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cfcontent

Last updated on Dec 4, 2025 | Also applies to ColdFusion

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CFML Reference User Guide
ColdFusion functions
ColdFusion tags
1. ColdFusion tag summary
2. ColdFusion tags by category
  1. Application framework tags
    1. cfapplication
    2. cfassociate
    3. cferror
    4. cfimport
    5. cfinterface
    6. cflock
    7. cfscript
    8. cfthread
  2. Communications tags
  3. Database manipulation tags
  4. Data output tags
    1. cfchart
    1. cfchartdata
    2. cfchartseries
    3. cfchartset
    4. cfcol
    5. cfcontent
    6. cfdocument
    7. cfdocumentitem
    8. cfdocumentsection
    9. cfflush
    10. cfheader
    11. cflog
    12. cfoutput
    13. cfpresentation
    14. cfpresentationslide
    15. cfpresenter
    16. cfprocessingdirective
    17. cfprint
    18. cfreport
    19. cfreportparam
    20. cfsilent
    21. cftable
  5. Debugging tags
    1. cfdump
    2. cftimer
    3. cftrace
  6. Exception handling tags
    1. cfcatch
    2. cferror
    3. cffinally
    4. cfrethrow
    5. cfthrow
    6. cftry
  7. Extensibility tags
    1. cfchart
    2. cfchartdata
    3. cfchartseries
    4. cfcollection
    5. cfcomponent
    6. cfexecute
    7. cfftp
    8. function
    9. cfindex
    10. cfinterface
    11. cfinvoke
    12. cfinvokeargument
    13. cfobject
    14. cfproperty
    15. cfreport
    16. cfreportparam
    17. cfreturn
    18. cfsearch
    19. cfsharepoint
    20. cfspreadsheet
    21. cfwddx
    22. cfxml
  8. File management tags
    1. cfdirectory
    2. cffile
    3. cffileupload
    4. cfftp
    5. cfzip
    6. cfzipparam
  9. Flow-control tags
    1. cfabort
    2. cfbreak
    3. cfcase
    4. cfcontinue
    5. cfdefaultcase
    6. cfelse
    7. cfelseif
    8. cfexecute
    9. cfexit
    10. cfif
    11. cfinclude
    12. cflocation
    13. cfloop
    14. cfrethrow
    15. cfswitch
    16. cfthrow
    17. cftry
  10. Forms tags
    1. cfapplet
    2. cfcalendar
    3. cffileupload
    4. cfform
    5. cfformgroup
    6. cfformitem
    7. cfgrid
    8. cfgridcolumn
    9. cfgridrow
    10. cfgridupdate
    11. cfinput
    12. cfpdf
    13. cfpdfform
    14. cfpdfformparam
    15. cfpdfparam
    16. cfpdfsubform
    17. cfselect
    18. cfslider
    19. cftextarea
    20. cftree
    21. cftreeitem
  11. Internet Protocol tags
    1. cfajaximport
    2. cfajaxproxy
    3. cfftp
    4. cffeed
    5. cfimap
    6. cfhttp
    7. cfhttpparam
    8. cfldap
    9. cfmail
    10. cfmailparam
    11. cfmailpart
    12. cfpop
    13. cfsprydataset
  12. Page processing tags
    1. cfcache
    2. cfcontent
    3. cfflush
    4. cfheader
    5. cfhtmlhead
    6. cfinclude
    7. cfprocessingdirective
    8. cfsetting
    9. cfsilent
  13. Security tags
  14. Variable manipulation tags
    1. cfcookie
    2. cfdump
    3. cfparam
    4. cfregistry
    5. cfsavecontent
    6. cfschedule
    7. cfset
    8. cfsetting
  15. Other tags
    1. cfimage
    2. cflog
    3. cfregistry
3. Tags a-b
4. Tags c
5. Tags f
6. Tags g-h
  1. cfgraph
  2. cfgraphdata
  3. cfgrid
  4. cfgridcolumn
  5. cfgridrow
  6. cfgridupdate
  7. cfheader
  8. cfhtmlhead
  9. cfhtmltopdf
  10. cfhtmltopdfitem
  11. cfhttp
  12. cfhttpparam
7. Tags i
  1. cfif
  2. cfimage
  3. cfimap
  4. cfimapfilter
  5. cfimpersonate
  6. cfimport
  7. cfinclude
  8. cfindex
  9. cfinput
  10. cfinsert
  11. cfinterface
  12. cfinvoke
  13. cfinvokeargument
8. Tags j-l
9. Tags m-o
10. Tags p-q
  1. cfparam
  2. cfpdf
  3. cfpdfform
  4. cfpdfformparam
  5. cfpdfparam
  6. cfpdfsubform
  7. cfpod
  8. cfpop
  9. cfpresentation
  10. cfpresentationslide
  11. cfpresenter
  12. cfprint
  13. cfprocessingdirective
  14. cfprocparam
  15. cfprocresult
  16. cfprogressbar
  17. cfproperty
  18. cfquery
  19. cfqueryparam
11. Tags r-s
  1. cfregistry
  2. cfreport
  3. cfreportparam
  4. cfrethrow
  5. cfreturn
  6. cfsavecontent
  7. cfschedule
  8. cfscript
  9. cfsearch
  10. cfselect
  11. cfservlet
  12. cfservletparam
  13. cfset
  14. cfsetting
  15. cfsharepoint
  16. cfsilent
  17. cfslider
  18. cfspreadsheet
  19. cfsprydataset
  20. cfstoredproc
  21. cfswitch
12. Tags t
  1. cftable
  2. cftextarea
  3. cftextinput
  4. cfthread
  5. cfthrow
  6. cftimer
  7. cftooltip
  8. cftrace
  9. cftransaction
  10. cftree
  11. cftreeitem
  12. cftry
13. Tags u-z
  1. cfupdate
  2. cfwddx
  3. cfwebsocket
  4. cfwindow
  5. cfxml
  6. cfzip
  7. cfzipparam
CFML Reference
1. Reserved words and variables
2. Ajax JavaScript functions
3. ColdFusion ActionScript functions
4. ColdFusion mobile functions
5. Application.cfc reference
6. Script functions implemented as CFCs
7. ColdFusion Flash Form style reference
8. ColdFusion event gateway reference
9. ColdFusion C++ CFX Reference
10. ColdFusion Java CFX reference
11. WDDX JavaScript Objects
Cloud services

