectTab, “Using
layouts” on page 617 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

layout

The name attribute of the tabbed layout that contains the tab to show.

layoutArea

The name attribute of the tab layout area whose tab you want to show.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function shows only the tab of a layout area; it does not show the display area. To show the display area of a
hidden tab, call this function, followed by ColdFusion.Layout.selectTab.
This function does not show a tab that a user closed by clicking the x icon on the tab.
Example
See ColdFusion.Layout.hideTab.

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ColdFusion.Log.debug
Description
Displays a debug-level message in a log window.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Log.debug(message [, category])

See also
ColdFusion.Log.dump, ColdFusion.Log.error, ColdFusion.Log.info, “Logging information” on page 672 in

the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

The text message to display in the log window. The log message can include HTML markup and JavaScript variables.

category

A category identifier that you can use in the logging window to filter the output. You can specify any arbitrary category in this function. The default value is global.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
If the page that calls this function does not have any ColdFusion AJAX-based controls, you must use a cfajaximport tag on the page to ensure that the page includes the JavaScript definition for this function.
The log window appears if you specify a URL parameter of the format cfdebug or cfdebug="true" in your page
request and you select the Enable AJAX Debug Log Window option on the ColdFusion Administrator Debugging &
Logging > Debug Output Settings page.
Example
ColdFusion.Log.debug("Debug argument:
    " + arg.A, "Pod A");

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ColdFusion.Log.dump
Description
Displays a debug-level message in the log window that shows a cfdump-like representation of a complex JavaScript
object. The log window does not have a separate dump level.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Log.dump(object [, category])

See also
ColdFusion.Log.debug, ColdFusion.Log.error, ColdFusion.Log.info, “Logging information” on page 672

in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

The variable whose contents you want to display. You cannot specify additional contents, such as a text message,
when you dump a complex object. To provide additional information, also use the ColdFusion.Log.debug function.

category

A category identifier that you can use in the logging window to filter the output. You can specify any arbitrary category in this function. The default value is global.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
If the page that calls this function does not have any ColdFusion AJAX-based controls, you must use a cfajaximport tag on the page to ensure that the page includes the JavaScript definition for this function.
The log window appears if you specify a URL parameter of the format cfdebug or cfdebug="true" in your page
request and you select the Enable AJAX Debug Log Window option on the ColdFusion Administrator Debugging &
Logging > Debug Output Settings page.
Example
ColdFusion.Log.dump(objArg, "Pod A");

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ColdFusion.Log.error
Description
Displays an error-level message in a log window.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Log.error(message [, category])

See also
ColdFusion.Log.debug, ColdFusion.Log.dump, ColdFusion.Log.info, “Logging information” on page 672 in

the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

The text message to display in the log window. The log message can include HTML markup and JavaScript variables.

category

A category identifier that you can use in the logging window to filter the output. You can specify any arbitrary category in this function. The default value is global.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
If the page that calls this function does not have any ColdFusion AJAX-based controls, you must use a cfajaximport tag on the page to ensure that the page includes the JavaScript definition for this function.
The log window appears if you specify a URL parameter of the format cfdebug or cfdebug="true" in your page
request and you select the Enable AJAX Debug Log Window option on the ColdFusion Administrator Debugging &
Logging > Debug Output Settings page.
Example
ColdFusion.Log.error("Invalid value:
    " + arg.A, "Pod A");

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ColdFusion.Log.info
Description
Displays an information-level message in a log window.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Log.info(message [, category])

See also
ColdFusion.Log.debug, ColdFusion.Log.dump, ColdFusion.Log.error, “Logging information” on page 672
in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

The text message to display in the log window. The log message can include HTML markup and JavaScript variables.

category

A category identifier that you can use in the logging window to filter the output. You can specify any arbitrary category in this function. The default value is global.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
If the page that calls this function does not have any ColdFusion AJAX-based controls, you must use a cfajaximport tag on the page to ensure that the page includes the JavaScript definition for this function.
The log window appears if you specify a URL parameter of the format cfdebug or cfdebug="true" in your page
request and you select the Enable AJAX Debug Log Window option on the ColdFusion Administrator Debugging &
Logging > Debug Output Settings page.
Example
ColdFusion.Log.info("arg.A is:
    " + arg.A, "Window Z");

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ColdFusion.navigate
Description
Displays the output of a link target in an AJAX cfdiv, cflayoutarea, cfpod, or cfwindow container. When the
browser follows a link that is populated by this function, the link does not replace the current page. Instead, it
populates the control specified by the container attribute.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.navigate(URL [, container, callbackhandler, errorhandler, httpMethod, formId])

See also
AjaxLink, cfajaximport, ColdFusion.Ajax.submitForm, “Controlling container contents” on page 623 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

URL

The URL of the link.

container

The name attribute value of the control in which to display the link output. The control must be a container control
such as cfdiv, cflayoutarea, cfpod, or cfwindow.
If you omit this argument, the link is treated as a normal URL and the entire page is refreshed.

