Matt Liotta about "Utilizing Web Services", Simon Horwith about "Welcome
to CF" and John Hamman about "Become an accessibility expert in 50 minutes"
But first some news.
*********
Conference and training news
* Regular price of $299 expires today midnight EST 6/25/04 (it costs $350 after
6/25)
* 569 people are registered for CFUN-04!
* Speaker Jeff Tapper can�t attend due to his wife giving birth early
to a baby girl. Anthony Krinski will cover his session on �CFMX XML tricks
and traps�.
* Speaker Shlomy Gantz can�t attend due to an emergency trip to Israel to see
his mother
in hospital. Robi Sen will cover his session on �Managing CF Projects�.
* Submit CFDJ panel questions online http://www.cfconf.org/CFUN-04/questions.cfm
* CFUN quote:
You've got a boatload of great presenters. The conference is focused less on
marketing Macromedia and more on ways to leverage the technology. D.C. is a
great city. And Teratech has done a great job of promoting this conference. Hats
off to you. - Paul Fraser
*********
Now back to the interviews
With web services a hot topic these days, Michael Smith decided to talk with
Matt Liotta about his CFUN-04 presentation on "Utilizing Web Services".
Michael Smith: Why are web services important for programmers?
Matt Liotta: Like any tool, it depends on whether the tool is useful for you.
Web services are most useful for integration projects where you have two
physically separated applications that need to talk together. Web services
provide a standard-based way of doing that in a platform-agnostic manner. That
is, J2EE, .NET, and CFML can all talk to each other through web services.
MS: Can you give a practical example?
ML: One example is Amazon.com's web services that they make available through
their affiliate program. Using their web services, you can literary create your
own book store that relies on Amazon.com for the entire backend. Most developers
wouldn't want to go that far with it, but you can easily imagine the
possibilities that this level of power offers. Possibly, you might want to show
books available through Amazon.com that are related to existing content in your
web application. While you could always do this before, using web services for
the integration is a whole lot easier and results in a more elegant solution.
Anyone who used "screen scraping" before can certainly attest to that.
MS: Why is screen scraping a problem?
ML: Besides being difficult and time consuming? The biggest problem with screen
scraping is that it requires the remote web page to remain static. That is, if
the HTML you are scraping changes then you have to rework your code.
MS: Well that happens all the time - so I understand why it is so bad now! So
what is this WSDL file I keep hearing about with web services?
ML: According to W3C, Web Services Description Language (WSDL), is an XML-based
format for describing network services as a set of endpoints operating on
messages containing either document-oriented or procedure-oriented information.
In other words, it is a way of communicating the API of your web service to
consumers of it. WSDL itself is one of the more important parts of web services,
but often isn't something you even need to understand as it is handled for you
in most cases. For example, CFC-produced web services generate their WSDL
automatically. My presentation will cover WSDL, but only from a practical, need-
to-know point of view.
MS: Thanks for explaining. Is that related to this SOAP thing I keep hearing
about, or is that a different thing?
ML: The Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is an XML-based protocol for
exchanging structured information. In other words, it is a "language" two
platforms can use to talk to each other. It is related to WSDL in the sense that
WSDL describes which "language" the web services makes use of and SOAP is the
most common. Like WSDL, you often don't need to understand SOAP as it is handled
for you. Again, my presentation will cover SOAP from a practical, need-to-know
point of view.
MS: I heard a rumor that Apache does the web service heavy lifting under the CF
covers - can you shed any light on that?
ML: Both ColdFusion and BlueDragon make use of Apache Axis as their underlying
web services implementation. Apache Axis is an open source Java-based tool that
has some interesting functionality CFML developers can make use of. My
presentation will cover Apache Axis and how it relates to ColdFusion and
BlueDragon, as well as how to make use of it directly from CFML.
MS: Are there any other issues that programmers need to be aware of when using
webservices?
ML: The biggest issue by far is one of interoperability. Often, web services
will be used to integrate two or more applications that are on top of
heterogeneous platforms. While WSDL and SOAP provide a common standard for these
platforms to communicate, it is also possible for a platform to produce a web
service in a proprietary way. A perfect example of this is a database query. If
you choose to return a CFML query through a web service, other platforms will
not understand the data type. Interoperability is such an important issue that I
have dedicated a significant amount of time in my presentation to help attendees
understand, troubleshoot, and solve these interoperability problems.
MS: That sounds cool. I will see you at CFUN.
You can see more interviews at http://www.cfconf.org/CFUN-04/news.cfm and at
Fusion Authority (http://www.fusionauthority.com/). CFUN-04 is Saturday 6/26/04
- Sunday 6/27/04 in the Washington DC area. It costs $299. For more information
on CFUN see http://www.cfconf.org/cfun- 04/.
Utilizing Web Services by Matt Liotta
This presentation will cover all aspects of utilizing web services with CFML. It
will start with a quick introduction to the basics of what web services are, how
to use them from CFML, and problems you will likely encounter. Most of the
presentation, however, will focus on practical issues developers will face when
implementing web services with 3rd parties that aren't using CFML. This will
include sharing how to read WSDL to determine the best way to consume a web
service, creating web services with CFCs that are interoperable with other
platforms such as .NET, and techniques to get around the shortcomings of CFML's
built-in support for web services.
