Archive of Vernon Viehe's Blog (Quarterly)

Why can't you do Unicode with CFMX and Access right out the box?

That's been the question on some folks minds, and I was like "Yeah, CFMX can handle Unicode, and Access can handle Unicode, so what gives?" I did some research into this, and here's what I found out...

It turns out the driver used in ColdFusion for Access, SequeLink v 5.3 from DataDirect, doesn't support Unicode. Unfortunately, that's the most current version of the driver. We're working with (nagging) DataDirect for a version of the driver that's Unicode capabale. If/when we get it, that's something we'd want to get out to our customers as quicly as we can.

I know that doesn't help anyone trying to do this right now, but maybe knowing it's not a CFMX bug helps a bit. By the way, you can purchase such a driver from Easysoft, but it's not cheap!

If you've installed any non-public hotfixes for CFMX...

Looking for an automatic crumbtrail made in CFML?

When one of the users in the Macromedia Online Forum for ColdFusion asked about code for an automated crumbtrail, Brandon Corbin offered up this bit of code:

<cfsilent>
     <cfset this.page = cgi.SCRIPT_NAME>
     <cfset count = 0>
     <cfset listLenght = ListLen(this.page, "/")>
     <cfset href = "http://#cgi.SERVER_NAME#">
     <cfif this.page CONTAINS "index.cfm">
          <cfset this.page = ReplaceNoCase(this.page, "/index.cfm", "","ALL")>
     </cfif>
</cfsilent>
<cfloop list="#this.page#" delimiters="/" index="i">
     <cfsilent>     
          <cfset count = count + 1>
          <cfset href = "#href#/#i#">
          <cfif i contains ".cfm">
               <cfset name = ReplaceNoCase(i, ".cfm", "", "ALL")>
               <cfset name = ReplaceNoCase(name, "_", " ", "ALL")>
          <cfelse>
               <cfset name = ReplaceNoCase(i, "_", " ", "ALL")>
          </cfif>
          <cfif i IS "index.cfm">
               <cfset name = "">
          </cfif>
     </cfsilent>
     <cfoutput><a href="#href#" class="BreadCrumb">#name#</a><cfif count LT 
listLen(this.page, "/")> <span class="BreadCrumb">::</span>  </cfif></cfoutput></cfloop>

For more information about this bit of code, you can read the thread here.

The ColdFusion community is one of the most generous, helpful software communities. If you're new to ColdFusion, you should check out the ColdFusion forums, and in particular, the Getting Started category.

Thanks for this bit of helpful code, Brandon!

If you're seeing high CPU usage with CFMX...

You might want to double-check any blocks of CFScript for unclosed double quotes. In an example posted by Paul Cormier in the ColdFusion CFML General discussion will cause the CPU to max out. I've run this test, and sure 'nuff, it maxes out the CPU, and the only way to stop it is to stop & restart ColdFusion. Read the post for more details and sample code.

You do know, don't you?

Jeremy Allaire has a blog: Jeremy Allaire's Radio. Jeremy's blog is great reading, and believe it or not, it's not all about Macromedia!

cfform, cfinput, and other "convenience" tags

I was just talking about why to use, or not to use some of these "convenience" tags, and then I ran across an entry in another blog about it. While they take some of the work out of it, they really aren't perfect replacements for doing things the "long" way using regular tags and programmatically coding the functions yourself. Rather, these are more "convenience" tags that allow you to do things in a quick & dirty way.

It looks like Spike hasn't updated his blog lately, but the entry is still good! Read what Spike has to say about these tags in Spike's blog!

Buy Macromedia products from my blog and get 10% off!

If you are thinking of buying Macromedia software, then this is the place to do it.

For the first 100 people that respond off of the Community Manager's blogs, you can get 10% off one tool package by using the following promotional code when you check out.

SP23CMMRTL

Use your code at the Macromedia Online Store!

Note that "tools" mean things like Dreamweaver, Flash, or Director, and does not include server products such as ColdFusion and JRun. BUT... I'll be featuring a code for the server products soon, so keep coming back to check my blog for the promotional code for server products!

In addition to the great stuff on CFMX for J2EE on DesDev, there's a great "CF Extreme" article:

ColdFusion Extreme Column: Using ColdFusion Tags Inside of CFScript by Kevin Towes
Make the most of script in your ColdFusion applications by leveraging ColdFusion Tags. Kevin Towes explains how.

