Hello - I'm very new to coldfusion and programming for that matter. I'm trying to create a quadratic equation calculator program in Coldfusion. However - I don't know how to take the inputs from a user. I have a simple calculator function for the quadratic equation and have looked up various tutorials on how to take inputs. It appears that maybe I have to do a separate form but how do I pass information from that form into my program? Here's what I've done so far

<cfscript>


    function computeQuadratic(a,b,c) {
        var discriminant1 = (-1 * b) + sqr((b*b) -(4*a*c));

        var discriminant2 = (-1 * b) - sqr((b*b)-(4*a*c));

        var root1 = discriminant1/(2*a)
        var root2 = discriminant2/(2*a)

        writeOutput ("<p> the answer for root1 is #root1#</p>");
        writeOutput ("<p> the answer for root2 is #root2#</p>");

    }  computeQuadratic(3,8,4);

Back up slightly. Submitting forms is an HTML thing, so perhaps best to start getting a proof of concept going there before worrying about the CFML side of things. Even before that... do you have a web server and CFML server set up that servers requests? eg, you can browse to

<http://localhost/some/path/someFile.cfm>

and it... works?

Sort of - I've set up a server through commandbox

OK so the CFML docs will probs explain how to create an HTML form and submit it to another URL and process the results.

if you put this in an index.cfm page and fill in the form, it may help you see how user input is getting used in coldfusion

<cfdump var=#form#>
<form action="index.cfm" method="post">
    <div> Quadratic Formula Calculator</div>
    <div class="calculatorInputs">
        ax^2 + bx + c = 0
        <div>
            <label for="a">a =</label>
            <input name="a" id="a" value="1">
        </div>
        <div>
            <label for="b">b =</label>
            <input name="b" id="b" value="2">
        </div>
        <div>
            <label for="c">c =</label>
            <input name="c" id="c" value="3">
        </div>
    </div>
    
    <input type="submit" value="Calculate" >
</form>

NOTE: this code works because you are creating it as an

index.cfm

page and the form

action

is submitting the form to the

index.cfm

page

(there are docs for form handling here - https://helpx.adobe.com/coldfusion/developing-applications/requesting-and-presenting[…]retrieving-and-formatting-data/using-forms-in-coldfusion.html - but they are terrible and outdated and someone @ Adobe should be shot. So ignore those)

Hey let's not go shooting anyone Adam. Gently scolding will do just nicely.

Can we compromise and gently shoot them?

This is amazing! Thank you so much Adam and Scott!

It'll be way easier to get stuff done with a bit of initial groundwork

@Adam Cameron ok - I'll give that try - thanks for the link

Ping questions here though. I don't mean to suggest "go away and do that". Scott's given you a good start with the code above.

@Amado Since you're already using CommandBox, there is another way to play with CFML from the commandline that does not require a web server or a browser

Oh yeah - this is great!

Nice one 😄