A Fusebox Glossary

Adalon: a tool for visually architecting Fusebox applications. (www.synthis.com)

circuit: a directory in which the FBX_Switch.cfm file handles related fuseactions. For example, a ShoppingCart circuit might handle such fuseactions as addItem, removeItem, and display. Usually, the fuses that fulfill a circuit's fuseactions are physically located in the same circuit.

circuit alias: the unique name given to each circuit in a Fusebox application. Circuit aliases allow for uniquely identifying circuits that have the same name such as MyApp/Users and MyApp/Admin/Users. In a compound fuseaction, the first portion of the fuseaction is the circuit alias (e.g. in Cart.addItem, Cart refers to the circuit alias).

compound fuseaction: a distinction made between Fusebox 2-style fuseactions (e.g. addItemToCart) and Fusebox 3-style fuseactions, which are made up (compounded) of a circuit alias and a fuseaction request, separated by dot notation (e.g. Cart.addItem).

core files: files that create the foundation of a Fusebox application. They include:
FBX_Fusebox30_CFnn.cfm (where nn refers to the version of the ColdFusion server to be used).
FBX_Circuits.cfm
FBX_Settings.cfm
FBX_Layouts.cfm
FBX_Switch.cfm
FBX_SaveContent.cfm

DevNotes: (part of FLiP) a simple threaded messaging system that sits at the bottom of each prototype page and lets users and developers converse about the project.

FLiP (Fusebox Lifecycle Process): a methodology often used with Fusebox applications that stresses the use of wireframes, prototypes, DevNotes, test harnesses, and QuerySims. FLiP is not covered in this book.

fuse: a code file, typically small, discrete and well-focused in its scope. Fuses are the means of carrying out fuseactions.

fuseaction: a request made of a Fusebox application to perform an action. Similar to a method in object-oriented frameworks.

fuseaction path: the list of circuits traversed from the home circuit to the target circuit. An example would be MyApp/Admin/Users (assuming that the compound fuseaction was Users.something.

fuseaction request: in a compound fuseaction, the second portion of the fuseaction is called the fuseaction request (e.g. in Cart.addItem, addItem refers to the fuseaction request).

Fusebox: an architectural framework for building web applications implemented by a set of core files available from www.fusebox.org.

Fusebox API: the variables provided by a Fusebox application, such as Fusebox.isCustomTag and Fusebox.fuseaction.

Fusedoc: a documentation system for each fuse that provides a "work order" for a fuse, detailing its responsibilities and input/output variables.

home circuit: the top level circuit to which all fuseactions are directed; the first item in the fuseaction path (e.g. MyApp in the fuseaction path MyApp/Admin/Users).

prototype: an exact replica of what will become the finished application that is written prior to any architecting or coding. Its purpose is to provide a method of communicating with clients and among developers to determine the full scope of the application to be built.

nested circuits: circuits that physically reside underneath other circuits, such as Admin/Users. These are often used to model parent-child relationships.

nested layouts: a system for applying circuit-wide processing of code run after any fuses are executed; often used to create header/footers, global navigation, etc.

QuerySim: a custom tag that returns a recordset. Useful in writing and testing code before database queries are complete.

self: variable given to the default page in a Fusebox application; a shortcut that is equivalent to the value of cgi.script_name. Used when referring back to the fusebox: <form action="#self#?fuseaction=#XFA.submitForm#">

target circuit: the final circuit charged with handling the fuseaction request; the last item in the fuseaction path (e.g. Users in the fuseaction path MyApp/Admin/Users).

test harness: (used in FLiP) the use of a separate file that sets the variables (and otherwise creates the environment) needed to unit test a single fuse.

the fusebox: the application viewed as a single entity that executes fuseactions.

wireframe: (used in FLiP) a simple, text-only clickable representation of the application used at the beginning of the FLiP process.

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XFAs (exit fuseactions): variables provided to a fuse that replace hard-coded values for possible fuseactions. For example, these hard-coded values that might be found in a menu of choices...
<a href="index.cfm?fuseaction=Cart.display">View Cart</a>
<a href="index.cfm?fuseaction=Products.new">New items</a>
<a href="index.cfm?fuseaction=Account.edit">Edit your account</a>

…would be replaced by XFAs:
<a href="index.cfm?fuseaction=#XFA.viewCart#">View Cart</a>
<a href="index.cfm?fuseaction=#XFA.newStuff#">New items</a>
<a href="index.cfm?fuseaction=#XFA.editAccount#">Edit your account</a>
XFAs are resolved at runtime.