Refactoring ColdBox
Introduction
This guide will show you how to refactor the ColdBox codebase in order for you to embed it in a distributable application or just install in another non-standard installation. In order to proceed with this guide you will need the following:
- Latest ColdBox source code
- CFEclipse, Adobe ColdFusion Builder, or any IDE that supports FIND/REPLACE
- Apache ANT
Guide 1: ANT via Eclipse
The ColdBox installation folder contains a file called refactor.xml. This file is an ANT task for use in refactoring the ColdBox source code. You should have a directory layout like the one shown below after downloading and extracting the latest ColdBox release:
In this sample, ColdBox has been downloaded and extracted onto the desktop, in a directory called coldbox. Once you have the coldbox folder, it's time to fire up Eclipse and create a new project. To do so, click on File > New > Project > CFEclipse > CFML Project
After selecting the CFML Project, choose a name for the project; in this sample it will be called ColdBoxRefactoring. Then select the location of the coldbox directory (on the desktop) and click on Finish.
The project is created and you can see it in your project explorer. The next step is to open the refactor.xml file and refer to the following screenshot, which describes two properties:
- coldbox.system_path : The location of the system folder
- coldbox.destination : Where to place the refactored code
Now, you will need to change the properties to your liking. I mostly just change the coldbox.system_path to: ${basedir}\system which matches what you downloaded. You should have something similar to the screenshot below:
The next step is to actually execute the refactoring.xml ANT Task. To do this, open the install folder and right click on the refactor.xml file. A context menu will appear with tons of options, look for the one called Run As > Ant Build Look below:
Once you click on the Ant Build, the task will execute and you will get a popup similar to the one below. In this popup, fill out the new prefix of the ColdBox path. The default one is coldbox.system, and lets say that I want the new location of the framework to be on a folder called frameworks off my root and in a directory called coldbox_2_0. Then I would type: frameworks.coldbox_2_0
Do not add a final . this is appended automatically.
After you click ok, then you will be asked for the absolute path of the new location. In my case I enter: /frameworks/coldbox_3_0
Once you click the final OK, the ant task will execute and you will see the following output on the eclipse console:
This means the task executed correctly and you are ready to use the refactored code. The final screenshot below shows you the refactored system folder in the install directory and a code snapshot of some changes. ENJOY
Guide 2: Search and Replace
This guide is just a basic use of search and replace features of your favorite IDE, either Eclipse, Dreamweaver, or whatever. All you need to do is the following:
- Search for coldbox.system and replace it with {Your Prefix}.coldbox.system
- Search for /coldbox/system and replace it with /{Your Prefix}/coldbox/system
Enjoy your refactored ColdBox recipe!
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