So, in our last post we talked about Mapping Your App being your next step, but then a question came to me, "How?"
Well, that's a very valid question. When I took on this exercise, several years ago, with one very large (6000+ template) application, I began by making a basic flow diagram of the existing Application.cfm and OnRequestEnd.cfm. What this ultimately did was A) show me all of the small bits of process flow occurring in these templates, and B) gave me a true understanding of exactly what was happening when. This all allowed me to evaluate each of these small bits of functionality, and determine how they each translated into the new ColdFusion application framework, as it is laid out by Application.cfc.
You can typically break your application down into a few sets of events: Application Start and End, Session Start and End, and Request Start and End. On top of this you have a few edge case events you can cover, like if a request is made of a template that doesn't exist (onMissingTemplate), or it an error is thrown but not caught otherwise (onError).
OK, so saying all of that kinda makes sense. But, what does it mean from an application standpoint? Well, then you have to evaluate the variables you're creating and make sure that you're placing them in the proper persistent scope. You have a utility object that you use everywhere in your application? Then you put it into the Application scope during onApplicationStart. Have a single user object that you use to model each user during their visit? Then you put it into the Session scope during onSessionStart. Want to track each page request by logging specifics to your db? Set some variables at the beginning (onRequestStart), or during your request, then execute your sql inserts when the request is done (onRequestEnd).
You'll start with your initial flow diagrams, and then create some new ones with headings to match the new application framework of Application.cfc. Create a diagram titled "onApplicationStart", and bring in the corresponding flow bits from your other diagram. Move flows around until they're in the order necessary, and in their proper place in event execution flow. Once you moved all of the small sub-flows from the old to one of the new, then you have a roadmap for writing your new Application.cfc.
Need cheap software for making basic flow diagrams? I use the draw.io app from the Google Chrome Web Store.
This article is the sixth in a series of articles on bringing life back to your legacy ColdFusion applications. Follow along in the Legacy Code category.
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