Charlie has presented more than 80 presentations to hundreds of user group meetings and conferences over the years, with high acclaim and ratings (including several "best speaker" awards).

If you'd like to have Charlie present to your user group, whether online via Connect/Breeze or possible in person, just drop him a note. See below both his past, recent, and planned new talks.

And if you'd like a bio to offer if he does speak at your group, please copy/paste the paragraph below:

Following are the presentations he has presented (most recent first, though even old ones can still be valuable). See also the topics he's presenting soon or plans to create.

    2008

  1. Interactive Step Debugging with the CF8 Debugger
  2. Developing with Eclipse and CF Extensions
  3. Leveraging RDS in Eclipse, DW, and HS+: Secure, Useful
  4. Step Debugging in CF 6/7/8 with the CF8 Debugger and FusionDebug
  5. CF8 Server Monitor Hidden Gems
  6. Continuous Server Analysis: Keeping ColdFusion Servers Healthy! (also presented as "Keeping your CF apps & servers Healthy")
  7. CF8 Server Monitor Introduction
  8. Hidden Gems in CF8
  9. Understanding, Improving, and Resolving Issues with the SQL Server Procedure Cache

    10. 2007

  10. New in CFMX 6, 7 - What did you miss? (CFunited Preview)
  11. Introducing the CF Admin - CFUnited Bootcamp session
  12. Understanding, Improving, and Resolving Issues with Database Prepared Statements (or the Performance Impact of CFQUERYPARAM)
  13. "Caching in" on CF Performance

    14. 2006

  14. FusionReactor and FusionDebug - Professional Monitoring and Debugging tools for CF 6,7 and 8!
  15. Step through your CFML code with FusionDebug
  16. Understanding SQL Server 2005 ReportBuilder
  17. Creating and Consuming Web Services in CFML
  18. CFML Web Services Tips and Tricks
  19. Taking Your SQL Beyond Simple SELECTs and (Inner) Joins
  20. Making the Most of Dreamweaver MX/8, CF Studio, and HomeSite+

    21. 2005

  21. Laszlo and WebOrb: Alternatives for Flash Integration for ColdFusion and BlueDragon
  22. CFML Monitoring and Troubleshooting for BlueDragon and ColdFusion

    23. 2004

  23. Secret Powers of Includes
  24. Secret Powers of Sessions
  25. Deploying CFML Natively on .NET
  26. HomeSite+ for CF Studio Fans

    27. 2003

  27. Browsing Within CF Studio and HomeSite+
  28. Building Web Services with CFML
  29. Introducing BlueDragon
  30. More Flexible Testing Against BlueDragon, CF5, and CFMX
  31. Deploying CFML on J2EE with BlueDragon
  32. Deploying CFML w/BlueDragon
  33. Deploying Fusebox w/BlueDragon
  34. Intro to JSP for CFML Developers
  35. CF RDS: From Stress to Success
  36. Flash for CFers: Getting Over the Hump
  37. Dreamweaver MX for Studio/HomeSite Users
  38. Augmenting Application.cfm with Filters

    39. 2002

  39. Overview of CF Security Options
  40. Using JSP Custom Tags in CFMX
  41. ColdFusion MX Hidden Gems
  42. ColdFusion Performance Testing and Tuning
  43. CF5 in Depth: Opportunities and Challenges, One Day Seminar
  44. User Defined Functions in CF5: Best Practices and More
  45. Toward Better Error Handling
  46. E-Testing: Debugging Your CF Apps
  47. Marrying ColdFusion and Java
  48. Wireless Possibilities for CF Programmers
  49. Toward Better CF Server Administration
  50. CF5 in Depth: Opportunities and Challenges
  51. ColdFusion 5 Hidden Gems: What You May Not Know

    52. 2001

  52. The Wonderful World of Wireless
  53. Slicing and Dicing Data in CF and SQL- Part 1
  54. Slicing and Dicing Data in CF and SQL- Part 2
  55. Lighting the Shadows: A Roundtable on Overcoming Fusebox Objections
  56. Database 1: Using Databases in CF and SQL Basics
  57. Database 2: Slicing and Dicing Data in CF and SQL
  58. Database 3:.Improving Database Processing
  59. Going from CF to Java: moving between the two
  60. What's New in CF5: More than you'd think
  61. CF5 In Depth: Opportunities and Challenges
  62. Java for CFers
  63. CF Hidden Gems
  64. CF and JSP
  65. Marrying ColdFusion and Java
  66. Wireless Possibilities for CF Programmers
  67. Server-side Source Code Control: It really can work!

    68. 2000

  68. Creating and Using ColdFusion Custom Tags
  69. CF- Just the Basics
  70. Building Dynamic WAP Applications with ColdFusion
  71. Building Wireless (WML) Apps With ColdFusion
  72. Helping Yourself, Resources for Learning and Getting Questions Answered

    73. 1999

  73. DatabaseBlocks Wizard Tool
  74. Web Application Development with ColdFusion
  75. Potpourri of Topics
  76. Hidden Gems in 4.01
  77. Setting Up and Using the CF Studio Debugger
  78. Using the Studio Query Builder
  79. Stored Procedures in Access? Yes indeed!
  80. Journeyman CF

    81. 1998

  81. Remote Development in ColdFusion: More than Meets the Eye
  82. Version Control in ColdFusion: It's Free, and Not Just For Teams Anymore

Talks Charlie is considering or doing in the future

Before showing the details on talks he's already done, here are some talks he's considering for the future, if you're a user group leader looking for future speakers.
  • Interactive Step Debugging with the CF8 Debugger
  • Using Derby, the open-source database embedded in CF8
  • Using the Adobe ColdFusion 8 Extensions for Eclipse
  • Using the Admin API in CF7 and 8
  • ColdFusion Reporting: how it works and has improved in recent releases
  • Understanding CF's Many Deployment Options (multiserver, war/ear, sourceless, etc.)
  • Getting into CFEclipse, for those transitioning from other CF editors
  • FusionReactor Hidden Gems
  • FusionReactor Introduction
  • Comparing and Contrasting CF Monitoring with FusionReactor, SeeFusion, and CF8
  • Monitoring Your CF Environment with the Free Log Parser Toolkit
  • If there's a topic you'd like him to do, just drop him a note.

