Allaire's $495 Cold Fusion 1.5 is a middleware application that runs on Microsoft® Windows 95^TM or Windows NT^TM Web servers which allows developers to build dynamic web applications that integrate relational databases with web pages. Cold Fusion does this without the complexity of CGI programming in low level languages such as PERL or C.

Cold Fusion uses simple markup tags that are embedded within 'templates' that execute DML (Database Manipulation Language) statements against the database. The templates are where developers design the format of the result set of the DML statements.

Among Cold Fusion's more significant features are:

• Dynamic web page and form generation which can process multiple SQL UPDATE, INSERT, DELETE, SELECT statements
• Flow Control with IF-THEN-ELSE branching statements to selectively return data
• Transaction Processing which allows a rollback if a DML statement of a transaction fails
• Passing Variables among web pages including CGI, form, cookie, and query result variables
• Required fields on form entry
• Validation of form fields as integer, float, range(MIN/MAX), and date
• Dynamic SQL(Structured Query Language) allows applications to generate queries based on user input
• Automatic memo field handling which eliminates the need to parse memo text and insert HTML carriage returns

Allaire also offers a set of add-ons to CF called Fuel Packs. These include a Web Application Wizard, CF Java Graphlets, an ISAPI Module, a set of Java classes that interact with databases through CF, and a data-driven VRML module. I hope to exercise the Fuel Packs during our coming beta evaluation.

To get the most out of this powerful product, Cold Fusion developers will need a working knowledge of SQL, relational database concepts, ODBC and HTML. Cold Fusion's documentation can help in this area, providing a brief overview to SQL and ODBC. It is well written and easy to follow even for beginners, but could still use a little more depth in some areas.

Along with the documentation comes several working example applications to help developers get up to speed quickly. Allaire also provides a moderately trafficked forum for developers with technical questions and comments from Allaire’s support staff.

With the skills listed above a developer should be able to create a basic application in a few hours.

Most of the limitations of CF are not limitations of the product per se, but of the architecture it relies on, ODBC. CF should be compatible with any database that provides a 32-bit level 1 ODBC driver. However, it should be noted that the ODBC driver will be the limiting element of CF development. Some ODBC drivers can not use certain scalar functions, handle dates very well, or execute stored procedures. ODBC drivers are single threaded, and were not designed for the heavy pounding a web server can take. A high quality ODBC driver is recommended for use with Cold Fusion. We used the driver that ships with Microsoft Access 7.0, which performed adequately.

Cold Fusion’s scripting language is a bit weak compared to a full-blown 4GL. Beyond SQL, parameter passing and a few high-level functions, there is not a lot of functionality available to the developer. For example, Cold Fusion lacks some basic programming features such as looping and case statements.

Another carp we had, which is echoed in Allaire's support forum, is that CF is not able to send files as SMTP mail attachments.

SUMMARY: Cold Fusion 1.5 is a solid web application builder that was well thought out and tightly coded. As one of the first web-to-database vendors, Allaire has taken the time to put together an application that can solve real world problems, instead of rushing a defunct piece of hyperware to market. But the biggest payoff is yet to come.

Cold Fusion Tomorrow

It's been four months since Allaire released an upgrade to it's popular web-to-database application - a long time in this emerging market of database tools that allow web developers to access RDBMS' via the web. While other tools have emerged to compete with CF for the web-to-database Allaire has been revamping Cold Fusion transforming it into a full-featured web application development tool.

Cold Fusion 2.0, currently in beta, will bring dynamic web development to a whole new level. Here are some of the features Allaire has announced to date:

• CF 2.0 will have a significantly improved scripting language that has string functions, arrays, looping and everything else you expect from a 4GL.
• 2.0 will ship with Seagate's popular database reporting tool Crystal Reports. Reports generated with Crystal Reports will be accessible via a CF markup tag which allows data sources to be selected dynamically.
• File handling functionality will be added to the new version allowing file uploads to the server via web pages. File manipulation such as copying and deleting will also be possible via CF tags.
• A powerful feature that allows developers to extend the scripting language will also be added. Developers will be able to create custom tags that map to DLL's on the server. This will also make CF a truly open environment allowing third party developers to create add-ons for CF.
• 2.0 will have an integrated application and security framework where applications will be registered with the server.

At this writing version 2.0 is being beta tested internally and a couple of weeks away from a public beta release. A firm date has not been set, but a company spokesperson suggested the September/October time frame.

On the strength of the current release Intranet Design intends to follow future Cold Fusion developments closely .

[Editor's note: we lived up to Jim's promise, reviewing CF versions 2.0 and 3.0, as well as Allaire's integrated development environment, CF Studio 3.1.]

Allaire Corp.
One Alewife Center
Cambridge, MA 02140
Phone: 617-761-2000