ColdFusion MX for J2EE Development Center

Learn to combine the functionality and flexibility of your J2EE server with ColdFusion MX in this new development center! There's some great stuff in there, including:

• Logged In: ColdFusion MX for J2EE by Tom Hale
  Scale your ColdFusion applications. Run them on the J2EE platform of your choice.
• A Natural Integration of Enterprise Standards and Rapid Development: A ColdFusion Engineer’s Perspective by Mike Brandt
  See how ColdFusion MX for J2EE allows you to take advantage of rapid application development on a robust J2EE platform.
• Macromedia ColdFusion MX from a Java Architect’s Point of View by James Hurff
  Explore opportunities that await Java developers in ColdFusion MX for WebSphere.
• Interview: The Story Behind ColdFusion MX for J2EE
  Engineer Geoffrey Greene explains how the new architecture works.
• CFMX for J2EE Architecture (pdf)
  Find out more about the architecture underneath ColdFusion MX for J2EE.
  

ColdFusion MX Updater released!

Be sure to read the release notes!. Check out the list of issues addressed in this updater in the release notes.

Kill two birds with one stone!

OK, I'm not suggesting that you be cruel to our fine feathered friends. Did you know that you can get certified at DevCon 2002? If you pre-register to take the CF 5, CFMX, or Flash MX certification exams at DevCon, it's only $100 per test, which is a savings of $50! If you don't pre-register, you can still take the exams once you're there, but it will be $150 each. The exam takes about 2 hours, so you should be able to squeeze it in while you're there.

Note: the Dreamweaver MX exam will also be offered. It's $100 for both pre-registering, or registering there.

I'll be at DevCon 2002, and hope to see lots of you there too!

If you used "basic security" in CF 4 or CF 5, take note when upgrading to CFMX:

Your settings for "basic security" are not preserved in an upgrade to CFMX. This is because security changed in CFMX. If you restricted tags such as CFREGISTRY and CFEXECUTE, you'll need to manually recreate those settings Sandbox or Resource security. (Thanks Charlie Arehart!)

Charlie's articles on Sandbox Security are a good place to start gathering info on this important topic:

• ColdFusion Security, Part one: Understanding Sandbox/Resource Security
• ColdFusion Security, Part two: Setting up Sandbox/Resource Security

For more information on Security in CFMX, please visit the new Security Development Center on the Macromedia Designer & Developer Center.

CFMX Easter Egg found!

Aborted install/upgrade recovery

Sean Daniels reported on CF-Talk that he bailed during an upgrade from CF5 to CFMX, to clear up some space his disk. When rerunning the upgrade install, he found that upgrade wasn't an option any longer. Sean located a key in the CF5 registry called CFMX_Upgraded. He removed this key, and reran the install, and the upgrade went as expected. Thanks Sean for reporting back to the list how you solved this problem!

ColdFusion MX for J2EE is Available!

The ColdFusion product team is happy to announce the availability of ColdFusion MX for J2EE, a new product line that allows developers to add ColdFusion MX capabilities to supported J2EE application servers. Public launch and announcements are slated for early next week.

ColdFusion MX for J2EE is available in the following editions:

* ColdFusion MX for IBM WebSphere Application Server
* ColdFusion MX for Macromedia JRun
* ColdFusion MX for Sun ONE

The existing ColdFusion MX release is built on top of JRun 4. But this release separates the ColdFusion runtime from the underlying app server, giving developers full access to the app server’s capabilities.

So customers get the benefits of rapid server scripting capabilities, increasing development productivity while enjoying full access to the power of the J2EE platform.

See for yourself! Download a free trial or purchase ColdFusion MX for J2EE today at: http://www.macromedia.com/go/cfj2ee.

For more information, visit our product section for FAQs, technical white papers, and more at http://www.macromedia.com/go/cfj2ee.

Macromedia - Press room : Macromedia Introduces Authorware 6.5

A lot of Authorware users will be glad to hear that Authorware 6.5 has been announced! It will be available for purchase on the Macromedia Online Store in late September.

Macromedia - MX Developer Resource Kit now available!

