Where can I find a good primer for ColdFusion?

Question

I am an experienced programmer (PHP / mySQL, jQuery), but I know nothing about ColdFusion. A previous Google search did not show many ways of (free) beginner tutorials. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the overwhelming availability of textbooks for open source products ...

Answer 1

For offline learning, WACK is your best bet - the ColdFusion Web Application Construction Kit . This is the gold standard when it comes to learning CFML. It comes in 3 volumes, volume 1 starts softly, volumes 2 and 3 are becoming more advanced, but they are all very good, enjoyable readings and incredibly useful for a start.

On the web, Adobe has a lot of content for ColdFusion. If you like the video, try the Adobe TV ColdFusion page . To read, log in to the ColdFusion Developer Center , the best resource to get started, IMO.

Outside of Adobe, there are many other resources. Ray Camden has an excellent site, ColdFusion Portal , and Charlie Areart has some excellent resources, CF411 , a HUGE list of all the useful ColdFusion and UGTV in the world, a list of MONSTER records of ColdFusion user groups (most of them through Adobe Connect, so screen sharing is more than the video). Perhaps the best thing about the HouseOfFusion CF-Talk mailing list is to sign up, get it in your inbox, start asking questions, you will find the ColdFusion Community is VERY helpful there!

Going further, get connected to the ColdFusion community by reading blogs. Try an aggregator like ColdFusion Bloggers , then try to find your local Adobe Groups user group where you can connect with loved ones who can help you in many ways.

Also, don't rule out StackOverflow! We are here too, just ask and you will get an answer!

Answer 2

It’s good that the Adobe Developer site is a good starting point for “official things”:

http://www.adobe.com/support/documentation/en/coldfusion/

CF Developer Guide, as well as links to CF dev center: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/coldfusion.html , which has a lot of tutorials.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Remember to download ColdFusion Builder , which is much more than a text editor for your Coldfusion files. The 60-day trial is free.

Once you do this, you can accelerate with the Coldfusion ORM CFC Generator . This plugin allows you to select a table from the database configured in CF Builder and generate the code necessary for adding / editing / deleting records. When you have this code in front of you, it’s easier for you to check the documentation, tutorials, etc.

Answer 4

Surprised no one mentioned that you can just check the resource page in CF Admin. Log in to the admin (via http: // locahost / cfide / administrator ) and click on the "resources" icon in the upper right corner. Here is a screenshot:

Answer 5

Also referred to sometimes as the “Fort book”, “Adobe ColdFusion 9 Web Application Kit, Volume 1: Getting Started,” is the final ColdFusion Tutorial. Not free, but usually a good end-to-end introduction to the platform and language.