callbackhandler

The name of a JavaScript function to call after the target has been displayed.

errorhandler

The name of a JavaScript function to call if an error occurs when this function executes. The function can take two
parameters: an HTTP error code, and an error message.

formId

The ID or name attribute of a form to submit to the URL.

httpMethod

The HTTP method to use when navigating to the URL:

•

GET (the default)

•

POST

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
If the page that calls this function does not have any ColdFusion AJAX-based controls, you must use a cfajaximport tag on the page to ensure that the page includes the JavaScript definition for this function.
The callbackhandler parameter can be useful for changing the display after the contents has been displayed. For
example, before you make the ColdFusion.navigate call you might make a pod's title bar italic to indicate loading;
you could then use the callbackhandler function to switch it back to normal or make it bold once navigate
completes. Similarly, you could use a callbackhandler to update the page number in a book reader.
The FormID attribute lets you specify a form to submit to the specified URL. You can use the ColdFusion.Navigate
function with this attribute to submit form data asynchronously from outside the form, for example, when the user
clicks a menu item, and to direct the returned results to a specific container control.

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Example
When the user clicks the link in window 1, the ColdFusion.navigate function replaces the text in window 2 with
the contents of windowsrc.cfm, and then calls the myCallback callback handler, which changes the innerHTML of
the callback div region.
The main application page looks as follows:







This is a cfwindow control.

    
Click to navigate Window 2
    

This is a second cfwindow control.




The windowsource.cfm page looks as follows:
This is markup from "windowsource.cfm"


    

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ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler
Description
Specifies a function that gets called, in place of the ColdFusion AJAX default error handler, if an error occurs when
using a ColdFusion AJAX feature.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.setGlobalErrorHandler(functionName)

History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

functionName

The name of the JavaScript function to execute when there is an error in ColdFusion AJAX code, such as a binding
error. This function must take a single argument, the error message string.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
If the page that calls this function does not have any ColdFusion AJAX-based controls, you must use a cfajaximport tag on the page to ensure that the page includes the JavaScript definition for this function.
The global error handler displays information about errors that occur in ColdFusion AJAX features. The default
global error handler displays an alert with the error message. You can use this function to create a custom global error
handler, for example, to display a custom error window with additional information about your application.

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ColdFusion.Tree.getTreeObject
Description
Gets the underlying object for the specified HTML format tree.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Tree.getTreeObject(name)

See also
cftree, cfajaximport, ColdFusion.Tree.refresh, “Using HTML format trees” on page 636 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The value of the name attribute of the cftree tag for which you want the object.

Returns
An object of type YAHOO.widget.TreeView.
Usage
Use this function to get the Yahoo User Interface Library YAHOO.widget.TreeView object that underlies the HTML
format cftree control. You can then use the raw object to modify the displayed tree. For documentation on the
objects and how to manage them, see the Yahoo toolkit documentation.

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ColdFusion.Tree.refresh
Description
Refreshes an HTML format tree and updates it with the latest values of all items.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Tree.refresh(name)

See also
cftree, cfajaximport, ColdFusion.Tree.getTreeObject, “Using HTML format trees” on page 636 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The value of the name attribute of the cftree tag for which you want the object.

Returns
An object of type YAHOO.widget.TreeView.
Usage
Use this function to manually update the tree. If you populate the tree by using a bind expression, the refresh call
causes the bind expression to be reevaluated and repopulates the tree root nodes. You should use this function any
time you must get the latest data from the server independent of an event that triggers the cftree bind expression,
for example, to you might use this function to periodically refresh a file/folder tree to represent the current status of
the server.

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ColdFusion.Window.create
Description
Creates a ColdFusion pop-up window. This function is equivalent to the cfwindow tag.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Window.create(name, title, URL [, configuration])

See also
cfwindow, ColdFusion.Window.getWindowObject, ColdFusion.Window.hide, ColdFusion.Window.onHide,
ColdFusion.Window.onShow, ColdFusion.Window.show, ColdFusion.Tree.getTreeObject, “Using pop-up

windows” on page 620 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The name of the window. This attribute is required to interact with the window, including to dynamically show or
hide it. If a window with the specified name already exists, the function will show that window, and will ignore the
remaining parameters; otherwise, the name must be unique on the page.

title

The text to display on the window title bar. You can use HTML mark-up to control the title appearance.

URL

The URL from which to get the window body contents. This attribute can use URL parameters to pass data to the
page. ColdFusion uses standard page path resolution rules to locate the page.
Note: If the page specified in this attribute contains tags that use ColdFusion AJAX features, such as the cfform,
cfgrid, and cfpod tags, you must identify the tags in a cfajaximport tag on the page that includes this function.
For more information, see cfajaximport.

configuration

An object containing window configuration parameters. For details, see “Usage”.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function is equivalent to the cfwindow tag.
If you do not also use a cfwindow tag on a page that calls this function, you must specify a cfajaximport tag on the
page and specify cfwindow in the tags attribute. Doing so ensures that the page includes the necessary JavaScript
to create the window. For example, use the following line if you do not have to import the JavaScript for any other
ColdFusion AJAX features.:


The configuration parameter defines the window characteristics; it can have any or all of the following entries:
Entry

Default

callbackhandler
center

Description
A function that is called when the window body loads. This function must not take any arguments.

false

A Boolean value that specifies whether to center the window over the browser window.

