I am so new. Looking for best place to start.

[Guest]

Greetings, I have downloaded and installed CF 9 and CF Builder. Started the lynda.com tutorials. Cannot find CF 9 books at Safari or amazon.com. I can spend hours learning CF and am willing to. Where is the best place to start? My thanks.

[Adam Cameron.]

The CF9 docs are online here:

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ColdFusion/9.0/Developing/index.html

Unfortunately they are excrutiatingly slow to load.

I recommend reading these sections, in this order:

Installing:

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ColdFusion/9.0/Installing/index.html

Developing:

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ColdFusion/9.0/Developing/index.html

First six sections.

Reference:

Breeze through the tag and function reference (don't try to remember it all, just get a feel for what's possible):

Tags:

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ColdFusion/9.0/CFMLRef/WSc3ff6d0ea77859461172e0811cbec17576-7ffe.html

Functions:

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ColdFusion/9.0/CFMLRef/WSc3ff6d0ea77859461172e0811cbec22c24-7ff8.html

That should get you started.

There are some very good CF blogs out there.  The best ones for newbies are probably Ben Nadel (http://www.bennadel.com/index.cfm) and Ray Camden (http://www.coldfusionjedi.com/).

And, of course, you can ask questions here.

--

Adam

[Guest]

Adam, thank you so much for the response. I will be working down your list today.

[Dan_Bracuk]

The best place to start depends on what you already know how to do.  Can you already program in another language?  What do you know about data modelling and sql?

[Guest]

Hi Dan. I am a tabula rasa. I know nothing.

[Dan_Bracuk · Accepted solution]

Coldfusion is often used in conjuction with databases.  Knowing how to design and query a database is just as important, if not more so, than learning coldfusion.  To that end, I have heard good things about the books, Database Design for Mere Mortals, and Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes.  Studying those books will kill some time while CF 9 books are being written.

If you have never programmed before, you'll have to learn the fundamentals of programming.  This include if/else logic and looping.  You can do that with coldfusion.  I'll start you off with my most important fundamental.  Know what your code is supposed to accomplish before you start writing it.

If you don't know html, you'll have to learn that also.  http://www.htmlgoodies.com/ is as good a site as any for that.

Good luck.

[Guest]

That's very helpful, Dan. And I will act on your advice. The only DB experience I have is some light work with FileMaker. Nothing for production.

I should have written that I have a working knowledge and some experience with HTML and CSS. And a bit with JavaScript. I guess it's not quite as rasa a tabula as I had thought.

Many thanks.

[Guest]

A followup. I found  Database Design for Mere Mortals on Safari Books Online and it's now on my bookshelf. Reading it in 10 seconds.

[essential1]

http://www.carehart.org/ is loaded with help for Cold Fusion developers.  While not designed chiefly for beginners, Charlie Arehart does a fabulous job of answering questions and has helped me significantly as a beginner. 

He directed me to http://www.intermedia.net/support/ColdFusion/CFMXdocs/Getting_Started.pdf and I have found it very helpful.  While dated, it offers a solid foundation for understanding the basics of Cold Fusion.

[Guest]

My humble gratitude,

Jim Keener, Partner

Persuasion Graphics

510-698-6687

http://persuasiongraphics.com

[craigkaminsky]

In addition to Adam's suggestions for CF, it might also be worthwhile to take some time to learn about some of the core web technologies as well (i.e., HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SQL) and the W3 schools website has some great beginner tutorials.

These may be below where you are in your skills, knowledge and interest but I thought they were worth adding since you mentioned that you were tablua rasa. If you're already down with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the like, please ignore this !

W3 Schools Online:

http://www.w3schools.com/

[ilssac]

The one thing to note that has yet to be mentioned here.

CF9 is just an improvement on CF8 which is an improvement on CF7 before it and CF6 before that.

Now there was a fairly big change between CF5 and CF6, but there are still a lot of similarities.

The point I am trying to make here is that any books, blogs or tutorials you see lying around that discuses these earlier versions are going to serve you well to understand the core of the newest and greatest.  Once you have the core it is just a matter of seeing what the new cool features of CF9 are.

Message was edited by: Ian Skinner  And of course I forgot the mention that the generally accepted bible of ColdFusion is the Ben Forta etc ColdFusion Web Application Construction Kit which has been published at least through Version 8.  I have not heard when and if he might be publishing for version 9.

[Guest]

Thanks, Ian. I'll be looking for Ben Forta's Kit. I have been watching his videos describing the new functionality in CF9.