Details of the talks

2008

Interactive Step Debugging with the CF8 Debugger
In this talk, veteran CFML developer Charlie Arehart will introduce and demonstrate the ability ColdFusion developers now have to step through their code interactively to debug it on ColdFusion 8. While it's a plug-in for Eclipse, don't worry if you don't use Eclipse. You can continue to use DWMX or CF Studio/HomeSite+ for editing: just use the Eclipse-based tools for debugging. Charlie will show you how easy it is and the problems step debugging can solve. And if you're thinking you don't need interactive debugging, he'll also explain over a dozen benefits this offers over traditional CFDUMP/CFOUTPUT debugging, as well as tips, tricks, and traps.

(PDF, Recording (at CFUnited 2008))

Presented at: CFUnited, Jun 2008
Developing with Eclipse and CF Extensions
This hands-on session is an abridged version of a unit in Fig Leaf Software's Adobe Moving to ColdFusion 8 course. Geared primarily for those new to Eclipse, you'll learn the basics of CF Eclipse and the Adobe CF8 extensions for Eclipse, including how to install and configure them and Eclipse. We'll focus especially on the Adobe CF8 Extensions for Eclipse, which offer features to browse CFCs and web services, build queries, generate code using wizards, and debug your ColdFusion applications using the Adobe CF8 step debugger. Some of the information presented in this class will apply to those running on CF7 as well.

Presentation materials were a chapter in FigLeaf's copyrighted "Moving to CF8" course, so are unavailable here.

Presented at: WebManiacs, May 2008
Leveraging RDS in Eclipse, DW, and HS+: Secure, Useful
Are you using the RDS-enabled features in Eclipse, Dreamweaver, or HomeSite+? If not, you could be missing out on a lot of increased productivity, from the query building tools it enables, to the component browsing tools, to enabling file access across the web, and more.

Perhaps it's been disabled on your server, or people may argue that it's insecure. If you could be shown how it could be secured, might you (or your admin) reconsider it? I think it's a tragedy how many developers suffer without leveraging RDS, certainly on their own machines, and even on shared servers.

Whether you think RDS evil or a blessing, or are unaware of what it enables in your favorite CFML editor, and whether you use CF 8 or earlier, there may be more to RDS than you realize. And there are solutions to security concerns, especially in CF8 but even beforehand.

In this talk, frequent CFUG speaker Charlie Arehart will show you all the ways that RDS can be used to make you more productive in Eclipse, Dreamweaver, or HomeSite+. He'll also address (and in some cases resolve) common security concerns, especially the multi-user RDS security available in CF 8 (and CF 4 and 5), as well as how to enable it if it's been disabled (assuming you have the right to make configuration changes, of course).

(Recording)

Presented at: ColdFusion Meetup, May 2008
Continuous Server Analysis: Keeping ColdFusion Servers Healthy! (also presented as "Keeping your CF apps & servers Healthy")
People often wait until their server crashes until they do something about it. The stress and cost this creates are typically enormous. Often on consulting engagements one sees many errors in log files that have accumulated over time. Fixing the problem becomes an issue of finding out which of the many problems is the root cause(s) of a crash, and that can take time! There is another way. Continuous Server Analysis is a methodology using processes and tools to monitor, tune, stabilize and maintain ColdFusion servers. It's the process where server, application and page performance and stability are examined on a regular basis leading to the identification of problem areas, action plans and feedback to development and support. This presentation will focus on resources available within your ColdFusion server (logs and more) as well as available tools (built into CF and external) to assist in the process.

(PDF)

Presented at: Scotch on the Rocks, Jun 2008; CFUnited Europe, March 2008
CF8 Server Monitor Hidden Gems
Ok, so maybe you've started working with the CF8 Server Monitor or perhaps seen some demos of, but are sure you really know all that it can do for you? In this talk, veteran CFML developer Charlie Arehart will explore and expose some surprising observations about the CF8 Server Monitor. There are lots of nooks and crannies with info that may surprise you, including features you may have missed, or that are more useful than you thought. We'll also explore such questions as, do you need to worry about using it in production? The answer is, don't believe all that you've heard. One of many surprises uncovered in this talk. This talk does presume that attendees are already familiar with the CF8 monitor, such as discussed in his "CF8 Server Monitor Introduction", or his 4 part series at the Adobe DevCenter. If you're new to the CF8 monitor, you'll still learn a lot, but without the introductory background.

(PDF)

Presented at: cf.Objective(), May 2008; Atlanta CFUG, November 2007
CF8 Server Monitor Introduction
Whether you're a CFML developer or a ColdFusion Server administrator, you can find tremendous value from the new ColdFusion 8 Server Monitor. If you're a developer and the thought of a "monitor" makes you yawn, seeming to be the province of administrators, you will show you the many ways that the tool can be of great value to you, helping you make much better informed decisions about various coding practices. You no longer have an excuse to "just wing it" when using some feature, tag, or function in ColdFusion.

And both developers and administrators will appreciate the tool's ability to help highlight the most troublesome offenders (whether CPU, memory, or database I/O) as well as to detect and notify when trouble's brewing, as well as the ability to monitor multiple servers. In this talk, veteran CFML developer Charlie Arehart will introduce the CF8 Server Monitor and its use with ColdFusion 8 Developer and Enterprise editions.

