ColdFusion
{Allaire Corporation}'s
commercial {database} application development tool that allows
{databases} to have a {World-Wide Web} {interface}, so a
database can be queried and updated using a {web browser}.
The ColdFusion Server application runs on the {web server} and
has access to a {database}. ColdFusion files on the web
server are {HTML} pages with additional ColdFusion commands to
{query} or {update} the database, written in {CFML}. When the
page is requested by the user, the {web server} passes the
page to the Cold Fusion application, which executes the {CFML}
commands, places the results of the {CFML} commands in the
{HTML} file, and returns the page to the {web server}. The
page returned to the {web server} is now an ordinary {HTML}
file, and it is sent to the user.
Examples of ColdFusion applications include order entry, event
registration, catalogue search, directories, calendars, and
interactive training. ColdFusion applications are robust
because all database interactions are encapsulated in a single
industrial-strength {CGI} script. The formatting and
presentation can be modified and revised at any time (as
opposed to having to edit and recompile {source code}).
ColdFusion Server can connect with any database that supports
{ODBC} or {OLE DB} or one that has a native database driver.
Native database drivers are available for {Oracle} and
{Sybase} databases.
The current version is version 4, available for {Windows},
{Solaris} and {HP-UX}. A {development environment} for
creating ColdFusion files, called ColdFusion Studio, is also
available for {Windows}.
The {filename extension} for ColdFusion files is .cfm
{Home (http://www.coldfusion.com/)}.
(1999-08-01)