Dont throwthatout

Don't Throw That Out!
Bringing Legacy ColdFusion Code In To
This Century
by Cutter

Cutter * Twitter: cutterbl * http://cutterscrossing.com
Don't Throw That Out! Bringing Legacy ColdFusion Code In To This Century
What's The Problem?

There are thousands of outdated applications

Millions of dollars and man hours went in to building these apps

Many never, or very infrequently, updated

The Consequences

Poor Performance

Major Security Issues

Hard to Maintain

Difficult To Extend

Publicity Nightmare

Your Crossroads

Toss it for a COTS app

Toss it for a FOSS app

Write a new app in ColdFusion

Write a new app in “X”

Keep it, and modernize

Key Considerations

Availability of third party applications

Customizability of those third party apps

Learning Curve/Skill Set

Existing Data

Current Investment

LOE

Resources

This Discussion
Here we discuss modernizing that existing
application. Leveraging that previous investment
and institutional knowledge with modern practices
to continue to capitalize on what's already been
created.

Key Requirements

A Plan

Patience

A Will To Succeed

Get Current

Modern OS

Modern Web Server

Modern Database Server

Modern Application Server (ColdFusion + Tomcat)

Hardware (?)

Virtual Machines (?)

Pitfalls Of Getting Current

Will require code changes

Might require SQL changes (and more code changes)

Costs - $ and man power

Will require regression testing

Some Suggested Tools

Version Control (Git, Subversion, etc)

Modern Editor/IDE (ColdFusion Builder, Brackets, Sublime Text, etc)

Redgate SQL Toolbelt

Application Firewall (FuseGuard?)

Profiling Tools (FusionReactor, SeeFusion, etc)

Pitfalls Of New Tools

Learning Curve

Costs - $ and man hours

Get Current (You Personally)
Get at least a basic understanding of the advancements/changes to the
following

CFML/ColdFusion Server

SQL Server (whichever flavor you use)

Key Web Developer Competencies
− HTML
− CSS
− JS
Author's Note: If you don't know these last three, you aren't a web developer

Revisiting The Crossroads
Are you still certain that refactoring
is the most effective solution?

Let's
Talk
Code!

Map Your App
Understand the built-in application framework

Server.cfc
− OnServerStart()

Application.cfc
− Application, Session and Request Event Handlers
− Application level error handling
Map out core event handling in each of the three key areas

Pitfalls Of Mapping Your App

Will require extensive application review

Will require extensive code changes

Costs – Many Man Hours

Will require extensive regression testing

Cover Yourself

SQL Injection
− Cfqueryparam
− Cfprocparam

ColdFusion Lockdown Guide

Application Firewall (FuseGuard?)

Pitfalls Of Covering Yourself


Will likely require server access

Costs - $ and Many Man Hours


Scope It Out!

Explicitly declare ALL of them

Do so in small, testable, digestable chunks

Pitfalls Of Scoping


Costs – Many Man Hours


Understanding
Scope

Persistent Scopes

Server

Application

Session

Request

(Client)

Pass Along Scopes

URL

Form

Arguments

Attributes

(Request)

Pass Along Pitfalls
Think
Security

Custom Tag Scopes

Attributes

Variables

ThisTag

Caller

(Request)

CFC Scopes

This

Variables

Arguments

Local

Pitfalls of Tag and CFC Scopes
Pick Your Bits
Use The Right Scope
For The Job

Other Scopes

CGI

Cookie

Thread

Built-In Unscoped Scopes
− Query
− CFFile
− CFCatch
− Etc

Retrieving Data

Profile

Analyze

Refactor

ORM? Or Not ORM?

Caching

Dynamic or Static

Cached Content

Generated Content

Beyond The
Code

Tune In

RAM Allocation

Garbage Collection Settings

Request Tuning

Queue Timeout

Network Infrastructure and Interface I/O

Pure Processing Power

The Road Ahead

Stay On Course

Consider Frameworks

Process
− Develop One
− Document It
− Stick To It

PLAN!

Read On
http://www.cutterscrossing.com/index.cfm/Legacy-Code
Cutter

Site: http://cutterscrossing.com

Email: web.admin@cutterscrossing.com

Twitter: cutterbl

Dont throwthatout

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