Jun 19 2008

ColdFusion 9 (AKA Centaur) to have impressive new features

Posted by Marcos Placona at 1:21 AM
6 comments - Categories: ColdFusion | Adobe

I've been following closely all the comments and blog posts from the guys at CFUnited 08. I've managed to compile a list with all the new functionalities announced yesterday 18/06/08 for the ColdFusion 9 (codename Centaur). This is still work in progress, and I'm still scavenging into all the blogs and twitter posts to amend my list, but here are the key points I've go so far. ColdFusion 9 will:

have hibernate running native;
have implicit get/set methods in CFC's;
have new LOCAL scope in functions;
give you the possibility to create CFC's in cfscript (more on that later);
have a 100% free enterprise edition for students and educators;

So far, I've been really impressed by all the points here, as some of them are really ticking items on my complaint's list. It seems that Adobe is still interested in ColdFusion (contrary to what some people think), and are really investing on it (the free editions for students tells it by itself) One of my main complaints about ColdFusion was that it wouldn't let you use OO properly (I've mentioned this hundreds of times), and now, it seems to be being addressed in a very gentle way. Well keep an eye here to read more about the new functionalities for CF9

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Comments

Simon Whatley wrote on 06/19/08 3:07 AM

The comments coming out of CFUnited are very interesting. I'm sure Andy Allan and Kev McCabe would liked to have some of the Centaur comments announced at Scotch earlier this month.

However, conference politics aside, there was also mention of <cffinally> and <cfcontinue> and server events via a Server.cfc (as a supplement to the Application.cfc events).

The CF team like to called Centaur the "eagerly anticpated next release" ... I certainly am eagerly anticipating it, although the CF9 developer exam is going to get even bigger as a consequence!

Tom Chiverton wrote on 06/20/08 2:23 AM

Yes, given that we had the head of CF there, it's a shame that even in the BoF session it was still 'yes, we'll think about adding that' when it turns out they probably already had it sloted in. So what was the point of 'what would you like in CF9' again ?

I'd also like to hear something from the CFML language board about all these new features. And OpenBD, who aren't on it.

Allen wrote on 09/01/08 2:44 PM

LOCAL scope? How much longer will this issue continue with band aids. The problem with CF is that it defaults variables to the variables scope which is by it's nature not private to the method it's being used in (if it's being used in a method). Instead of throwing yet another band aid at is in the form of yet another scope, LOCAL, why not do something to address the core issue and assume that variables set in a method are private unless otherwise specified?

Marcos Placona wrote on 09/02/08 3:44 AM

I agree with you here Allen. It'd be much easier if during "compilation", the variables were set as private unless you specified. I've had some massive headaches tinkering with this issue, and could never really get to a feasible solution. Band-aids is really the right term on this case.

Cheers