Step Through Your CFML Code With FusionDebug

1
Step Through Your CFML Code With FusionDebug

• Charlie Arehartcharlie_at_carehart.org

2
Topics

• Introduction to Step Debugging
• FusionDebug Features
• FusionDebug Demo
• Benefits Over CFDUMP/CFOUTPUT
• Other Features, Learning More, Gotchas, Pricing,
  FAQs, etc.

3
About Your Speaker

• Independent consultant since Sept 2006
• Formerly CTO, New Atlanta (BlueDragon)
• 9 yrs CF experience (24 in Enterprise IT)
• Member, Adobe Community Experts
• Co-author, ColdFusion MX Bible (Wiley)
• Frequent contrib. to ColdFusion Dev Journal
• Past accomplishments of note
• Tech Editor, CFDJ (2001-2003)
• Certified Adv CF Developer (4, 5, MX), Instructor
• President, Atlanta ColdFusion User Group
• Frequent speaker UGs, confs worldwide
• New web home at www.carehart.org
• Hosts my blog lists all my past articles,
  presentations
• Home of UGTV recordings of dozens of CFUG
  speakers

4
Introduction to Step Debugging

• Understanding interactive debugging
• What can it do for you?
• Step through code line-by-line (where needed)
• View variables, in all scopes, at that point
• Watch particular expressions, to observe changes
• Even change variables on the fly during execution
• And more
• Past debugging solutions (CF4, 5)
• No current or discussed plans for CFMX
• FusionDebug from Intergral
• CFML step debugging for CFMX 6.1/7

5
About FusionDebug

• Is an Eclipse (3.1, 3.2) plug-in
• You dont NEED to use Eclipse for editing
• Can continue to edit in DWMX, CF Studio,
  HomeSite, etc.
• You do need to download Eclipse (free, easy)
• Unless you already have Flex Builder or
  CFEclipse, which are also Eclipse plug-ins
• Why did they build it atop Eclipse?
• It had Java debugging in it already, so Intergral
  could leverage that and add their value in
  translating that to CFML.
• Easy to install Eclipse, FusionDebug
• Requires just a minor change in JVM config for
  CFMX server
• Add a couple JVM entries, name a port for
  debugger to listen on
• You then do a minor setup in Eclipse to enable
  debugging against that server
• All of the above is well-documented in the
  FusionDebug User Guide, free online

6
FusionDebug Demo

• Lets see it in action

7
Demoed Features

• Enabled debugging, stepping through code
• Enabled watches and setting variables
• can do with right-click on var/expression
• Showed simple cf code (CF Example Apps)
• Set variables on the fly
• Showed query data in variables pane
• Showed CFC-based code (Model Glue)
• Showed scopes available in CFC methods
• var and this scopes
• Showed how stack is interactive
• click to jump to lines in chain above current
  instruction
• Showed debugging web service code
• Showed debugging Flex apps

8
Other Features

• Yes, it can debug code within CFSCRIPT
• And yes, it can debug code within tags like
  CFOUTPUT, CFMAIL, CFSAVECONTENT, etc.
• You dont need to step through every page to get
  to a point deep in a series of pages
• Can just set breakpoint in desired file and
  request whatever page
• FlexBuilder and FusionDebug
• Can work alongside the Flex Debugger to debug any
  ColdFusion (.cfc) code being used within a Flex
  project
• Debugging perspectives switch automatically
  between debugging Flex and CFML
• Again, can debug CFCs called from Flex even
  without using FlexBuilder

9
Benefits Over CFDUMP/CFOUTPUT

• Can debug when a CFOUTPUT/CFDUMP may not be
  possible
• What are some examples?
• CFCOMPONENT/CFFUNCTION OUTPUTfalse
• CFSILENT
• When generating XML
• What other tags may help in the above cases?
• Can debug without having to rely on finding the
  output of CFLOG or CFTRACE (or enabling the
  latter)
• Can debug without needing to change code
• Can debug requests from Flex, Ajax, Flash
  Remoting, web services, or CF7 gateways
• Can debug when someone besides the developer is
  calling a template
• Can debug against production
• Can debug on remote machine

10
Benefits Over CFDUMP/CFOUTPUT (cont.)

• Can change the value of variables on the fly
  during execution
• Can debug in situations where a simple
  CFOUTPUT/CFDUMP would not suffice (powerful
  Variables, Expressions panes)
• Can use the debugger to understand the flow of
  execution of the request (help newcomers to your
  code, or to CFML in general)
• Can debug in situations where you don't even know
  where in a complex app to try to do CFOUTPUT or
  CFDUMP

