Question

Passing Javascript to ColdFusion variables?

Asked by: RussoMA

I have a parent window, spawning a child window with an onChange open() command to open a separate window when a textbox in a cfinput statement changes...

Parent Window:
<cfinput name="myinput" type="text" onchange="open('insurance.cfm', 'prevWin', 'status,width=640,height=500,scrollbars=yes');">

In the spawned child window ('prevWin') I am performing this onload:

<script language="JavaScript">
<!--
function getsearch() {
myvalue=window.opener.pathdemo.myinput.value;
}
//-->
</script>
<body onLoad="getsearch();">

i am wondering how i can call that "myvalue" into play in a cfquery such that i could do a

SELECT * From searchtable
WHERE searchterm like '%myvalue%'

I have attempted to call: <cfset myvariable = myvalue>  

i only need to know how to reference back to the javascript variable as i am used to only working wtih CF variables, not JS...

time is of the essence on getting this small answer.

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Asked On
2005-10-21 at 13:02:42ID21603595
Tags

javascript

,

coldfusion

,

variable

Topics

ColdFusion Application Server

,

ColdFusion Studio

Participating Experts
5
Points
500
Comments
7

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Answers

 

by: pravinasarPosted on 2005-10-21 at 13:27:07ID: 15135394

You can pass urlquery string

e.g.
<script language="javascript">
function OpenWindow(myValue) {
var urlStr ='insurance.htm?myValue='+myValue;
open(unescape (urlStr), 'prevWin', 'status,width=640,height=500,scrollbars=yes');"
}
</script>

<cfinput name="myinput" type="text" onchange="OpenWindow(this.value);">

Then you can access as


SELECT * From searchtable
WHERE searchterm like #URL.myValue#


 

by: trailblazzyr55Posted on 2005-10-21 at 16:27:02ID: 15136301

well you cannot pass javascript variables to coldfusion directly you have to take a round about way to get javascript vars back into coldfusion.

possible way of doing this is the way pravinasar explained through the URL. (requires submit of page)
Another way is through iFrames. Although you're not directly passing the javascript variables back to CF, you're using javascript to process. and the iFrame to get values using javascript to refence the iFrame.

And the last way is through passing javascript vars to a hidden field, having a submit (can be in the background with a hidden iFrame), and then referencing the form variable in coldfusion.

~trail

 

by: ShytKickerPosted on 2005-10-21 at 22:09:05ID: 15137146

It is simple to explain the relationship between javascript and Coldfusion. The answer is, there is no relationship. One is executed on the server, and the other is executed on the client browser. And once you pass a javascript variable in a URL or an iframe, it is no longer javascript, that is just a URL variable, and then that page or iframe page just sees it as a normal url variable.

Although, we do have AJAX nowadays, I recommend you look into that.

 

by: mrichmonPosted on 2005-10-22 at 10:02:48ID: 15138686

As has been said basically you have 3 steps

Step 1) Cold Fusion can hard code values into the html/javascript that is generated for the page
Step 2) Javascript does any manipulation of the values client side
Step 3) You must submit/post the values back to the server for CF to see them.  This can be done by submitting the form, or by a behind the scenes approach such as iFrames (mentioned above) or using an XMLHTTP post (also called AJAX - also mentioned above)

 

by: RussoMAPosted on 2005-10-24 at 06:13:53ID: 15146200

thanks all... good information for answering this question as well as steering the learning onto other new technologies (i've only recently heard of AJAX in software development magazine, when they talked about some webdev software called Ruby on Rails)... definitely gonna look more into it though.  

Thanks again
-ed

 

by: FIATECHPosted on 2008-04-03 at 14:07:23ID: 21276977

Hi, I'm facing the same problem now, did you ever find a solution using AJAX & CF?

 

by: trailblazzyr55Posted on 2008-04-03 at 16:36:57ID: 21277922

The solution is really within the options that were presented. If you pass variables through the url, then you can access them in coldfusion from the url scope, if you assign values to an html input, be it hidden or otherwise, then you can access those values via the form scope. Both require a page submission because you have to go back to the server so coldfusion can read the values. No matter which way you look at it you always have to make a call to the server where the coldfusion code resides. Now you can make that call in the background through javascript, and with the gaining popularity in AJAX you now have a couple AJAX options for background processing as well. You can also take advantage of some popular javascript libraries that ease the pain of setting up AJAX requests and provide support for JSON as well.

If you're interested in AJAX & CF, or JSON & CF, check out the JQuery javascript library; this is a rather less complicated library to use if you're starting out, everything is pretty straight forward, and I believe they have some documentation available specifically for interacting with CF. Just search for JQuery in your favorite search engine and you'll find it pretty quick. If you want to check out the many other libraries available search for "popular javascript libraries". There are several blogs and articles that list many of the popular libraries available.

-tb55

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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