2025-02-11 Weekly News — Episode 228

Watch the video version on YouTube at https://youtube.com/live/-08ciY2kW4c?feature=share
 
Hosts: 

Big Thanks to our Sponsor - Ortus Solutions
The makers of ColdBox, CommandBox, ForgeBox, TestBox and all your favorite box-es out there including BoxLang.
A few ways to say thanks back to Ortus Solutions:

Patreon Support ()
We have 61 patreons:
https://www.patreon.com/ortussolutions.


News and Announcements

Ortus announce BoxLang to the Java Community and Jfokus
Jfokus has been the birth of BoxLang for the Java community. So Incredibly well received. We even had folks coding on their phones on https://try.boxlang.io for some sweet hoodies. What an amazing event. So much great feedback and amazing response to finally having momentum in the dynamic JVM space.
We will definitely be back in 2026 In force.
hashtag#boxlang hashtag#jfokus hashtag#dynamicJVM hashtag#community
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lmajano_boxlang-jfokus-dynamicjvm-activity-7292961359632240640-N1nc?

Get a Free BoxLang+ License with Your ITB 2025 Ticket!
At Ortus Solutions, we are dedicated to delivering the best experience for our Into the Box attendees. This year’s event will be an exciting opportunity to explore BoxLang and modern CFML development, and we want to ensure that attending in person is even more rewarding.

Exclusive On-Site Attendee Benefit: Free 1-Year BoxLang+ License!
As a special incentive, all on-site attendees will receive a free 1-year subscription to BoxLang+.

BoxLang+ is a professional subscription that enhances development across multiple runtimes, including CLI, web, CommandBox, and serverless environments.
https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/get-a-free-boxlang-license-with-your-itb-2025-ticket
 
Adobe ColdFusion Summit 2025
Adobe ColdFusion Summit 2025 is here—join us in Las Vegas on Sept 22-23 (optional certification days on Sept 21 or 24). Grab your early bird tickets for just $99 before they're gone. Secure your spot today!
Register now: https://bit.ly/414pLF6

Team Plans and Exclusive Deals: Into the Box 2025!
Thinking about attending Into the Box 2025 but don’t want to go alone? Or are you looking to train your team with the latest modern software development tools? We’ve got you covered. Take advantage of our exclusive team deals and bring your team for an even better experience.

Get 50% off your second Into the Box on-site ticket.
Buy 2, Get 1 Free – Purchase two on-site tickets, and the third one is on us.
https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/team-plans-and-exclusive-deals-into-the-box-2025

TeraTech release Free Online Course for Modernizing CF Apps
A Call to the #ColdFusion Keepers of Middleware-Earth! ⚔️🔥After a year of forging in the digital fires, I’m thrilled to announce our ColdFusion Legacy to Modernization E-Course! 🏗️ This free, 13-lesson journey is your map to transforming legacy CF apps into modern, resilient systems—because let’s be real, some of these apps have been running longer than the Third Age.
https://teratech.com/sign-up-legacy-coldfusion-2-modern-e-course/

ICYMI - Into the Box Round 1 of Sessions and Workshops are now out!
Our first round of sessions and workshops for Into the Box 2025 is here! Get ready to dive into a world of modern web development with hands-on workshops and engaging sessions led by Ortus Solutions and Community CFML and BoxLang experts. Visit intothebox.org to explore what’s in store—this is just the beginning, with much more content coming soon!
https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/into-the-box-round-1-of-sessions-and-workshops

New Releases and Updates

BoxLang Beta 27

Highlights:

https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/boxlang-100-beta-27-launched
https://boxlang.ortusbooks.com/readme/release-history/1.0.0-beta27
 
ColdFusion 2025 Prerelease - Beta 2

We are excited to announce the release of CFNext Beta2, which brings a host of new features and improvements to enhance your experience.

This will be the final pre-release version before the main release.