The Developer Resource Kit includes lots of goodies to help you build great web applications more easily. Among the items garnering the most interest:

• The Datagrid component
• Flash UI Components pack 3
• 2 sample apps
  • E-mail (SMTP & POP CFCs included)
  • Stock quote (CFC for getting quote info included)
• Extra File Function Toolbar extension for Dreamweaver (includes things like "Close all" that CF Studio users will appreciate)

There's lots of other stuff. Much of the content of this CD is only available with the purchase of the CD, and not available elsewhere. In addition to the new items you can only find on the DRK, there's a great archive of the best extensions, components, and DesDev content, including a complete archive of the ColdFusion Applicaiton Development Center.

:: peachekeen.com :: is another CF community site. I haven't read through the articles yet, but they definately look interesting!

Articles on the new Sandbox Security in CFMX!

Unless you've been under a rock for the last several months, you know that security in ColdFusion changed with the launch of ColdFusion MX. The Security Development Center features 2 artciles by Charlie Arehart to help you get a handle on the new security:

ColdFusion Security, Part One: Understanding Sandbox/Resource Security
Control access to your applications with built-in ColdFusion MX security measures.

ColdFusion Security, Part Two: Setting Up Sandbox/Resource Security
Learn how to set up sandbox/resource security.

CF Underground

If you're going to DevCon 2002 (and I hope you are!), consider coming to CF Underground. This event is not an official DevCon even, but that's what makes it underground! I'll be there, hope you will too.

Macromedia - Designer & Developer : Security Development Center is the feature of today's update on the Designer & Developer Center at Macromedia.com.

This week's Logged In column is by yours truly! If you have feedback regarding my Logged In article, please drop me a note. There's lots of other great new stuff in this launch, so check it out, or, watch my blog for highlights of what I find interesting over the next week or two.

I'll tell you a secret, but promise not to tell anyone...

A little birdie told me that a update for CFMX will be available by the end of September. Among the issues the update addresses are COM object handling, and an update for Apache 2.0.4. There's a bunch of other stuff included which would be of interest to various folks, depending on what your environment is, and what features you're relying upon. Stay tuned!

Webforums, LiveDocs, and Developer's Exchange are now back online.

Don't forget to sign up for the DesDev newsletter!

Ok, ok, so a lot of newsletters are just noise in your mailbox. But this is one you'll really find useful. Each time there's a content update to the Designer & Developer Center on Macromedia.com (about twice a month), you'll be notified via e-mail. This e-mail will feature highlights of the new content, so you can find the articles which interest you the most. You can sign up here.

Be sure to check the Designer & Developer Center periodically for items which may not have made it into the newsletter. And if you haven't been watching the ColdFusion Application Development Center, be sure to check it out! It has LOTS of useful articles, tips, tutorials, white papers, and other useful goodies for the CF programmer/developer!

Macromedia Webforums are temporarily offline

A number of public-facing systems, including the Webforums, LiveDocs, and Developer's Exchange are unavailable, due to some networking issues we're experiencing. We've got an emergency team working on this outtage, and we hope to have the situation corrected shortly.

If you're jonesing for the forums, try our newsgroup interface, which is unaffected by this outtage. Just point your news reader to forums.macromedia.com. Note that the newsgroup interface mirrors to the webforums, and vice-versa, so it's the same information and dialogs in both places.

There's gold in them there CFCs!

Learn how to consume webservices from other companies, reinforce some good coding practices, and have fun reading Macromedia - Designer & Developer : Consuming Amazon.com Web Services with ColdFusion MX

Vote for the best CF book!

CFDJ is taking votes on the best CF book! Get your two cents in, and let others know what book you think is the Best of the Best!

CF_Footlocker!

World’s leading retailer of athletic footwear and apparel, Foot Locker, operates 3,600 retail stores in 14 countries and one ColdFusion powered Foot Locker web site.

CFCs, no substitute for SuperMan, but still doing the seemingly impossible!

There's been a lot of buzz about ColdFusion Components since the release of ColdFusion MX. Check out this article from Ben Forta, where you'll find out the buzz isn't just marketing sweet-talk, CFCs are just plain SWEET: "They do the seemingly impossible—marrying the power of objects with the simplicity of CFML."

Back from vacation!