•

If true, ColdFusion ignores the x and y attribute values.

•

If false, and you do not specify x and y attributes, ColdFusion centers the window.

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Entry

Default

Description

closable

true

A Boolean value that specifies whether the user can close the window. If true, the window has an
X close icon.

draggable

true

A Boolean value that specifies whether the user can drag the window. To drag the window, click the
mouse on the title bar and hold the button down while dragging. If the window does not have a title,
users cannot drag it.

errorhandler

A function that is called if an error occurs in loading the window body. This function must take two
arguments:

•

The HTTP status code, or -1 if the error is not a HTTP error

•

An error message

height

300

Height of the window in pixels. If you specify a value greater than the available space, the window
occupies the available space and the resize handles do not appear.

initshow

false

A Boolean value that specifies whether to display the window when the containing page first
displays. If this value is false, use the ColdFusion.Window.show JavaScript function to display
the window.

minheight

0

The minimum height, in pixels, to which users can resize the window.

minwidth

0

The minimum width, in pixels, to which users can resize the window.

modal

false

A Boolean value that specifies whether the window is modal, that is, whether the user can interact
with the main window while this window is displaying. If true, the user cannot interact with the
main window.

resizable

true

A Boolean value that specifies whether the user can resize the window.

width

500

Width of the window in pixels. If you specify a value greater than the available space, the window
occupies the available space and the resize handles do not appear.

x

The X (horizontal) coordinate of the upper-left corner of the window, relative to the browser
window.
ColdFusion ignores this attribute if the center attribute value is true, and if you do not set the y
attribute value.

y

The Y (vertical) coordinate of the upper-left corner of the window, relative to the browser window.
ColdFusion ignores this attribute if the center attribute value is true, and if you do not set the x
attribute value.

Note: Entry names in the configuration object must be all-lowercase.
Example
The following minimal CFML application creates a window and gets the window contents from the hello1.cfm file.





The hello1.cfm file can be as simple as the following line:
Hello from hello1.cfm

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ColdFusion.Window.getWindowObject
Description
Gets the underlying object for the specified window.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Window.getWindowObject(name)

See also
cfwindow, ColdFusion.Window.create, ColdFusion.Window.hide, ColdFusion.Window.onHide,
ColdFusion.Window.onShow, ColdFusion.Window.show, “Using pop-up windows” on page 620 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The value of the name attribute of the cfwindow tag for which you want the object.

Returns
An object of type Ext.BasicDialog.
Usage
Use this function to get the Ext JavaScript Library Ext.BasicDialog object that underlies the HTML format
cfwindow control. You can then use the raw object to modify the displayed window. For documentation on the
objects and how to manage them, see the Ext JavaScript library documentation.

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ColdFusion.Window.hide
Description
Hides a window that is currently displayed.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.window.hide(name)

See also
cfwindow, ColdFusion.Window.create, ColdFusion.Window.getWindowObject,
ColdFusion.Window.onHide, ColdFusion.Window.onShow, ColdFusion.Window.show, “Using pop-up

windows” on page 620 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The name attribute of the window to hide.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This tag has no effect if the window is already hidden.
Example
The following code lets you show and hide a window by clicking buttons:





Window contents








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ColdFusion.Window.onHide
Description
Specifies a function to run each time a specific window hides.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Window.onHide(windowName, handler)

See also
cfwindow, ColdFusion.Window.create, ColdFusion.Window.getWindowObject, ColdFusion.Window.hide,
ColdFusion.Window.onShow, ColdFusion.Window.show, “Using pop-up windows” on page 620 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

windowName

The name of the window. The handler function runs whenever this window hides.

handler

The JavaScript function to run when the window hides.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
The function specified in the handler parameter can optionally take one parameter, which contains the window
name.
Example
The following example uses the ColdFusion.Window.onHide function to display an alert with information about
the window when you click a button that hides the window:





Window contents




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ColdFusion.Window.onShow
Description
Specifies a function to run each time a specific window shows, including when you create a window and specify an
initShow attribute or configuration entry value of true.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Window.onShow(windowName, handler)

See also
cfwindow, ColdFusion.Window.create, ColdFusion.Window.getWindowObject, ColdFusion.Window.hide,
ColdFusion.Window.onHide, ColdFusion.Window.show, “Using pop-up windows” on page 620 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

windowName

The name of the window. The handler function runs whenever this window shows.

handler

The JavaScript function to run when the window shows.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
The function specified in the handler parameter can optionally take one parameter, which contains the window
name.
One use for this function is to fetch window data only when the window shows. You could use a cfajaxproxy tag
to create a JavaScript proxy for a CFC function that provides the data, and then a ColdFusion.Window.onShow
function to specify a function that calls the proxy function and updates the window contents with the new data.
Example
The following example uses the ColdFusion.Window.onShow function to display an alert with information about
the window when you click a button that shows the window:






Window contents







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ColdFusion.Window.show
Description
Shows a window that is currently hidden.
Function syntax
ColdFusion.Window.show(name)

See also
cfwindow, ColdFusion.Window.create, ColdFusion.Window.getWindowObject, ColdFusion.Window.hide,
ColdFusion.Window.onHide, ColdFusion.Window.onShow, “Using pop-up windows” on page 620 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
History
ColdFusion 8: Added this function
Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The name attribute of the window to show.

