Kelly Brown

The CF_Buster is a testing tool designed to help you pass the ColdFusion certification exam from Allaire. It provides simulated exams that are similar to the real computerized ones. You can use CF_Buster to evaluate your ColdFusion skills and identify any areas that you need to improve. The Details CF_Buster has over 500 questions broken down into 18 topics. You have the option of taking one of eight predefined tests that cover all the topic s in the real test. Each predefined test consists of 61 questions with a time limit of one hour, as with the real test. You can also take a random test for which you can define the number of questions and time limit. Taking a predefined test is the best way to get started. It will give you an overview of your current skill level and identify any weak areas. After taking a practice test, you can brush up on any areas you had diff... (more)

Introducing Spry

If you've been to Adobe Labs lately or keep up with the blogosphere you've probably heard the buzz about Spry. It's a new AJAX framework from Adobe. It lets designers build rich Internet applications with little or no programming. The Adobe-Macromedia combine has been pushing RIAs for years and its vision is just now moving into the mainstream. Adobe had three goals when creating Spry: open access, easy use, and enable innovation. Open Access Propriety tags or server-side code weren't used in the Spry framework, instead the capabilities of existing HTML tags were enhanced. Spry ha... (more)

CFUNITED is still Fun

The crowded auditorium was abuzz with anticipation. The snatches of conversation from around you were meaningless jargon to those not in the know. A hush fell over the crowd as the moment they were waiting for arrived - Ben Forta walking on stage. Okay, he's not rock star, but the closest thing to it in the ColdFusion community. If you didn't attend the CFUNITED (www.cfunited.com) conference this year (formerly known as CFUN), you should go ahead and put it on your schedule for next year now. CFUNITED has grown from a weekend event with 40 sessions to the premier ColdFusion conf... (more)

E-Commerce with Verisign's Payflow Link

E-commerce, for most people, means purchasing an item on the Web. This multistep process involves product selection, payment, and product delivery. This article focuses on the payment process. What Is Payflow Link? Payflow Link is a credit card processing system. It integrates with your Web site, allowing customers to make purchases using credit cards. As there are other systems available that do the same thing, why would you want to use Payflow Link? For starters Payflow Link is a low-end system. It's recommended for 1,000 transactions or fewer per month. That being said, it's al... (more)

Creating a Custom XML Editor in ColdFusion

It's almost impossible to pick up a trade magazine these days and not find a reference to XML. It's an important enabling technology for the sophisticated Web applications of the future. This article will cut through some of the hype to explain what XML can be used for and, equally important, how it can work effectively with ColdFusion. To illustrate how these two technologies can be used in conjunction, I'll create a simple ColdFusion application allowing a user to edit the content of an XML file. XML 101 For those of you not familiar with XML I'll introduce some of the basic ... (more)