Step Through Your CFML Code With FusionDebug

1. Step Through Your CFML Code With FusionDebug Charlie Arehartcharlie@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 • President, Atlanta ColdFusion User Group • Past accomplishments of note • Tech Editor, CFDJ (2001-2003) • Certified Adv CF Developer (4, 5, MX), Instructor • Frequent speaker: UGs, conf’s worldwide

4. Introduction to Step Debugging • Understanding interactive debugging • What can it do for you? • 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 don’t NEED to use Eclipse for editing • Can continue to edit in DWMX, CF Studio, HomeSite+, etc. • Do need to download Eclipse • or use with Flex Builder, which is Eclipse; or CFEclipse if you have it installed already • 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 Features • Can step through code, including tags, functions, CFCs, includes, custom tags, and so on • As well as stepping through a page, you can also Step Into (or out of) sub tags, CFC calls and function calls • Can list all variable and scopes • View all scopes available to your page and view anything stored within. See values change as you step through page • Expression Watcher • Create arbitrary expressions, from simply outputting a variable to showing the result of an if condition and the Expression Watcher will dynamically evaluate them • Query Support • Open queries to see row data, column names and data types. Also, when looping through a query the Current Query feature lets you know exactly which row you’re on

7. FusionDebug Demo • Let’s see it in action

8. Demo 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

9. Benefits Over CFDUMP/CFOUTPUT • Can debug when a CFOUTPUT/CFDUMP may not be possible • What are some examples? • CFCOMPONENT/CFFUNCTION OUTPUT=false • 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, or as web service • Can debug when someone besides the developer is calling a template • Can debug against production • Can debug on remote machine • Can change the value of variables on the fly during execution

10. Benefits Over CFDUMP/CFOUTPUT • 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 • Can view call stack during execution • Can view the Java classes called to execute your code • See http://www.fusion-reactor.com/fusiondebug/support.html#config2 • And that’s not even all of them

12. Other Features • Flex 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 • Can also debug CFCs called from Flex even without using FlexBuilder • Can debug CFCs called from Flex, Flash Remoting, Ajax, web services, or CFMX gateways (SMS, event, etc.) as they call CFCs

13. 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 • I’ve started a series of blog entries on it • http://carehart.org/blog/client/index.cfm/fusiondebug

14. Gotchas: Using FD • Breakpoints remain alive for any user (not just debugging developer) if debug session active • If any user runs the request—they will see page hang • Only developer with FD open sees it’s stopped on line • This is unlike CF4/5 debugging, so be aware • Can use “skip all breakpoints” option to temporarily disable in multi-user environments • Be careful holding breakpoint within CFLOCK or CFTRANSACTION tags for too long (impacts other users in other pages) • Can set breakpoint on non-CFML or blank line, but won’t fire • May not fire if on CFSCRIPT or CFRETURN and in some other instances • See: http://www.fusion-reactor.com/fusiondebug/support.html#breakpoints4 • Can try to “set variable” for query column but won’t take • When setting variable that can be eval’ed as expression (555-0002), will do math • so surround it in quotes to coerce as string

15. Gotchas: FD Setup • FD has only minor impact when debugging not active, due to changes made in jvm.config • So can run in production, but perhaps should think twice • When setting port in Debug settings, it should be that for FD, not the web server serving CFML pages • If using FusionReactor (Intergral’s CF monitor tool), should disable “crash protection” feature • If you CFEclipse and don’t see line pointer highlighted, can configure that • See http://www.fusion-reactor.com/fusiondebug/support.html#cfeclipse2 • Firewalls or port restrictions can get in the way sometimes

16. Troubleshooting • If you see no CIP moving with debugging • be sure to associate debug session source code properties with a project, not the filesystem (see docs for steps) • If debugging just stops, you may have the CFMX page request timeout that’s killing the page • See Admin “Timeout Requests after x seconds” • This is disabled by default in 6.1, enabled by default in 7 • If a runtime error occurs, FD will also seem to stop (but error has been sent to the browser) • A few others listed in docs (above items are not, currently)

17. Pricing, Discounts, Trials • List price: US$ 299 • Available 10% Discount Code: CFCOMMUNITY • Priced per seat, available volume discounts • Available free trial (20 days) • I’ve arranged 2 licenses to give away tonight

18. FAQs • 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 I’ve 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 • How do I get support? • Intergral offers free email support: support@fusion-reactor.com • What’s with the name/spelling “Intergral”?  • Formed from Internet and Integration

19. Conclusion • Great solution, finally, for CFML debugging • Sure, it costs money, but will pay for itself if you’ll benefit from debugging • Some debugging naysayers. To each his own • Intergral support has been great • Available free support at support@fusion-reactor.com • Very interested in supporting community

20. Questions on presentation • Charlie Arehart • charlie@carehart.org • 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