Underlying Java Methods for ColdFusion Data Types

Every now and then in blog posts I'll see people using Java methods rather than ColdFusion functions in their code examples. For instance, they might use <cfset users.add("Tony") /> rather than the typical <cfset arrayAppend(users, "Tony") />. I never gave it much thought before, since I didn't know what all was available. Today I decided to spend a little time playing around with the underlying Java methods available for different ColdFusion data types. I came up with the following script that shows all the available methods.

<cfset dataTypes = {} />
<cfset dataTypes["array"] = [] />
<cfset dataTypes["boolean"] = true />
<cfset dataTypes["date"] = now() />
<cfset dataTypes["integer"] = 1 />
<cfset dataTypes["numeric"] = 1.5 />
<cfset dataTypes["query"] = queryNew("id") />
<cfset dataTypes["string"] = "" />
<cfset dataTypes["struct"] = {} />

<cfset metaData = {} />

<cfloop collection="#dataTypes#" item="dataType">
 
 <cfset metaData[dataType] = {} />
 <cfset metaData[dataType].class = dataTypes[dataType].getClass().toString() />
 <cfset metaData[dataType].methods = {} />
 
 <cfset classMethods = dataTypes[dataType].getClass().getMethods() />

 <cfloop array="#classMethods#" index="classMethod">
   
  <cfset method = {} />
  <cfset method.string = classMethod.toString() />
  <cfset method.name = listLast(listFirst(method.string, "("), ".")/>
  
  <cfset method.parameters = listToArray(listFirst(listLast(method.string, "("), ")")) />
  
  <cfloop from="1" to="#arrayLen(method.parameters)#" index="i">  
   <cfset method.parameters[i] = listLast(method.parameters[i], ".") />  
  </cfloop>
  
  <cfset method.returnType = listToArray(listFirst(method.string, "("), " ") />
  <cfset method.returnType = listLast(method.returnType[arrayLen(method.returnType)-1], ".") />
  
  <cfset metaData[dataType].methods[method.name & "(" & arrayToList(method.parameters) & ")"] = method />

 </cfloop>
 
</cfloop>

If you were to <cfdump var="#metaData#" />, you'd get something that looks like this:



I haven't spent too much time playing around with all methods, but let's take a look at a couple examples:

Check to see if a start date is before an end date:

<cfset startDate = now() />
<cfset endDate = dateAdd("d", 1, startDate) />

<cfif dateCompare(startDate, endDate) eq -1>
 The start date is before the end date.
<cfelse>
 The start date is not before the end date.
</cfif>

Same thing, but using Java:

<cfset startDate = now() />
<cfset endDate = dateAdd("d", 1, startDate) />

<cfif startDate.before(endDate)>
 The start date is before the end date.
<cfelse>
 The start date is not before the end date.
</cfif>

Check to see if a name ends with "Nelson":

<cfset name = "Tony Nelson" />

<cfif right(name, 6) eq "Nelson">
 The name ends with "Nelson".
<cfelse>
 The name does not end with "Nelson".
</cfif>

Same thing, but using Java:

<cfset name = "Tony Nelson" />

<cfif name.endsWith("Nelson")>
 The name ends with "Nelson".
<cfelse>
 The name does not end with "Nelson".
</cfif>

Get the number of elements in a struct:

<cfset states = {} />
<cfset states["MN"] = "Minnesota" />
<cfset states["ND"] = "North Dakota" />

<cfoutput>
 #structCount(states)#
</cfoutput>

Same thing, but using Java:

<cfset states = {} />
<cfset states["MN"] = "Minnesota" />
<cfset states["ND"] = "North Dakota" />

<cfoutput>
 #states.size()#
</cfoutput>

Append the items of one array onto another array:

<cfset states = [] />
<cfset states[1] = "Minnesota" />
<cfset states[2] = "North Dakota" />

<cfset newStates = [] />
<cfset newStates[1] = "South Dakota" />

<cfloop array="#newStates#" index="state">
 <cfset arrayAppend(states, state) />
</cfloop>

Same thing, but using Java:

<cfset states = [] />
<cfset states[1] = "Minnesota" />
<cfset states[2] = "North Dakota" />

<cfset newStates = [] />
<cfset newStates[1] = "South Dakota" />

<cfset states.addAll(newStates) />

Granted the differences are all pretty minor, yet the Java examples all read better to me.