(PDF, Recording (at CFUnited 2008))

Presented at: CFUnited, Jun 2008; Atlanta CFUG, November 2007

2007

Hidden Gems in CF8: half-day class preview
Prepare to be surprised! In this talk, veteran CFML developer Charlie Arehart will introduce over 100+ hidden gems in CF8. Sure, we've all heard about the big features, but in every release there are lots of little things, and in CF8 especially, Adobe has pulled out the stops! Seriously--this talk is NOT about the major features, and there are really that many "little things". Some may solve a long-standing problem for you, or provide a new technique. This talk is a preview of a planned half-day class. It will list all 100 features, but we only have time to cover the first 25%. If you're interested in all the details, contact him to express interest in the class.

(PDF )

Presented at: German CFUG Oct 2007; Toronto CFUG Oct 2007; CFUnited Express Chicago Sep 2007; Atlanta CFUG Sep 2007; Boeing CFUG Aug 2007; Tulsa CFUG Jun 2007; Minimax Conference at CFUnited Jun 2007; Queensland CFUG, Jun 2007; Auckland CFUG, Jun 2007;
Understanding, Improving, and Resolving Issues with the SQL Server Procedure Cache
Whether you're a developer or administrator, using 2005, 2000, or 7, there are issues in how SQL Server manages the procedure cache (the results of compiling SQL statements) which you should understand and which can impact nearly every query run on your server. In this talk, veteran developer and DBA Charlie Arehart will show how to introduce the procedure cache, explain why it's more important to understand than most realize, as well as identify and resolve issues related to it and improve its effective use. While he'll focus on a couple of specific new features related to it in SQL Server 2005, the talk will apply to all users of all versions of SQL Server .

(PDF)

Presented at: Atlanta MDF (SQL Server User Group), August 2007
Step Debugging in CF 6/7/8 with the CF8 Debugger and FusionDebug
In this talk, veteran CFML developer Charlie Arehart will introduce and demonstrate the ability all ColdFusion developers now have to step through their code interactively to debug it, whether running on CF 6, 7, or 8. For those moving to CF8, there is now a debugger built into CF, but it works only with CF8. For those on CF 6, 7, or 8, they can use the commercial FusionDebug tool (www.fusiondebug.com) . Both are plug-ins for Eclipse which enable step debugging, and they're very similar, which is why Charlie will show them both in the one talk. He'll also cover some differences.

Don't worry if you don't care for Eclipse. You can continue to use DWMX or CF Studio/HomeSite+ for editing: just use the Eclipse-based tools for debugging. Charlie will show you how easy it is and the problems step debugging can solve. And if you're thinking you don't need interactive debugging, Charlie will also explain over a dozen benefits this offers over traditional CFDUMP/CFOUTPUT debugging, as well as tips, tricks, and traps.

(PDF, Recordings on 12/6/07, on 10/10/07)

Presented at: CFUnited, Jun 2008; cf.objective(), May 2008; ColdFusion Meetup Dec 2007; NSW (Sydney) and Brisbane (Queensland) CFUGs, Oct 2007; CFUnited, Jun 2007
New in CFMX 6, 7 - What did you miss? (CFunited Preview)
Planning to move to CF8? Did you skip either 6 or 7? Or have you perhaps installed and been running on them but doing little or no new development? Were you paying attention as all the new features (and folks' experiences using them) were being shared? There may be a lot you've missed. Veteran CFML developer Charlie Arehart will introduce both the key features introduced in those releases as well as many hidden gems. It's surprising how many little things get slipped into releases, and point releases, and sometimes it's those which can be as important to you as any prominent feature. In his typical encyclopedic but pragmatic style, Charlie will help you make the most out of features you may have missed. Of course, this is just a 20- minute preview of what is in fact a day-long course. But it will give a taste of what's to expect and will provide value in and of itself.

(This is a preview of a day-long class I did at CFUnited 2007, purchased separately by attendees as part of 2 days of such day-long classes the Mon/Tues before the conference. I may consider offering the full day-long content as a separately purchased online or on-site class. Let me know if you're interested).

(PDF, Recording at Online CF Meetup in Jun 07)

Presented at: CFUnited Jun 2007
Introducing the CF Administrator - CFUnited Bootcamp session
Whether you're new to CF or have been using it a while, if you've wished you understood more about the ColdFusion Administrator, this bootcamp session is for you. Veteran CFML developer Charlie Arehart will review and discuss the key features of the Admin and how to use them, including CF performance and security features.

(PDF)

Presented at: CFUnited, Jun 2007;
Understanding, Improving, and Resolving Issues with Database Prepared Statements, or the Performance Impact of CFQUERYPARAM
Whether you're using SQL Server or MySQL, or anything else, there are issues in how the database server manages query plans, prepared statements, and the "procedure cache". This has nothing to do with CF caching techniques, though it can be influenced by CFQUERYPARAM. It's also possible to affect the behavior without modifying CFML code, depending on the database. In any case, this is info which developers should understand and which can impact nearly every query run on your server. In this talk, veteran developer Charlie Arehart will introduce the notion of the procedure cache in multiple databases and explain why it's more important to understand than most realize. He'll also identify and resolve issues related to it and show how to improve its effective use. Of course, CFQUERYPARAM is also useful for security reasons, but that's not the focus of its use in this talk.

(PDF, sample code)

Presented at: CFObjective, May 2007;

Note: a more SQL-server specific version of the talk, also not at all specific to CF, is offered separately above.
"Caching In" on CF Performance
Whether you think you have a performance problem or not, you ought to understand the many ways of benefiting from caching in a CF web app. And they go way beyond the common solutions of query caching, template caching, and page or partial page caching. Whether you know what those mean or not, come learn about more than a dozen other ways to leverage, control, and monitor caching in CF.

(PDF, sample code)

Presented at: Twin Cities CFUG, May 2007; CFUnited Express, Mar 2007; Atlanta CFUG, Apr 2006; WebDU, Australia, Mar 2006

2006

FusionReactor and FusionDebug - Professional Monitoring and Debugging tools for CF 6,7 and 8!
Are you using or interested in CF monitoring and debugging, whether on CFMX 6, 7, or 8? Come join the team that brought the FusionReactor and FusionDebug products to the CF community. Hosted by veteran CFML developer and CFUnited speaker Charlie Arehart, who will briefly introduce both products, show demos of current and future functionality, discuss how the tools fit in a marketplace of alternatives from Adobe and others, and have an open forum discussion to address any questions you may have.