Description

Does either or both of the following:

Sets the MIME content encoding header for the current page; if the encoding information includes a character encoding, sets the character encoding of generated output.
Sends the contents of a file, or of a variable that contains binary data, as the page output.
To restrict this tag, use the settings in the ColdFusion Administrator > Security > Sandbox Security. For more information, see the Administrator online Help.

Syntax

<cfcontent 
deleteFile = "yes|no" 
file = "filename" 
reset = "yes|no" 
type = "file type" 
variable = "variable name">

You can specify this tag's attributes in an attributeCollection attribute whose value is a structure. Specify the structure name in the attributeCollection attribute and use the tag's attribute names as structure keys.

History

ColdFusion 8: Changed the behavior of the tag if the type attribute is not specified and the file attribute is specified. Previously, ColdFusion assumed a default file type of text/html. Now, ColdFusion attempts to get the content type from the file.ColdFusion MX 7: Added the variable attribute.

Attributes

Attribute

Req/Opt

Default

Description

deleteFile

Optional

Applies only if you specify a file with the file attribute.

yes: deletes the file on the server after sending its contents to the client.
no: leaves the file on the server.

file

Optional

Name of an on-disk or in-memory file whose contents provide the page output. The filename must start with a drive letter and a colon, or a forward or backward slash. When using ColdFusion in a distributed configuration, the file attribute must refer to a path on the system on which the web server runs. When you use this attribute, any other output on the current CFML page is ignored; only the contents of the file are sent to the client.

reset

Optional

yes

If you specify a file or variable attribute, this attribute has no effect; otherwise, it does the following:

yes: discards output that precedes call to cfcontent. In this case, clears the entire headers and body up to that point.
no: preserves output that precedes call to cfcontent. In this case, all output is sent with the specified type.

type

Optional

The MIME content type of the page, optionally followed by a semicolon and the character encoding. By default, ColdFusion sends pages as text/html content type in the UTF-8 character encoding. However, if the file attribute is specified, ColdFusion attempts to get the content type from the file.
The content type determines how the browser or client interprets the page contents.
The following are some of the content type values that you can use:

text/html
text/plain
application/x-shockwave-flash
application/msword
image/jpeg
The following list includes commonly used character encoding values:
utf-8
iso-8859-1
windows-1252
us-ascii
shift_jis
iso-2022-jp
euc-jp
euc-kr
big5
euc-cn
utf-16
For example:

{{type = "text/html"}}
{{type = "text/html; charset}}{{=}}{{ISO-8859-1}}{{"}}

variable

Optional

Name of a ColdFusion binary variable whose contents can be displayed by the browser, such as the contents of a chart generated by the cfchart tag or a PDF or Excel file retrieved by a cffile action="readBinary" tag. When you use this attribute, any other output on the current CFML page is ignored; only the contents of the file are sent to the client.

