ColdMVC: Plugins

Plugins are custom functions that are available to your views and layouts that help keep your presentation layer clean. Plugins are defined using a simple .cfm file that maps a plugin name to a method on either a helper or a bean defined within ColdSpring.

When you first create an application using ColdMVC, you'll already have access to a standard set of plugins, defined inside /coldmvc/config/plugins.cfm. The most prominent plugin is the linkTo() method that builds URLs for your views.

When ColdMVC loads, it will load any plugins that are found inside your application's /app/config/plugins.cfm, then any plugins inside /coldmvc/config/plugins.cfm. If you would like to override one of ColdMVC's plugins, simply define your own plugin with the same name as the ColdMVC plugin.

While your views and layouts still have access to all of your application's helpers, it is recommended to use plugins rather than the helpers. Even though they will generate the exact same HTML, #linkTo({controller="post", action="list"})# reads a lot better than #$.link.to({controller="post", action="list"})#.