ColdFusion

• Operating system options:
  • PC: Windows 10 or later.
  • Mac: OS X Mountain Lion (version 10.8) or later.
• The latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.
• ColdFusion Application Server (instructions below)
• Code editor (instructions below)

NOTE: If you are taking an Online Instructor Led course, dual monitors are helpful but NOT required.

ColdFusion makes building data-driven websites easy. But, that means you must be able to connect to a database. Since this is not a class in creating or maintaining databases, a Microsoft Access database is provided. You do not need to open the file or own Microsoft Access in order to use it. As an alternative to Microsoft Access, you may use MySQL, a free open-source database that runs on all operating systems. A script is provided which will create the database in MySQL. The easiest approach to setting up for this class is to use the 32-bit version of ColdFusion on Windows. That will allow for easy use of Microsoft Access as the database. You do not need to have Access on your system. ColdFusion includes the drivers for many databases. Note: Even if you are running 64 bit Windows, you may run the 32 bit ColdFusion. If you are running the 64-bit version of ColdFusion, read the special section below. Setting up for ColdFusion Training in 4 Simple Steps (More Details Below).

ColdFusion ​Application Server

• Download ColdFusion 16 Developer Edition - You will need an Adobe ID to download and install any Adobe products. (Coldfusion 9, 10 or 11 will work as well but their is no free trial)
• System Requirements
• Additional ColdFusion Downloads although not required.
• IMPORTANT NOTE: We recommend the 32-bit version of ColdFusion simply because it is easier to set up the database connections for our class files. If you are using the 64-bit version of ColdFusion, please take note of the instructions below regarding creating DSNs for Microsoft Access. (Even if you are running 64 bit Windows, you may still run the 32-bit edition of ColdFusion.)

Installation

• Please view our detailed instructions on installing Coldfusion 11. These instructions MUST be followed.
• If you have access to a networked or remote server with ColdFusion 8, 9 or 10 and Microsoft Access, that will also work. In this case, you will need to be able to access ColdFusion Administrator to create Data Source names.

Database Choice

1. Access(recommended)
   • 32-bit version of ColdFusion and Access: As long as you are using the 32-bit version of ColdFusion, you will have easy use of Microsoft Access as the database. You do not need to have Access on your system. ColdFusion includes the drivers for many databases. Simply follow the instructions below to create a DSN in the ColdFusion Administrator.
   • 64-bit version of ColdFusion and Access: If you choose to run the 64-bit version of ColdFusion, you may still use the provided Access database if you follow the additional steps shown below.
2. Any other database of your choice: You may use any database at all as long as you can create a ColdFusion DSN to connect to it. For example, if you use SQL Server in production and would like to use it for your class files, import the sample Access file into a new database and use the ColdFusion Administrator to create a DSN pointing to that new database. For help in connecting to other databases, consult the Adobe documentation.
3. Running ColdFusion on a Mac: ColdFusion does run on a Mac, but we typically use Microsoft Access as the database. In order to run this course on a Mac, you will also need to select a different database. MySQL is a free open-source database which runs on Macs. The course files include an alternate version of the database which can be used to create the movieList database in MySQL.

Code Editors

You may use virtually any text editor to write CFML code. In our ColdFusion classes, we focus on the code, not any specific tool to write code. Use whatever editor with which you are comfortable.

Class Files

1. Create a folder your web root directory called "Webucator" and extract the class files zip into that folder. Your web root is the default directory that your web server will use.
   1. Windows: If you are using ColdFusion’s built-in web server, the webroot is located at C:\ColdFusion10\cfusion\wwwroot. If you are using IIS it is located at C:\Inetpub\wwwroot.
   2. Macintosh: If you are using ColdFusion’s built-in web server, the webroot is located at Applications/ColdFusion10/cfusion/wwwwroot. If you are using apache it is located at /Library/WebServer if you are using Apache. If you are using apache, the configuration file is located at /etc/apache2/httpd.conf and is stated on the line that starts with "DocumentRoot"
2. Create a data source in ColdFusion administrator called "movieList" that points to the movieList.mdb Access file in the data directory
   1. There is a good tutorial on this at http://www.quackit.com/coldfusion/tutorial/coldfusion_datasource.cfm. If you're taking a live online class, your instructor will walk you through it in class.
   2. Open your browser to http://localhost/CFIDE/Administrator/ (or http://localhost:8500/CFIDE/Administrator/ if using the built-in web server).
   3. Log in using the password you provided during the installation.
   4. Click on 'Data Sources' in the left-hand menu, under the heading 'Data & Services'
   5. If you are using Access: Enter the Data Source Name as 'movieList', select the Microsoft Access Driver, and click 'Add'. Enter the path location to the runners.mdb file in the ClassFiles/Setup directory in the Database File field. This path is most likely C:\ColdFusion10\cfusion\wwwroot\Webucator\ColdFusionIntro\data\movieList.mdb if you are using the built-in web server on Windows.

Using Microsoft Access with 64-bit version of ColdFusion

If you are running the 64-bit version of ColdFusion, you may still use Microsoft Access, however, you must follow these additional steps to create a local ODBC DSN with the same name as the ColdFusion DSN. For more information on this process: http://blogs.coldfusion.com/post.cfm/coldfusion-10-64bit-and-msaccess.

1. Create a new System DSN using the same name as the ColdFusion DSN (probably “movieList”).
   1. Run C:\Windows\SYSWOW64\odbcad32.exe which will open a specific version of the ODBC Datasources window.
   2. Select the "System DSN" tab. Click "Add".
   3. Choose "Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb, *.accdb)" or "Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)". Click "Finish".
   4. Use same Data Source Name as the ColdFusion DSN.
   5. Click "Select" and browse to same .mdb (or .accdb). Click "OK". Click "OK" again.
2. Note: When you try to “verify” the connection to the database in the ColdFusion Administrator, you will still get an error. However, it will actually work when you run the code.

Test your connection using a page such as: http://localhost:8500/Webucator/ColdFusionIntro/demos/demo-output-table.cfm