Please take this opportunity to explore the build, test key functionalities, and find critical issues so they can be fixed before the release. Thank you for your continued support.
https://coldfusion.adobe.com/2025/02/announcing-cfnext-beta2-drop
 
ICYMI - TestBox v6.1.0 release
We’re super excited to announce the release of TestBox 6.1.0! This release introduces native support for BoxLang without the need for a compatibility mode, unlocking new possibilities for developers embracing BoxLang’s dynamic capabilities. Alongside this exciting update, we’ve added valuable features, improved functionality, and resolved key issues to ensure a smoother and more robust testing experience. Dive into the details and see how TestBox 6.1.0 makes your testing even more seamless and efficient!
https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/testbox-v610-release

ICYMI - cbMockData v4
New name and new support for BoxLang!
https://forgebox.io/view/cbMockData

Webinars, Meetups and Workshops

Mid-Michigan CFUG - Nick Kwiatkowski - APIs
Nick Kwiatkowski from MSU Telecom is going to give us an introductory talk on API’s at the next Mid-Michigan CFUG meeting tonight at 7:00 pm.

Nick will cover how API’s work, defining an API and how they can help in your business.  This meeting will be less about code and more on theory and practice.

Meeting URL: https://tinyurl.com/54fpry5f

Also check out our new YouTube channel for recordings of the meetings at https://youtube.com/@cfml


CFCasts Content Updates

https://www.cfcasts.com

ICYMI - All of the Into the Box 2024 videos are now available for paid subscriptions
https://www.cfcasts.com/series/into-the-box-2024

Conferences and Training

Adobe ColdFusion Summit East 2025
​​Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 8 AM – 4 PM
Carahsoft Conference & Collaboration Center
11493 Sunset Hills Road,
Reston, VA 20190
Free
https://carahevents.carahsoft.com/Event/Details/566963-adobe

Unlock the full potential of ColdFusion with Adobe and Carahsoft! Join us for the Adobe ColdFusion Summit East 2025, the premier event for developers, professionals, and organizations. This exclusive event is your chance to explore groundbreaking advancements, enhance your skills, and build valuable connections with industry leaders.

In addition to networking with Adobe ColdFusion experts, domain leaders, and peers, attendees of the Summit will:

Discover how innovative teams are solving challenges and driving success with ColdFusion

Connect with ColdFusion experts, industry leaders, and fellow developers to share ideas and build relationships

ITB 2025
FREE 1 YEAR BOXLANG PLUS LICENSE FOR ALL ITB ATTENDEES

CFCamp 2025
May 22, 23rd - 2025
Atomis Hotel Munich Airport
https://www.cfcamp.org/
Call for Speakers open - https://www.papercall.io/cfcamp2025
Closes February 28, 2025 ( 4am PST )

Adobe ColdFusion Summit 2025
Adobe ColdFusion Summit 2025 is here—join us in Las Vegas on Sept 22-23 (optional certification days on Sept 21 or 24). Grab your early bird tickets for just $99 before they're gone. Secure your spot today!
Register now: https://bit.ly/414pLF6

More conferences
Need more conferences, this site has a huge list of conferences for almost any language/community.
https://confs.tech/


Blogs, Posts, and Videos of the Week

2/7/25 - Blog - Ortus Solutions - ITB - Team Plans and Exclusive Deals: Into the Box 2025!
Thinking about attending Into the Box 2025 but don’t want to go alone? Or are you looking to train your team with the latest modern software development tools? We’ve got you covered. Take advantage of our exclusive team deals and bring your team for an even better experience.
Get 50% off your second Into the Box on-site ticket.
Buy 2, Get 1 Free – Purchase two on-site tickets, and the third one is on us.
https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/team-plans-and-exclusive-deals-into-the-box-2025


2/6/25 - Blog - Adobe Portal - Announcing CFNext Beta2 drop
We are excited to announce the release of CFNext Beta2, which brings a host of new features and improvements to enhance your experience.
This will be the final pre-release version before the main release.
Please take this opportunity to explore the build, test key functionalities, and find critical issues so they can be fixed before the release. Thank you for your continued support.
https://coldfusion.adobe.com/2025/02/announcing-cfnext-beta2-drop

