ColdFusion is a powerful platform for creating and deploying dynamic web applications. Developers like ColdFusion because its simple, tag-based language makes it easy to handle simple tasks, like processing form data and querying databases. ColdFusion is easy to learn, yet powerful enough to deliver highly scalable, robust applications.Programming ColdFusion covers everything you need to know to create effective web applications with ColdFusion and includes numerous examples that you can use for your own applications. The book starts with ColdFusion basics and quickly progresses to topics like sharing application data, accessing databases, and maintaining state information. It also provides chapters on advanced database techniques, working with the Verity search engine, and interacting with other data sources, including LDAP directories, email servers, and other web servers. Finally, the book explores more advanced topics, such as creating custom tags, sharing data with WDDX, and calling external objects.

Amazon.com Review
As one of the most powerful server-side languages for building dynamic Web applications, ColdFusion is a key technology for high-end Web development. Programming ColdFusion is a comprehensive tutorial to ColdFusion that puts all of the material necessary to master this scripting language between two covers.

This book is suitable for experienced Web developers with no background in ColdFusion to learn the development tool from scratch, but it's especially well suited to those with some prior exposure to ColdFusion who want to master the product. The early chapters move quickly through the basics of ColdFusion, leading up to more in-depth topics.

One of the key elements of ColdFusion is its ability to connect Web pages to databases for dynamic, data-driven solutions. Programming ColdFusion focuses on making the most of the database features, including drill-down queries, query caching, stored procedures, and transaction management. The text also deals with issues like state, security, directory services, and much more.

The material is presented in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner with an excellent balance of overview discussion, sample code, and screen shots. ColdFusion is a tag-based language and there are plenty of fine examples of how to make the most of it. An appendix also provides a reference to the entire dialect. This tutorial is a great tool for mastering ColdFusion. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

• Language structure
• Passing data
• Database queries and updates
• Complex data types
• Maintaining state
• Security
• Error handling
• Dynamic form controls
• FTP
• File access
• E-mail
• Verity search engine
• Regular expressions
• Custom tags