CFScript is an extension of CFML on the ColdFusion platform. CFScript resembles JavaScript. Some ColdFusion developers prefer it since it has less visual and typographical overhead than ordinary CFML.
Unless it's within a pure script-based ColdFusion Component, all CFScript code must be contained within a CFScript tag pair as follows:
A simple example of a function:
A simple example of a component in CFScript, containing two functions:
ColdFusion 11, Railo 4.1+, and Lucee 4.5+ both do their best to fully support cf tags in CFScript.While there may not be direct substitutions for all tags, it is often still possible to achieve the results of a tag in script, but via a different syntax. For example, this is how to get a query into a variable in CFSCRIPT without writing a UDF:
Since ColdFusion 8, CFScript has supported syntax abbreviations that are common in many other programming languages, such as "++", "<=" and "+=".[1]
| Operator | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| + - * / | Basic arithmetic: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In division, the right operand cannot be zero. | |
| ++ -- | Increment and decrement. Increase or decrease the variable by one. These operators can be used for pre-incrementing or decrementing (as in x = ++ i), where the variable is changed before it is used in the expression. They can also be used for post-incrementing or decrementing (as in x = i++), where the value is changed after it is used in the expression. If the value of the variable i is initially 7, for example, the value of x in x = ++i is 8 after expression evaluation, but in x=i++, the value of x is 7. In both cases, the value of i becomes 8. These operators cannot be used with expressions that involve functions, as in f.a++. Also, you can use an expression such as -++x, but ---x and +++x cause errors, because their meanings are ambiguous. You can use parentheses to group the operators, as in -(--x) or +(++x), however. | |
| += -= *= /= %= | Compound assignment operators. The variable on the right is used as both an element in the expression and the result variable. Thus, the expression a += b is equivalent to a = a +b. An expression can have only one compound assignment operator. | |
| + - | Unary arithmetic: Set the sign of a number. | |
| MOD or % | Modulus: Return the remainder after a number is divided by a divisor. The result has the same sign as the divisor. The value to the right of the operator should be an integer; using a non-numeric value causes an error, and if you specify a real number, ColdFusion ignores the fractional part (for example, 11 MOD 4.7 is 3). | |
| \ | Integer division: Divide an integer by another integer. The result is also an integer; for example, 9\4 is 2. The right operand cannot be zero | |
| ^ | Exponentiation: Return the result of a number raised to a power (exponent). Use the caret character (^) to separate the number from the power; for example, 2^3 is 8. Real and negative numbers are allowed for both the base and the exponent. However, any expression that equates to an imaginary number, such -1^.5 results in the string "-1.#IND. ColdFusion does not support imaginary or complex numbers. |
CFScript has two forms of comments: single line and multiline.
Although CFScript and JavaScript are similar, they have several key differences. The following list identifies CFScript features that differ from JavaScript:
window and document, are not available.