(no slides available yet)

Presented at: CFDevcon, Oct 2006; CFUnited, June 2007
Step through your CFML code with FusionDebug
In this talk, veteran CFML developer Charlie Arehart will introduce and demonstrate the ability all ColdFusion developers now have to step through their code interactively. FusionDebug is a commercial plug-in for Eclipse (www.fusiondebug.com) that gives you that ability. No, it's not free, but it's a small price to pay (< $300) if you want to do step debugging. He will show all the features, as well as some tricks and traps. Don't worry if you don't care for Eclipse. You can continue to use DWMX or CF Studio/HomeSite+. Just use FD for your debugging. He will show you how easy it is and the problems it can solve. And if you're thinking you don't need interactive debugging, Charlie will also explain over a dozen benefits this offers over traditional CFDUMP/CFOUTPUT debugging. Finally, he has also arranged with the vendor to give away 2 free copies.

(PDF from 2006, Recording from Sep 2006)

Presented at: ColdFusion Meetup CFUG, Oct 2006; Mid-Michigan CFUG, Oct 2006; Bay Area CFUG, Sept 2006; Charlotte CFUG, Sept 2006; Atlanta CFUG, Sep 2006
Understanding SQL Server 2005 ReportBuilder
You may have heard that SQL Server 2005 offers a new ad hoc report building capability. What's in it for you? How do you use it as a developer or DBA? What does it give to your end users? Or how might it help you or others in-house in building reports more easily--even if never exposed to outsiders via Reporting Server? In this talk, veteran IT developer, DBA, and speaker Charlie Arehart will introduce the new reporting capability, including the Report Builder tool, and the process of creating report models in the Business Intelligence Development Studio. More than just a quick walkthrough of basics, Charlie will share his hard-earned experience deploying the tool in production, including some hidden gems that may aid those with experience already using these tools.

Having doubts about whether the talk or solution suits you? Perhaps you've not yet installed SQL2k5, or you just aren't ready to convert your have SQL2k5 installed? No problem. The tool can report against SQL 2000 databases. Just allocate a new box on which to install Reporting Services. What if you have no intention of letting customers "report against" your data? Well, it could still be useful for some in your organization who won't be up to the more developer-oriented Visual Studio Report Designer. Finally, what if you've just never gotten into the whole Reporting Services thing? Again, no problem. You don't need any prior experience.

(PowerPoint from 2006)

Presented at: Greenville SC Microsoft CodeCamp, Sept 2006;Atlanta MDF (SQL Server User Group), Aug 2006;
Creating and Consuming Web Services in CFML
CFML is one of the easiest languages with which to create and consume Web Services. Both BlueDragon and CFMX allow you to easily extend CFC methods to publish them as web services -- and it's just as easy to consume them as well. You don't need to understand XML to work with them. In this introduction to the topic, veteran CFUG speaker Charlie Arehart will show you how easy it is, explain what you need to know about CFCs, Web Services, and a little about XML. Other important issues like security and exception handling are covered as well.

(PDF from 2006)

Presented at: CFUnited Jun 2006; Ft Lauderdale CFUG, Sept 2004; NYC CFUG, Jun 2004; Twin Cities CFUG, Jun 2004; Central Michigan CFUG, Apr 2004; Austin CFUG, Mar 2004; LA CFUG, Feb 2004; Dallas CFUG, Oct 2003
CFML Web Services Tips and Tricks
We all know that CFML makes web services creation and consumption easy. Still, there tips and tricks that can solve common problems in working with them, or expose new possibilities you may not have considered. In this presentation, veteran CFUG speaker Charlie Arehart will share some useful (and some little used) features of ColdFusion MX, BlueDragon, and Dreamweaver MX to help you make the most of web services. He~'ll also show several ways to test web services, as well as point out some interesting and useful examples of real web services you can use in business today. He'll also cover challenges of passing data between CFML and other web service apps, including .NET.

(PDF updated Oct 2007)

Presented at: CFUnited Jun 2006; Atlanta CFUG, Jul 2005; Jacksonville CFUG, Jan 2005; Albany CFUG, Oct 2004; Atlanta CFUG, Oct 2004;
Taking Your SQL Beyond Simple SELECTs and (Inner) Joins
Many developers quickly grasp how to do Selects and (inner) joins in SQL, but often fail to get past those fundamentals, ultimately missing data (for lack of understanding outer joins) or writing code in client applications that would be better performed in the database. Charlie Arehart introduces important features of SQL that save you time and create more effective applications. Learn how to slice and dice data, including handling distinct column values, summarizing data (counts, averages, etc.), grouping data, manipulating data in the database rather than code and understanding the value of outer and self-joins.

(Powerpoint from 2006)

Presented at: SQL Pass Summit, November 2006; Atlanta Microsoft CodeCamp, May 2006; presented under a different title in various CFUGs since 2001
Making the Most of Dreamweaver MX/8, CF Studio, and HomeSite+
While the first part of this evening will cover CFEclipse--a great solution that many have switched to or will want to consider--many of us are still using DWMX/DW8, HomeSite+, or its predecessor, CF Studio. Some may have the first two available and not switched yet for lack of motivation. In this talk, veteran CFUG speaker Charlie Arehart will present tips, techniques, and resources to help make the most of these traditional CFML editors. Some will speed up the tools, some will speed up your day to day development. Others may well surprise and delight you. Come see what you may be missing.