11
Benefits Over CFDUMP/CFOUTPUT (cont.)

• Can view call stack during execution
• Can view the Java classes called to execute your
  code
• See http//www.fusion-reactor.com/fusiondebug/supp
  ort.htmlconfig2
• See more details on all these at
• http//carehart.org/blog/client/index.cfm/2006/9/7
  /fusiondebug_part2_why_use_versus_cfdump
• And thats not even all of them
• See more at http//www.fusion-reactor.com/fusionde
  bug/about.html

12
Tips and traps

• Impact of debugging being configured in server
• garbage collection impacted by change made in
  jvm.config
• Favor Step Over versus Step Into, when on
  tags/functions that dont open files
• Watch for Stepping in the Stack Trace
• Just means its working
• No way to see output being generated, currently
• CFLOCK and CFTRANSACTION tag impact
• Be careful holding breakpoint within these for
  too long (impacts other users in other pages)
• More at
• http//carehart.org/blog/client/index.cfm/2006/10/
  2/fusiondebug_part4_tips_and_traps

13
Troubleshooting

• If a runtime error occurs, FD will also seem to
  stop (but error has been sent to the browser)
• If debugging just stops, CFMX admins request
  timeout may be terminating the page
• See Admin Timeout Requests after x seconds
• This is disabled by default in 6.1, enabled by
  default in 7
• If you see no CIP moving with debugging
• be sure to open a file (or associate debug
  session source code properties) from an Eclipse
  project, not from the filesystem (see docs for
  steps)
• If breakpoints fail to fire as expected
• See http//www.fusion-reactor.com/fusiondebug/supp
  ort.htmlbreakpoints4

14
Learning More

• Documentation (very good) available online
• www.Fusiondebug.com
• User guide walks through configuration of the CF
  Server, Eclipse, and use of FusionDebug
• Several Captivate demos
• Available CFML templates to test with
• Great to get started, to work through initial
  introductory features and challenges
• Rather than jumping into the middle of debugging
  a big app as your first test
• Ive done a series of blog entries on it
• http//carehart.org/blog/client/index.cfm/fusionde
  bug
• And have upcoming articles in CFDJ, FAQU

15
Pricing, Discounts, Trials

• List price US 299
• Available 10 discount code CFCOMMUNITY
• Special 20 discount code through Oct 2006
  GOT2DEBUG
• Priced per seat, available volume discounts
• Newly announced Community (Non-commercial)
  edition, 99
• More details at
• http//www.fusion-reactor.com/fusiondebug/buy.html
  
• Available free trial (20 days)
• Ive arranged 2 licenses to give away tonight

16
FAQs

• Why isnt Adobe doing this?
• Should they allocate limited development dollars
  to add this, or other cooler features that only
  they can do? And if they did, would it be free?
• Does FusionDebug work with BlueDragon?
• Not currently. They are in talks
• But you could install free Dev edition of CFMX
  and debug against that
• Does it work with CF4 or 5?
• No, it is specific to CFMX
• Can it work without Eclipse?
• No, it is specific to Eclipse
• Must I use/learn how to use Eclipse?
• Nothing more than what Ive shown here, really
• Must I use/learn how to use CFEclipse?
• No, FusionDebug is not connected to CFEclipse
• You can use your favorite CFML editor to edit
• Just use FD to do debugging

17
FAQs

• Does it support debugging Javascript?
  Actionscript? Java?
• No, thats left to others.
• Eclipse already can debug Java, and FlexBuilder
  can debug ActionScript. Other tools offer
  Javascript debugging inside Eclipse
• JavaScript Eclipse Debugger Plug-in
  http//www.myeclipseide.com/ContentExpress-display
  -ceid-70.htmljsdebug
• ActionScript debugging in FlexBuilder
  http//livedocs.macromedia.com/flex/1/flex_builder
  _en/wwhelp/wwhimpl/common/html/wwhelp.htm?context
  Using_Flex_Builderfilebrady318.htm
• How do I get support?
• Intergral offers free email support
  support_at_fusion-reactor.com

18
Conclusion

• Great solution, finally, for CFML debugging
• Sure, it costs money, but will pay for itself if
  youll benefit from debugging
• While there are some debugging naysayers, to each
  his own
• Try it for yourself and see if it doesnt help
• The challenge is simply remembering to use it!
• Intergral support has been great
• Available free support at support_at_fusion-reactor.c
  om
• Very interested in supporting community

19
Questions on presentation

• Charlie Arehart
• charlie_at_carehart.org
• Id really appreciate your feedback
• http//carehart.org/feedback
• Also available for setup and implementation
  consulting
• As well as other developer productivity coaching,
  system admin and tuning support, and more
• Remote or on-site
• Giveaway of 2 licenses