Usage

To set the character encoding (character set) of generated output, including the page HTML, use code such as the following:

When ColdFusion processes an HTTP request, it determines the character encoding to use for the data it returns in the HTTP response. By default, ColdFusion returns character data using the Unicode UTF-8 format, regardless of the value of an HTML meta tag in the page. You can use the cfcontent tag to override the default character encoding of the response. For example, to tell ColdFusion to return the page using Japanese EUC character encoding, use the type attribute, as follows:

If you call the cfcontent tag from a custom tag, and you do not want the tag to discard the current page when it is called from another application or custom tag, set reset = "no".
If a file delete operation is unsuccessful, ColdFusion throws an error.Do not use this tag after the cfflush tag on a page, it has no effect or ColdFusion throws an error. The following tag can force most browsers to display a dialog box that asks users whether they want to save the contents of the file specified by the cfcontent tag using the filename specified by the filename value. If the user selects to open the file, most browsers open the file in the related application, not the browser window.

Some file types, such as PDF documents, do not use executable code and can display directly in most browsers. To request the browser to display the file directly, use a cfheader tag similar to the following:

You can use any value for the filename part of the filename attribute, but the ext part must be the standard Windows extension for the file type. For file types that might contain executable code, such as Microsoft Excel documents, most browsers always ask before opening the document. For these file types, the inline content disposition specification requests the browser to display the file directly if the user selects to open the file.
For more information on character encodings, see the following web pages:

The page at www.w3.org/International/O-charset.en.html provides general information on character encodings and the web, and has several useful links.
The page at www.iana.org/assignments/character-sets is a complete list of character sets names used on the Internet, maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.
ColdFusion uses the Java JCE for encoding support. The page at http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/technotes/guides/intl/encoding.doc.html lists the character encodings that JCE 6, and therefore ColdFusion, can interpret. This list uses Java internal names, not the IANA character encoding names that you use in the SetEncoding charset parameter and other ColdFusion attributes and parameters.
For a complete list of media types used on the Internet, see www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/.

When using cfabort, cflocation, or cfcontent tags, the OnAbort method is invoked instead on OnRequestEnd.

Example

<!--- CFCONTENT Example 1 
This example shows the use of cfcontent to return the contents of the CF 
Documentation page dynamically to the browser. You might need to change the 
path and/or drive letter depending on how ColdFusion is installed on your 
system. Notice that the graphics do not display and the hyperlinks do not work, 
because the html page uses relative filename references. 
The root of the reference is the ColdFusion page, not the location of the 
html page. ---> 

<cfcontent type = "text/html" 
file = "C:\ColdFusion9\wwwroot\cfdocs\dochome.htm" 
deleteFile = "no"> 

<!--- CFCONTENT Example 2 
This example shows how the Reset attribute changes text output. Notice how the 
first text section ("This example shows how the Reset attribute changes output 
for text reset = "Yes":123) does NOT print out to the screen. ---> 

<p>This example shows how the Reset attribute changes output for text.</p> 
<p>reset = "Yes": 123 <BR> <cfcontent type = "text/html" reset = "Yes">456</p> 
<p>This example shows how the Reset attribute changes output for text.</p> 
<p>reset = "No": 123 <BR> <cfcontent type = "text/html" reset = "No">456</p> 
<!--- CFCONTENT Example 3 
This example triggers a download of an Excel file. The user is prompted with an option to save the file or open it in the browser. ---> 

<cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="inline; filename=acmesales03.xls"> 
<cfcontent type="application/vnd.ms-excel" file="c:\temp\acmesales03.xls"> 

<!--- CFCONTENT Example 4 
This example triggers a download of a Word document then deletes the original from the "temp" directory. The user is prompted with an option to save the file or open it in the browser. ---> 

<cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="inline; filename=temp.doc"> 
<cfcontent type="application/msword" file="c:\temp\Cable.doc" deletefile="yes"> 

<!--- CFCONTENT Example 5 
This example causes the browser to treat the HTML table as Excel data. 
Excel interprets the table format. 
Because Excel can include executable code, the browser prompts the user whether 
to save the file or open it in a browser. ---> 

<cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="inline; filename=acmesalesQ1.xls"> 
<cfcontent type="application/vnd.msexcel"> 

<table border="2"> 
<tr><td>Month</td><td>Quantity</td><td>$ Sales</td></tr> 
<tr><td>January</td><td>80</td><td >$245</td></tr> 
<tr><td>February</td><td>100</td><td>$699</td></tr> 
<tr><td>March</td><td>230</td><td >$2036</td></tr> 
<tr><td>Total</td><td>=Sum(B2..B4)</td><td>=Sum(C2..C4)</td></tr> 
</table>

Real-world uses of the cfcontent tag

Secure document download system

Enterprise organizations need to provide secure access to confidential documents such as employee contracts, financial reports, and legal agreements. Users must be able to download these documents only after authentication and authorization checks, with complete audit logging of who accessed what documents and when.

Problem statement

Direct file links expose confidential documents to unauthorized access via URL manipulation
No way to track who downloaded which documents and when for compliance audits
File paths revealed in URLs create security vulnerabilities and information disclosure
Cannot enforce document access policies or permissions at download time
Inability to set proper filenames causes confusion when users save generic-named files

Solution

The cfcontent tag implements a secure document delivery system that validates user permissions before serving files, uses cfcontent to deliver documents stored outside the publicly accessible web root, sets user-friendly filenames via Content-Disposition headers, and logs all download activity with timestamps and user information for complete audit trails.

<cfset documentLibrary = {
    "EMP001" = {name = "Employment_Contract_2024.pdf", type = "application/pdf", size = "245 KB"},
    "FIN002" = {name = "Q4_Financial_Report.pdf", type = "application/pdf", size = "1.2 MB"},
    "POL003" = {name = "Company_Policy_Handbook.pdf", type = "application/pdf", size = "890 KB"},
    "INV004" = {name = "Annual_Invoice_Summary.xlsx", type = "application/vnd.ms-excel", size = "156 KB"}
}>

<!--- Simulated user session --->
<cfset session.userId = "USER" & randRange(1000, 9999)>
<cfset session.userName = "John Doe">
<cfset session.userRole = "Employee">
<cfset session.isAuthenticated = true>

<!--- Download audit log --->
<cfset downloadLog = []>

<!--- Handle download request --->
<cfif structKeyExists(url, "docId") AND structKeyExists(url, "action") AND url.action EQ "download">
    <cftry>
        <!--- Security: Verify authentication --->
        <cfif NOT session.isAuthenticated>
            <cfheader statuscode="401">
            <cfoutput>
                <h1>Access Denied</h1>
                <p>You must be logged in to download documents.</p>
            </cfoutput>
            <cfabort>
        </cfif>
        
        <!--- Validate document ID --->
        <cfif NOT structKeyExists(documentLibrary, url.docId)>
            <cfheader statuscode="404">
            <cfoutput>
                <h1>Document Not Found</h1>
                <p>The requested document does not exist.</p>
            </cfoutput>
            <cfabort>
        </cfif>
        
        <!--- Get document info --->
        <cfset doc = documentLibrary[url.docId]>
        
        <!--- Log download attempt --->
        <cfset auditEntry = {
            timestamp = now(),
            userId = session.userId,
            userName = session.userName,
            documentId = url.docId,
            documentName = doc.name,
            ipAddress = "192.168.1.100",
            status = "SUCCESS"
        }>
        <cfset arrayAppend(downloadLog, auditEntry)>
        
        <!--- For CFFiddle demo: Simulate file download with message --->
        <!--- In production, this would serve the actual file:
        <cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="attachment; filename=#doc.name#">
        <cfcontent type="#doc.type#" file="c:\secure_docs\#doc.name#">
        --->
        
        <!--- CFFiddle-compatible demonstration --->
        <cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="attachment; filename=#doc.name#">
        <cfcontent type="text/plain" reset="yes">
        <cfoutput>
Document Download Simulated
===========================

Document: #doc.name#
Type: #doc.type#
Size: #doc.size#
Downloaded by: #session.userName# (ID: #session.userId#)
Download Time: #dateTimeFormat(now(), "yyyy-mm-dd HH:nn:ss")#

In production, this would deliver the actual file content.
The file would be served from a secure location outside the web root.

