talk "Layouts in Fusebox 4". But first some news.
[Fusebox is a free methodology to program better in ColdFusion (and
other web programming languages) and how to communicate better with clients.
http://www.fusebox.org/ ]
*********
Conference and training news
* $199 price expires midnight EST 9/11/04 (it costs $249 after that)
* Speaker update - Howard Fore will be speaking on "He3 IDE Fusebox support"
* Schedule updated at http://www.cfconf.org/fusebox2004/schedule.cfm
* Foosball competition Saturday night
* Mach-II topics and full day Hal Helms Mach-II class on Monday 9/20/04 for an
object oriented way to program in ColdFusion using events
(what is Mach-II at http://www.mach-ii.com/ )
*********
Now back to the interviews
Michael Smith: I am speaking with Sandra Clark about her talk "Layouts in
Fusebox 4". Why should someone come to this talk?
Sandra Clark: Layouts have changed a lot from Fusebox 3. In Fusebox 3 the
nested layout model emulated the nested table model that most people commonly
used. However with the emphasis in the design community regarding web standards,
CSS and tableless layouts, Fusebox 4 allows you the flexibility to set up and
handle layouts however you want. We all deal with layouts; knowing how Fusebox 4
handles them is integral to using them.
MS: So why is CSS better than table layouts?
SC: Using CSS (including positioning) to style your markup is better than using
table layouts for a variety of reasons. Most importantly for me is
maintainability. It is much easier to code and maintain simple markup than
markup that is between nested tables. Also, nested tables are bloated and take
time to load on our client's browsers. Markup that is done with xHTML and CSS
is commonly at least 40% smaller (sometimes more). It loads faster (remember
that browsers can't display tables until the last table is closed), so it gives
users a better experience. Its also much easier to change the way a page looks
without changing the markup.
Layouts done via CSS will also work well on all user agents (visual browsers
such as IE and Mozilla), text only browsers, and mobile phones, all without
changing your markup.
MS: That makes sense. When you say "simple markup" do you mean HTML tags such as
H1, H2, STRONG etc?
SC: Yes, the HTML elements. By using all of the selectors that CSS offers (which
are more than simply classes), we can create HTML that is simple, clean and very
easily maintainable as well.
MS: And if I still want to code table layouts, can Fusebox 4 handle that? For
example I might want to upgrade an existing Fusebox 3 site to 4...
SC: Fusebox 4 can still handle table layouts. However, the nested layout model
does not exist in FB4 so while you can emulate it, it isn't a slam dunk to just
change over. Layouts in FB4 are much more flexible and give you more choices
than FB3. Upgrading an FB3 site to FB4 requires a change in the layout paradigm.
MS: I thought there was a plugin for nested layouts in FB4...
SC: I had written one for FB4 and ultimately gave it up; it wasn't a simple plug
it in and have it work. Since then, I've discovered that it is best to use the
prefuseaction function in the circuit, using the callsuper attribute to emulate
nested layouts. But really, it's a very convoluted way of creating layouts.
There are much simpler, more flexible ways of doing layouts in FB4.
MS: So do layouts in FB4 still use the fusebox.layout variable that FB3 used to
display the dynamic content created in the fuseaction?
SC: No, as someone said at the last fusebox conference, "You mean the layout
model in Fusebox 4 is that there is no layout model?" Layouts are totally
within the programmers control, with lots of ways of achieving what you want.
MS: Hmmm, I thought there were custom layout variables in Fusebox 4...
SC: Yes, Fusebox 4 utilizes content variables in the circuit. FB4 uses it in
the DO command and (I hear, but have not confirmed) that FB4.1 adds it to the
INCLUDE command as well. What a content variable does is take any output from a
fuse (or a file in the case of an INCLUDE) and stuff it into a variable. These
variables can then be used in various ways, including layouts. You determine
what gets put in which variable and where those variables are ultimately used.
MS: That sounds really powerful! I can't wait to see you talk
You can see more interviews at http://www.cfconf.org/Fusebox2004/news.cfm and at
Fusion Authority (http://www.fusionauthority.com/). The Fusebox Conference is
Saturday 9/18/04 - Sunday 9/19/04 in the Washington DC area. It costs $199. For
more information on the Fusebox Conference see
http://www.cfconf.org/Fusebox2004/
Sandy Clark - Layouts in Fusebox 4
Layouts in Fusebox 4 offer the developer the ultimate in flexibility. Rather
than just one way to do a layout, Fusebox 4 allows us to design our layouts in a
variety of different ways, making sure the layout is suited to the particular
application. In this session, we will be exploring using layouts at the
application, circuit and fuseaction level. We will also learn how to use the
newest part of layouts, content variables to stream content into the layout of
our choice.
Bio
Sandra Clark, an advanced Macromedia Certified ColdFusion developer, is a Senior
Software Developer with the Constella Group in Bethesda, Maryland.
She has contributed material to the ColdFusion 5.0 Certified Developer Study
Guide published by Syngress Media/Osborne McGraw Hill and to the ColdFusion
Developers Journal. She has also spoken at various CFUGS and ColdFusion User
Conferences around the country. Sandra is an active proponent of applying
accepted and proven web standards to development as a way of improving
accessibility as well as making life easier on developers. She can be
reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
---------------------------------------------------------------
Fusebox Conference is organized by TeraTech who received four CFDJ awards.
If you need ColdFusion project help, mentoring or training
then ask the experts at http://www.teratech.com/
Best Consulting - TeraTech
Finalist Training - TeraTech
Finalist Community site - CFConf
Finalist Web Dev Tool - CFXGraphicsServer
---------------------------------------------------------------
This year's conference has 12 nationally known speakers including
Hal Helms, John Quarto-vonTivadar, Jeff Peters, Sandra Clark, Michael Smith,
Steve Nelson,
Brian Kotek, Rey Muradaz, Matt Liotta, John Paul Ashenfelter
Fusebox Washington DC area 9/18 - 9/19/04:
* Learn Fusebox, Mach-II and more!
* Network with your peers and top national speakers
* Have fun exploring what is new in Fusebox
Tracks:
* Advanced Topics
* Basic Topics
* Optional classes on intro to Fusebox, Intermediate Fusebox and Mach-II
Pricing schedule - register today to save!
* Just $149 Early Bird Price from 1/1/04 - 7/31/04
* Ok $199 Regular Price 8/1/04 - 9/10/04
* Opps $249 Late Registration 9/11/04 - 9/17/04
* Onsite $300
Register today
http://www.cfconf.com/Fusebox2004/
--
Michael Smith, TeraTech Inc - Tools for Programmers(tm)
TeraTech voted Best Consulting Service by CFDJ readers!
CF/ASP Web, VB, Math, Access programming tools and consulting
405 E Gude Dr Ste 207, Rockville MD 20850 USA
Please check out http://www.teratech.com/ - email mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED],
or call us for more information; in the USA at 1-800-447-9120,
+1-301-424-3903 International, Fax 301-762-8185 Thanks!
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