Returns
This function does not return a value.
Usage
This function shows a window that you created with an initShow attribute or parameter value of false, or that you
hid by calling the ColdFusion.Window.hide function. It does not show a window that a user closed by clicking the
X icon on the title bar.
This tag has no effect if the window is already hidden.
Example
See the example at ColdFusion.Window.hide.

128

Chapter 6: ColdFusion Flash Form Style
Reference
You can specify styles in ColdFusion forms tags when you display the form or form element in Flash format.
Contents

Styles valid for all controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1288
Styles for cfform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1290
Styles for cfformgroup with horizontal or vertical type atributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1291
Styles for box-style cfformgroup elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1292
Styles for cfformgroup with accordion type attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1294
Styles for cfformgroup with tabnavigator type attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1295
Styles for cfformitem with hrule or vrule type attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1296
Styles for cfinput with radio, checkbox, button, image, or submit type attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1297
Styles for cftextarea tag and cfinput with text, password, or hidden type attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1298
Styles for cfselect with size attribute value of 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1299
Styles for cfselect with size attribute value greater than 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1300
Styles for cfcalendar tag and cfinput with dateField type attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1301
Styles for the cfgrid tag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1302
Styles for the cftree tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1303
Note: T he column l ab el ed Inh indi cates whethe r a st yle i s inhe r ite d by chi ld controls , such as the
for m control s in a vbox .

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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

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.
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, radio, and checkbox, because they are completely filled with the button face or
other graphics.

backgroundDisabledColor

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.

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.

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Style

Inh

Description

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.

themeColor

Y

Format: color; background color of a component. The possible values are:

verticalGap

N

•

haloGreen

•

haloBlue

•

haloOrange

•

haloSilver

Format: length; number of pixels between children in the vertical direction.

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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.

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Styles for cfformgroup with horizontal or vertical type
atributes
The following styles apply to the cfformgroup tag with type attributes horizontal or vertical:
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.

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.

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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.

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":

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CFML Reference

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.

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Styles for cfformgroup with accordion type attribute
The following styles apply to the cfformgroup tag with type="accordion":
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.

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.

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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.

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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.
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.

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Styles for cfinput with radio, checkbox, button, image,
or submit type attributes
The following styles apply cfinput tags with the following type attribute values:

•

button

•

checkbox

•

image

•

radio

•

submit

In some cases, a style applies only to the subset of these input types, as specified in the description.
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).

symbolBackgroundDisabledColor

Y

Format: color; background color of check boxes and radio buttons when disabled. The default value is
##EFEEEF (light gray).

symbolBackgroundPressedColor

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.

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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.

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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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 130
CFML Reference

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.

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CFML Reference

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:
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.

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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.

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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.

130

Chapter 7: Application.CFC Reference
You implement methods in Application.cfc to handle ColdFusion application events and set variables in the CFC to
configure application characteristics.
Contents

Application variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1305
Method summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1307
“onApplicationEnd” on page 1308
Note: Although Windows is case-insensitive, you should always start the Application.cfc filename with an uppercase 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 ignores
the CFM pages

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CFML Reference

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.
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 J2EE servlet context. For
more information on unnamed scopes see “Sharing data between ColdFusion pages and JSP
pages or servlets” on page 934 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

applicationTimeout

Administrator
value

Life span, as a real number of days, of the application, including all Application scope variables.
Use the CFML CreateTimeSpan function to generate this variable’s value.

clientManagement

Administrator
value

Whether the application supports Client scope variables.

clientStorage

Administrator
value

Where Client variables are stored; can be cookie, registry, or the name of a data source.

loginStorage

cookie

Whether to store login information in the Cookie scope or the Session scope.

sessionManagement

no

Whether the application supports Session scope variables.

sessionTimeout

Administrator
value

Life span, as a real number of days, of the user session, 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
value

Whether to protect variables from
cross-site scripting attacks.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 130
CFML Reference

Variable

Default

Description

secureJSON

Administrator
value

A Boolean value that specifies whether to add a security prefix in front of the value that a ColdFusion function returns in JSON-format in response to a remote call.
The default value is the value of the Prefix serialized JSON setting in the Administrator Server
Settings > Settings page (which defaults to false). You can override this value in the
cffunction tag.
For more information see “Improving security” on page 674 in the ColdFusion Developer’s
Guide.

