Gert Franz talks about “CFML Debugging Jedi Tricks and Templates” in this episode of ColdFusion Alive Podcast with host Michaela Light. He is also one of the speakers at CFObjective Conference.

In this session, we will have a closer look at the debugging templates Lucee and Adobe ColdFusion have aboard. Especially in Lucee, there is a lot of hidden information buried in the depths of the data. You can extract this data and write your own fancy debugging template.

In Lucee this is a simple CFC that contains a few methods which display the data. As a takeaway from the session, you will receive a shiny new debugging template for Lucee which you can extend as you see fit.

Show notes

What is a debugging template?

The debugging template displays the info that can be optionally displayed at the bottom of every page, containing the formatted debugging information provided by the CFML engine

Why use a debugging template?

Gives lots of info what has happened in the code, what CFC run, what parts were slow

What about security?

Limit debugging display to certain IP addresses

Don’t turn on in production

Be careful about displaying information about your application to the public

What is the overhead of turning this feature on?

1-2% overhead in Lucee (in ACF it used to be 50% many years ago)

Why write your own?

There is tons of additional info in the debugging information which may or may not be displayed by the selected debugging information.

You can decorate the data with your own additional info

Do I need some special skills to work on the debugging templates?

Just a regular CFC

Create a configuration struct containing the info you want to have displayed

Output method

What happens if you have a bug in your debugging template

The regular CFML error handler kicks in

Lucee debugging handling extra features

More granularity by website and IP

Has additional information in the debugging

Debugging and Performance jedi tricks

Rewrite the code as tag or script as appropriate in order to understand it

The Code Monkey (wrong) - talk to a plushie and explain your problem, often helps solving the issue yourself. Apparently I used the wrong term. It is rubber duck debugging.

Make a copy of the code and ruthlessly cut out pieces until the error doesn’t happen anymore - the last piece you cut is related to the bug

Format your code, even your SQL

What I learned from the Railo project

To be happy and to do what you love

To let go the past

How can I contribute to Lucee, how can I help?

Become a supporter  or even a member, if you want to get involved in the future of Lucee 

Why should I attend any conference

You will be learning many new techniques, meet cool people, get to know who is behind all the magic, network

Is it still worth learning Lucee or CFML?

You get better rates at freelance jobs

It is a very modern language

Why are you proud to use CF?

Because I helped develop the language and keep it from vanishing

WWIT for you to make CF more alive this year?

Speak about it, be proud to use it, write your apps with it

What are you looking forward to at CFObjective?

Meet my friends

Great topics and great presenters

See the capital again :)

Very often people just stick with the debugging templates that come with either Lucee or ACF. They are nice and helpful, but if one wants way more information, he needs to unlock the potential and extend the existing ones or even write his own new debugging template.

Mentioned in this episode

Pete Freitag (CF security) 

Ray Camden’s Var Scope checker

The Ultimate Var Scope Resource list 

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller

Lucee website

Listen to the Audio

Bio