This book is noteworthy for the range of ColdFusion tools and tips that are assembled under one cover. There are two ways to benefit from this text. First, it's an excellent resource for administrators. From getting up and running to in-depth advice on performance and security settings, Professional ColdFusion 5.0 presents a virtually indispensable guide to CF server administration. Standout sections include running and configuring the Verity search engine, plus a chapter on clustering ColdFusion applications. Illustrated with plenty of screen shots, this book is a virtual must-have for anyone responsible for deploying or managing CF applications in the field.

For programmers, this text has plenty in stock as well. There is a gently paced tutorial to the various ways of developing with ColdFusion, from the simple but effective ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) tags, to CFScript (for a more programmer-centric way of creating modules), and onward to the CFX API for building custom tags. The focus is on the novice through experienced CF developer who wants to get more out of the platform, not on arcane programming detail. Standout sections on connecting and querying databases show the right ways to use tags, along with SQL to build data-driven Web pages.

There's also plenty of advice on combining ColdFusion with the absolute newest programming technologies. You'll learn how to use XML, plus how to do distributed computing, whether through Web services, Microsoft .NET, or ColdFusion's own Web Distributed Data Exchange (WDDX) technology. The authors also look at programming ColdFusion with mobile devices and more advanced Web client options, like cascading style sheets, JavaScript, and even Macromedia Flash. The book concludes with some excellent best practices for smooth ColdFusion development, as well as common gotchas that CF developers need to avoid.

Good sources of information on ColdFusion are hard to find. Professional ColdFusion 5.0 will meet the needs of developers and administrators alike. With an up-to-the-minute take on the latest support for Internet standards, this text packs a wealth of indispensable information into a single volume sure to earn a place on the bookshelf of anyone who works with ColdFusion. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Introduction to ColdFusion Server and ColdFusion Studio and related tools
• Installation and setup guide to ColdFusion on Windows and Linux/Unix
• Comprehensive guide to administering ColdFusion (including managing database options, security settings, and logs)
• Introduction to the ColdFusion Studio environment (resources and development tools explained, debugging, and help features)
• ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) tutorial
• CFML variables, functions, and flow control
• In-depth tutorial of HTML forms used with CFML (basic and advanced controls)
• Validating form data with CFML
• String handling, lists, arrays, and structures in CFML
• ColdFusion database programming (database drivers and connectivity options, query and grid tags)
• Basic SQL and database design tutorial (including normalization and stored procedures)
• Using joins with relational data
• Combining data from multiple queries and data sources
• State management techniques in ColdFusion (cookies, session variables, and application and server variables)
• Templates and included ColdFusion files
• Using custom ColdFusion tags (including nested tags)
• Error and exception handling (including application-wide error handling and database transactions)
• CFScript tutorial (basic language features, operations, and user-defined functions)
• Programming with the file system
• Drawing graphs and charts
• Full-text indexing in ColdFusion with Verity collections
• XML tutorial (elements, attributes, and schemas)
• XML parsers (DOM vs. SAX)
• Web Distributed Data Exchange (WDDX) (serialization and deserialization, plus server-to-browser and server-to-server data exchange examples)
• XPath, XPointer, and XLink standards explained
• XSLT support in ColdFusion
• Tutorial for Web services and ColdFusion (SOAP, WSDL, and related standards)
• Using ColdFusion with Microsoft .NET, COM, and CORBA
• Programming common Internet protocols (e-mail, FTP, HTTP, and LDAP)
• Server-side Java options with ColdFusion (including JRun Server and JSP/servlet support)
• Building custom tags with the ColdFusion Extension (CFX) API in Java and Visual C++
• Wireless standards explained (WAP and WML)
• Using cascading style sheets, JavaScript, and Dynamic HTML (DHMTL) in ColdFusion applications
• Tapping IE 5+ rich clients
• The Macromedia Flash Component Kit for ColdFusion
• Advanced administration settings and tips
• Log files and server reports
• Archive management for administrators
• Best practices for ColdFusion developers (three-tiered architecture, a guide to the ColdFusion development process)
• Common mistakes (including syntax, programming logic, and SQL errors, plus architectural and design problems)
• Optimization hints (including hardware, network, database performance, stress testing, and monitoring)
• Clustering and load balancing (configuring and administering ClusterCATS)
• Security threats and best practices in ColdFusion
• Sample case study for an online book auction Web application