(PDF from 2006)

Presented at: Atlanta CFUG, May 2006

2005

Laszlo and WebOrb: Alternatives for Flash Integration for ColdFusion and BlueDragon
Frequent speaker Charlie Arehart will introduce WebOrb and Laszlo. Some may have known WebOrb formerly as FlashOrb, and as an alternative Flash Remoting gateway. In its new incarnation, WebOrb 2.0, it goes well beyond Flash Remoting to also add Ajax support. It also adds support for calling CFCs both directly and as web services, and it can integrate with ASP.NET and Java objects as well. WebOrb comes in both a Standard edition which is free for most commercial uses and a Professional edition.

Finally, he'll introduce Laszlo, which is an xml-based mechanism for generating Flash components and pages. Sound like Flex? It's quite similar, and predates it. In its latest 3.0 version, formally called OpenLaszlo and now open source, it adds many useful new features and solves some challenges previously held against it. It can integrate effectively with CFML and CFCs on both CF and BlueDragon (as well as ASP.NET, JSPs, PHP and more).

(PowerPoint, Breeze from 2005)

Presented at: Phoenix CFUG, Oct 2005; Denver CFUG, Oct 2005; Atlanta CFUG, Oct 2005; San Deigo CFUG Sep 2005; MidMichigan (Lansing) CFUG Sep 2005; Minimax, Jun 2005
SeeFusion: CFML Monitoring and Troubleshooting for BlueDragon and ColdFusion
Frequent speaker Charlie Arehart will introduce SeeFusion, a powerful tool for monitoring CFML web applications and database traffic coming out of either ColdFusion or BlueDragon. It offers a free development edition that may satisfy your needs, and the commercial edition is very inexpensive.

(PowerPoint, Breeze from 2005)

Presented at: Cleveland CFUG, Nov 2005; Atlanta CFUG, Oct 2005

2004

Secret Powers of Includes
In this session, veteran CFUG speaker Charlie Arehart will share some tips and likely a few surprises as he demonstrates the many forms of includes available in CFML. More than just a boring introduction for newcomers to CFML, he'll show how long-held beliefs about CFINCLUDE are just wrong, and how new features in CFMX and BlueDragon open new doors of possibility for code reuse by way of includes. Finally, he'll show that an include is NOT about "pulling code" into your program. You may be shocked to learn what else you can "include" into your CFML program.

(Powerpoint from 2003)

Presented at: MD CFUG, Aug 2004; Atlanta CFUG, Dec 2003
Secret Powers of Sessions
You may have been using CFML for years but still suffer from various problems with session management. Do you know that the latest releases of CFMX and BlueDragon offer great solutions to these long-vexing problems? For instance, did you know you can now (finally) have sessions terminate when the browser is closed? Did you know you could more easily handle sessions for browsers that don't support or allow cookies?

And if you're running CFML on a J2EE server, did you know you may be able to cause sessions to be persistent so that they remain available after a server restart, and you can cause them to be replicated across servers in a cluster so that the session remains active when failover forces a user to a new server?

All these and more can work on both CFMX and BlueDragon, and Charlie will show you how, with examples, live demos, pointers to resources, and bonus tips. Every CFML developer is sure to come away with some new knowledge.

(Powerpoint from 2004)

Presented at: Bay Area CFUG, Aug 2004; Central Jersey CFUG, Jun 2004
Deploying CFML Natively on .NET
Many by now know that both ColdFusion MX and BlueDragon permit you to deploy CFML on a J2EE server. This is important for shops moving to standards-based architectures, for whom running ColdFusion servers is no longer acceptable. But what if your shop (or a client) is moving to .NET? Macromedia's only current solution is web services integration, but w/BlueDragon/.NET it's possible to run the CFML on the .NET framework. It's still just CFML, redeployed. The opportunities for integration with native .NET component (ASP.NET and more) are tremendous.

In this talk, veteran CFUG speaker Charlie Arehart, CTO of New Atlanta (makers of BlueDragon) will explain the environment motivating this need, as well as the enterprise integration possibilities it enables (calling ASP.NET from CFML and vice-versa, sharing data, leveraging .NET features, and more). Even if you don't see a need to support .NET, you likely will. For folks with large investments in CFML and CFML developers, it's a unique solution that helps keep CFML alive and thriving. It might even win over projects otherwise slated for ASP.NET!

(Powerpoint not available)

Presented at: Houston CFUG, Jan 2006; Salt Lake CFUG, Dec 2005; UK (London) CFUG, Nov 2005; Scottish CFUG, Nov 2005; Phoenix CFUG, Oct 2005; Denver CFUG, Oct 2005; San Diego CFUG, Sep 2005; MidMichigan (Lansing) CFUG, Sep 2005; Atlanta CFUG, Jul 2005; Powered By Detroit Conference, Apr 2005; Jacksonville CFUG, Jan 2005; Dallas CFUG, Dec 2004; Raleigh CFUG, Oct 2004; Albany CFUG, Oct 2004; Atlanta CFUG, Oct 2004; Southern FL (Ft Lauderdale) CFUG Sep 2004; San Francisco CFUG, Aug 2004; Boston CFUG, Aug 2004; San Diego CFUG, Aug 2004; MD CFUG, Aug 2004; NYC CFUG, Jun 2004
HomeSite+ for CF Studio Fans
Are you a longtime CF Studio fan?
Do you lament that it's no longer sold?
Do you know about HomeSite+?


CF Studio and Homesite+ are essentially the same thing, and you may not know that it's offered free on the Dreamweaver MX CD. It's even been updated since it's release. In this talk, veteran CFUG presenter Charlie Arehart will introduce HomeSite+ to current CF Studio users.

It's not a walk through of features you knew from CF Studio, but instead a discussion of matters relevant to current CF Studio (or even Dreamweaver MX) users: what it is, how to get it, how to update it, how to extend its help for CFMX, and more.