secureJSONPrefix

Administrator
value

The security prefix to put in front of the value that a ColdFusion function returns in JSONformat in response to a remote call if the secureJSON setting is true.
The default value is the value of the Prefix serialized JSON setting in the Administrator Server
Settings > Settings page (which defaults to //, the JavaScript comment character).
For more information see “Improving security” on page 674 in the ColdFusion Developer’s
Guide.

welcomeFileList

A comma-delimited list of names of files. Tells ColdFusion not to call the
onMissingTemplate method if the files are not found. Use this variable to prevent ColdFusion from invoking the onMissingTemplate handler if all of the following items are true:

•

Your web server (e.g., web.xml file) has a welcome file list with CFML pages such as
index.cfm that it tries to run if a URL specifies a path ending in a directory.

•

The web server sends a request for CFML pages the welcome list to ColdFusion without
first determining if the page exists.

•

You want to support directory browsing in directories that do not have any of the files on
the welcome file list.
You specify this variable only if the Application.cfc file also specifies an onMissingTemplate
handler. It should contain the same list of files as your web.xml welcome file list.
Note: You do not need to use the welcomeFileList variable with most "pure" web servers, such
as Apache. You do need to use the welcomeFileList variable with most integrated web and
application servers, such as the integrated ColdFusion/JRun web server.

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Method summary
The following table briefly describes the application event methods that you can implement in Application.CFC:
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 Flash Remoting CFC.

onError

An exception occurs that is not caught by a try/catch block.

onMissingTemplate

ColdFusion received a request for a non-existent page.

onRequest

The onRequestStart method finishes. (This method can filter request contents.)

onRequestEnd

All pages in the request have been processed:

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 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.

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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” on page 229 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Parameters
ColdFusion 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





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onApplicationStart
Description
Runs when ColdFusion receives the first request for a page in the application.
Syntax

...



See also
onApplicationEnd, Method summary, “Managing the application with Application.cfc” on page 229 in he

ColdFusion 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 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




This application encountered an error
    
Please contact support.
    


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Application.availableResources=0;
Application.counter1=1;


    

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onError
Description
Runs when an uncaught exception occurs in the application.
Syntax



...


See also
Method summary, “Handling errors in Application.cfc” on page 232 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Parameters
ColdFusion passes the following parameters to the method:
Parameter

Description

Exception

The ColdFusion 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 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 onApplicationEnd or
onSessionEnd event method, because there is no available page context; however, it can log an error message.
If the onError event handler is triggered by a scope-specific event method, such as onSessionStart, 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.
If an exception occurs while processing the onError method, or if the onError method uses a cfthrow tag, the
ColdFusion 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 Administrator, and ColdFusion 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





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    An unexpected error occurred.
    

    Please provide the following information to technical support:
    

    Error Event: #Arguments.EventName#
    

    Error details:
    

    
    
    
    

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onMissingTemplate
Description
Runs when a request specifies a non-existent CFML page.
Syntax


...



See also
Method summary, “Handling errors in Application.cfc” on page 232 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Parameters
ColdFusion passes the following parameters to the method:
Parameter

Description

targetPage

The path from the web root to the requested CFML page.

Returns
A Boolean value. True or no return value specifies that the event has been processed. False specifies that the event
was not processed.
Usage
ColdFusion invokes this method when it encounters a file not found condition, that is, when a URL specifies a CFML
page that does not exist.
The onMissingTemplate function should return true to indicate that the event has been processed, or return false
to indicate that the event has not been processed. If the function does not return a value, it is assumed to be true. If
the function returns false, ColdFusion invokes the standard error handler. If an error occurs within the
onMissingTemplate function, the error handler is not invoked. Therefore, you should use try/catch blocks in your
missing template handler and, if the catch block cannot handle the error, it should set the function return value to
false so the standard error handler can report the error.
If the onMissingTemplate function is invoked, the onApplicationStart and onSessionStart event handlers
are first invoked, if appropriate, but the onRequestStart, onRequest and onRequestEnd handlers are not invoked,
and processing of the request terminates when the onMissingTemplate handler returns.
All standard scopes, including the Application, Session, and Client scopes, are available in the onMissingTemplate
function, if they are enabled.
To include the contents of a page in the onMissingTemplate function, use the cfinclude tag. Do not any other
method to include or redirect other page content, including tags and functions such as cflocation,
GetPageContext().forward(), and GetPageContext().include().
Use the This.welcomeFileList variable to keep this function from executing if all of the following are true:

• Your web server uses a welcome file list with one or more CFML files (such as index.cfm), that it tries to access
when a user enters a URL that ends with a directory name

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• The web server sends a request for a CFML page on the welcome list to ColdFusion without first determining if
the page exists.
•

You want to allow users to browse web directories that do not have any files on the list.

For more information, see welcomeFileList in Application variables.
Example











    #Arguments.targetPage# could not be found.
    

    You requested a non-existent ColdFusion page.
    
Please check the URL.
    
