Page Layout and Navigation in ColdFusion

1
Page Layout and Navigation in ColdFusion

• Jon Brundage
• CF Developer / Accessibility and Section 508
  Consultant
• jonwind_at_windcompany
• MDCFUG April 2003

2
CF is power in your hands

• This discussion shows how to use URL variables to
  create sophisticated layout and navigation.
• You are only limited by your imagination.

3
Tags we will be using

• CFINCLUDE
• CFSWITCH
• CFIF
• CFTRY (for error handling)

4
Basic Concepts

• Adding URL variables to links exposes the
  variables for use by site pages.
• We will create and use URL variables VIEW and
  PAGE
• example
• ltA hrefindex.cfm?viewhomegt

5
Some special files

• config.cfm
• nav files

6
Pages are created by components

• header
• left navigation (CFINCLUDE templateleftNav.cfm)
  
• content area depends on URL variable (CFINCLUDE
  templateview.cfm)
• footer

7
how it works

• variables are set to default values when site is
  entered
• as links are selected URL variables are passed
  for use by config.cfm, leftNav.cfm and index.cfm
• pages are built based on the exposed URL variable

8
Page layout index.cfm
HEADER
leftNav (ltcfinclude
template leftNav.cfmgt)
content area (ltcfinclude templateview.cfmgt)
FOOTER
9
config.cfm

• included at top of index.cfm
• sets variables such as title, describe,
• breadcrumb
• uses ltCFSWITCHgt to set variable values depending
  on URL

10
leftNav.cfm

• creates a navigation system
• all links have URL variables added to HREF
• lta hrefindex.cfm?viewhomegt
• leftNav uses ltCFIFgt to control appearance

11
other uses

• add additional URL variables for subfolder
  content pagetravel
• use URL variable in queries

12
error handling

• use CFTRY to prevent URL hacking or
  misspelling of URL
• ltcftrygt
• ltcfinclude templateview.cfmgt
• ltcfcatch type"MissingInclude"gt
• ltcfset view"home"gt
• ltcfinclude template"view.cfm"gt
• lt/cfcatchgt
• lt/cftrygt

13
caution using application.cfm files
A reminder- using this system results in the
building of index.cfm in a dynamic fashion. Your
pages are processed from the root folder where
index.cfm resides. Even if content is drawn from
sub-folders only the application.cfm file in the
root folder is processed. Any application.cfm in
sub-folders ignored.
14
thanks!

• Have fun and be creative!
• MDCFUG a great asset-attend these meetings, get
  on the mailing list, visit their site
  (http//www.teratech.com/) and sign up for
  classes.

15
Jon Brundage

• Section 508 / web accessibility consulting
• ColdFusion development
• jonwind_at_windcompany.com
• 703-967-1024