I was in Portland for the World Series for softball! My team placed 2nd! I'm back in the saddle at Macromedia. Don't forget, if you have comments on any posting in my blog, or you have an idea for something you'd like to see in my blog, please drop me an e-mail at vernon@macromedia.com.

You've got about a day left to save $155 on DevCon!

Register for DevCon 2002 by August 27 and save $155. Visit: www.macromedia.com/go/devcon2002

Also of note, while you're registering, you can check out the Rich Internet Application interface for registration, and/or contrast & compare it to the HTML version. But be careful not to register twice!

Summer Vacation!

I'll be offline until 8-26, so I won't have any further updates to my blog until then.

This week's Designer and Developer Center focus is Education and E-learning

Here's a list of what you'll find there:

New Sample Application
Blackboard Building Blocks: Group Management Rich User Interface

New Topic Page
The Education and E-Learning Development Center

New articles and tutorials

Standard verses Enhanced Group Management in Blackboard: A Visual Comparison by Timothy Chi
See how giving Blackboard a Macromedia Flash front end improved its features and enhanced its usability.

The Blackboard Group Management Application: Realizing Rapid Development with Macromedia Flash MX by Branden Hall
Branden Hall explains the development process of the Group Management rich user interface from start to finish.

Designing Java Applications for Flash Remoting by John Bennett
Flash Remoting 101 for Java programmers. Learn how server-side Java code can be leveraged to quickly develop client-side ActionScript.

Using Blackboard Building Blocks with Macromedia Flash MX Technology by Timothy Chi
Timothy Chi explains Building Blocks and how XML, Java, and Macromedia MX technology work together to enhance Blackboard user experience.


Lessons Learned: Behind the Scenes of Blackboard Development by John Bennett
Common sense development approaches when building solution architecture for Rich Internet Applications.

Macromedia MX Technology: Toward A Truly Interactive Educational Environment by Kirsti Aho
Find out how the Macromedia MX product family fulfills the demands of evolving educational needs.

Macromedia MX eLearning: Advanced Training from the Source by Jeffrey Bardzell
Learn how to use Macromedia Flash MX for e-learning assets with this book excerpt and sample files.

Introducing the Technologies of Web Learning by Jeffrey Bardzell
Not sure which web technology is right for your teaching needs? Take a tour of your options.

Teaching Web Design: Empowering Learners with Technology by Kim Cavanaugh and Deborah Maupin
Explore a real-world web design class and download the sample lesson plan for a Family History website.

Seven Key Features of E-Learning Environments by Jeffrey Bardzell
Follow Jeffrey Bardzell's guidelines for successful online training techniques.

Technology, E-Learning and Education: Resources for Educators by Shaowen Bardzell and Hyo-Jeong So
Integrate technology into your learning environment with this comprehensive roadmap.

Drag-and-drop Inferno: Creating an Interactive Learning Asset in Fireworks MX and Dreamweaver MX by Jeffrey Bardzell and Shaowen Bardzell
Download the sample files in this tutorial to create a matching game using CSS layers in Dreamweaver.

ColdFusion Extreme: Using ColdFusion Components--Properly by Ben Forta
Ben Forta teaches you how to properly implement CFCs for maximum code reuse.

Connecting People with Macromedia Flash on the Pocket PC by Andy Riedell and Ken Scott
Create your own interactive chat room for wireless devices with this tutorial.

Code Editing with Dreamweaver MX by Mark Fletcher
Fine-tune your code with the new features in Dreamweaver MX.

Logged In: The Answers Panel--Your Lifeline to Macromedia by Ana Dujmovic
Be a proactive learner with the Macromedia Answers panel.

JD's Forum: Are you failing at mail? by John Dowdell
Learn how to fail (or succeed) in the forums.

Macromedia ColdFusion Certified Professional Program details

The ColdFusion MX certification test (in English) will be made available to the public through www.vue.com/macromedia on September 30th, 2002. CFMX Certification will come out in French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Japanese one month later.

People who are certified as ColdFusion 5 Developers will remain certified as such until December 31st, 2003. At that time, CF 5 certifications will no longer be listed with the official list of Macromedia Certified Professionals.

The ColdFusion 5 Developer certification exam will be available from www.vue.com for three months after the CFMX exam is made available to the public, but then retired - so there's a three month overlap where you can take either exam.

