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Adobe ColdFusion Certification Program

November 3, 2024 By Michaela Light Leave a Comment

It is a very cool thing that you are a CF developer. How about becoming Adobe Certified Professional?

Adobe Certified Professional Adobe Coldfusion

Adobe certified professional

What is Adobe ColdFusion Certification Program?

Adobe ColdFusion training is an industry-leading certification program from Adobe for CF developers. It consists of 50+ online videos and is designed for professionals with basic to advanced level proficiency in any computer language and a basic understanding of how web pages work.

Successfully passing an assessment test at the end of the program will reward participants with a badge and certificate from Adobe.

It is a one-day workshop at the CF Summit Conference, after which you can take the certification exam at the CF Summit or later whenever you choose.

It covers all versions of ColdFusion. But also:

  • Covers CF fundamentals
  • Covers modern CFML coding best practices
  • Discusses all the major features in the latest release of Adobe ColdFusion – to use CFML to develop, test, debug and deploy web apps.
  • Shows how CF acts as a glue between different systems.
  • Does not cover non-language features such as the API Manager or Clustering.

Why Certify

You should check your skills and see where you are compared to other CFers. Also, you will learn new features that you might have missed.

This course improves your chances of being promoted and/or hired.

How is this different from the old certification program?

The old one was for Adobe ColdFusion version 9. And it didn't include training. This one does and is for modern CFML.

What to do to apply?

Register for the online certification here. After you register and make a payment, you receive access to the online video material. Even though you consider yourself a CF expert, which is nice, I suggest you watch it in full, since there are so many good and productive examples that do help. A lot.

You are free to choose when you want to take the exam. It can be at the event, eg. CF Summit, or you can do it online.

What you will learn?

By the end of this program, CFers can master all the major features in the latest release of Adobe ColdFusion (at the moment this article is written it is Adobe ColdFusion 2021), to use CFML to develop, test, debug and deploy web apps, and learn how CF acts as a glue between different systems.

The certification is only for CFML Developers and doesn't cover features such as API Management Platform and Clustering of Servers.

Adobe Certified Professional course outline

Introduction to the Course
  • Getting the exercise files
  • Downloading and Installing CommandBox
  • Installing and configuring VS code for ColdFusion
Introduction to ColdFusion
  • What is ColdFusion
  • Printing data on the screen
  • Discovering the cfscript syntax
  • Commenting code in tag syntax
  • Commenting code in script syntax
  • Using <cfdump> and writedump()
  • Touring the ColdFusion administrator
Variables and Datatypes
  • Creating simple variables
  • CFML is weakly typed
  • Creating Lists
  • Discovering the ColdFusion functions
  • Understanding the list delimiter
  • Lists with Empty items
  • Finding items in lists
  • Creating arrays
  • Empty items in arrays
  • Finding items in an array
  • Merging arrays
  • Multi-dimensional arrays
  • Exploring Array functions
  • Creating structures
  • About key names in structs
  • Finding items in structures
  • Merging and copying structures
  • Shallow Copy vs Deep Copy
  • Null Support in ColdFusion
  • Caching variables
Main ColdFusion Constructs
  • Simple if statement in script syntax
  • Nested ifs
  • Simple if statement in tag syntax
  • Comparison operators in the tag syntax
  • The Ternary operator
  • The switch case construct
  • The break keyword in a switch case
  • If statements in switch case
  • Reviewing the for loop
  • Reviewing the while loop and the do-while loops
  • Reviewing the For In loop
  • Looping over lists
  • Looping over arrays
  • Looping over structures
  • Break and continue
ColdFusion Functions
  • Creating a simple function
  • Function arguments
  • Required and optional arguments
  • Type checking the arguments
  • Passing arguments into functions
  • Returning data from a function
  • Creating functions with tags
Scopes
  • About scopes in general
  • The default variables scope
  • The var scope of a function
  • The CGI Scope
  • The Application.cfc file
  • The older Application.cfm file
  • The Application scope
  • The Session scope
  • Session Identifiers and the Cookie scope
  • The Server Scope
  • Locking
Reusing Code
  • Using simple <cfinclude>
  • <cfinclude> and the variables scope
  • Use cases for cfincludes
  • Using cfinclude with functions
  • When cfinclude is not a good idea
  • Custom tags with <cfimport>
  • Opening and closing custom tags
  • Passing attributes to custom tags
  • The request scope
  • Custom tags with <cfmodule>
  • Custom tags with the <cf_> syntax
The Application Framework
  • The main app framework variables
  • Include non .cfm files
  • onApplicationStart() and onSessionStart()
  • Request event handlers
  • onsessionEnd() and on ApplicationEnd()
  • Other event handlers
  • Using cfInclude in Application.cfc
Basic Database Operations
  • Creating a DSN
  • Using CFquery
  • This.datasource in Application.cfc
  • Displaying Query Data
  • Grouping Query output
  • Creating dynamic queries
  • Using Query parameters
  • Query metadata
  • Using queryexecute()
  • Caching queries
  • Queries of queries
  • Using the ValueList() function
  • Other tags for creating queries
Object Oriented Programming in ColdFusion
  • Creating Components
  • Methods in components
  • Creating component instances
  • The constructor method
  • Understanding components, instances and objects
  • Public and private methods in components
  • Understanding the need for accessors
  • Creating accessors manually
  • Cfproperty and the automatic accessors
  • Overriding the implicit accessors
  • Using the Getter and setter attributes of the <cfproperty> tag
  • Inheritance : the “is a” relationship
  • Using the extends attribute
  • The super keyword
  • Multi-level inheritance
  • Using Abstract componentd
  • Inheritance best practices
  • Composition, the “has a” relationship
  • Advanced composition
  • Using composition and inheritances in an application
  • Understanding the use of interfaces
  • Creating interfaces
  • Using interfaces
  • What interfaces do
  • Using interfaces with multiple components
  • Basic CRUD operations with CFC
  • Building a search functionality
  • Building a model layer in your app
  • Caching component instances in the application scope
  • Caching in the session scope
An introduction TO ORM
  • Enabling ColdFusion ORM
  • Building a simple ORM entity
  • Creating and displaying ORM data
  • Updating and deleting ORM entities
  • Creating relationships
  • Managing ORM sessions
Basic Error Handling in ColdFusion
  • Try Catch
  • Throw and rethrow
  • Using OnError
Forms
  • Introduction to forms, cfforms and data validation
  • The URL and the FORM scopes
  • Protecting against CSRF attacks
  • Logging In users in and out
  • Encoding data
  • Using remote CFC methods
  • Uploading files to ColdFusion
  • Securing file uploads
PDF and Spreadsheet Support in ColdFusion
  • Using <cfdocument>
  • Creating PDF files from a URL
  • Using <cfdocumentitem> and <cfdocumentsection>
  • Saving PDF files with <cfdocument>
  • PDF best practices
  • Using <cfhtmltopdf>
  • Using <cfpdf>
  • DDX support in ColdFusion
  • Manipulating spreadsheets  in ColdFusion