2/4/25 - Blog - Ben Nadel - Using The XOR Operator To Assert Connascence Of Existence In ColdFusion
In all my years of programming, I don't think I've ever used the XOR operator. The XOR operator—or, "Exclusive OR" operator—is a Boolean operator that results in False if the given operands have the same truthiness; and, True if the given operands have different truthiness.
It's an interesting operator; but, I never had a use-case for it until yesterday. It occurred to me that I could use XOR to assert the "connascence of existence" of optional method arguments in ColdFusion.
https://www.bennadel.com/blog/4758-using-the-xor-operator-to-assert-connascence-of-existence-in-coldfusion.htm

2/3/25 - Blog - James Moberg - Java HashCode Identity Crisis
I was unit testing a global UDF that accepts a string and leverages Java's built-in hashCode method to return a signed 32bit integer. This seemed trivial, but I wondered if different versions of ColdFusion that are outside of my internal control would consistently return the same values. I pasted a very basic example into TryCF.com and naively used CGI.REMOTE_ADDR as the value and got different results... but this was entirely my fault. After outputting the values of CGI.REMOTE_ADDR, it became obvious that some TryCF engines were configured to proxy the request and my thought-to-be consistent IP address wasn't being used. Phew! This was a relief to discover, but it did cause me to pause and wonder regarding the consistency of Java's hashcode generation.
https://dev.to/gamesover/java-hashcode-identity-crisis-307a

2/3/25 - Twitter - James Moberg - Windows command line FTW!
After encountering #ColdFusion performance problems with CFDocument & CFPDF (watermark + merge) operations which totally just stopped working, I switched to #wkhtmltopdf & #qpdf.
- wkhtmltopdf: 540ms
- qpdf watermark: 54 ms
- qpdfmerge: 474 ms

Windows command line FTW!
https://x.com/gamesover/status/1886584296917623282

1/31/25 - Blog - Fusion Reactor - Introducing FusionReactor’s New Incident Management Application
Managing incidents in a fast-paced, technology-driven world can be challenging, but whether it’s pinpointing the root cause of an outage, organizing your team’s response, or ensuring swift resolution, every second counts. That’s where FusionReactor’s Incident Management Application steps in.

Designed to simplify and streamline your incident response, this powerful tool offers everything you need to stay on top of incidents while minimizing downtime and disruption.
https://fusion-reactor.com/blog/introducing-fusionreactors-new-incident-management-application/

1/30/25 - Blog - Ortus Solutions - ITB - Into the Box 2025 | Plan Your Trip With Us!
Travel, Hotel, and Fun in D.C. Let’s plan together!
Are you ready to join us for Into the Box 2025 from April 30th to May 2nd in Washington, D.C.? Let’s make your trip planning as smooth as possible. Here you’ll find Airfare discounts, Hotel Deals and fun things to do to get the best out of your trip to D.C.

Explore the Best of D.C.
Hotel Special Rates – Stay Close to the Action!
Airfare Discounts with United Airlines
Agenda Round 1 of Sessions and Workshops
Secure Your Spot with Early Pricing
https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/into-the-box-2025-plan-your-trip-with-us

1/28/25 - Blog - Ortus Solutions - Luis Majano - TestBox v6.1.0 Release
We’re super excited to announce the release of TestBox 6.1.0! This release introduces native support for BoxLang without the need for a compatibility mode, unlocking new possibilities for developers embracing BoxLang’s dynamic capabilities. Alongside this exciting update, we’ve added valuable features, improved functionality, and resolved key issues to ensure a smoother and more robust testing experience. Dive into the details and see how TestBox 6.1.0 makes your testing even more seamless and efficient!
https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/testbox-v610-release
 
BoxLang Corner

2/7/25 - Blog - Ortus Solutions - ITB - Get a Free BoxLang+ License with Your ITB 2025 Ticket!
At Ortus Solutions, we are dedicated to delivering the best experience for our Into the Box attendees. This year’s event will be an exciting opportunity to explore BoxLang and modern CFML development, and we want to ensure that attending in person is even more rewarding.