For more info on the Macromedia Certified Professional Program, please visit:
http://www.macromedia.com/support/training/certified_professional_program/

HomeSite customer survey

Here's a big opportunity for our HomeSite customers to influence what happens in the future at Macromedia in regards to HomeSite and Dreamweaver! If you're a HomeSite user, please get your $.02 in!

Macromedia - ColdFusion LiveDocs : Configuring web servers

If you're running into problems getting ColdFusion running/processing pages after installation, the first place to check for help is the online documentation, especially the ColdFusion Live Docs, where additional info/comments are added by users to help refine the information available. Many folks who have run into issues installing CFMX with IIS 5 have readily solved their problems with the information listed on this page.

For example, if you install CFMX in IIS and your CFM pages aren't being processed, try these steps:

1. Select Start > Run, and enter cmd.
2. At the command prompt, enter the following command on a single line:

   cf_root\runtime\jre\bin\java -cp cf_root\runtime\lib 
   -jar cf_root\runtime\lib\wsconfig.jar -ws IIS -site "0" 
   -map .cfm,.cfc,.cfml,.jsp -v
   

   Note:   You must enter the previous command as a single (long) line.

   The following is a sample command:

   c:\cfusionmx\runtime\jre\bin\java -cp c:\cfusionmx\runtime\lib 
   -jar c:\cfusionmx\runtime\lib\wsconfig.jar -ws IIS -site "0" 
   -map .cfm,.cfc,.cfml,.jsp -v
   

This adds the appropriate IIS application mappings for ColdFusion MX.

Get a jump on the ColdFusion MX certification exam!

If you would like to take the ColdFusion MX Beta Certification exam, please sign up at: www.donath.com/mmbeta.

You will receive a 40% off voucher to take the finalized certification exam. The voucher will be sent to the e-mail address you provide.

The ColdFusion MX beta certification exam is on August 27th, & August 28th. It will be given over the web so you can take the beta test from your PC. For more details on certification, please contact Niamh O'Byrne.

Using Flash for your web applications: One customer's Questions and two community manager's Answers.

Marc Garrett, one of the ColdFusion developers that participates in the Macromedia Online Forums and the CFTalk e-mail, list sent me some questions he had regarding Rich Internet Applications and using Flash to build web applications. Marc kindly agreed to let me post his questions along with the answers provided by Mike Chambers and me.

Q: ASR code can be viewed in a browser. Is that by design?

A: It's not by design, but that's just how ASR works. It is essentially just a text
file, and was not made to create dynamic web output.

If you do not want to make the text content viewable, you can create a dummy servlet
that does nothing, and then map requests to .asr file to it.

Q: All of the heavy lifting in the Pet Market app is done in ActionScript. The CF code is beginner-level stuff. Does Macromedia envision that CF developers will add AS to their skillset, or just pass off the validation, etc. to someone else on the team?

A: A combination of both. ActionScript is based on ECMA script / javascript, so we have found that developers familiar with Javascrtipt can quickly pick up the basics of ActionScript.

Here are three main ways that Flash / CF development occurs:

1. One developer doing everything
2. 1 cf developer / 1 flash developer / 1 designer
3. 1 cf developer / 1 flash developer - designer

The beauty of using Flash with ColdFusion via Flash Remoting is that there is no Flash specific code required on the server. So in many cases, the CF code may have already have been written for other uses. In that case, it just requires a Flash developer to create the front end to the CF code.

Q: Is it safe to have so much app logic on the client? Can't a Flash movie be decompiled?

A: Yes, Flash Movie can be decompiled, and you should not hardcode any sensitive information in it. In general application / business logic should remain on the server. You can find more information on this, in the Macromedia Flash MX security Whitepaper:
http://www.macromedia.com/desdev/mx/flash/whitepapers/security.pdf

Q: If CF developers are going to start writing ASRs, when can we expect DWMX support ASRs as well as it supports CFCs? Introspection, self-documenting, etc?

A: Dreamweaver already supports color coding and code hinting for ASRs, and while we cannot comment on future features of any product, I would think it's likely you'll see increased support for ASRs. CFCs are basically webservices, although you can make a CFC that is short of functioning as a webservice. It's because of this that they are self-documenting and capable of introspection. I'm not sure what features in ActionScript might parallel CFCs/Webservices.