Matt Liotta started his development career at the age of twelve by building C
applications for faculty at Emory University. He built his first web page soon
after the release of Mosaic 1.0. Excited by early web applications, Matt saw the
potential to replace legacy client server applications. At Emory University he
built an enterprise calendaring system, the faculty poster project, a Y2K
compliance tracking application, and a prototype for an electronic research
administration system. Since then he worked with an early ASP, Cignify, to build
their transaction processing system for payroll time data.
Matt did consulting around San Francisco for companies such as Williams Sonoma
and Yipes Communications. Soon after, he built gMoney's Group Transaction System
using an innovative XML messaging architecture that matches conceptually with
the now popular web services paradigm. Later at TeamToolz, he designed a highly
secure and scalable network architecture to support N-tier transport agnostic
distributed applications. He then went on to implement a cutting-edge content
management system for DevX. He is now President and CEO of Montara Software,
which he founded recently.
********
Michael Smith: I am talking with Simon Horwith in London about his talk "Welcome
to CF" in the CF Bootcamp track of CFUN-04. Why should programmers new to
ColdFusion come to this session?
Simon Horwith: This presentation starts right at the beginning. It focuses on
the basics of development - namely creating and using variables. A solid
foundation in these skills is essential for all developers, and it is the
logical place for new developers to begin. Besides, I'm a nice guy... it'll be
a fun session.
MS: So are there any Pre-requisites to come to your talk?
SH: No - not really. Just an interest in learning about the absolute basics of
programming with ColdFusion.
MS: What will you tell people about what you can do with ColdFusion?
SH: I will talk about what ColdFusion is and how it works... as well as the
syntax and rules governing the use of variables in ColdFusion pages.
MS: So what in your view is ColdFusion?
SH: ColdFusion is the fastest and easiest way to develop Java applications. It
is the easiest way to develop web-based software in general. It makes it easy to
search and update databases via the web for ecommerce and other applications.
MS: What kinds of programs can beginners write in ColdFusion?
SH: With very little effort, beginners can display database data in web pages,
create forms that allow people to add new information to their database, and so
much more.
MS: So how popular is ColdFusion? What kind of organizations are using it?
SH: ColdFusion is extremely popular. There is no one kind of organization using
it - they range from small "Mom and Pop" companies that need to get a little bit
of data on the web, to large enterprise companies like IBM that are building
massive n-tier applications for enterprise use. It is also used extensively
across a large number of government departments and associations.
MS: Why would you pick ColdFusion over other web programming languages such as
Java, PHP, PERL or ASP?
SH: Every language has its strengths and weaknesses. ColdFusion excels above
the competition in that it is very easy to learn and to get immediate results.
This is especially true when it comes to presenting database data on the web.
Other languages offer some of the same functionality, but none of them has all
of the functionality, ease of use, and support (across so many platforms) as
ColdFusion. The development community is also a major factor - we're a very
tight-knit and supportive group.
MS: Will people be able to write their first ColdFusion program after coming to
your talk?
SH: Yes they will. You can't expect to be ready to develop very complex
applications after only 45 minutes, but you will go from knowing nothing (or
next to nothing) to understanding the fundamentals well enough to begin creating
dynamic pages that do things which may have even been intimidating before
attending the session. You will have all of the knowledge they need to develop
your first basic program. You will understand how variables work, how they are
passed from page to page, and how to interact with databases.
MS: Sounds like a great way for people new to ColdFusion to start off the
conference!
You can see more interviews at http://www.cfconf.org/CFUN-04/news.cfm and at
Fusion Authority (http://www.fusionauthority.com). CFUN-04 is Saturday 6/26/04 -
Sunday 6/27/04 in Washington DC area. It costs $299. For more information on
CFUN see http://www.cfconf.org/cfun-04/.
---
Welcome to CF by Simon Horwith
Get an overview of the ColdFusion language CFML and the power available to you.
Whether you are coming from another programming language or are new to
programming, this talk will get you up to speed on the basics of programming in
CF.
Simon Horwith has been using ColdFusion since version 1.5. He is a Macromedia
Certified Advanced ColdFusion and Flash developer and is a Macromedia Certified
Instructor. In addition to administering the CFDJ-List mail list and presenting
at CFUGs, universities and colleges, and conferences around the world, Simon has
been a contributing author of several books and technical papers. Simon also
writes a monthly column and is one of two technical editors of ColdFusion
Developer's Journal. Simon
is CTO at eTRILOGY, a small software development company in London, England. He
may be reached via
e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
*****
Michael Smith: I am speaking with John Hamman about his talk "Become an
accessibility expert in 50 minutes" at CFUN-04. Why should programmers care
about Accessibility, John?
John Hamman: Unfortunately we can't afford not to. Currently a large block of
potential Internet users are left out because of a lack of accessibility to the
web. Plus the number is quickly growing.
MS: Can you give me any specific statistics on that?
