Oliver Merk's Personal Blog - ColdFusion

Toronto Flex User Group Meeting: MAX2008 Goodies!

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:13:00-0400

Our next meeting will be on Thursday December 4th, 2008 at Oakham House on the Ryerson Campus, starting at 6:30pm:

Oakham House
Room: Oakham Lounge
55 Gould Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5B 1E9

http://www.oakhamhouse.com/pages/directions.php has directions and parking information.

The evening's theme will be MAX2008 Goodies. We'll look at new product announcements, betas and other news that comes out of the San Francisco MAX conference the week of November 17th.

If you're planning to attend MAX and would like to help present, just drop me a line.

As always, don't forget to register free at www.torontoflex.org so we know how many people to expect.

If you're interested in presenting an application or topic in the future that would be of interest to the group, let us know and we'll try to get you some time at an upcoming meeting.

Thanks,
Oliver

Upcoming ColdFusion/RIA Seminars

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:51:00-0400

I'll be presenting at a couple of CF/Flex seminars at the end of the month, along with Rick Palmerio, my New Toronto Group cohort.

These introductory sessions are aimed at the decisions makers, the suits, the money people. If you're trying to sell the ColdFusion or Flex platforms within your organization, this would be a great place to send your boss.

Registration is FREE and attendees will receive a free copy of Flex Builder!

[EDIT:]
CANCELED: OTTAWA:
Adobe Systems Canada
343 Preston Street, Ottawa, Algonquin Room
Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008
9:00am 11:00am
Continental Breakfast served at 8:30am
Register here TORONTO:
Oakham House
63 Gould Street, Toronto, ON Canada
Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008
9:00am 11:00am
Continental Breakfast served at 8:30am
Register here

Another Reminder About cfqueryparam

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:02:00-0400

OK, this may sound harsh, but as part of my consulting role I still see people and organizations not using cfqueryparam in their ColdFusion code: If you're developing live applications in ColdFusion and not using cfqueryparam you should be held personally, if not criminally, responsible for any damage caused to your organization as a result of the well-known SQL-injection attack that's making the rounds. Just this morning I received an email alert from Ray Camden's excellent BlogCFC application (which I'm using to run this blog), informing me of a ColdFusion error. When I looked closely at the cfdump included in the message, I noticed that it was the result of someone trying to insert invalid SQL into the RSS feed CFM. Because he used cfqueryparam, however, the SQL statement failed and CF threw the following error. Well done, Ray! Probably the first time I've been happy to get an error report. If you're not aware of this tag, go here right now and learn about it.

From the Other Side of the Interview

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:36:00-0400

Part of my job includes interviewing candidates for developer positions (Flex, Java, ColdFusion, etc.). In the past two weeks I've sat through some of the most painful ones I can remember; not because of the candidates' skills, but their presentation. Some examples:

One person came in with a one page resume. Five typos, including one in the title. They claimed to be great at communication and document creation. Uh-huh.
During one of the longer interviews, the candidate openly stretched and yawned as he formulated the answer to a question. Sorry to keep you awake.
One claimed to be an expert Java developer. I asked what a Singleton was. They are not an expert Java developer.
Another claimed to be an expert at Flex communications. I asked what an AsyncToken was. They are not an expert at Flex communications.
Yet another said they were a ColdFusion expert, but had not tried that new-fangled CFC stuff yet. They are not a ColdFusion expert.

So some gentle advice for those seeking employment from someone who's been on both sides of the interview table:

Spell-check your resume. Then get someone to read it over for mistakes. Then get someone else to read it over for mistakes. Then get someone else to read it over for mistakes.
Don't exaggerate your skill set. I'll see through it, as will any competent technical interviewer. And they'll likely be royally pissed if you wasted their time with any blatant dishonesty.
Watch your manners. I know it's a nerve-racking experience, but you're presenting yourself to people for the first time and you've got one shot to make a good impression. Something like an open yawn is offensive on many levels.
The interviewer wants you to do well in the interview. We want to fill a position and we hope you're the right candidate for the job. If you sense the interviewer does not have this attitude, think about whether this company is the right fit for you.
The interview is a conversation, not an interrogation. Ask good questions about the company and your future role. We like that. But also listen carefully to our questions and answer them directly. If you don't know the answer, then say so. It's easier to overlook ignorance than dishonesty.

Hope this helps somebody. Hopefully the next person I interview;) Oliver

New Toronto Group Now Hiring!

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:33:00-0400

Looking for work in the Toronto area? New Toronto Group (my employer) is now hiring! If you're a Flex developer, or a Java developer looking to get into the RIA space we'd love to hear from you. We're looking for consultants, developers and trainers, so if you're interested in any or all of these, please email a resume and cover letter to: Ed Van Beilen
New Toronto Group
edv _at_ newyyz.com
Hope to hear from you soon!

BlazeDS!

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:44:00-0400

For those who may have been hesitant to use LiveCycle Data Services, Adobe has just announced the release of BlazeDS, an open source version of LCDS (formerly FDS). They have also published the AMF spec. Check out both on labs: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?e=labs%5Fblazeds I'm downloading now and will blog about the installation in a future post. The download even includes a Linux version. Thanks, Adobe!

Adobe Max 2007: Day 2: That's Cool...

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:33:00-0400

I finally had a chance to attend some sessions today. The best was a panel discussion on Flex best practices with 4 very different participants, including Steven Webster of Cairngorm fame. It's always illuminating to hear differing opinions from such articulate Flex advocates. Also had the chance to sit in on a Flex optimization session. Again, nice to hear other people's takes on some of the techniques out there. Finally, one more day and Max will be over for another year (at least in North America). Next year is in San Fran. These conferences are fairly exhausting for the participants, and doubly so for the hundreds of people who organize such events. Hats off to Adobe and their partners for putting together such a great conference.