(Powerpoint from 2004)

Presented at: West Va MUG, Feb 2004; NYC CFUG, Nov 2003; Southern Cal (LA) CFUG, Nov 2003; Dallas CFUG, Oct 2003;

2003

Browsing Within CF Studio and HomeSite+
Most CFML developers love CF Studio (or its latest incarnation, HomeSite+). When you're editing code, do you have it set up to browse the code with a single keystroke? Or do you open a browser window and type in the URL? Sure, you can create a browser bookmark, but if you edit lots of code, it's a lot easier to have one-button browsing either internal to, or external to, Studio/HomeSite+. In this talk, veteran CFML developer and CFDJ columnist Charlie Arehart will show how to use this often missed but very important feature. It doesn't require RDS, and it works with CF5, CFMX, and even BlueDragon.

(Powerpoint from 2003)

Presented at: LA CFUG, Nov 2003

Building Web Services with CFML
CFML has to be one of the easiest languages with which to create and consume Web Services.

Both BlueDragon and CFMX allow you to easily extend CFC methods to publish them as web services -- and it's just as easy to consume them as well. And while you don't need to understand XML to work with them, it can sometimes be useful.

In this introduction to the topic, veteran CFUG speaker Charlie Arehart will show how easy it is, explain what you need to know about CFCs, Web Services, and XML, as well as discuss important issues like security and exception handling.

More and more vendors, organizations, and developers are taking advantage of Web Services. Don't be left behind!

(Powerpoint not available)

Presented at: South FL (Ft Lauderdale) CFUG, Sep 2004; NYC CFUG, Jun 2004; Minneapolis CFUG, Jun 2004; MidMichigan (Lansing) CFUG, Apr 2004; Austin CFUG, Mar 2004; Southern Cal (LA) CFUG, Feb 2004; Dallas CFUG, Oct 2003
Introducing BlueDragon
BlueDragon is an alternative CFML runtime engine that can solve important deployment problems for CFML shops looking to preserve their investment in CFML while also considering strategic platforms like .NET and J2EE.

There are numerous other compelling reasons to consider BlueDragon - including for redistributing your CFML applications for sale as a standalone turnkey solution.

If you don't know BlueDragon is, or why you'd want to use it, or how it fits with your current CFML programming, this presentation will be build a solid foundation for expanding the possibilities and potential of your existing CFML assets and skills.

(Powerpoint not available)

Presented at: Minneapolis CFUG, Jun 2004; Mid-Michigan (Lansing) CFUG, Apr 2004; Austin CFUG, Mar 2004; Louisville-Lexington CFUG, Feb 2004; WVa MMUG, Feb 2004; Portland CFUG, Jan 2004; Seattle MMUG, Jan 2004; Tampa CFUG, Jan 2004; Southern CA (LA) CFUG, Nov 2003; Dallas CFUG, Oct 2003
More Flexible Testing Against BlueDragon, CF5, and CFMX
In this talk, veteran CFML developer and CFDJ columnist Charlie Arehart will show how to set up your web server in such a way as to allow code in a single directory to be executed against multiple CFML servers at once.

By default ColdFusion won't configure a single web server to integrate with both CF5 and CFMX at the same time -- it's an either/or proposition. That forces you to either use multiple web servers (such as IIS for CF5 and Apache for CFMX), or use the built-in web server in CFMX (and then have to move code into the cfusionmx\wwwroot for MX testing).

But Charlie will show how you can manually configure a web server (such as IIS) to let you run a set of CFML in a single directory against either version of CF (or BlueDragon, for that matter). This greatly simplifies testing against multiple versions of CF.

(Powerpoint not available)

Presented at: Central Jersey CFUG, Feb 2004; Louisville-Lexington CFUG, Feb 2004; WVa MMUG, Feb 2004; Portland CFUG, Jan 2004; Seattle MMUG, Jan 2004; Tampa CFUG, Jan 2004
Deploying CFML on J2EE with BlueDragon
It's now possible to deploy CFML applications on a J2EE server. It's still CFML, but it can leverage many benefits both for developers, server administrators, and line of business managers. In this talk, Charlie will introduce and demonstrate the notion of deploying CFML on J2EE servers. The focus is mostly on the benefits of deployment, even for CFML developers with no knowledge of, or interest in, pure J2EE development and integration.

(Powerpoint not available)

Presented at: Atlanta CFUG, Jul 2003; MDCFUG Jun 2004
Deploying CFML w/BlueDragon
Charlie will discuss re-deploying existing CF4.5 and CF5 applications to BlueDragon. He will examine both the benefits and challenges of running your applications on BlueDragon, the only solution for natively running, integrating, and extending CFML apps on both J2EE and .NET servers.

(Powerpoint)

Presented at: CFUN 03 6/21-22/2003, MX Vegas 6/2-4/2003, CF Europe 5/29-30/2003, MX On The Rocks 3/20-21/2003
Deploying Fusebox w/BlueDragon
Fusebox developers are often at the leading edge in considering compelling alternatives to get the job done. In that spirit, this talk will introduce the newly available support in BlueDragon for Fusebox 4. Whether you're an old hand with BlueDragon, still haven't heard of it, or have been disinclined to consider it, this talk will explain how it's been extended it to support the XML tags and functions needed for FB 4. It will also provide a more general intro to the benefits and distinctions about BlueDragon, the alternative CFML runtime engine.

(Powerpoint unavailable)

Presented at: Fusebox Conference, Au 2003
Intro to JSP for CFML Developers
This presentation introduces JSP to CFML developers by comparing and contrasting JSP with CFML. It assumes the audience is familiar with CFML, but assumes no prior experience with JSP. This talk is very basic and is not for experienced JSP developers.

Presented at: MX Vegas, May 2003; CF Europe (London), May 2003; MX On The Rocks (Denver), Mar 2003; MX North conference, Mar 2003
CF RDS: From Stress to Success
Are you using the RDS-enabled features in CF Studio or Dreamweaver MX? It could be banned on your server, but perhaps we can resolve that. Seriously. And do you realize all it can enable for you as a developer, whether coding on your own machine, a machine down the hall, or a commercial shared hosting server?

