As a web developer, I have used both ColdFusion for server-side processing and Kendo UI on the front end for over a decade and will introduce the benefits of using both ColdFusion and Kendo UI.

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My Background

I have been in the web development field for over 25 years and have worked on some very prestigious projects, such as working in the Human Genome Project in the early 2000s. I have also programmed critical medical-oriented applications that were used to deliver critical care patients to the closest ER that was used in every ER across various states. During this time I have mainly used ColdFusion to develop these critical applications. 

In the last decade, I have also been using Kendo UI on the front end. Progress, the company that delivers Kendo UI, does not market Kendo to the ColdFusion community, however, it is easy to incorporate ColdFusion and Kendo UI and this set of articles will show you how. 

Why ColdFusion?

ColdFusion is one of the original server-side middle-ware technologies. ColdFusion operates between the client and the database and is a Java-based server that runs on a variety of server platforms. ColdFusion is a rapid development environment that allows the user to quickly deploy sophisticated web applications. ColdFusion's main strength in the scientific world is that it can natively invoke Java objects. For example, in the genomics field, there is an extensive set of tools available with BioJava. If you're already a Java programmer and want to get involved with Kendo UI on the front end, ColdFusion is a great place to start.

There is an assumption from many developers that 'ColdFusion is dead'. This misguided perception may be due to a lack of marketing on Adobe's part and other factors, but it is far from the truth!  I remember in the early 2000's when people thought that Apple was dead! ColdFusion is updated constantly and it still remains one of the most powerful web technologies around.

For more information see https://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion-family.html

Why Kendo UI?

Kendo UI is one of the most beautiful and functional HTML5 front-end libraries in the world. Kendo UI also offers a full set of front-end widgets. Every widget that Kendo UI offers has similar functionality and they all match each other so whatever front-end component that you design will complement each other.

Kendo's HTML5 grids are one of the most powerful and functional grid widgets around. I routinely deal with records that have over 70k records and the Kendo grids allow the users to quickly visualize data from a large set of data. I will show you how to create fast and responsive grids with thousands of records in future articles.

Each Kendo widget also works flawlessly on tablets and mobile devices. Kendo automatically delivers HTML5 mobile widgets when it detects a mobile device.

For more detailed information see https://www.telerik.com/kendo-ui

Why use ColdFusion and Kendo UI?

Kendo UI offers some front-end UI widgets, however, these widgets are often proprietary to Adobe and are not often updated. You're often not able to update the included libraries or develop additional functionality.  It is also difficult to add new libraries that work with the ColdFusion UI widgets. With Kendo UI and jQuery, the updates are much more frequent and there is a ton of other functionality or other components that you can add at a later time. You can always add new jQuery-based libraries if you want to extend functionality. Kendo UI also separates the business logic, where ColdFusion shines, from the presentation logic which improves the overall maintainability of the application.

If you're reading this, you're already seeing an application built with both ColdFusion and Kendo UI. Galaxie Blog uses both ColdFusion and Kendo UI Core, which is the open-sourced implementation of Kendo UI. If you select other themes, note how the various widget properties and characteristics change with your selected theme. One of my initial goals in creating Galaxie Blog was to create one of the most themeable blogs in the world. I am biased, but due to the elegance of Kendo UI, I think that we have come close to achieving this goal.

Where are we going from here?

In the next several months I will be writing a series of detailed articles showing how to incorporate ColdFusion with Kendo UI.