    





    
    

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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” on page 230 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Parameters
ColdFusion 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 will not execute the requests if you
implement this method.
•

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.

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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")#



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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” on page 230 in the

ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Parameters
ColdFusion 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:










A very simple authuserfooter.cfm page consists of the following code:


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    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:


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onRequestStart
Description
Runs when a request starts.
Syntax


...



See also
onRequest, onRequestEnd, Method summary, “Managing requests in Application.cfc” on page 230 in the
ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Parameters
ColdFusion 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 requestspecific 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 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.");

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return false;
} else {
this.start=now();
return true;
}



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onSessionEnd
Description
Runs when a session ends.
Syntax



...


See also
onSessionStart, Method summary, “Managing sessions in Application.cfc” on page 230 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide
Parameters
ColdFusion 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. 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.
• 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 onSessionEnd
does not execute if there is no active application, however.

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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” on page 230 in the ColdFusion
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 an Application
scope counter of active sessions.


Session.started = now();
Session.shoppingCart = StructNew();
Session.shoppingCart.items =0;






132

Chapter 8: ColdFusion Event Gateway
Reference
Java interfaces are available for building ColdFusion custom CFXs in Java.
Contents

Gateway development interfaces and classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1325
CFML CFEvent structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1366
IM gateway methods and commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1367
SMS Gateway CFEvent structure and commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1403
CFML event gateway SendGatewayMessage data parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1413
Note: The following CFML functions also apply to gateway application development: GetGatewayHelper,
SendGatewayMessage.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 132
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Gateway development interfaces and classes
The ColdFusion 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

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Gateway interface
coldfusion.eventgateway.Gateway

Interface for implementing ColdFusion event gateways.
A class that implements this interface defines a ColdFusion event gateway type that you can use in ColdFusion applications. The class must implement the following methods:
Signature

Description

GatewayName([String id[, StringconfigFile]])

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.

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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” on page 1135 in the ColdFusion 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 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();
}

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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” on page 1137 in the ColdFusion

Developer’s Guide.
Usage
This method returns a string value that is set by the setGatewayID method.
Example
The following example is the ColdFusion SocketGateway class getGatewayID method:
public String getGatewayID()
{
return gatewayID;
}

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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” on page 1137 in the

ColdFusion 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 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 SocketGateway class getHelper method:
public GatewayHelper getHelper()
{
// SocketHelper class implements the GatewayHelper interface
return new SocketHelper();
}

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getStatus
Description
Returns the gateway status.
Category
Event Gateway Development
Syntax
public int getStatus()

See also
“Providing Gateway class service and information routines” on page 1137 in the ColdFusion 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 SocketGateway class getStatus method:
public int getStatus()
{
return status;
}

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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” on page 1141 in the ColdFusion 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 and processes it as needed by the gateway type to send a message
to the (usually external) message receiver. ColdFusion calls this method when the listener method of a listener CFC
returns a message or when a ColdFusion application calls the SendGatewayMessage function. ColdFusion passes
the String returned by this method back as the return value of a CFML SendGatewayMessage function.
Example
The following example is the ColdFusion 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.");
retcode="failed";
}
}
else if (data.get("OriginatorID") != null && message != null)
{
SocketServerThread st =
((SocketServerThread)socketRegistry.get(data.get("OriginatorID")));

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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;
}

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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 SocketGateway class restart method:
public void restart()
{
stop();
start();
}

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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” on

page 1137 in the ColdFusion 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 starts a gateway instance, it calls this method with the names in the instance’s listener list in the
ColdFusion Administrator. ColdFusion can also call this method if the ColdFusion Administrator listener list
changes while the gateway is running.
Example
The following example is the ColdFusion 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 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 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());

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error
Description
Writes a log entry with an error severity to the ColdFusion 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” on page 1142 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

The message to include in the log entry.

th

A throwable object, normally an exception. ColdFusion logs the exception information in the exception.log file in the
ColdFusion logs directory.

Usage
Use this method to send an error message to the ColdFusion logging subsystem. ColdFusion writes 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 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 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” on page 1142 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

The message to include in the log entry.

th

A throwable object, normally an exception. ColdFusion logs the exception information in the exception.log file in the
ColdFusion logs directory.

Usage
Use this method to send a fatal error message to the ColdFusion logging subsystem. ColdFusion 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).

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info
Description
Writes a log entry with an information severity to the ColdFusion 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” on page 1142 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

The message to include in the log entry.

th

A throwable object, normally an exception. ColdFusion logs the exception information in the exception.log file in the
ColdFusion logs directory. Not normally used with this method.

Usage
Use this method to send an informational message to the ColdFusion logging subsystem. ColdFusion writes
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 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 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” on page 1142 in the ColdFusion
Developer’s Guide
Parameters
Parameter

Description

message

The message to include in the log entry.

th

A throwable object, normally an exception. ColdFusion logs the exception information in the exception.log file in the
ColdFusion logs directory.

