What libraries are out there in Java/J2EE and .NET for Coldfusion?

Question

I have always been doing web applications in coldfusion, and not long ago, I needed to generate bar codes for a particular web app, so I searched and one of the results was:

http://ricardo.parente.us/2008/09/printing-barcode-from-coldfusion/

In this solution, coldfusion utilizes Java's barbecue library to generate barcodes

In coldfusions documentation, I have always been reading things like:

ColdFusion is built on a J2EE-compliant Java technology platform. This lets ColdFusion applications take advantage of, and integrate with, J2EE elements. ColdFusion pages can do any of the following:

• Include JavaScript and client-side Java applets on the page.
• Use JSP tags.
• Interoperate with JSP pages.
• Use Java servlets.
• Use Java objects, including JavaBeans and Enterprise JavaBeans.

Or

ColdFusion lets you access and use Microsoft .NET assembly classes as CFML objects. CFML applications can use .NET assemblies in the following ways:

• Directly access and control Microsoft products, such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
• Use existing .NET components.
• Use .NET assemblies that you create to leverage features that are difficult to use or not available in ColdFusion or Java.

The .NET classes that your application uses do not have to be local; your ColdFusion application can access .NET components that are located on remote systems, even systems that are located outside your firewall. Also, the ColdFusion system does not require .NET run-time software installed to use remote .NET components, so ColdFusion running on a UNIX, Linux, Solaris, or OS-X system can access and use .NET assemblies.

It did not dawn on me what all this really meant until I found the tutorial on barbecue. I saw that it is like there are other whole worlds of possibilities out there.

I would like to know what other libraries are out there in the Jave/J2EE & .NET platforms that be handy in web application development, just as the barbecue lib was?

You can post any that you found useful, Greatly Appreciated!

Answer 1

We make extensive use of the Apache POI library to generate Excel files.

Answer 2

In terms of J2EE - lots of libraries have been useful to us. For example:

• EHCache (prior to CF9's implementation)
• GeoIP (for IP resolution)
• Cryptography (use of a JCE for integrating with a HSM)

Also: We make extensive use of 3rd party software, and often this software has an API in Java or examples in Java. We can use that right away in ColdFusion - often just by dropping a .jar file into the CF classpath.

Very powerful stuff - it's a whole other world of usefulness :-P

Answer 3

http://github.com/notnoop/java-apns for Apple Push Notification

http://www.coldfusionjedi.com/index.cfm/2010/9/13/Guest-Post-Apple-Push-Notifications-From-ColdFusion-in-Ten-Minutes-or-Less