Is this Flash a Little Brighter?

Hear what Jeremy Allaire has to say about using Flash UIs for web applications!

Designer & Developer Center Newsletter now available!

Now you can sign up for e-mail notification of updates to the content of the Designer & Developer Center! Look for the blurb on the lower right hand page of the Designer & Developer Center. Note that if you click on that link, you will automatically be signed up for the newsletter if there's a Macromedia membership cookie present on your system - so be sure to do this from your own computer, lest you should inadvertantly sign someone else up!

CFFaq.com is Ben Forta's new ColdFusion FAQ site! He'll be adding functionality such as more Q & As, visitor comments, and syndication via webservice. The current FAQ content is very informative regarding history of CF, how it fits in with current technologies, and it's ubiquity in the arena of web applications.

Macromedia and Adobe have settled their lawsuits!

Some folks have asked what this means for our customers. What it means is that this bothersome situation is behind us, and our customers will remain unaffected. As for how this may affect future revisions of Macromedia software, as is our firm policy, we do not comment on features of future versions of products, until an appropriate time regarding the release of individual pieces of software. However, we're pleased to report that we've gotten very positive feedback about the minor interface changes we made to our MX family of products.

Main takeaway: It's over, and Macromedia can continue to innovate and build great software for our customers!

New version 1.2 of the Macromedia Pet Market Blueprint Application is now available!

We've made several improvements to the Pet Market application, much of it thanks to customer feedback:

• Optimized performance
• Support for 800 x 600 screen resolution
• Hosted Pet Market site running live on www.macromedia.com
• Enhanced Comments and documentation
• ColdFusion MX Professional Support

Full details are at
http://www.macromedia.com/desdev/mx/blueprint/articles/new_version_1_2.html.

I'm back in the saddle! Had a great couple weeks away from the hustle & bustle. Thanks for checking back after my time off.

Macromedia - Designer & Developer : Tips Library

The Tips Library is another of the ongoing community efforts by Macromedia. Stop by and pick up a few tips, and leave some knowledge behind for someone else!

Macromedia Software Cracks:
Director Shockwave 8.1.5 Crack
Macromedia MX Crack
Dreamweaver MX Crack
ColdFusion MX Crack
Fireworks MX Crack
Flash MX Crack
Other Macromedia Software Cracks

Reporting Piracy:

If you would like to report any of these illegal cracks being offered for download, please contact us. You can also call toll free in US & Canada, 800-343-3325. All reports are kept confidential.

For more information on software piracy, click here.

Thanks for your help in fighting software piracy!

If you don't stop into Fusion Authority on a regular basis, you should consider doing so. It's a great site for keeping up with what's worth reading, and highlights new additions to the Tag Gallery.

Macromedia: MPSB02-07 - Patch available to support Apache 2.0.39 with JRun 4.0/ColdFusion MX!!!

Ctrl-3 wraps #s around code selection in Dreamweaver MX! (instructions how...)

1. In DW, select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.
2. Click the Duplicate Set icon (the first icon in the row of four at the top). Note that Dreamweaver won’t let you modify the factory set of shortcuts, but you can create a duplicate set, modify it, and use the set as the default set.
3. When prompted, enter ColdFusion Studio or something similar as the name of the duplicate set and click OK.
4. Be sure Menu commands is selected in the drop-down.
5. Expand and select Insert > ColdFusion Basic Objects > Surround with #.
6. In the Shortcuts textbox, click the Plus (+) button and enter Ctrl-3.
7. Ignore the warning about conflicting with Heading 3, and Click Change. Again, ignore the warning, and Click OK. This will override the Heading 3 setting.

Sean Corfield, the Director of Architecture at Macromedia, published a (slightly modified) version of the ColdFusion coding standards Macromedia uses in its Web Technology Group. Check out his blog for more details, and links to the standards.

There was a HUGE new release of great articles on the Designer & Developer Center on Tuesday (it's a long list, better get a beverage!):

Pet Market
Pet Market Blueprint Application
Macromedia
See how it's planned, study the code, learn to build. The Pet Market is the definitive example of Rich Internet Application development with Macromedia Flash MX and ColdFusion MX.

