1. Brian Kotek INDUS Corporation
Fusebox 101
Brian Kotek
INDUS Corporation
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

2. Goals for the next 45 Minutes
Crash course in Fusebox
Concepts and definitions
Discuss the XML configuration files
Walk through a very simple Fusebox request
A more complex example
Quick Overview of FLiP
Q & A
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

3. What is Fusebox?
Fusebox is a framework for building web-based applications.
Free downloadable set of “core files” at fusebox.org that implement the framework.
Does a lot of the grunt work for you under the hood, so you can concentrate on creating maintainable applications that meet customer requirements.
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

4. Benefits of Fusebox Code reuse Team development Easier maintenance
Easier testing
Separation of business logic from presentation
Vibrant community
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

5. Concepts and Definitions
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

6. Starting Small: The Fuse
A fuse is the basic building block of a Fusebox application.
A fuse is an individual code file.
3 typical types: action, query, display.
Typically prefixed with “act”, “qry”, “dsp”.
Examples: qry_getNews.cfm dsp_news.cfm
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

7. The Fuseaction Users call fuseactions not fuses.
A fuseaction is made up of one or more fuses.
Fuseaction “showNews” could run fuses qry_getNews.cfm and dsp_news.cfm.
Fuseactions can be requested by users via URL or form posts by passing a variable called fuseaction.
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

8. Circuits: Related Fuseactions
Circuits are logical associates of related fuseactions.
Circuits map to a directory.
Could have a “queries” circuit that holds fuseactions related to database queries.
Could have a “display” circuit that holds fuseactions related to outputting HTML.
Good circuits have internal consistency.
Good circuits are self-contained.
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

9. Circuit-Qualified Fuseactions
news.showNews
A fuseaction with the format “news.showNews” is a “circuit-qualified fuseaction”.
“news” is the circuit being called.
“showNews” is the fuseaction within the circuit “news” that is being called.
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

10. Using Circuit-Qualified Fuseactions
URL: index.cfm?fuseaction=news.showNews
Form: <form action=“index.cfm” method=“post”> <input type=“hidden” name=“fuseaction” value=“news.showNews”> </form>
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

11. Key Concepts Reviewed
Fuse: an individual code file, written in CFML (or PHP script, etc.)
Fuseaction: executes one or more fuses to fulfill a specific requirement.
Circuit: logical group of fuseactions
Circuit-qualified fuseaction: news.shownews
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

12. The XML Configuration Files
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

13. Fusebox.xml Central configuration file (1 per app). Written in XML.
Define your circuits.
Set other application-level items like global fuseactions (run on every request automatically), plugins, etc.
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

14. Circuit.xml 1 per circuit (an app may have many)
Define the fuseactions that the circuit is responsible for: <circuit> <fuseaction> … </fuseaction> </circuit>
Within the fuseaction element, define what it does using XML verbs.
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

15. Primary XML Verbs
Fuseactions often include one or more fuses: <include template=“dsp_showNews.cfm”/>
Fuseactions can also call other fuseactions: <do action=“queries.getNews”/>
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

16. A Few More XML Verbs
<set>: sets a variable
<if>: performs true/false test
<loop>: runs a conditional loop
<relocate>: forwards user
Relatively basic, encourages you to perform complex logic in fuses.
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

17. Parsed Files XML doesn’t do much on its own.
At runtime, the core files read the XML and generate parsed files.
The parsed files are actual code.
Typically one parsed file for each fuseaction that a user can call.
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

18. Fusebox Execution Timeline
User requests a circuit-qualified fuseaction.
Core file copies all FORM and URL variables into ATTRIBUTES scope.
Core file looks up target circuit.
Core file looks up fuseaction within target circuit.
Core file generates a parsed file from circuit XML.
Core file executes parsed file corresponding to the requested fuseaction.
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

19. Our First Fusebox Request
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

20. A Composite Layout
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

21. FLiP Fusebox Lifecycle Process Development methodology
Central tenant: “Users can’t tell you what they want until they see it.”
To client, the interface IS the application.
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

22. FLiP Stages Wireframe (text-based skeleton)
Prototype (complete interface)
Signoff
Architecture (fusedocs, etc.)
Coding and Testing
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek

23. Questions?
Fusebox Conference
Brian Kotek