Whether you think it's evil or a blessing, whether you use CF MX or earlier, there may be more you can take advantage of in RDS than you realize. And there are solutions to security concerns that many administrators never knew existed, particularly before CFMX. It's a tragedy how many developers suffer without RDS.

In this talk, frequent CFUG speaker Charlie Arehart will put to rest common misconceptions about RDS, point up key security solutions, and show you how to make the most of it as a CF developer. You can make it secure, it is quite valuable, and it's sorely misunderstood. This is a talk for all CF developers, even if not (perhaps especially if not) moving to CFMX or Dreamweaver MX.

(PDF)

Presented at: DC CFUG/WAMMO 4/9/2003, So. MD CFUG 2/27/2003
Flash for CFers: Getting Over the Hump
Perhaps you've heard all the hype about Flash, and you're likely impressed, until you open the program--or a typical book about it. There's so much focus on graphics, drawing, animation, sounds, etc. If you just want to get started with it to spice up your forms and add new client-server interactivity, it can be overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be.

Frequent CFUG speaker and CFDJ author Charlie Arehart will bring his unique style and perspective to help get you over the hump of getting started with Flash. Unlike so many articles on remoting, this presentation doesn't presume you have any Flash experience. Indeed, Flash Remoting (and CFMX) is just one of several ways to interact between Flash and the server. If you're using an older release of CF, or PHP, or even an older version of Flash, you'll still get benefit from this talk.

(PDF)

Presented at: San Antonio CFUG 2/18/2003, So. MD CFUG 1/28/2003, DelMarVa CFUG 1/20/2003
Dreamweaver MX for Studio/HomeSite Users
Are a CF developer who loved CF Studio but are being pushed or pulled into Dreamweaver MX? Feeling a little reluctant, perhaps frustrated? Finding it pokey? Annoyed by it messing with your code? Confused about where to find your favorite features you loved in CF Studio? In this hour-long talk, veteran developer and frequent CFUG speaker Charlie Arehart will explain these challenges as well as how to get around them. Perhaps more important, you'll learn how to speed up DWMX dramatically. He'll also help you find or add in the CF Studio features you know and love. He'll conclude by pointing you to many features that you may have missed that never existed in CF Studio, as well as a hidden gem on the DWMX CD that may blow you away.

(PDF)

Presented at: Southern California Regional CF Conference 2/18/2003, DelMarVA CFUG 1/20/2003, Central Jersey CFUG 1/15/2003, Maryland CFUG 1/14/2003, Twin Cities CFUG 11/06/2002, DevCon Community Suite 10/30/2002, Central PA MMUG 10/22/2002
Augmenting Application.cfm with Filters
What's a filter? And what's it got to do with Application.cfm? One of the hidden gems in CFMX is the ability to leverage servlet filters. Don't let those terms (servlets and filters) scare you. No servlet or even Java experience is needed for this talk. Like Application.cfm, they allow you to perform some action before a CF page is processed, including such things as logging visits, blocking execution of a page for a given time period, blocking visitors from given domains, or during a maintenance period, to name a few.

Unlike Application.cfm, however, filters can apply to one or more named templates, all templates under a directory, or all templates on the server. And they don't require any changes to CF code. They're declarative and set in the configuration files of CFMX. They also don't interfere with your current Application.cfm processing.

Even more, they can modify the output of CF processing, such as compressing all the page output using Gzip for browsers that support it (which is most modern ones). This may the only reason for some to consider using them, and it can be a great performance benefit. And unlike OnRequestEnd.cfm (the counterpart of Application.cfm for end of page processing), their processing won't be skipped due to a CFABORT.

In this seminar, frequent CFUG speaker, trainer, and CFDJ writer Charlie Arehart will show you how easily you can apply filters. The focus won't be on building these components but instead simply taking advantage of existing ones that he'll share. Everyone attending will be able to apply this knowledge to their CFMX environment.

(PDF)

Presented at: FAA CFUG 4/17/2003, NASA CFUG 1/9/2003, Central PA CFUG, 12/3/2002

2002

  • Overview of CF Security Options (CF Underground at DevCon, 10/27/2002) (no formal presentation)
  • Using JSP Custom Tags in CFMX (Macromedia DevCon 10/28/2002, MXDC 09/28/2002, Central Jersey CFUG 10/9/2002) (PDF)
  • ColdFusion MX Hidden Gems (Birmingham CFUG 09/17/2002, Albany CFUG 09/12/2002, Syracuse CFUG 09/10/2002, Mid-Michigan CFUG 08/13/2002, NASA/Goddard CFUG 08/08/2002, NYC CFUG 06/06/2002, CFUN 2002 Event Rockville MD 06/16/2002) (PDF)
  • ColdFusion Performance Testing and Tuning (Albany CFUG 09/12/2002, Syracuse CFUG 09/10/2002, Tampa Bay CFUG 7/10/2002; DesMoines CFUG 6/18/2002; Nashville CFUG 6/11/2002; Portland CFUG 5/30/2002; Salt Lake CFUG 5/9/2002; Rhode Island CFUG 5/7/2002; Atlanta CFUG 5/1/2002; San Francisco Bay Area CFUG 4/25/2002; New Orleans CFUG 4/11/2002) (PDF)
  • CF5 in Depth: Opportunities and Challenges, One Day Seminar (Southern Maryland CFUG 4/30/2002; New Orleans LA 4/12/2002; Rockville MD 3/26/2002 Description)
  • User Defined Functions in CF5: Best Practices and More (Maryland CFUG 5/14/2002) (PDF)
  • Toward Better Error Handling (CFNorth Conference, 5/4-5/2002) (PDF)
  • E-Testing: Debugging Your CF Apps (CFNorth Conference, 5/4-5/2002; Philadelphia Area UG, 3/21/2002; CF-Europe, Munich Germany, 1/24-25/2002; Central Jersey CFUG, 1/17/2002) (PDF, reduced PDF)
  • Marrying ColdFusion and Java (Colorado Macromedia Tech Con, denver, 3/15/2002) (PDF)
  • Wireless Possibilities for CF Programmers (Atlanta CFUG, 5/1/2002) (PDF)
  • Toward Better CF Server Administration (Colorado Macromedia Tech Con, denver, 3/14/2002) (PDF)
  • CF5 in Depth: Opportunities and Challenges (Rockville MD, 1/31/2002) (Description)
  • ColdFusion 5 Hidden Gems: What You May Not Know (CF-Europe, Munich Germany, 1/24-25/2002) (PDF)

