CFSnippets.org - Powered By Model-Glue and CF 8

I wanted to dedicate a specific post to the technology/framework that powers my new site CFSnippets.org. In case you haven't noticed just yet (and if you haven't noticed, shame on you, go create an account!), CFSnippets.org is powered by Model-Glue. This was my first full experience with the magic that is MG and I must say I'm hooked. It just all seemed to make sense - and it just 'worked'. I found myself thinking very little about 'what goes where' once I got comfortable with the framework and thinking more about the user experience and the overall flow and look and feel of the site. It's hard to fully explain just how cool it is to finally understand and be able to develop a full application within a framework. My learning curve was a bit steeper seeing as how I decided to also take the time to fully soak up OO design patterns and put them into practice with this site. The end result is something that I'm really proud of - and for once the site is not something that I dread going back into to make a minor change or add a bit of functionality. I know exactly where to go to change/fix something and that's a feeling that I like a whole lot! I'm not completely sold on what my next full blown MG project will be - but I know there will be another one. I still metally waiver on those 'smaller' projects and whether or not the end result will be 'worth' using MG. I know that sounds silly - and again - I can't really explain why I feel that way since it's so darned easy to work with.

So about that user experience that I spoke of earlier. Bits and pieces of the site make use of ColdFusion 8's Ajax features. For example, when you're logged in and viewing libraries you may notice a 'Subscribe' option underneath each library that you can use to subscribe and create your own custom feed. I thought it would be nice to allow you to do this without a page reload so when the link is clicked, an Ajax request is submitted to update your subscription and the link fades out and is replaced by the 'Unsub' link. Subtle, but still pretty cool if you ask me. I also am using <cfwindow> on the site to display the code view of each snippet that you see as you browse a given library. Another small touch that seems to work out nicely.

The initial reaction to the launch has seemed very positive and I'm hoping that the momentum keeps up. I really feel that this can become a valuable asset to the ColdFusion community. If you have any ideas for the site please feel free to let me know.

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