Adobe Max 2007: Day 1: That's Cold...

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 22:21:00-0400

Lots of meetings and booth duty today. Gotta do what you gotta do. Looking very forward to tomorrow: 4 Flex sessions and I don't have to lead any of them;) As well, tomorrow night is the big session where Adobe will announce more than one exciting product release tidbit. You know, there's an odd phenomenon that happens at conventions: name-tag letdown. Several times today people came up to me because I had an official-looking sponsor's shirt. When they got close enough to realize I wasn't anyone famous, they'd get that disappointed look and walk away. Man, that's cold... On the bright side, just as many did recognize the name and were happy to stop by the booth for a chat.

Adobe Max 2007: Day 0: That's Hot...

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:49:00-0400

Let the games begin! I've survived the first day at Max 2007 leading an enjoyable introductory Flex session. 7 hours of Flex training that usually is delivered over 4 or 5 days is a challenge, to say the least. A very special thanks to all who attended and my TAs, Rod, Mac, Kazue and Larry. I guess the best story so far is that on the flight from Toronto to Chicago, we had none other than Paris Hilton on board. I think "That's Hot" is her slogan. I've got some bad quality phone-camera shots of her at the airport, but I chickened out of asking her if she'd pose with me for a picture. She looked like she was in a bad mood. Or is she always that pouty? I had a chance to meet a lot of people in person that I've "known" for years via email and connect sessions. Always nice to put a face to a name. Also had the chance to hook up with some old friends which was great. Tomorrow night is the big general meeting where product announcements are traditionally made. Watch this space for details; they're sure to be exciting!

My session today:

We'll always have Paris...

Off to Adobe Max 2007!

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 09:54:00-0400

I'm flying out to Chicago this afternoon with my buddy Rod Nolan, from NTG. Tomorrow's my big day: a 7-hour hands-on Flex session with 50 people. After Sunday I can relax a bit and attend a few of other sessions, meet up with old friends and make a few new ones. I plan to blog throughout the week, so check back here often. Some big announcements may be made on Tuesday evening... If you're going to be at Max, please drop by the New Toronto Group booth and say hello. I'll be on booth duty the following times: Monday 2pm-5pm
Tuesday 12:30-1:30pm Cheers,
Oliver

RIP: ColdFusion Developer's Journal

Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:46:00-0400

If you can get through the pop-ups and a FireFox crash or two, there's an announcement from SYS-CON that the ColdFusion Developer's Journal (CFDJ) will be discontinued in favor of (get this) the SilverLight Developer's Journal. http://coldfusion.sys-con.com/read/426141.htm Several people have blogged about this, and I happen to agree with their sentiments about the operation. [More]

ColdFusion 8: Timezones Bug

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 22:30:00-0400

I was working on a CF8 project (using the Linux version) recently and noticed that now() was returning the wrong time. It was off by an hour. While I appreciated the extra hour's sleep, I decided to hunt for the solution. I finally found the workaround for this continuing bug at phusor.com. 1. Open {coldfusion8}/runtime/bin/jvm.config with a text editor. 2. Find the entry around line 18 that has a comment: "# Arguments to VM". 3. Add a new agrument to the beginning of the java.args parameter which defines the timezone. For example: java.args=-Duser.timezone=America/New_York ( other parameters...) 4. Re-start CF and the problem should be resolved. Thanks, TJ!

Creating a New Flex Project Using ColdFusion 8 with LiveCycle Data Services

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 12:06:00-0400

I was a bit confused when I first tried to create a Flex project that used ColdFusion's built-in version of LiveCycle Data Services. In the old days, setting up an FDS project meant creating a new folder under an existing context, such as /flex, which was located under /jrun4/servers/default/flex. I started looking for the "root" of the LCDS server within my ColdFusion installation and assumed that there was some secret undocumented location. After some playing, I found that, amazingly, I could just use ColdFusion's web root (wwwroot) when setting up the Flex project! Here's the step-by-step (if you promise not to ask what OS I'm running Flex Builder on;) [More]

ColdFusion 8: First Impressions and Cool Feature #1

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 19:47:00-0400

Well, I was finally able to download the latest ColdFusion (see previous post). I installed under Linux (Kubuntu) and the installation was flawless. I don't do a lot of HTML-based work anymore, so the highly-touted AJAX integration isn't on my radar in the near future. Same with the PDF improvements; I'm sure I'll be using them some day on a Flex project. Same deal with cfimage. Being a fan of the old Flex Data Services product, I elected to install LiveCycle Data Services ES. It took a bit of tinkering, but by far the coolest thing for me was the ability to have Flex and ColdFusion applications converse via the Data Services Messaging Gateway. And with LiveCycle Data Services installed as part of ColdFusion you can do something that was very tricky before: run both .cfm and .mxml files within the same context. Works great under the local webserver (port 8500); I hope it works as well using a web connector to Apache. This opens up a whole new way to deploy applications that may have HTML/CF and Flex components. For example, I've built systems that have HTML entry pages, but then launch a Flex application running under FDS... and they were always a huge pain to deploy. Now we'll be able to install CF with LCDS-ES and simply deploy the files in whatever directory structure makes sense. On the downside, I could not get the ColdFusion 8 Extensions for Eclipse installed under Linux. UPDATE: When installing the extensions, you must de-select the checkbox "Ignore features not applicable to this environment"

ColdFusion 8 Download - WTF?

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 18:50:00-0400

Anyone else having trouble downloading the new ColdFusion 8? I've tried on Linux and Windows XP, IE, Firefox and Opera. No joy. I'm dying to give the new features a try, especially the Flex and FMS integration. UPDATE: I could only get the download to start if I created a new user account.