Dynamically Update Your Website In A FLASH Using *ColdFusion!*

I read an article the other day by a webmaster who shows you how to dynamically update the "header", "sidebar", and "footer" on every page of your website by using JavaScript. This is viable option if you like JavaScript, and have a knack for it, but I prefer a really cool "mark up language" called ColdFusion to do the very same thing with much less coding and of course HASSLE!

For example, your *common* navigational HTML files require many additional lines of JavaScript code to write them to your webpages. As the webmaster states in the following ( paraphrased to protect the innocent! ).

... "Now that youve created a new page containing the navigational HTML, youll now need to add some additional JavaScript coding to "EACH LINE" of your HTML...

Like this:
!--

...begin with "document.writeIn(" and end with ");" (without the beginning and ending quotes). Your first line of HTML will be placed between the beginning and ending. For every line of your original coding, youll need to add the above-mentioned codes before and after them.

Note: Be careful not to add any extra spaces... as JavaScript is very syntax sensitive. Your new file will end with file://-- on the last line."
...

As stated, JavaScript is very sensitive, i.e. the code syntax must be just right, and if youre not very efficient with this scripting language, you could spend hours trying to figure out what is wrong with your code if it doesnt work!

Webmaster continues...( again paraphrased to protect the innocent ).
...

"Heres how it might look...

Note: The following code should be enclosed with "<" at the beginning of the first line and ">" at the end of the last line. These brackets have been removed so you can view the code properly.

!--
document.writeln((TABLE BORDER="0" ALIGN="Center"));
document.writeln((TR));
document.writeln((TD));
document.writeln(Your table content);
document.writeln((/TD));
document.writeln((/TR));
document.writeln((/TABLE));
file://--

Each backslash should be preceded with another backslash.

Example: \\

Each apostrophe should be preceded with a backslash.

Example: \

You can include most HTML and JavaScript coding however, you cannot include JavaScript that must access another file..."
...

Did you get all of that? Well, webmaster finally gets to the JavaScript code you paste in your webpages to "include" the HTML code you created earlier to be common. Such as:

Webmaster one more time, and paraphrasing once more...
...

"...navigational system should now be displaying on the web page. If youre receiving a JavaScript error message, most of the time, its due to an extra space at the end of a line or an extra or missing character. Make sure you go over your code very carefully..."
...

AHHHH! Not my cup of Java either! SO forget the eyestrain, and the aspirin, and do it the "ColdFusion" way with a little strip of CFML ( *ColdFusion Mark Up Language* for you newbies to ColdFusion ) code to place in your HTML pages once youve created a basic navigation structure for the "header", "sidebar", and "footer" of your webpages using basic HTML.

Notice no mention of cryptic JavaScript needed, AND LOVING IT! Of course you could use JavaScript for other effects such as "mouse over, "scrolling text" etc.

Then just add this little snippet of "ColdFusion" code into your webpages below in place of the JavaScript webmaster mentioned earlier:

(CFINCLUDE template="yournavbar.cfm") or whatever you want to call it, and again I changed the "<", and ">" to "(", and ")" for examples sake and to keep the code from messing up this pretty page!

Thats it! Cool HUH? ( Can you say "JavaSkip"? :) )

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention, and Ill do it now while Im on the subject. When naming your common "Include" files ( like the one above ) use the extension ".cfm" instead of ".htm" or ".html" so that the "ColdFusion" application server can recognize it, i.e. "parse it" and display it on your webpages.

Oh, and something else...

Some webserver administrators, do allow the file extension ".htm" to work also, but to be safe, use ".cfm".

One last thing...

To make this really cool, and easy to work with "ColdFusion" coding Ive been talking about perform, youll need to be on a webserver running "ColdFusion" application server.

If your webhosting provider doesnt offer you this option, and youve decided you *MUST HAVE IT* ( now that Ive stimulated your gray matter to the possibilities ). Look around, because there are many providers that do offer this software at no extra charge to you!

About the Author

Harry Fassett - Owner of worldtrafficcenter.com
Providing ecommerce solutions since 1995. ColdFusion hosting here!
Publisher of the newsletter Eurekagram! Marketing Hot Tips! Subscribe at http://www.worldtrafficcenter.com/newsletter.htm

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