ColdFusion FAQ
Can you force a user to download a file, instead of viewing it in the browser?
Sure, use the <cfheader> tag to let the browser know that it is working with a file, instead of an HTML page:
<cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="attachment; filename=newdocument.doc">
<cfcontent type="application/msword" file="/home/me/a2928axa~123.doc">
The type attribute specifies the mime type of the file, click here for a list of mime types.
How do I insert the Current Date into Database?
Depending on your database server (SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, etc..), you can use code similar to the following:
<cfquery datasource="mydatabase">
INSERT INTO table (field1, date) VALUES ('#field1value#', '#DateFormat(Now(), "yyyy-mm-dd")#')
</cfquery>
Of course, an even easier way to accomplish this is to make the date field in the database a TIMESTAMP field. In effect, this will update the field to the current date and time each time you modify the record.
Accessing data in Nested Query Loops
When using nested loops to extract data from recordsets, you will come into a complication when you try to access information using the standard ColdFusion method of surrounding the fieldname with pounds signs:
This does not work:
<cfloop query="q1">
<cfloop query="q2">
<cfoutput>#q1fieldname#</cfoutput>
</cfloop>
</cfloop>
This does work:
<cfloop query="q1">
<cfset q1fieldname_temp = q1fieldname>
<cfloop query="q2">
<cfoutput>#q1fieldname_temp#</cfoutput>
</cfloop>
</cfloop>
ColdFusion Email Validation
Using regular expressions, you can easily validate emails with ColdFusion using the following regex:
<cfif REFindNoCase("^[a-zA-Z][\w\.-]*[a-zA-Z0-9]@[a-zA-Z0-9][\w\.-]*[a-zA-Z0-9]\.[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z\.]*[a-zA-Z]$", form.email) eq 0>
<cfset validEmail = false>
</cfif>
Sure, use the <cfheader> tag to let the browser know that it is working with a file, instead of an HTML page:
<cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="attachment; filename=newdocument.doc">
<cfcontent type="application/msword" file="/home/me/a2928axa~123.doc">
The type attribute specifies the mime type of the file, click here for a list of mime types.
How do I insert the Current Date into Database?
Depending on your database server (SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, etc..), you can use code similar to the following:
<cfquery datasource="mydatabase">
INSERT INTO table (field1, date) VALUES ('#field1value#', '#DateFormat(Now(), "yyyy-mm-dd")#')
</cfquery>
Of course, an even easier way to accomplish this is to make the date field in the database a TIMESTAMP field. In effect, this will update the field to the current date and time each time you modify the record.
Which Development Tool should I use to develop ColdFusion applications?
I personally have progressed through using a text editor, to using Dreamweaver, and finally to Eclipse. Download Eclipse at http://www.eclipse.org. Once you install, go to the help menu and choose Software Updates->Find and Install. Add this site http://cfeclipse.tigris.org/ and you'll be on your way. Stick with Eclipse if you can get used to the interface. It is free, plugins are readily available for a number of languages, and best of all, it is fast.
Accessing data in Nested Query Loops
When using nested loops to extract data from recordsets, you will come into a complication when you try to access information using the standard ColdFusion method of surrounding the fieldname with pounds signs:
This does not work:
<cfloop query="q1">
<cfloop query="q2">
<cfoutput>#q1fieldname#</cfoutput>
</cfloop>
</cfloop>
This does work:
<cfloop query="q1">
<cfset q1fieldname_temp = q1fieldname>
<cfloop query="q2">
<cfoutput>#q1fieldname_temp#</cfoutput>
</cfloop>
</cfloop>
ColdFusion Email Validation
Using regular expressions, you can easily validate emails with ColdFusion using the following regex:
<cfif REFindNoCase("^[a-zA-Z][\w\.-]*[a-zA-Z0-9]@[a-zA-Z0-9][\w\.-]*[a-zA-Z0-9]\.[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z\.]*[a-zA-Z]$", form.email) eq 0>
<cfset validEmail = false>
</cfif>
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