CFGrid Problem Solved!

In my previous post My Adventure with CFGrid, I wrote about troubles I was having meeting some minor last minute client requirements.  In short, they want a cool table with Ajax features like paging, but they also want links in the table in an Actions column that are not Ajax and take the user to a detail page.  Sounds like an odd request for Ajax functionality but what the client wants the client gets.

My initial problem was how to add the links to the Actions column.  This was solved with the help of Ray Camden who suggested using the querySetCell() method to add my link data to the query recordset after the query is executed.  This worked well enough and my manager was impressed.  Something I didn’t pay attention to initially was that the pagesize attribute of cfgrid is ignored when the query attribute is specified.  The client definitely wants paging for larger recordsets, so the solution turned out to be using the bind parameter rather than the query attribute.

Having never used databinding before, I jumped right in and quickly found all sorts of little things that normally work, suddenly didn’t.  None of my APPLICATION or SESSION variables seemed to be available.  Variable not defined was what the error read.  By the way, I highly recommend Firebug for debugging Ajax requests.  The solution was to either hardcode my variables or add hidden form elements and then pass them in my bind parameter to the CFC.  I ended up using both to finally get my awesome looking cfgrid that pages through 10 records at a time and has an Actions column which takes the user to a detail page.

While at CFUnited this I decided to ask around about why my SESSION and APPLICATION variables were coming up undefined when called via the bind parameter.  It was explained to me that bind is accessing the CFC directly rather than as a normal ColdFusion request and that is why they were not available.  This sounds reasonable to me, but I would like to get some confirmation.  So I pose the question to all my fellow CFers out there.  Is this really the case with databinding?

My Adventure With CFGrid

I’m using a cfgrid to display some data returned from a query. Not exactly rocket science, but I’ve managed to run into a bit of difficulty meeting a couple of final client requirements. Let me set up the scene here. First I have a form with several different search criteria, which are independent of each other. Depending on which search criterion is selected, a different grid will display. Each grid will has an Action column with links to another page.

Am I My Brother’s Keeper?

This is a departure for me, but I with all the talk about healthcare reform and all the rumors, lies, and confusion out there, I felt I could get away from programming for a bit to talk about this most important issue.  I hope you’ll bear with me.

I continue to be amazed by those, particularly on the right. You know who I’m talking about. Most of them call themselves Christians. They rail against healthcare reform saying it’s too expensive or that they shouldn’t have to pay for those unfortunate enough to not have coverage. People, we are our brothers’/sisters’ keepers. If we don’t invest in them, who will? Remember the first Christians lived a communal life. We read in Acts 4:32-37 that they sold their possessions and share the proceeds so that no one among them was wanting for anything. I for one believe that in the greatest country in the world, with all our advances and resources, every American, even the least among us, is entitled to basic healthcare at the very least. We don’t get ahead at the expense of others. We move forward together or not at all. If we don’t invest in our own people, we have wasted our most precious resource. Reform will cost money, a lot of it. There’s no doubt about that. But I believe it is money well spent. I am fortunate enough to have health insurance that provides for me and my family. I don’t worry when my child gets sick or if I should suddenly develop a heart condition. I have absolutely no problem paying more in taxes, whatever the cost, so that the uninsured may have the same peace of mind. I do however worry that if I should become too sick, that my insurance provider could simply drop me, making care much more difficult to get. Again I have no problem paying more, whatever the cost, if it takes that worry away. People need to get over themselves. Our taxes go for programs and purposes we disagree with every single day. That will never stop. I think we can all agree that it is absolutely ridiculous that the greatest country on earth can’t be a leader in healthcare even though we have the most advanced medical technology and pharmaceutical research, the best medicines and doctors. It’s time we start acting like the leader that we are.