Introduction

Welcome to Inside ColdFusion MX! This book is intended to be a comprehensive guide for ColdFusion developers. It provides the knowledge to leverage the power of the new, J2EE-based ColdFusion Server to create dynamic web applications.

The release of ColdFusion MX constitutes a major overhaul for the ColdFusion product. ColdFusion MX is the first version of ColdFusion built to leverage the J2EE initiative, and it enhances the ColdFusion developer's ability to create applications that are scalable and portable. With ColdFusion MX, you can easily extend ColdFusion by tying your application architecture to other existing J2EE-compliant applications throughout an organization. You can also deploy ColdFusion applications across a wide range of J2EE-compliant server products. This is an exciting and necessary advance for the ColdFusion product, and it will require you to gain a unique understanding of the new ColdFusion product and how you can leverage that power.

Inside ColdFusion MX takes you through the changes that that will affect you most when moving existing ColdFusion applications from ColdFusion 4.X and ColdFusion 5 to the ColdFusion MX architecture. In addition, Inside ColdFusion MX provides unique guidance for creating real-world applications from the ground-up that are built exclusively to leverage the power of ColdFusion MX and its uniquely new infrastructure. As the authors of this book, we have had daily involvement with the creation, management, deployment, and support of a multitude of enterprise-level ColdFusion applications. We are not removed "from the trenches," so to speak. We spend the majority of our time facing the real-world problems that you face, and in this book, we strive to give you a complete reference where you can find solutions and support for your problems.