Question

I am using ColdFusion 8 and 9.

I was reading some ColdFusion best practices yesterday. I came across a section that advised to always use CFSCRIPT whenever possible. The reasoning was that each CFSET is a separate request and needs to be opened and closed by the server (or something to that effect). Since CFSCRIPT is handled as a single block of code, only one open and close is necessary, thereby taking less time for the server process. This advice was given explicitly for ColdFusion 5.

I am wondering if this advice holds true today, almost a decade later. Personally, I use CFSCRIPT 99% of the time. I do, however, work with people who use only tags. In a project that I am working on, I encountered this code within a function:

<cfset LOCAL.TrackingInfo = structnew()>
<cfset LOCAL.TrackingInfo.referral = CGI.HTTP_REFERER>
<cfset LOCAL.TrackingInfo.ipaddress = CGI.REMOTE_ADDR>
<cfset LOCAL.TrackingInfo.useragent = CGI.HTTP_USER_AGENT>
<cfset LOCAL.TrackingInfo.querystring = CGI.QUERY_STRING>

I would modify it to look like this:

<cfscript>
    LOCAL.TrackingInfo = structNew();
    LOCAL.TrackingInfo.referral = CGI.HTTP_REFERER;
    LOCAL.TrackingInfo.ipaddress = CGI.REMOTE_ADDR;
    LOCAL.TrackingInfo.useragent = CGI.HTTP_USER_AGENT;
    LOCAL.TrackingInfo.querystring = CGI.QUERY_STRING;
</cfscript>

For me, the benefit is readability. And, it’s really easy to go back and forth between CFSCRIPT and JavaScript and Java (the little Java that I have done).

Is there a tangible readability or performance benefit to using CFSCRIPT? Is there any reason for a non-beginner to continue using CF tags?

Answer 1

No real speed difference to speak of in modern versions of the language. As far as readability that is completely subjective to who is doing the reading. I work with a wide array of CF people. Some of those people have a really hard time following CFSCRIPT and others that is all they ever try to use(almost to the point of overkill). Personally I say go with what ever approach you are most comfortable with and is also an approach whatever team of people you are working with is acceptable. I think the ultimate goal here is to produce code that everyone in the team can easily understand and support if ever needed. An example of readability arguments could be that I know someone here that would say your CFSCRIPT block is not as readable as this:

<cfscript>
    LOCAL.TrackingInfo  = { referral = CGI.HTTP_REFERER, 
                            ipaddress = CGI.REMOTE_ADDR, 
                            useragent = CGI.HTTP_USER_AGENT, 
                            querystring = CGI.QUERY_STRING };
</cfscript>

I do not think though either one of you is “more right” than the other. Just differences in personal coding styles.

Or another example I work with one person who insists that all CF tags be in capital letters along with attributes. Their stated reason is it helps in readability. I do not find it any easier or harder to read when it is in all caps. If anything I find it just a hassle to always hold down the shift kit or hit the caps lock when messing with code on those specific projects.