ColdFusion is the original and most common implementation of a tag and ECMAScript-based programming language -- ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) and CFSCRIPT, respectively -- which is typically used in web application development for the generation of dynamic web pages. Originally a product of Allaire, in 2001 the company was purchased by Macromedia, who subsequently merged with Adobe Systems in 2005.

from ColdFusion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What is ColdFusion?

ColdFusion lets you create page-based Web applications using ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML), the tag-based language you use to create server-side scripts that dynamically control data integration; application logic; and user interface generation. ColdFusion Web applications can contain XML, HTML, and other client technologies such as CSS and JavaScript.
ColdFusion application pages are different from static HTML pages in the following ways:

• They are saved and referenced with a specific file extension.
• The default ColdFusion file extension is cfm.
• They contain ColdFusion Markup Language.

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Editions of ColdFusion

There are two editions of ColdFusion: Enterprise and Professional. Using ColdFusion Enterprise or Professional Edition and ColdFusion Studio, you can build Web applications that leverage existing technologies and business systems such as RDBMS, messaging servers, file repositories, directory servers, and distributed object middleware. ColdFusion Enterprise also offers advanced security features, load balancing, server failover, and visual cluster administration.

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ColdFusion is the hot way to create dynamic webpages that link to just about any database.

ColdFusion is a programming language based on standard HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) that is used to write dynamic webpages. It lets you create pages on the fly that differ depending on user input, database lookups, time of day or whatever other criteria you dream up! ColdFusion pages consist of standard HTML tags such as <FONT SIZE=.+2.>, together with CFML (ColdFusion Markup Language) tags such as <CFQUERY>, <CFIF> and <CFLOOP>. ColdFusion was introduced by Allaire in 1996, acquired by Macromedia in a merger in April 2001, and acquired by Adobe in December 2005. It is currently in version 7.0.1, but the next version of the product (codenamed Scorpio) is already in development.
Creating an application with ColdFusion is as straightforward as creating a static Web site. However, in a ColdFusion application you can introduce an incredible range of functionality that is not available either in static Web sites or in traditional client/server applications. A ColdFusion application is very simply a collection of pages, similar to a static Web site. But unlike the pages in a static Web site, the pages in a ColdFusion application include the server-side ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) in addition to HTML. CFML gives you the ability to control the behavior of your applications, integrate a wide range of server technologies, and dynamically generate the content that is returned to the Web browser.
When a page in a ColdFusion application is requested by a browser, it is automatically pre-processed by the ColdFusion Application Server. Based on the CFML in the page, the Application Server executes the application logic, interacts with other server technologies, and then dynamically generates an HTML page which is returned to the browser.
Here are more ColdFusion tips for new users:

• Join your local CFUG (ColdFusion User Group)! These are groups of ColdFusion users that meet to discuss programming and other developer issues. See Adobe - User Groups for a list. Michael and Judith Dinowitz, the publisher and editor on this site, run one in New York (NYCFUG). Visit http://wwww.nycfug.org for details. Our Contributing Editor, Michael Smith, runs one in Maryland. Visit MD ColdFusion User's Group for details.
• For questions you could join the CF-Talk mailing list at ColdFusion Home. Be warned: This list generates 50-100 emails per day! Digest format is available for those who cannot handle that much traffic.
• A good site for ColdFusion newcomers: CFNewbie.com, run by Rey Bango, a well-respected ColdFusion programmer and community leader.
  
• A good book is Ben Forta's ColdFusion Web Application Construction Kit.
  
• 1st Page 2000 is an excellent freeware html editor and is similar to ColdFusion Studio.

Good luck in checking out ColdFusion, and welcome to the ColdFusion community, a great place to be!

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''''''Rajesh''''''
Ants. . . . . . Like me