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Web application development is such a new field and requires such a mix of emerging and established technologies that meeting the documentation needs of ColdFusion users is quite a challenge. The skills required to build and deploy dynamic Web content range across HTML, databases, graphic arts, networking, a slew of scripting and programming languages, and even writing.
We have tried to present information on ColdFusion development and supporting technologies so that you can pursue topics of interest to you and integrate them into your overall learning process.
While it is certainly possible for an individual to master all these skills, the team approach has quickly become the only realistic development model for delivering complex applications and we address issues such as building and maintaining Web projects and working with version source control.
We also include pointers to many resources, both print and online, that provide additional information about ColdFusion and supporting technologies.
The ColdFusion Markup Language is a tag-based language that integrates with HTML to provide greatly enhanced functionality for Web sites. The skills you are building in HTML and Web site development are a solid foundation for ColdFusion development.
ColdFusion Studio, our integrated development environment (IDE), offers many powerful features for building and maintaining Web sites. With its powerful user assistance, embedded help, and online documentation, you can use Studio to learn HTML, to develop and test Web sites, and to develop dynamic content with CFML.
Getting Started with ColdFusion presents a quick tour of a ColdFusion application. Developing Web Applications is a good place to start learning about building ColdFusion applications.
If you want access to experienced ColdFusion developers, you can participate in the Allaire Online Forums, where you can post messages and read replies on all subjects relating to ColdFusion. Check out the Forums at http://forums.allaire.com.
In addition, our Web site http://www.allaire.com is a tremendous resource for learning about ColdFusion programming techniques. You'll find Tech Notes, a Knowledge Base, as well as Allaire Alive, a repository of online video training sessions that focus on a specific area in ColdFusion. Check out the Developer site at http://www.allaire.com/developer for articles, technical notes, and the ColdFusion DevCenter.
You'll probably want to get going with your project, so take a look at the Developing Web Applications chapters on setting up data sources, managing input and output, the application framework, Java forms, and programming variables. Getting Started with ColdFusion includes a complete application with lots of working code samples that you can drop in to quickly prototype a project. If you want to integrate COM, CORBA, custom tags, CF API tags, LDAP, CFML scripting, or XML data exchange into your applications, see Advanced ColdFusion Development.
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