Note: This blog post is from 2010. Some content may be outdated--though not necessarily. Same with links and subsequent comments from myself or others. Corrections are welcome, in the comments. And I may revise the content as necessary.

"CF911: Stack Tracing CFML Requests to Solve Problems"

Regardless of what CFML server monitoring tool(s) you have, or even if none, did you know that you can use a feature called "stack traces" to be able to pinpoint the exact line of code that a CFML request is running at any time? Did you know how to use that information to troubleshoot performance/stability problems? Do you know how to obtain that information either manually or automatically (such as during a crash while you're not watching)? Do you know how to obtain that information in any of the CFML Server Monitors (FusionReactor, SeeFusion, the CF8/9 Enterprise Server Monitor), or with free command line tools? And how to do this for any CFML engine (CF, Railo, BlueDragon, etc.)? Do you know how to interpret the information once you get it?

In this session, veteran CF troubleshooter Charlie Arehart will help remove the mystery from using stack traces. It really is amazingly simple with the right tools, and it can be incredibly useful to solve otherwise thorny problems, once you understand how to interpret the information.

Of course, I'm thrilled to be heading back to Minneapolis. I spoke there previously in 2008 and 2007 but couldn't attend in 2009. It'll be great to see all the fine folks who run and attend this unique conference.

BTW, I just saw also that CFUnited announced another round of topics accepted today and I see a topic whose title if very similar, "How to Read a Stack Trace", by the inimitable Daryl Banttari. It's hard to tell from his brief description how similar these will be, but Daryl is awesome so I'm sure I'll learn much from his. (I was literally just about to offer mine as another CFUnited submission but now won't of course. :-) Hopefully another of my submissions will be accepted, so I can keep my streak of having spoken at every CFUnited since they started.)

Anyway, the good news is that whichever conference you go to, this important (and often misunderstood) topic will be covered! :-)

Note: This blog post is from 2010. Some content may be outdated--though not necessarily. Same with links and subsequent comments from myself or others. Corrections are welcome, in the comments. And I may revise the content as necessary.

In this post, let me introduce the plan.

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Note: This blog post is from 2009. Some content may be outdated--though not necessarily. Same with links and subsequent comments from myself or others. Corrections are welcome, in the comments. And I may revise the content as necessary.

I'll demonstrate here calling the REST API for the Harvest online timesheet application. (If you would want to point me to another alternative timesheet app, no need as I'm happy. I realize there are many. Indeed, I list many of them on my CF411 site section for time tracking tools and services.)

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Note: This blog post is from 2009. Some content may be outdated--though not necessarily. Same with links and subsequent comments from myself or others. Corrections are welcome, in the comments. And I may revise the content as necessary.

Update in 2019: Though this post is from 2009, I still use and recommend this tool daily, so nothing about what I said below has changed (except of course where I indicate other informational updates in 2010 and 2013). And to be clear the tool is updated constantly and sports a modern interface (unlike the favored "old tools" of other folks, which may look the same as they did 20 years ago).

Ever need to do a search for files with some given text (or files of a given name) in Windows? I realize you may use a favored file editor to do it, or (worse) may rely solely on the anemic Windows find. I'd like to point you to an awesome and free alternative.

For years I've used a great freeware tool, FileLocator Lite, and I love FLL for several reasons (as does nearly everyone I show it to). Read on for more.

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Note: This blog post is from 2009. Some content may be outdated--though not necessarily. Same with links and subsequent comments from myself or others. Corrections are welcome, in the comments. And I may revise the content as necessary.

I belong to (and also run) many Google groups, which can offer a great solution for a hosted mailing list. Sadly, if the group owners aren't careful, the list can soonbecome a haven for spam.

But there are three simple solutions (one in particular) that the group manager can take to prevent the problem, and I am NOT talking about moderating every message. Two of them add only a little new effort for you as manager, but the reward is so worth it.

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Note: This blog post is from 2009. Some content may be outdated--though not necessarily. Same with links and subsequent comments from myself or others. Corrections are welcome, in the comments. And I may revise the content as necessary.

Well, there are several ways you can watch them, as this entry will discuss, and some may be better suited to the job than others. It can be very interesting to discover what's going on, especially if you're having any suspected performance problems which you think may be related to ORM processing (or just if you wonder what all it does for you).

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Note: This blog post is from 2009. Some content may be outdated--though not necessarily. Same with links and subsequent comments from myself or others. Corrections are welcome, in the comments. And I may revise the content as necessary.

A big difference is cf.Objective()'s is ending November 30. Check out Sean Corfield's post for more information on the cf.Objective() call.

Note: This blog post is from 2009. Some content may be outdated--though not necessarily. Same with links and subsequent comments from myself or others. Corrections are welcome, in the comments. And I may revise the content as necessary.

Here are the tentative tracks for sessions:

• AIR and UI Development - How to enhance the experience of your applications. Bring your application to the desktop or mobile.
• Best Practices - Tips and Tools for improving and protecting your website.
• ColdFusion (advanced) - Building applications, Charting, APIs, Custom Tags, PDF, Forms, Railo, Groovy, Facebook apps, Geolocation, Web-Oriented languages, and Integration.
• ColdFusion (basics) - Getting started with ColdFusion
• ColdFusion 9 and ColdFusion Builder - Topics from Adobe related to the new release of ColdFusion 9 and ColdFusion Builder
• Configuration,Testing & Deployment - Deploy your websites with minimal issues and know what to expect
• Databases - SQL, reporting, procedures, integration, server tuning
• Flex (advanced) - An indepth look at building Flex applications
• Flex (basics) - Getting started with Flex
• Frameworks - Discover various Frameworks for ColdFusion and Flex
• Managing Projects - Team Management, Project Requirements, Customer relations, Project management
• OO Development - Object Oriented programming and using CFCs

They note as well that they're always open to new speakers.

Finally, the pointed out as well that the early bird deadline is Nov 30. More at CFUnited.com.

Note: This blog post is from 2009. Some content may be outdated--though not necessarily. Same with links and subsequent comments from myself or others. Corrections are welcome, in the comments. And I may revise the content as necessary.

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Note: This blog post is from 2009. Some content may be outdated--though not necessarily. Same with links and subsequent comments from myself or others. Corrections are welcome, in the comments. And I may revise the content as necessary.

I mentioned last week that I was starting my "Hidden Gems in CF9" series of blog entries, and I'll eventually do a class based on that. In the meantime, I will also soon start sharing some of these CFBuilder hidden gems here as well.

So if you're coming to CFinNC, please look me up and say hello. And if you're not yet planning to attend but live within a few hours driving distance (I'll be driving the 5 hours from Atlanta), you should definitely consider it. There will ba a lot of great speakers and content, as well as community and festivities, all for free.

Help spread the word, online or by grabbing a flyer to put up at your workplace. It's not too late!