JH: Sure, and I find these statistics shocking. 17% (21.9 million) of computer
users have a mild visual difficulty or impairment, and 9% (11.1 million) of
computer users have a severe visual difficulty or impairment. 19% (24.4 million)
of computer users have a mild dexterity difficulty or impairment, and 5% (6.8
million) of computer users have a severe dexterity difficulty or impairment. 18%
(24.0 million) of computer users have a mild hearing difficulty or impairment,
and 2% (2.5 million) of computer users have a severe hearing difficulty or
impairment.
MS: That is a lot of people, but just to play devil's advocate, why do they
matter to web developers?
JH: These people are our customers and clients online! These are not small
numbers. Plus to add to that, imagine what it will be like in a few years when
the Baby-boomers have hit the older age bracket. With that age bracket come
disabilities, like hearing loss, sight loss, dexterity loss, etc... They are
currently the majority of our population. We have to adhere to them. People
forget that accessibility is not just for a blind person, but also for
colorblindness, Cognitive disabilities, Hearing problems, Sight problems,
Arthritis, and the list goes on and on. Amazingly the last US Census showed 1
out of every 5 Americans have some form of disability! That's a huge number.
With numbers like this we have to make it a part of our programming and design
to pay attention to this.
MS: Is there any other reason to code for accessibility than the numbers of lost
users?
JH: Personally, I feel this is part of being a good programmer. When you program
a site, usability has to be an issue. But I feel that accessibility is just
another extension of usability. We need to make sure this gets done. But
finally, consider this possibility. Your company builds a site for an online
merchant. The site was built without accessibility. Along comes a disabled user
who finds he or she cannot use the site, and this site would have been a better
alternative to the other non-online solutions. They decide to sue the company
for discrimination of the disabled. Now, the question is, are you also
responsible if you did not advise the client to do this? I personally cannot
answer that, but definitely would not want to be put in those shoes.
MS: OK, I am convinced that I need to code for accessibility. How long will it
take me to learn the basics?
JH: Hopefully only 50 minutes! Accessibility can be complex, but I feel you will
walk away from this with a professional understanding of the problem and issues
related to accessibility and how to implement them.
MS: Cool! I will look forward to your talk.
You can see more interviews at http://www.cfconf.org/CFUN-04/news.cfm and at
Fusion Authority (http://www.fusionauthority.com/). CFUN-04 is Saturday 6/26/04
- Sunday 6/27/04 in the Washington DC area. It costs $299. For more information
on CFUN see http://www.cfconf.org/cfun-04/.
---
John Hamman - Become an accessibility expert in 50 minutes
Accessibility is opening new doors for business opportunities in all online
presences. See how it affects you and how your work and business can accelerate
into new levels. Learn the skills and ideas it takes to become an Accessibility
expert and leave the competition behind.
Pre-req: Basic understanding of HTML and a passion for excellence.
John Hamman is the President of iThink Designs, Inc., small private firm that
specializes in enterprise accessibility, content management, and information
architecture. His skills of usability, information architecture, and design have
helped fortune 500 companies successfully market and accelerate in multiple
medias. He has also participated on the creation of the Internet's fastest and
highest performance forum site at www.asp.net/forums and is currently working on
developing a breakthrough Content Management System with .NET and XML
technologies.
---------------------------------------------------------------
CFUN is organized by TeraTech who received four CFDJ awards.
If you need ColdFusion project help, mentoring or training
then ask the experts at http://www.teratech.com/
Best Consulting - TeraTech
Finalist Training - TeraTech
Finalist Community site - CFConf
Finalist Web Dev Tool - CFXGraphicsServer
---------------------------------------------------------------
This year's conference has 32 nationally known speakers including Charlie
Arehart, Steve Drucker, Raymond Camden, Hal Helms, Michael Smith, Michael Dinowitz,
Simon Horwith and Shlomy Gantz.
CFUN-04 Washington DC area 6/26 - 6/27/04:
* Learn CF MX, Flash and more!
* Network with your peers and top national speakers
* Have fun exploring what is new from Macromedia
Tracks:
* Advanced Topics - for gurus, XML, CFCs, SQL
* MX Integration - Flash, Java, Flex, .Net, Webservices
* Empowered Programming - OO, Fusebox, PM, Testing, Debug
* CF Bootcamp - for beginners in CF and Flash
* Accessibility - making sites that disabled people can use, section 508
Pricing schedule - register today to save!
* Just $199 Early Bird Price from 1/1/04 - 3/31/04
* Ok $269 Regular Price 4/1/04 - 6/15/04
* Opps $299 Late Registration 6/16/03 - 6/25/03
* Onsite $350
Register today
http://www.cfconf.com/CFUN-04/
--
Michael Smith, TeraTech Inc - Tools for Programmers(tm)
TeraTech voted Best Consulting Service by CFDJ readers!
CF/ASP Web, VB, Math, Access programming tools and consulting
405 E Gude Dr Ste 207, Rockville MD 20850 USA
Please check out http://www.teratech.com/ - email mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED],
or call us for more information; in the USA at 1-800-447-9120,
+1-301-424-3903 International, Fax 301-762-8185 Thanks!
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