2001

  • The Wonderful World of Wireless (Macromedia DevCon, 10/22-24/2001) (PDF)
  • Slicing and Dicing Data in CF and SQL- Part 1 (House Of Fusion Community Suite @ DevCon, 10/23/2001) (PDF, updated from 9/24 CF Edge presentation, and split into two parts)
  • Slicing and Dicing Data in CF and SQL- Part 2 (House Of Fusion Community Suite @ DevCon, 10/23/2001)(PDF)
  • Lighting the Shadows: A Roundtable on Overcoming Fusebox Objections (Fusebox Conference @ DevCon, 10/20/2001)
  • Database 1: Using Databases in CF and SQL Basics (CF Edge Conference in NY, 09/24/2001) (PDF)
  • Database 2: Slicing and Dicing Data in CF and SQL (CF Edge Conference in NY, 09/24/2001) (PDF)
  • Database 3:.Improving Database Processing (CF Edge Conference in NY, 09/24/2001) (PDF)
  • Going from CF to Java: moving between the two (Atlanta CFUG, 10/03/2001) (PDF)
  • What's New in CF5: More than you'd think (Central Jersey CFUG, 07/19/2001; Annapolis CFUG 08/23/2001) (PDF)
  • CF5 In Depth: Opportunities and Challenges (Day Long seminar brochure)
  • Java for CFers (CF Odyssey, Bethesda, 07/28/2001)
  • CF Hidden Gems (MD CFUG, 06/12/2001; Annapolis CFUG 06/24/2001; CF Underground 2, Rockville, 04/07/2001) ) (PDF)
  • CF and JSP (CF Underground 2, Rockville, 04/07/2001) (PDF)
  • Marrying ColdFusion and Java (Central Jersey CFUG, 04/25/2001) (PDF)
  • Wireless Possibilities for CF Programmers (CFSouth, 02/02/2001) (PDF)
  • Server-side Source Code Control: It really can work! (MD CFUG, 01/09/2001) (PDF)

2000

  • Creating and Using ColdFusion Custom Tags (Allaire Developer's Conference, 11/2000) (PDF)
  • CF- Just the Basics (a weekend seminar, Bethesda, 09/2000) (PDF)
  • Building Dynamic WAP Applications with ColdFusion (for the Wireless DevCon, SF, 08/2000) (PDF)
  • Building Wireless (WML) Apps With ColdFusion (for the CFUN2k, Bethesda, 07/2000; MD CFUG, 04/11/2000) (PDF)
  • Helping Yourself, Resources for Learning and Getting Questions Answered (DC CFUG, 02/2000) (PDF)

1999

  • DatabaseBlocks Wizard Tool (DC CFUG, 12/1999) (PDF)
  • Web Application Development with ColdFusion (a presentation for the ACM, 11/1999) (PDF)
  • Potpourri of Topics (DC CFUG, 09/1999) (PDF)
  • Hidden Gems in 4.01 (DC CFUG, 08/1999) (PDF)
  • Setting Up and Using the CF Studio Debugger (DC CFUG, 06/1999; MD CFUG, 07/10/1999) (PDF)
  • Using the Studio Query Builder (DC CFUG, 04/1999) (PDF)
  • Stored Procedures in Access? Yes indeed! (MD CFUG, 02/09/1999)
  • Journeyman CF (Obtaining the 4.0.1 Beta, Deleting a Session Variable in 4.0, Mailing to More than 40 people in 4.0, Top 10 Studio customizations in 4.0, Using Access "Stored Procedures" in 4.0) (DC CFUG, 02/1999) (PDF)

1998

  • Remote Development in ColdFusion: More than Meets the Eye (National CF Conference Ft Collins, CO, 07/1998; MD CFUG, 04/1998) (PDF)
  • Version Control in ColdFusion: It's Free, and Not Just For Teams Anymore (National CF Conference Ft Collins, CO, 07/1999; MD CFUG, 02/1998) (PDF)

Java Development Topics

2002

  • Incorporating JSP Custom Tags into Your Web Apps (Harbor Java User Group 10/8/2002) (PDF)
  • Java Web App Performance Testing and Tuning (Capital District [Albany] Java Developers Network User Group 09/11/2002) (PDF)
See also the CF/Java integration topics listed above:

Wireless Development Topics

2001

  • The Wonderful World of Wireless (Macromedia DevCon, 10/22-24/2001) (PDF)
  • Getting Started with WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) and WML (Wireless Markup Language), a day-long seminar offered at the Software Productivity Consortium, Vancouver, BC, Canada in April 2001 (slides available only by arrangement of a presentation. Contact us for more details.)
  • Real World WAP Development, Issues and Challenges for WAP Developers, a day-long seminar offered at the Software Productivity Consortium, Vancouver, BC, Canada in April 2001 (slides available only by arrangement of a presentation)
  • Wireless Possibilities for CF Programmers (CFSouth, 02/02/2001) (PDF)

2000

  • Common Problems Developing Wireless Applications (PDF), from Wireless DevCon in San Jose, 12/2000.
  • Building Dynamic WAP Applications with ColdFusion (PDF), from the Wrox Wireless Developers Conference in Amsterdam, 07/2000; Wireless DevCon, SF, 08/2000
  • Building Wireless (WML) Apps With ColdFusion (for the CFUN2k, Bethesda, 07/2000; MD CFUG, 04/11/2000) (PDF)