Exclusive On-Site Attendee Benefit: Free 1-Year BoxLang+ License!
As a special incentive, all on-site attendees will receive a free 1-year subscription to BoxLang+.

BoxLang+ is a professional subscription that enhances development across multiple runtimes, including CLI, web, CommandBox, and serverless environments.
https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/get-a-free-boxlang-license-with-your-itb-2025-ticket

1/28/25 - Blog - Ortus Solutions - BoxLang YAML Support has landed
We’re thrilled to introduce the bx-yaml module for BoxLang!

This powerful new module brings seamless YAML parsing and emitting capabilities to BoxLang. You can now effortlessly serialize BoxLang native types—including structs, queries, arrays, classes, and more—into YAML. The same simplicity applies to deserialization, making it easy to work with YAML data in your BoxLang applications.
https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/boxlang-yaml-support-has-landed

BoxLang Betas:

Beta 27: https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/boxlang-100-beta-27-launched 

Highlights:

https://boxlang.ortusbooks.com/readme/release-history/1.0.0-beta27


Jfokus Posts
Jfokus has been the birth of BoxLang for the Java community. So Incredibly well received. We even had folks coding on their phones on https://try.boxlang.io for some sweet hoodies. What an amazing event. So much great feedback and amazing response to finally having momentum in the dynamic JVM space.
We will definitely be back in 2026 In force. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lmajano_boxlang-jfokus-dynamicjvm-activity-7292961359632240640-N1nc

People of Jfokus coding on their phones with BoxLang and winning hoodies!! Go to try.boxlang.io and try it yourself.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lmajano_jvm-dynamicjvm-boxlang-activity-7292543088504299521-bFAC?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAxdzWIBj_XyQFq-Ij9cupECISkDw6_DQR4

CFML Jobs

Several positions available on https://www.getcfmljobs.com/

Listing over 25 ColdFusion positions from 24 companies across 18 locations in 5 Countries.

2 new jobs listed

Full-Time - Lead Cold Fusion Developer - Remote at Texas - United States
Feb 07
https://www.getcfmljobs.com/jobs/index.cfm/united-states/CFDeveloper-at-Texas-Remote/11656

Full-Time - ColdFusion Developer at Tallahassee, Florida - United States
Jan 30
https://www.getcfmljobs.com/jobs/index.cfm/united-states/ColdFusion-Developer-at-Tallahassee-FL/11654


ForgeBox Module of the Week

Jenkins Runner

A simple utility for running a Jenkins job from CFML and optionally capturing the output

To fire a job, you need the job name as it appears in the URL of the Jenkins site without the leading job.

https://t.co/VrV9AmLoRi

VS Code Hint, Tip, and Trick of the Week
Auto Hide

Causes the side bar to be hidden whenever the user clicks into the text editor.

I highly recommend trying the sidebar on the right side. The side bar does not so when on the left, the editor text will shift when the side panel opening and closing.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=sirmspencer.vscode-autohide

Thank you to all of our Patreon Supporters ()

These individuals are personally supporting our open source initiatives to ensure the great toolings like CommandBox, ForgeBox, ColdBox, ContentBox, TestBox and all the other boxes keep getting the continuous development they need, 

Their Contributions fund the cloud infrastructure at our community relies on like 

You can support us on Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/ortussolutions


Don’t forget, we have Annual Memberships, pay for the year and save 10% - great for businesses everyone.

And many more Patreons - up to 61 now!!!!!

You can see an up to date list of all sponsors on Ortus Solutions' Website
https://ortussolutions.com/about-us/sponsors

Thanks everyone!!!