Pet Market Architecture Tour
Jason Hatcher
Take a detailed look at the components of the Pet Market application: what they do, how they are coded, and why they are coded that way.

Pet Market Process Map
Brian Takle
Find out how your development team can work together to deliver Rich Internet Applications with Macromedia Flash MX and ColdFusion MX.

Designing Application Interfaces with Macromedia Flash MX
Brian Takle
Examine how Pet Market uses the new features of Macromedia Flash MX to create a more visually interesting and easy-to-use interface.

Pet Market: Best Practices for Building Rich Internet Applications with Macromedia Flash MX
Jason Hatcher
Make your Macromedia Flash application clean and optimized. Organize your files and code as outlined in this article.

...more Pet Market content.

Architecture

Optimize Your Application with Design Patterns
Sean Corfield
Reduce overhead and increase your coding efficiency by using facade and value object design patterns.

N-tiered Architecture: Let Your Application Grow
Jeremy Petersen
Use an n-tiered architecture to ensure your application's scalability.

Ben Forta on Architecture: Introduction to ColdFusion Components
Ben Forta
See how CFCs display the power of objects and the simplicity of CFML.

Design Patterns: Reusable Object-Oriented Software
Dr. Eric Gamma, Dr. Richard Helm, Dr. Ralph Johnson, Dr. John Vlissides
Create more flexible, elegant, and ultimately reusable designs when you write object-oriented software.

Using ColdFusion MX in Distributed Mode
Michael Stillman
Cluster ColdFusion MX servers with this easy tutorial.

Updating Content Across Geographically Distributed Servers
Frank DeRienzo
Learn how to use ClusterCATS to ensure synchronous replication of content.

The Built-in Web Server in ColdFusion MX
Stephen M. Gilson
No need to search for a local web server to run. Install and use ColdFusion with its built-in web server.

ColdFusion MX Code Examples
Macromedia
Learn code functionality and syntax. Execute and view code online for all ColdFusion MX functions and tags.

Building Dynamic Sites with Dreamweaver MX (Video Tutorials)
Mathew Pizzi (Train Simple)
Learn how Dreamweaver MX makes it easy to create data-driven sites, work with PHP, and more.

Getting Started with Macromedia Dreamweaver MX (Video Tutorials)
Garo Green of Lynda.com and Mark Fletcher
See our video tutorials to learn the basics of Dreamweaver MX, components and more.

Learning ColdFusion MX with Dreamweaver MX (Video Tutorials)
Mark Fletcher
Using Dreamweaver MX, but new to ColdFusion MX? These multimedia tutorials will show you how get started with ColdFusion MX from within Dreamweaver MX.

Masking Effects in Fireworks MX
Japi Honoo
Create eye-catching collage effects with masking and layer-blending techniques. Italian artist Japi Honoo shares her trade secrets.

Creating Macromedia Fireworks MX Documents from HTML
Tonya Estes
Inherited a website with no source files and need to make graphic or layout changes? No problem--Fireworks MX now opens HTML files.

Working with Macromedia Fireworks MX Buttons and Navigation Bars
Tonya Estes
Buttons and navigation bars have never been easier to create--or maintain. This tutorial (with sample files) will convince you.

Deconstructing FreeHand Graphics: Part 1
Dale Crawford
The word's out: simple pieces--in combination--make complex graphics. Take a peek behind the wizard's curtain in this tutorial.

Migrating from HomeSite to Dreamweaver MX
Jennifer Rowe
HomeSite users will feel right at home in the new Dreamweaver MX integrated workspace. Take a tour.

The Fireworks MX Property Inspector
Susan Chaves
Never play hide-and-seek with panels again. This User Interface feature takes the work out of workflow.

Validating for Accessibility with Dreamweaver MX
Macromedia
Get your pages up to Section 508 standards--with ease. Watch this multimedia tutorial to find out how.

Macromedia Flash and Director Shockwave Studio Resource Center
Macromedia
Learn more about when to use each tool, and the benefits of using them together.

.NET Resource Center (New!)
Macromedia and Microsoft
Working with Macromedia MX and .NET? Check out this center to get the resources you need.

Extending Components in Macromedia Flash MX
Greg Burch
Learn to make components even more powerful by customizing them.

