> Gareth, > I'm in the same boat you are. Especially after reading a > blog entry by > a prominent figure in the CF community, where the > complaint was given > that simple changes to a framework based site were /not/ > simple. You > had to modify a few different files just to make a simple > change. Kind > of goes against the "makes modifications easier" argument.
> The biggest reasons I see for using frameworks are: > -code reuse > -flexibility > -maintainability > -documented code > I can make my applications adhere to the above principles, > /without/ > using a framework. However, I'm eagerly awaiting any > responses from the > framework crowd, as I'm still sitting on the fence. Yep, you can... though in the process you're liable to create ... <drum roll> a framework. :) What's a framework really? A collection of prewritten code for common tasks. A method of making the way a particular application operates somewhat consistent... So in the process of reusing code and making that code flexible and maintainable, what are you gonna do? You're gonna create some tags or functions or CFCs or for that matter even some include templates to handle common tasks. Then you're gonna reuse (the first criteria) those features a bunch of times to create your completed app. And those features then constitute a framework. It may not be named (like Fusebox, Mach-II, Model-Glue or onTap) but it will be a framework. It's just that when we talk about frameworks in general we're talking about the named / published frameworks. Those which an author like myself has felt a desire to publish and to promote in an attempt to help others. Why not? If I wrote a really useful function I might publish it on cflib.org -- before that we published custom tags on the Developer's Exchange (RIP). Now there's CFCZone.org and other more general open-source initiatives in the CF community. How is publishing an open-source framework different from publishing an open-source API or CFC or custom tag like jTab or zip tools or an image manip. CFC? It's not. It's the same thing, it's just a different set of code for a different set of tasks. You have to _learn_ something to use any of them -- there's not a single CFC or custom tag you can download and use without knowing something about the way it works. So frameworks may be bigger, and in some cases they may seem more confusing, but you're still just trading the learning curve of an existing solution for reinventing some wheel. If nobody's invented your wheel yet, then go out and invent it! Slap a name on it and have all kinds of people call _you_ dirty names for promoting a framework! :) s. isaac dealey 434.293.6201 new epoch : isn't it time for a change? add features without fixtures with the onTap open source framework http://www.fusiontap.com http://coldfusion.sys-con.com/author/4806Dealey.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:4:234343 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:4 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.4 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