All the materials are in English, so you must have a goog knowledge of English language in order to get all the benefits from it.

Basic requirements

Participants are required to have access to their own laptop/desktop computer, power, and internet connection. Additionally, they are required to have access to a microphone and webcam during the entire duration of the assessment test. The online certification assessment is proctored for exam security.

The assessment is an open book exam. Therefore, participants can keep their notes, books, etc. with them.

All participants are required to have the latest update of Adobe ColdFusion Server and Adobe ColdFusion Builder pre-installed on their laptop. If you do not already have the latest update, you may download a free trial of ColdFusion and ColdFusion Builder within 30-days of your program date.

What does it cost?

Online Certification is $149.

Payment is required for enrolling in the program and getting access to online training videos.

This program is non-refundable. The price covers the registration fee, access to online training content for one year and the certificate and badge if the assessment is successfully passed.

For any queries, please write to [email protected]

There is a discount for students, teachers and educators – email [email protected] for more info on that.

Register online here

 

I discussed the CF Certification program with Adobe's Elishia Dvorak in the CF Alive Podcast episode, so check it out.

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Michaela Light is the host of the CF Alive Podcast and has interviewed more than 100 ColdFusion experts. In each interview, she asks "What Would It Take to make CF more alive this year?" The answers still inspire her to continue to write and interview new speakers.

Michaela has been programming in ColdFusion for more than 20 years. She founded TeraTech in 1989. The company specializes in ColdFusion application development, security and optimization. She has also founded the CFUnited Conference and runs the annual State of the CF Union Survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Adobe ColdFusion Certification

What is the Adobe ColdFusion Certification Program?

The Adobe ColdFusion Certification Program is an industry-leading credential from Adobe that combines 50+ online training videos, a one-day workshop at the CF Summit, and a proctored assessment exam. Upon passing, you earn an official badge and certificate directly from Adobe.

Why should I become an Adobe Certified ColdFusion Professional?

Becoming certified benchmarks your CFML proficiency against peers, uncovers new ColdFusion features you may have missed, and significantly boosts your hiring and promotion prospects.

How do I register and apply for the Adobe ColdFusion certification exam?

Register and pay via Adobe’s official portal. You’ll then unlock full access to the online training videos. Schedule your exam anytime online or at the CF Summit workshop.

What topics are covered in the Adobe ColdFusion certification training?

The program covers CF fundamentals, modern CFML coding best practices, core language constructs, error handling, database operations, OOP & ORM, PDF & spreadsheet support, and more. 

How much does the Adobe ColdFusion Certification cost?

The non-refundable fee is $149, which includes one-year access to all online training content and your badge/certificate upon passing. Student and educator discounts are available. Email [email protected] for details.

What are the prerequisites for taking the Adobe ColdFusion certification exam?

You need your own laptop/desktop with internet, a webcam and microphone for proctoring, English proficiency, and the latest Adobe ColdFusion Server & Builder installed. Download free trials here:

• ColdFusion Server

• ColdFusion Builder

How is the new Adobe ColdFusion certification different from the version 9 program?

The legacy v9 exam offered no training and only covered CF9. The modern program includes comprehensive video training, covers all ColdFusion releases up to 2021, and focuses on today’s CFML best practices.

When and where can I take the Adobe ColdFusion certification exam?

You can take the proctored, open-book exam onsite at the CF Summit workshop or online at your convenience once registered.