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Notes:

The purpose of this section is to post notes about each meeting.  Here we will post links and information from every meeting.  If you didn't make the meeting, you can check here for details about the meeting.  Or, if you made the meeting but would like to see the links posted on the topic, this is the place to go. 

Topic:  JQuery + Cold Fusion
Presenter:  Matthew Abbott

JQuery is an excellent JavaScript Library that is used for all sorts of fancy JavaScript work on the web.  With minimal effort, you can add some very advanced features on your website.

In our meeting Matthew Abbott showed us how we could use JQuery with Cold Fusion to get data for some dynamic select boxes.  It's very simple once you know how it works... though just by looking at the JavaScript code, you may be confused.  In our meeting Matthew made it all make sense and we all saw just how simple it really is.  Be sure and check out the resources on JQuery to familiarize yourself with it.  Once you understand the syntax, it's very simple stuff!

Resources:

JQuery = www.jquery.com
Tutorials on JQuery = http://docs.jquery.com/Tutorials 

Download the sample code used in Matthew's meeting:  jqueryDemo.zip

Topic:  DADAO.CFC  :  Dynamic Application Data Access Object
Author:  Wes Byrd

I have been asked to post this component that I wrote and presented at one of our meetings.  I appologize for the delay.  I wanted to make many updates before offering it up for download and use.  You know the story... I just didn't find the time.  So, here it is AS IS.

"One DAO to rule them all, one DAO to find them, one DAO to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them."
Gandolf

Purpose:  Why manage a multitude of DAO's for your system with you can use this single DAO to access all tables in your database no matter how often you change your database.  Never manage a DAO source again!!!

Click here to download the DADAO.cfc

Use Example:

[ INIT the DAO... just pass into the INIT function the table name. ]
<cfset membersDAO = createObject("component","dadao").init("members")>
[ Now execute the READ meathod to get the table data.  ]
<cfset membersTableData = memberEventsDAO.read()>

[ Pass a filter into the READ function to search for a record. ]
<cfset qSomeMembers = membersDAO.filter(membersDAO.read(),"member_name LIKE 'Wes%'")>

[ You can output your data just as if you ran a CFQUERY. ]
<cfoutput query="qFilteredResults">#member_name#</cfoutput>
[ Pass a structure into the INSERT function to add a record. 
  Struct field names must match the database field names. ]
<cfset insert = structNew()>
<cfset insert.member_id = "wbyrd">
<cfset insert.member_name = "Wes Byrd">
<cfset bla = rsvpDAO.create(insert)>
[ Pass a structure into the UPDATE function to update a record. ]
<cfset update = structNew()>
<cfset update.member_id = "wbyrd">
<cfset update.event_id = "Wes L Byrd">
<cfset bla = rsvpDAO.update(update)>

Subject:  Adobe’s RIA Technologies / Adobe AIR 1.0 and Adobe Flex 3 launch party

This was an exciting meeting where Adobe announced the launch of AIR 1 and Flex 3.  These two new technologies are helping to change the way we web and desktop applications.

In short, here are a few things we discovered in the meeting:

  • Adobe AIR will allow us to build applications useing HTML, JavaScript, AJAX, Flash and Flex to build branded, intuative, and highly interactive DESKTOP applications!
  • Flex 3 SDK is now Open Source!
  • Many new enhancements to Flex including...
    • The ability to build Flex compenents with Flash CS3
    • Enhanced contraints model
    • Skinning Model Improvements
    • Enhanced DataGrid
    • Charting Enhancments
    • Deep Linking (allows Flex apps to change state based on URL paramiters... allowing users to bookmark "pages" or even use the back button)
    • And MUCH MUCH more...
  • Adobe AIR now allows us to build applications that can interact with the desktop including...
    • Native OS Drag and Drop support
    • Access to local file system
    • Local database storage
    • And all of this with familiar web technologies we use every day.

Here are some links to some things we discused in the meeting...

  • Aptana:  An excelent Eclipse distrobution for web application development.  (now providing Adobe AIR support)
  • Ebay Desktop: Experience Ebay on your desktop!  It includes LIVE notifications of expiring auctions and notices of bidding status. (built with Adobe AIR)
  • Google Analytics Desktop:  Build with Adobe AIR
  • Flex 3 SDK:  Now Open Source!
  • Adobe Connect meeting with some details about AIR and Flex 3 development:

 

Subject:  CF8 and Ajax... code samples and all... we'll build some stuff during the meeting.

This meeting did not go as planned due to some technical issues with my laptop.  Still, I think it was helpful and educational.  Here are a few links to some sites that are handy in getting to know some of these new CF8 features...

CFWINDOW: 
http://www.coldfusionjedi.com/index.cfm/2007/6/20/ColdFusion-8-AJAX-UI-Windows 

Overview of Ajax features in CF8
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/coldfusion/articles/cfajax_overview.html

To finish the day, we did a drawing for an Adobe software package.  As an exercise, we wrote a program that would randomly pick one of the attendants the prize.  Congratulations to Matthew Abbott! 

 

Check out details and download files of Matthew's demo of CF9's Spreadsheet functionality: 

http://groups.adobe.com/posts/2e685d6dd0