Coldfusion is a programming language that uses tags very similar to HTML. Fusebox is a framework for Coldfusion. You've noticed that every page of the website starts with 'index.cfm'. This is a security feature of Fusebox. If someone tries to access a file directly they get blocked and redirected to the home page. By following the rules of Fusebox you know where things are located and how they work.

BASIC COLDFUSION TAGS

You only need to know a few Coldfusion tags to be able to read Coldfusion code. 

• cfoutput - This tells the web server to process the Coldfusion code. Anything surrounded by '#' is a Coldfusion variable. 
• cfset - This sets a variable value. 
• cfparam - This sets a default value that gets overridden by the cfset. 
• cfif...cfelse - Is the variable true or false, 1 or 2, Bobby or Sally. By adding cfelseif you can do as many comparisons as you want.
• cfinclude - This pulls code from another page and includes it in the current code. By putting chunks of code elsewhere, you make your template more readable AND you can use those code chunks in multiple templates. 

FUSEBOX

The prefix to file names let's you know what's happening in each file. 

• fbx_ - These are system files. You won't need to edit them.
• qry_ - These are database queries.
• dsp_ - These are layout code. These you can edit freely.
• put_ - This includes small snippets of code.
• act_ - This processes form submissions, adds to database, etc. All the action takes place here.