LightFront

UPDATE 9/24/2010: Framework updated to the latest version, 0.4.7, and the skeleton app Application.cfc has been trimmed down to the bare minimum: 38 lines.

LightFront is designed to be a basic MVC framework that will support both new development and legacy applications.

It's all centered around a single CFC that's only 364 lines!

Here's a few links to get you started:

http://groups.google.com/group/lightfront/ (invitations must be requested; if you want in, you have to prove you're not a bot).

LightFront's SVN repository is hosted at:

http://svn.lightfront.org/svn/lightfront/

Interested? Read on...

Download it, take the skeleton application, and you should be up and running with a skeleton LightFront app in a few minutes.

If you've looked at FW/1, you'll find LightFront very similar in a lot of ways, but there are a few things that makes LightFront even simpler than FW/1.

LightFront is a pragmatic framework. It was designed to allow you to transition an existing application to LightFront, and move to a CFC controller-style architecture gradually if needed.

You can call views directly, so it will support old style standalone templates. In fact, as such, you don't need a controller for everything, as if it can't find a controller for the event, it will check to see if there's a view corresponding to that event. This is great if you need to support a lot of static content... you don't need the extra plumbing if the application doesn't need it.

It also can use a procedural switch file, a la Fusebox 2 and 3, as a controller. This gives you a lot of flexibility, and helps you reuse code that might be written in a different style but does its job. That also helps you transition into CFC controller-based applications.

LightFront plays nicely with IOC and ORM frameworks, and even with other controller frameworks, if needed, but it doesn't support them directly.

LightFront is one of the simplest frameworks ever made for CFML. There are only a few functions you need to learn to use the framework effectively:

callAction()
loadAction() (loads the action to the request scope)
displayView()
initService()
initComponent()
relocate()
getSetting()
link()

The intention is to KEEP IT SIMPLE, and to not let LightFront expand beyond its current simplicity. It's a basic framework that can do most of what you need, with a short learning curve and not a lot of complexity. Even novice CFML developers can learn LightFront quickly and use it effectively.

LightFront is now PRODUCTION TESTED!!!

The code you'll see at test.lightfront.org is what's in the zip file and the repository.

Update! New release is 0.4.7. Current revision is at least 0.4.7.67. All of the applications have been updated to 0.4.7. By popular demand, we've moved lightfront.cfc to the same folder as your Application.cfc. Classes are now called controllers, and methods and events are now called actions. A README file is included, as well as four sample applications (and one more on the way).

At 0.4.7 and with the recent production work, I officially declare LightFront production worthy. Documentation and videos are coming.

Recent blog entries:
http://www.brianmeloche.com/blog/index.cfm/2009/10/7/LightFront-The-incredibly-simple--approachable-MVC-Framework-for-ColdFusion

http://www.brianmeloche.com/blog/index.cfm/2010/5/10/LightFront-044-has-been-released-and-my-CFObjective-talk

New Getting Started video posted here:

http://www.brianmeloche.com/blog/index.cfm/2010/5/13/LightFront--New-Video-Series--Getting-Started-with-LightFront

LightFront on the CFMeetup - recorded Thursday, November 5, 2009:
http://experts.na3.acrobat.com/p15958860/

Also mentioned a lot in my OO ColdFusion meetup, recorded June 3, 2010:

http://experts.na3.acrobat.com/p93791252/