Consuming Web Services in Macromedia Flash using Macromedia ColdFusion MX
David Golden
Learn how you can use web services in your Macromedia Flash movies with no server-side programming.

Columns

Flash Extreme: Locking Down Macromedia Flash
Branden Hall
Secure your Macromedia Flash applications with these tips from Branden.

CF Extreme: ColdFusion MX Advanced Security Evolves
Rob Rusher
Find out how to create a security CFC that authenticates and authorizes against an NT Domain.

Logged In

Pet Market: A Roadmap to Rich Internet Applications
Steve Peterson
Pet Market program manager Steve Peterson introduces the new blueprint app.

JD's Forum: How Well Does the Pet Market Work for You?
John Dowdell
John explains how you can use Pet Market.

Tip of the Week
George Jardine
Loading Images Dynamically in Macromedia Flash MX
Preserve precious bandwidth; load JPGs into your SWF on the fly.

Here's a fine example of how blogging can distill useful info for you. This blog is a distillation of great stuff from the invite-only list, CFGURUCFGURU

Show your MX pride!

We're seeing a few reports of com objects working in CF 5 and not in CFMX for some users. We're investigating whether it was the methodology, or perhaps some other problem. However, some things regarding accessing COM objects in CF have changed in MX. See this article for some info on it, and I hear there's an article underway by a well-known CF luminary - if that comes to fruition, I'll post a link to it. Accessing Complex COM Objects in ColdFusion MX using Java Stubs

An Architect's View A great CF Blog! By friend and associate, Sean Corfield. I'll make a list in my blog template on the right soon as I have time.

I forgot to mention I'm out of the office most of the week, probably won't have a chance to update blog till late this week (6-21 or so).

If you haven't been checking the Designer & Developer Center regularly for articles relating to ColdFusion, check the archive for articles which you may find useful.

Designer & Developer : Create and Consume ColdFusion Components with Dreamweaver MX

If you're giving Dreamweaver MX a whirl, and you're new to CFCs, this CFC article on the Designer & Developer Center is just the ticket!

Below is a partial list of the latest ColdFusion MX related TechNotes/KB. Be sure to check out ColdFusion Support Center.

Some folks still have questions about a CFMX Developer's Edition. Here's what you need to know in a nutshell:

ColdFusion MX Enterprise Edition is available as a trial, and is a fully functional enterprise edition for 30 days. After 30 days, it reverts to a single IP version with all the functionality of the Enterprise Edition, except the IP restriction. In ColdFusion MX, single IP Developers version means that it will accept concurrent connections from 127.0.0.1 and one other IP address.

There seem to have been a lot of folks discussing "Why Blogs?" lately.

Blogs can provide a filter for valuable information. The filter being the person writing the blog. Many folks don't have the bandwidth to participate in lots of forums, e-mail lists, and other information gathering, they're too busy. Reading a blog from someone who has more time for perusing these many venues can really help with this.

In some ways, I think a blog is like a Tomagochi; it takes constant care to thrive (though not a lot, but it does need to be constant). Admittedly, my blog has been a bit boring in the last week (some would say longer!), and this doesn't help me make my point about a blog being a great filter of information and a time saver. But I'll be putting more into making my blog more valuable and timely.

To that end, if you're doing a ColdFusion centered blog, or you read an article or see a website that you think would be really interesting to folks, please let me know! I'll check it out, and I may list it in my blog.

The Preview Release Forums will be closed to new posts sometime tomorrow (or so). Be sure you've downloaded the latest version of the dev/trial of ColdFusion MX, (if you haven't already purchased CFMX!) and that you start posting your questions & topics in the regular permanent forums. The MX Preview Release forums will be read-only as an archive through the end of June.

All the messages in the ColdFusion MX Preview Release Forum will be merged into the regular permanent ColdFusion forum at the end of June. Note that this is not the case for the Dreamweaver MX and Fireworks MX Preview Release Forums.

Flash: 99% Bad: Not Any More! (Alertbox Oct. 2000) With the release of Flash MX, Jakob Nielson changes his opinion about Flash and the strategy Macromedia is persuing regarind Flash use on the internet, and notes the usefulness of Flash in building internet applications. He leaves his original rant in place ("partly to reflect the historical record"), but if you'll scroll to the bottom of the page, you can read the updated opinion.