Books on CF website design & planning? 2

Hi,

Can anyone recommend any books, websites, resources where I can learn design, architecture and planning of large, interactive, database-driven websites (pref. using ColdFusion)? I've had a year+ experience in CF programming, but have never built a complex database-driven website from scratch.

Some of the topics I'm looking for are:
- How to get started
- Resources required
- Database and website design and planning techniques
- n-tier coding techniques
- session management planning
- building for scaleability

I've found "ASP.NET Website Programming: Problem - Design - Solution" by Bellinaso & Hoffman but is there one for ColdFusion?

Any help will be much appreciated!

 

[capitano]

If you have any experience with modular programming styles, then the book FuseBox: Methodology and Techniques by Steve Nelson and Craig Girard will take you a long way in your ColdFusion/Website programming expereince.

Fusebox is a methodology to make ColdFusion more modular. It is very extensible to most every situation. It is a design strategy which allows for easy reuse of code. And the specifications spell out a very comprehensive and clear method of breaking code into chunks (called fuses) which are basically self documenting. The advantages here are ENORMOUS because it allows you to come back to your code a year later and understand your "code trail": the logic of your code. Because it is self-documenting, and modular, it also allows other developers to work with you or take over your project and completely understand the logic of your code in very short amount of time (if they know Fusebox.) I just got turned on to the Fusebox specification about 6 months ago and I've never looked back. I now emulate the Fusebox methodology in my PHP programming as well, as it's not necessarily ColdFusion-specific. It applies nicely to website programming in general for most languages: CF, PHP, ASP, you name it. I own a Website consulting business and we have found that by applying the Fusebox methodology, we can usually cut our development time by about 1/3. The reason is becuase it provides a VERY clear and concise way to structure your logic. And it applies to small sites as well as very large, complex database-driven sites. I strongly recommend looking into this methodology for serious web programmers. Other methodologies exist such as Blackbox and Whitebox programming, as well as some more obscure methodologies, but I haven't had the time to look into them personally.

You can read some basics on their website, and download a PDF of the book for only $10.

http://www.fusebox.org/

Good luck
Regards,
Bryan Capitano

 

[shammack]

The O'Reilly book on ColdFusion 5.0 is excellent.

 

[multiplex77]

capitano,

Wow, this is interesting... so there are different standards and methodologies for web application design, and Fusebox is just one of them? (pardon my ignorance...like I said, I'm real new to all this.) I gather that you're sold on Fusebox (y'know just a guess... ;-) but how do I find out which is the best for my type of application? Is there any literature I can read to match the right methodology for my particular type of web app?

Are there online courses that I can go for that teach the different methodologies...I gather this is a much more developed area of study than I previously imagined.

Thanks again for all your help. Thanks too for your recommendation, shammack.

 

[calista]

This is facinating! I'd seen Fusebox mentioned in this forum, but never did the reseach to find out what it was! Way Cool! Thanks! :-D
Calista :-X
Jedi Knight,
Champion of the Force

 

[multiplex77]

Hi,

I've gone through the specifics of Fusebox. It is somewhat like a "method of implementing a methodology", if that makes any sense.

Are there any resources that are less detailed...something that just explains how to go about designing a web application. Surely something like that exists...

Thanks for all the help.

 

[tleish]

Actually, Fusebox is both. One of the things I really like about Fusebox methedology is that it focuses just as much on the application design process as it does on the programming methodology.

There are several helpful articles out there explaining fusebox, some on the design process and some of the actual methodology... which ones did you read? - tleish