Usage
Use this method to send a warning message to the ColdFusion logging subsystem. ColdFusion writes 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 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);
}

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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 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 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.

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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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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

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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 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:
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.

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.




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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";
}












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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 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)) {
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";

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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 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.BUDDYNICKNAME

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.

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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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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 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:






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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” on page 1089 in the ColdFusion 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 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 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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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

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion

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” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion 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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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 8 release do not support permission management. If the server does not
support permission management, this function always returns False
Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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 8 release do not support permission management. If the server does not
support permission management, this function always returns False.
Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion 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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion

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.

BUDDYCUSTOMAWAYMESSAGE

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.

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Field

Description

BUDDYLISTTIYPE

The type of list that this buddy record is in; one of the following:

•

BUDDY_LIST

•

DENY_LIST

•

PERMIT_LIST

•

REVERSE_LIST

The list of users whose presence status information the gateway can receive.
The list of users who cannot get presence information about the gateway ID.
The list of users who can send presence information messages to the gateway ID.
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.

BUDDYWARNINGPERCENT

The user’s warning percentage value. Always 0 for XMPP or SameTime.

Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion 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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getBuddyList
Description
Gets the buddy list for the gateway’s user ID.
Syntax
array = getBuddyList()

See also
addBuddy, getBuddyInfo, removeBuddy, “Using the GatewayHelper object” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion

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” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on

page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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 8 release do not support permission management. If the server does not
support permission management, this function always returns False.
Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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getName
Description
Returns the gateway's user name.
Syntax
string = getName()

See also
getProtocolName, numberOfMessagesReceived, numberOfMessagesSent, setNickName, “Using the Gateway-

Helper object” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Returns
The gateway’s user name, as specified in gateway configuration file.
Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide
Returns
The gateway’s nickname, if any; empty string, otherwise.
Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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 8 release do not support permission management. If the server does not
support permission management, this function always returns False.
Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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 8 release do not support permission management. If the server does not
support permission management, this function always returns PERMIT_ALL.
Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on

page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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
1

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” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on

page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Returns
True, if the gateway is connected to the IM server; False, otherwise.
Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Returns
The number of messages received by the gateway since it was started.
Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide

Returns
The number of messages sent by the gateway since it was started.
Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on

page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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 8 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” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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 8 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” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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setNickName
Description
Sets the gateway’s nickname (display name).
Syntax
Boolean = setNickName(name)

See also
getName, getNickName, getProtocolName, numberOfMessagesReceived, numberOfMessagesSent, “Using the

GatewayHelper object” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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

•

DENY_SOME

Permits only users in the permit list to be aware of the gateway’s online presence and state.
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 8 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” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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” on page 1095 in the ColdFusion 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:

•
customAwayMsg

IDLE

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 Administrator, or use the stopGatewayInstance method in the CFIDE.adminapi.eventgateway CFC.
Example
See “GatewayHelper example” on page 1096, in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide, which uses all GatewayHelper
class methods.

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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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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 (0-indexed) 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

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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” on page 1107 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.

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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

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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

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.

or

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” on page 1105 in the ColdFusion Developer’s
Guide.
destAddress_npi

destAddress_ton

serviceType

The following optional fields do not have default values:
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

Example
The following example onIncomingMessage method of a listener CFC uses the submit command to echo incoming
SMS messages to the message originator:










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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

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.

or
messagePayload
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” on page 1105 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
destAddress_npi

destAddress_ton

serviceType

The following optional fields do not have default values:
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

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:
















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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 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” on page 1105 in the ColdFusion Developer’s Guide.
destAddress_npi

destAddress_ton

serviceType

The following optional fields do not have default values:
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

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:













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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 Administrator. This field lets you use a single gateway configuration
in the ColdFusion 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 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 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 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.');


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")) {

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CFEvent.Data.type="information"; }





141

Chapter 9: ColdFusion C++ CFX
Reference
ColdFusion includes CFXAPI classes and methods for building ColdFusion extensions.
Contents

C++ class overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1416
Deprecated class methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1417
CCFXException class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1418
CCFXQuery class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1420
CCFXRequest class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1424
CCFXStringSet class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1433

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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

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

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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::GetSetting

ColdFusion MX

CCFXRequest Class

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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
virtual LPCSTR GetError()

The CCFXException::GetError function returns a general error message.

virtual LPCSTR GetDiagnostics()

The CCFXException::GetDiagnostics function returns detailed error information.

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( ... )
{

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pRequest->ThrowException(
"Error occurred in tag CFX_FOO2",
"Unexpected error occurred while processing tag." ) ;
}

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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()

CCFXQuery::AddRow adds a row to a query.

virtual CCFXStringSet* GetColumns

CCFXQuery::GetColumns retrieves a list of a

query's column names.
virtual LPCSTR GetData( int iRow, int iColumn )

CCFXQuery::GetData retrieves a data element

from a row and column of a query.

virtual LPCSTR GetName()

CCFXQuery::GetName retrieves the name of a

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

row and column of a query.
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.

