Adding PostgreSQL connectivity to ColdFusion MX on a local Windows-based, Apache, server

• March 19, 2006
• James Skemp

Having already added MySQL support for ColdFusion MX, it's time to look at adding PostgreSQL. For many of the same reasons we installed PostgreSQL with PHP, we'll be doing this to add to our potential resources. However, unlike our connection of MySQL with ColdFusion MX, we'll need to install some additional features to ColdFusion MX. (This guide assumes you've already installed PostgreSQL.) Downloading and installing the JDBC Driver The first thing we'll need to do is install a special driver for ColdFusion.

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Adding MySQL connectivity to ColdFusion MX on a local Windows-based, Apache, server

• March 18, 2006
• James Skemp

Until now, we've yet to setup a connection to MySQL from ColdFusion MX. This has meant that while we can do cool database things in PHP (like WordPress), we can't in ColdFusion. Until now. This time, we'll be setting up MySQL 4.1.18 and ColdFusion MX 6.1 on our local server. Because of some of the choices that we've made before, this installation is going to be fairly quick. Setting up MySQL database and user First, we'll need to setup a MySQL database and user for ColdFusion.

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Error handling on a local Windows-based, Apache, server

• March 16, 2006
• James Skemp

This time, we'll be setting up very basic error handling, and setup our first .htaccess file.

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Installing PostgreSQL on a local Windows-based, Apache, server

• March 15, 2006
• James Skemp

While we've already setup MySQL, another popular SQL server is PostgreSQL. Like MySQL, PostgreSQL is absolutely free, and will allow us to create databases on our local server. Downloading PostgreSQL We'll be downloading the most current version of PostgreSQL, which is 8.1.3 at the time of this writing. You can download the installation file from http://www.postgresql.org/ftp/win32. We'll want to download the regular zip file, called postgresql-8.1.3-1.zip, and weighing in at 21 MB.

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Upgrading (our local install of) WordPress

• March 11, 2006
• James Skemp

In a previous guide, we walked through installing WordPress on a local machine. This time, we'll be upgrading WordPress. For this guide, we'll be upgrading from WordPress 2.0.1 to 2.0.2. Note that this guide will work equally well for upgrading to 2.0.3, 2.0.4 or 2.0.5.

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Setting up WordPress on a local Web server

• February 28, 2006
• James Skemp

In our previous tutorials, we setup an Apache-based Web server, on a Windows XP home computer. The Web server is also running PHP and MySQL, as well as ColdFusion MX. This time, we'll be installing WordPress onto our local Web server. This installation will require us to work with both PHP and MySQL, and we'll be able to setup any number of WordPresses after we have completed this one.

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Installing ColdFusion on a local Windows-based, Apache, server

• February 27, 2006
• James Skemp

In this tutorial, we'll be working through an installation of ColdFusion MX 6.1, Developer's Edition, on a local, Windows-based, Apache server. On this server, we've setup Apache, PHP, and MySQL, but will also want to have the ability to work with ColdFusion code (however, not necessarily on the same sites that we'll be using PHP). We'll be doing this to experience a more corporate Web-programming language – corporate primarily because of the costs associated with ColdFusion.

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A local, Apache Web server, on a Windows XP computer

• February 27, 2006
• James Skemp

My intention is to write a number of guides that will help someone build a functional Web server for testing purposes. Since Windows is fairly popular, I've decided to outline how to install Web server programs on it. Since Apache is both powerful and free, I've opted to use it as the core, instead of IIS, or the like. I also plan on keeping the various technologies up-to-date, yet continuing to provide the instructions for past versions used, just in case.

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Installing Zend Optimizer on a local Windows-based, Apache, server

• February 26, 2006
• James Skemp

From Zend's FAQ,

Why use the Zend Optimizer; isn't PHP supposed to be quite fast already?

The standard Zend run-time compiler used by PHP is indeed extremely fast, generating code that is usually 2 to 10 times faster. But an application that uses the Zend Optimizer typically executes another 40% to 100% faster.

So, Zend Optimizer will help decrease the time spent on processing code. If you run the file we created a few steps back, probably called http://localhost/phpinfo.php (which basically runs <?php phpinfo(); ?>), you'll notice a line that says "This program makes use of the Zend Scripting Language Engine: Zend Engine v1.3.0, Copyright (c) 1998-2004 Zend Technologies". This is the standard Zend run-time compiler that is mentioned above. Once we download and install the Zend Optimizer, we'll see some additional lines here.

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Installing MySQL Administrator on a local Windows-based, Apache, server

• February 25, 2006
• James Skemp

Last time, we successfully installed both MySQL and phpMyAdmin on our local server. However, we only had one user. This time, we'll be installing MySQL Administrator, to give us the ability to add administer MySQL in a way that we can't do with phpMyAdmin. Before we go, please note that the MySQL Administrator does not take away the value of phpMyAdmin. In fact, phpMyAdmin is usually how you'll be able to administer your MySQL databases in the real world.

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