ColdFusion is a product that acts as "middleware
between any ODBC database (Access, Oracle, etc.) and
Web server for the delivery of "live" data
to Web pages. It allows users to develop applications
that dynamically input data to and output data from
a database via the Internet and the Web.
ColdFusion, which is made up several components, is
a powerful application development tool that that enables
developers to create interactive, dynamic Web sites.
As a ColdFusion developer, you can create CF files by
simply extending your existing HTML files with htmL
(ColdFusion Mark-up Language - tag-based server-side
scripting language) and SQL (Structured Query Language).
These pages are processed by the CF server and sent
back to the Web server as an HTML page, which is then
passed to the browser.
Specifically, ColdFusion allows a developer to: query
existing database applications for data; create dynamic
queries facilitating more flexible data retrieval;
execute stored procedures in databases that support
them; execute conditional code on-the-fly to customize
responses for specific situations; enhance the standard
HTML form capabilities with data validation functions;
dynamically populate form elements; customize the
display of dates, times and currency values with formatting
functions; and ease the creation of data entry and
data drill-down applications with wizards.
ColdFusion is available on the NT platform from most
reputable Web hosting firms. The most effective ColdFusion
deployments are made on managed and dedicated platforms
that have been specifically built for the customer.
ColdFusion is also available on the UNIX platform,
but is not widely available from hosting companies
on this platform.
Usually the more inexpensive option for the developer
on the UNIX platform is the use of the Hypertext Pre-processor
(PHP). PHP is a server-side, cross-platform, HTML
embedded scripting language that extends HTML so that
database information can be queried as well. PHP is
quite popular amongst open-source developers, because
of its low-cost and speed to implement.
PHP itself is a module that plugs directly into the
Apache Web server, the most popular server software
in use. Once the PHP module is enabled, authorized
users can add PHP code to their Web pages to tie into
SQL relational databases. These databases run on open-source
databases packages such as "mySQL."
As with most open-source software, the cost for individual
deployments of "mySQL" are free and organizational
deployments are nominal. This makes PHP and mySQL
a huge value for those deploying dedicated servers
with database/Web integration capabilities. Many virtual
hosts will offer mySQL and PHP, but performance will
vary based on the number of shared hosts deployed
on a multiplexed server. The can also be said of ColdFusion
application.
Both ColdFusion and PHP however are excellent methods
for integrating dynamic database content into your
Web presence. |
