ColdFusion 4 for Dummies [Paperback]

Alexis D. Gutzman (Author), Charles Arehart (Author), John Paul Ashenfelter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764506048 | ISBN-13: 978-0764506048 | Publication Date: February 15, 2000

It’s high time you brought your Web site into the 21^st century with the full array of interactive features that Web surfers have grown to expect. How? With ColdFusion 4. ColdFusion 4 is a scripting language. It’s a Web server. It’s a rapid application development environment. With ColdFusion, your site can greet returning customers by name, search your database and return the results that visitors request, accept customer forms, send email to visitors...the possibilities are limitless. And the best thing is, ColdFusion 4 is no harder to use than HTML!

If you’re ready to rev up your site with this amazing development tool, ColdFusion 4 For Dummies is for you. In no time, this friendly guide will get you on-track with the know-how and skills you need to:

• Master the ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML)
• Use the rapid application development environment
• Create Web apps and pages that seamlessly interact with your database
• Build a members-only Web site
• Use forms to gather data from visitors to your site
• Accept payments online
• Greet returning visitors by name

Whether you want to build a fully interactive site from scratch, or you want to add dynamic content to an existing site, this book covers all the bases with clear, step-by-step explanations and plenty of working examples. Topics covered include:

• Configuring a development environment
• Using ColdFusion Studio
• Adding records to a database and updating records
• Displaying information and processing mail
• Storing data with variables
• Selecting and presenting data
• Building better forms
• Troubleshooting your ColdFusion applications

ColdFusion 4 For Dummies also comes with a bonus CD-ROM featuring:

• Top custom ColdFusion tags—ready to use!
• Web authoring tools, including evaluation editions of ColdFusion Enterprise Server 4.0.1, ColdFusion Studio for Windows 4.0.1, and HomeSite 4.0.1

The days of Web sites that just sit there are over. Let ColdFusion 4 For Dummies show you how to bring your site to life with that amazing Web development tool.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The fact that you're even making an attempt at using Web development software dispels the notion that you are a dummy. Nonetheless, ColdFusion 4 for Dummies will get novices on the way to creating interactive Web pages.

Despite the book's let's-start-with-the-basics approach, some familiarity with directory trees and the basic concepts of programming will come in handy, since the author gets right into the nitty-gritty of working with tags, functions, and variables. It seems that a book targeted toward the beginner should explain these concepts a little more thoroughly before launching into how they work within the software. The book may be assuming a bit too much about its audience, which is unusual in the Dummies series.

Still, the author clearly knows the ins and outs of ColdFusion 4, guiding you through such processes as working with databases, updating records, and building forms in fairly simple terms. He also spends ample time going over troubleshooting--which constitutes a large part of Web site development--and common coding mistakes.

ColdFusion 4 for Dummies may not be much help if you're apprehensive about delving into the world of Web site development. But if you're brave enough to take the plunge, this book has lots of information. --John Frederick Moore

From the Publisher

A BONUS CD-ROM includes:

Top custom ColdFusion tags -- ready to use

Web authoring tools, including evaluation editions of ColdFusion Enterprise Server 4.0.1, ColdFusion Studio for Windows 4.0.1, and HomeSite 4.0.1

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (February 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764506048
• ISBN-13: 978-0764506048
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,511,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Frequently incomprehensible, April 20, 2000

By 

Patrick Flanagan (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ColdFusion 4 for Dummies (Paperback)

I have no idea how someone without prior knowledge of ColdFusion could make any sense of this book; it is poorly organized and constantly introduces terms and concepts without explaining them. Almost everyone would be better off downloading ColdFusion Express from the Allaire Web site and working through the free tutorial that comes with it.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One of the worst books I've ever read, August 28, 2000

By 

Stephen J. McClure (Our nations captial :)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: ColdFusion 4 for Dummies (Paperback)

I am now using "The Coldfusion web application construction kit" by Que. MUCH better product. I would also suggest the Skill Builder CD from Allaire. It is VERY, VERY good.

Enclosed is my letter to IDG:

Monday, August 28, 2000

To whom it may concern, I purchased this book at Barns and Noble. I am VERY dissatisfied with this product. I spent two days trying to install ColdFusion per the instructions in this book. Part of the reason I spent two days struggling with the install was due to the VERY poorly written instructions. I had to literally jump from chapter to chapter to install and configure CF Studio, Server and Personal Web Server. You did not include Personal Web server like you stated in your book. The book is written for CF 4 and you include CF 4.5 on your CD. The chapters are not laid out in an organized and logical fashion. This can be demonstrated by the following: The author reviews configuring the development environment before the software is even installed. Furthermore there is a note about setting a property for Personal Web server yet there is no reference to Web Server until chapter 4! Who edited this book? There is also a contradiction between installation instructions and a graphic you have supporting it. I'm sure there are plenty of other errors, but I gave up after chapter 2.

I am sorry I purchased this book and had to recommend to the local ColdFusion community to avoid this product. Furthermore, I will be very cautious to purchase this author again. I do not know if it is the fault of editor or writer for such a poorly laid out book, but I feel compelled to say I am very skeptical of a consultant involved in such a project. I can't help but question their consulting skills based on this book.

Stephen J. McClure

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do Not Buy This Book Unless You Like Being Confused, February 21, 2002

By 

Roger D. McCook (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ColdFusion 4 for Dummies (Paperback)

This is the worst possible book you can buy if you want to learn ColdFusion. They introduce unexplained, confusing code, throwing in comments that seemed to have "suddenly occured" to them as they were writing something else. It's impossible to start at a low level and build up your knowledge. It is instant confusion. I'm a fan of Dummies Books - most are valuable. This one is awful. I hate it.