HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This book is designed to be used in two ways:

• To prepare for your exam, you should start at the beginning of the book and systematically work your way through it. The book flow, layout, and form factor have all been specially designed to make reviewing content as pleasant an experience as possible. The content has been designed to be highly readable and digestible in small, bite-size chunks so that it will feel more like reading than studying.

• After you have reviewed all content, reread the topics that you feel you need extra help brushing up on. Topics are covered in highly focused and very manageable chapters so that you can easily drill down to the exact content you need. And extensive cross-referencing allows you to read up on related topics as needed.

Even after the exam, you'll find that the style and design of this book makes it an invaluable desktop reference tool as well.

Contents

The book is divided into eight parts, each containing a set of highly focused chapters. Each chapter concludes with a summary and sample questions (the answers to which are in the Appendix).

Part I: The Basics

This part covers the basics of Internet development in general and ColdFusion development in particular, and includes chapters on the following topics:

• Web Technology and Terminology

• Working with Variables and Expressions

• Conditional Processing

• Looping

• Redirects and Reuse

• The Application Framework

• Using Databases

Part II: Variables and Expressions

This part covers the use of different variable types, scopes, and expressions, and includes chapters on the following topics:

• URL Variables

• FORM Variables

• APPLICATION and SERVER Variables

• Session State Management

• Locking

Part III: Data Types

This part covers the data types supported by ColdFusion, and includes chapters on the following topics:

• Lists

• Arrays

• Structures

Part IV: User Interface & Data Presentation

This part covers the ColdFusion features used to collect and present data, and includes chapters on the following topics:

• Flash Forms

• XForms

• Printing

• Reporting

• Graphing

Part V: Advanced ColdFusion

This part covers a wide range of advanced development technologies and features, and includes chapters on the following topics:

• Scripting

• Dynamic Functions

• Stored Procedures

• Transactions

• Debugging

• Error Handling

• Application Security

Part VI: Extending ColdFusion

This part covers ColdFusion's extensibility features, and includes chapters on the following topics:

• Custom Tags

• Advanced Custom Tags

• User-Defined Functions

• ColdFusion Components

• Web Services

• Java, COM, & CORBA

• XML

• WDDX

• Flash Remoting

• Event Gateways

Part VII: Services and Protocols

This part covers the services and protocols supported by ColdFusion, and includes chapters on the following topics:

• Full-Text Searching

• System Integration

• Scheduling and Event Execution

• Email Integration

• LDAP

• Other Internet Protocols

Part VIII: Databases

This part covers database concepts and terminology, and includes chapters on the following topics:

• Basic SQL

• Joins

• Aggregates

• Advanced Database Features

• Improving Performance

Part IX: Tuning and Optimization

This part covers tuning and performance-optimization techniques, and includes chapters on the following topics:

• Application Performance Tuning and Optimization

• Server Performance Tuning

Conventions Used in This Book

The publishers have spent many years developing and creating computer books designed for ease of use and filled with the most up-to-date information available. With that experience, we've learned what features help you the most. Look for these features throughout the book to help enhance your learning experience and get the most out of ColdFusion.

• Screen messages, code listings, and command samples appear in monospace type.

• URLs that identify pages on the Web and values for ColdFusion attributes also appear in monospace type.

• Terms that are defined in the text appear in italics. Italics are sometimes used for emphasis too.

TIP

Tips give you advice on quick or overlooked procedures, including shortcuts.

NOTE

Notes present useful or interesting information that isn't necessarily essential to the current discussion, but which might augment your understanding with background material or advice relating to the topic.

CAUTION

Cautions warn you about potential problems that a procedure might cause, such as unexpected results or mistakes that could prove costly.

Cross-references are designed to point you to other locations in this book that will provide supplemental or supporting information. Cross-references appear as follows:

Arrays and structures are covered in detail in Chapter 14, "Arrays," and Chapter 15, "Structures."

The Accompanying Web Site

To further assist you in preparing for the exam, this book has an accompanying Web site. This site contains the following:

• Updated exam information, should there be any

• Links to other exam-related sites

• Book corrections or errata, should there be any

• A sample interactive test that can help gauge your exam readiness

The URL is http://www.forta.com/books/0321330110/

In addition, book support is available via an online forum at http://forums.forta.com/