We both use and recommend Adobe ColdFusion® as our main web development programming tool. ColdFusion has been our language of choice since we started developing web-based systems in 1995. In the main this is due to the time and cost saving over developing in other commercial languages.

We have always found ColdFusion to be a very approachable and flexible coding language to learn and work with. It is very effective in producing fast and powerful web applications and systems. It integrates with a broad range of enterprise systems such as accessing .NET™ via web services and Java™ and COM (Common Object Model); as well as being completely cross platform compatible - Windows®, Linux®, Unix® and leading J2EE™ (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition).

We have created a variety of dynamic web-based applications using ColdFusion at the heart of the development. These have included:

• Complex content management system, including integration with existing back-office systems and databases.
• Secure extranet system for a multi-lingual website, including bulletin boards and a document library.
• Street and postcode property search using a data extract from an internal geographical information system (GIS).
• Online portal to submit and manage funding bids and contracts.
• Online payments system providing seamless authentication and online authorisation.
• Web e-Learning and associated management system for helpdesk operators to use for training purposes.
• Online grant application and processing system, featuring back-office processing and holder management including salary, grant and expense payment integration with financial software.

The latest version of ColdFusion - MX 7 introduces new, powerful services and features, which can easily integrate with your existing applications and back-office systems:

• Create printable web content - Dynamically transform web content into high-quality printable, portable documents in PDF.
• Develop new classes of applications - Move beyond HTTP and create groundbreaking, new interfaces to mobile phones using SMS (Short Message Service) text messaging and other Internet protocols.
• Achieve new levels of high availability - Use the ColdFusion Enterprise Manager to create individual instances of ColdFusion, isolating individual applications and administration. Administer ColdFusion programmatically using new Admin APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).
• Deploy on J2EE™ faster - Package an application and the ColdFusion runtime into a single Java™ archive (EAR (Enterprise Application aRchive) or WAR (Web Application aRchive) files) for fast, easy deployment on leading J2EE™ servers.
• Search with new power - Boost searching with the latest Verity technology, enabling highlighted search terms, searching within a results set, spelling suggestions, and hierarchical category searching.
• Render rich charting - Produce clean, crisp charts and graphs with over 200 different modifiable attributes to control animation, colours, labels, and more. Include charts and graphs within dynamic business reports.
• Generate structured business reports - Easily design and generate high-quality, repeating group, structured business reports and populate them dynamically in the context of web applications.

We have found that we can offer lower web development costs and provide highly visible value to end-users through the employment of ColdFusion as our key-programming tool.

• Add powerful capabilities easily with integrated application services - Easily add common, powerful features including full-text searching, charting and graphing, rich forms generation, structured report generation, printable web content, high-performance email generation, and Flash integration - all using powerful, native ColdFusion application services.
• Integrate with a broad range of enterprise systems - Connect to enterprise databases using type-4 wire-speed drivers; access Java™, COM, and CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) objects; access .NET™ via web services; and easily access JSP (Java Server Pages), Servlets, or EJBs (Enterprise JavaBeans).
• Deploy flexibly - Deploy ColdFusion on Windows®, Linux®, or Unix®. Leverage the power of J2EE™ by deploying on leading J2EE™ platforms, including IBM® WebSphere®, BEA WebLogic®, Sun ONE™, or Macromedia® JRun™.
• Generate structured business reports - Use integrated business reporting to provide high-quality, structured reports otherwise possible only with expensive, third party reporting products. Users have access to important business data in easy-to-understand formats.
• Develop new classes of applications with SMS and IM gateways - Use the extensible gateway architecture in ColdFusion MX 7 to build new classes of applications accessed through mobile phones using SMS text messaging.

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