The onTap Framework

Powerful SOA for ColdFusion

• Struggling to find the time to manage software projects?
• Want a way to get your projects done FAST?
• With the onTap framework, you can work less and achieve more.

The onTap framework is a next-generation Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach to the development of diverse, interoperable software with ColdFusion. The onTap framework promises to make it easier than ever to integrate a widely varied array of rich internet applications (RIA) for your next software project. See the project goals page of our wiki.

Please share the URL for this short survey to help us learn how to improve the framework to best suit the community's needs. This is not just for people using the framework, we want to hear from everyone.

The onTap framework is currently the fastest and easiest way to manage multitenancy in a Software as a Service (SaaS) application, providing tools to support both the centralization of common code (eliminating code duplication) as well as powerful client customization. To understand why you want a highly-customizable multi-tenant architecture (and it's not a question, you DO want it), check out this 2007 blog from Bob Warfield about the business case for multi-tenancy, a 16:1 cost advantage. Here's our own explanation of the Virtual Private Application (VPA) solution for multitenancy.

This quote found in Brian Foote's Pattern Labyrinth exemplifies the onTap framework's lasting goal of eliminating copy-and-paste programming (an important goal not addressed by any other framework for ColdFusion).

The true value of object-oriented techniques as opposed to conventional programming techniques is not that they can do things conventional techniques can't, but that they can often extend behavior by adding new code in cases where conventional techniques would require editing existing code instead. Objects are good because they allow new concepts to be added to a system without modifying previously existing code. Methods are good because they permit adding functionality to a system without modifying previous existing code. Classes are good because they enable using the behavior of one object as part of the behavior of another without modifying previously existing code

— The Treaty of Orlando [Stein et. al. 1988]

We realize this site isn't very impressive yet. We don't have any fancy flash movies to walk you through the features. Soon we hope. :) You can help!

In the mean time, you can download the latest version of the framework, view the documentation or check out these other resources.

• View the framework forum / mailing list on Google groups.
• 8/25/2008 SitePoint interview blog (thanks Kay!)
• CFFrameworks.com interview podcast (thanks Kola & Nick!)
• onTap framework blog on RIAForge - plus many general programming articles and the occasional comment about Asperger Syndrome or other non-programming subjects
• The Wikipedia entry for the onTap framework.
• ColdFusion Developer's Journal (CFDJ) Frameworks Focus Issue article showing a reinvention of the Pet Market application using an older version of the onTap framework.
• Galleon Forum Ports - a biased article from the author of the onTap framework showing why the decision to framework is much more important than the decision which framework. These articles discuss the conversion of Ray Camden's Galleon forums application to five popular frameworks (Mach-II, Model-Glue, ColdBox, 2-flavors of Fusebox and the onTap framework).

If you like what you see, donate to the project. The onTap framework is made possible by your continued support. All donations go toward keeping the project alive and allowing us to present to user groups and conferences, etc.

8/31/2008 Special thanks to Birgit Pauli-Haack for alerting us to a small issue with the latest distribution on ColdFusion 7. The "x" had somehow gone missing from the name of the "xhtml" library on line 74 of the Application.cfc where the framework aggressively loads libraries for ColdFusion 7. This issue didn't affect users on ColdFusion 8 due to the new lazy-loading library feature we recently implemented to improve performance.