Cffile has the built in attribute 'accept' which allows you to input a list of mime types to allow during the upload. If the uploaded file is not of the proper type, cffile wll error, requiring cftry / catch tags to make it work smoothly. This is a great feature, and I use it very often with things like photo galleries where you really only want a few file types uploaded

A ColdFusion template (think "program" or "program module") is processed when a request is made to the Web server. Once the template has completely finished processing, the Web server sends the HTML generated by the template. (Not even one byte of output is sent to the browser until the template has completely finished.) During a template's execution span, it may prepare and send several SQL statements to be processed by ODBC database systems, or prepare and send HTTP requests to other Web servers, or do whatever else is necessary to acquire and format data for the end user.

I needed to create new passwords for a project a while back for several reasons. First being that there are just some cases where it might be easier to create a password rather than to have the user type one in. An e-commerce site, for instance. You already have the users email address from the requires fields for ordering, why not create a random password and set up a user account for this user without them needing to think about it?
Second, a password reset function is much easier if you simply set the users password to something new and random. Of course this is only after they have received the reset password email and clicked the link to do so.

We all know that locking is important. Most of us even understand why locks are needed. But exactly where to use a lock, which lock type to use and what code to put within the lock remains confusing at best.

Part of the confusion stems from changes Allaire made in ColdFusion 4.5 that in turn changed the recommendations and suggested practices. Indeed, even my own recommendations changed with that release (as many of you CFUG members are quick to point out). And so, at the request of several of you, and because I've helped contribute to the confusion, I'll cover these topics in this column and try to set the record straight

Adding the power of Java servlets to your Web site is easier than ever when you combine the strengths of ColdFusion and JRun. However, every journey begins with one small step. To get started on the journey to the wonderful world of Java, Web developers using ColdFusion should become familiar with the two most common methods of invoking servlets: via the URL or using the <CFSERVLET> tag.