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.
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" ) ;

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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::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() ;

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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.
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.

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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

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" ) ;

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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 )

virtual LPCSTR GetAttribute( LPCSTR lpszName )

CCFXRequest::AttributeExists checks
whether the attribute was passed to the tag.
CCFXRequest::GetAttribute gets the value

of the passed attribute.
virtual CCFXStringSet* GetAttributeList()

virtual CCFXQuery* GetQuery()

CCFXRequest::GetAttributeList gets an
array of attribute names passed to the tag.
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.
virtual void SetVariable( LPCSTR lpszName, LPCSTR lpszValue )

CCFXRequest::SetVariable sets a variable
in the template that contains this tag.

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

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
exception and ends processing of this request.

virtual void ReThrowException( CCFXException* e )

CCFXRequest::ReThrowException rethrows an exception that has been caught.

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.

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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

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)

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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." ) ;
}

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" ) ;
}

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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.)
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.
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." ) ;
}

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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", "" ) ;
}

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:

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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

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.

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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 ) ;

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

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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" ) ;
}

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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)

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).

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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::GetString
Syntax
LPCSTR CCFXStringSet::GetString(int iIndex)

Description
Retrieves the string located at the passed index (index values are 1-based).

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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 10: ColdFusion Java CFX
Reference
ColdFusion includes Java interfaces for building ColdFusion custom CFXs in Java.
Contents

Class libraries overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1437
Custom tag interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1438
Query interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1439
Request interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1444
Response interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1449
Debugging classes reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1452

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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

Request interface

attributeExists
debug
getAttribute
getAttributeList
getIntAttribute
getQuery
getSetting

Response interface

addQuery
setVariable
write
writeDebug

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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

If an unexpected error occurs while processing the request.

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)

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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
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" ) ;

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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 ) + "
    " ) ;
}

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: " ) ;

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for( int i=0; i" ) ;

}

getName
Description
Returns the name of a query.

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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()

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

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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.setData( iRow, iCity, "St. Paul" ) ;
query.setData( iRow, iState, "MN" ) ;
query.setData( iRow, iZip, "55105" ) ;

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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
Parameter

Description

name

Name of the attribute to check (case-insensitive)

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 "

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"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

Syntax
public String getAttribute(String name)

See also
attributeExists, getAttributeList, getIntAttribute, getAttribute

Parameters
Parameter

Description

name

The attribute to retrieve (case-insensitive)

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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 + "
    " ) ;
}

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.

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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

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

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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" } ;
int iFirstName = 1, iLastName = 2 ;

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// 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" ) ;
}

write
Description
Outputs text back to the user.

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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" ) ;
}

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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 ;

145

Chapter 11: WDDX JavaScript Objects
You use JavaScript objects and functions to use with WDDX in a ColdFusion application.
Contents

JavaScript object overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1454
WddxSerializer object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1455
WddxRecordset object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1459

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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:


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WddxSerializer object
The WddxSerializer object includes functions that serialize any JavaScript data structure. For more information on
using this object, see “Using WDDX” on page 896 in the ColdFusion 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);
if (wddxPacket != null)
{
formField.value = wddxPacket;
}
else
{

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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("");
...

serializeValue
Description
Recursively serializes eligible data in a passed instance. Eligible data includes:

•

String

•

Number

•

Boolean

•

Date

•

Array

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•

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;
}
...

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.

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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("");
}
...

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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” on page 896 in the ColdFusion 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.

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 )

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Parameters
Parameter

Description

object

Instance name of the WddxRecordset object

name

Name of the column to add

Return value
None.
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

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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);

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( )

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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();
// Add a new column
rs.addColumn("NewColumn");

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CFML Reference

// 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);
}
...

146

Chapter 12: ColdFusion ActionScript
Functions
ColdFusion includes two server-side ActionScript functions, CF.query and CF.http., including specific syntax and
methods.
Contents

CF.query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1465
CF.http . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1467

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 146
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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.
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

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 146
CFML Reference

•

RecordSet.getItemAt

•

RecordSet.getItemID

•

RecordSet.sortItemsBy

•

RecordSet.getNumberAvailable

•

RecordSet.filter

•

RecordSet.sort

For more information on using server-side ActionScript, see “Using Server-Side ActionScript” on page 708 in the
ColdFusion 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;
}

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CFML Reference

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
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.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 146
CFML Reference

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(method, url, username, password);

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 146
CFML Reference

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:

value

•

URL

•

FormField

•

Cookie

•

CGI

•

File

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:
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 ContentType 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:
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=..com
Connection: close
Content-Type: text/html

Filecontent

File contents, for text and MIME files.

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 147
CFML Reference

Property

Description

Mimetype

MIME type. Examples of MIME types include text/html, image/png, image/gif,video/mpeg, text/css, and audio/basic.

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 “Using Server-Side ActionScript” on page 708 in the
ColdFusion 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()
{
url = "http://localhost:8100/";

ADOBE COLDFUSION 8 147
CFML Reference

// 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");
}
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