Audit Trail:
- User authenticated: YES
- Permission verified: YES
- Download logged: YES
- IP Address: #auditEntry.ipAddress#
        </cfoutput>
        <cfabort>
        
    <cfcatch type="any">
        <!--- Log error --->
        <cfset errorEntry = {
            timestamp = now(),
            userId = session.userId,
            documentId = url.docId,
            error = cfcatch.message,
            status = "FAILED"
        }>
        <cfset arrayAppend(downloadLog, errorEntry)>
        
        <cfheader statuscode="500">
        <cfoutput>
            <h1>Download Error</h1>
            <p>An error occurred while processing your download request.</p>
            <p>Error: #cfcatch.message#</p>
        </cfoutput>
        <cfabort>
    </cfcatch>
    </cftry>
</cfif>

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Secure Document Library</title>
    <style>
        * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; }
        body { font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; 
               background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%); 
               min-height: 100vh; padding: 20px; }
        .container { max-width: 900px; margin: 0 auto; }
        .header { background: white; padding: 30px; border-radius: 15px 15px 0 0; 
                  box-shadow: 0 -5px 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.1); }
        .header h1 { color: #2c3e50; margin-bottom: 10px; }
        .user-info { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 15px; padding: 15px; 
                     background: #f8f9fa; border-radius: 8px; margin-top: 15px; }
        .user-avatar { width: 50px; height: 50px; border-radius: 50%; 
                       background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%); 
                       display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; 
                       color: white; font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; }
        .document-list { background: white; padding: 30px; border-radius: 0 0 15px 15px; 
                         box-shadow: 0 10px 30px rgba(0,0,0,0.2); }
        .doc-item { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: space-between; 
                    padding: 20px; background: #f8f9fa; border-radius: 10px; 
                    margin-bottom: 15px; border-left: 4px solid #667eea; 
                    transition: all 0.3s; }
        .doc-item:hover { transform: translateX(5px); box-shadow: 0 5px 15px rgba(102,126,234,0.3); }
        .doc-icon { font-size: 36px; margin-right: 15px; }
        .doc-info { flex: 1; }
        .doc-name { font-weight: bold; color: #2c3e50; margin-bottom: 5px; }
        .doc-meta { font-size: 13px; color: #7f8c8d; }
        .download-btn { background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%); 
                        color: white; padding: 12px 24px; border: none; border-radius: 8px; 
                        cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; 
                        display: inline-block; transition: all 0.3s; }
        .download-btn:hover { transform: translateY(-2px); 
                              box-shadow: 0 5px 15px rgba(102,126,234,0.4); }
        .security-notice { background: #fff3cd; padding: 15px; border-radius: 8px; 
                           border-left: 4px solid #ffc107; margin-bottom: 20px; }
        .audit-log { margin-top: 30px; background: #f8f9fa; padding: 20px; 
                     border-radius: 10px; }
        .audit-log h3 { color: #2c3e50; margin-bottom: 15px; }
        .audit-entry { padding: 10px; background: white; border-radius: 5px; 
                       margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 14px; }
        .badge { display: inline-block; padding: 4px 10px; border-radius: 12px; 
                 font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 10px; }
        .badge-success { background: #28a745; color: white; }
        .badge-role { background: #667eea; color: white; }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="container">
        <div class="header">
            <h1>🔒 Secure Document Library</h1>
            <div class="user-info">
                <div class="user-avatar">
                    <cfoutput>#left(session.userName, 1)#</cfoutput>
                </div>
                <div>
                    <cfoutput>
                        <strong>#session.userName#</strong>
                        <span class="badge badge-role">#session.userRole#</span><br>
                        <small style="color: ##7f8c8d;">User ID: #session.userId#</small>
                    </cfoutput>
                </div>
                <cfif session.isAuthenticated>
                    <span class="badge badge-success" style="margin-left: auto;">✓ AUTHENTICATED</span>
                </cfif>
            </div>
        </div>
        
        <div class="document-list">
            <div class="security-notice">
                <strong>🛡️ Security Notice:</strong> All document downloads are logged and monitored. 
                Files are served from secure storage outside the web root. Unauthorized access attempts 
                will be reported.
            </div>
            
            <h2 style="color: #2c3e50; margin-bottom: 20px;">Available Documents</h2>
            
            <cfloop collection="#documentLibrary#" item="docId">
                <cfset doc = documentLibrary[docId]>
                <div class="doc-item">
                    <div class="doc-icon">
                        <cfif findNoCase(".pdf", doc.name)>
                            📄
                        <cfelseif findNoCase(".xlsx", doc.name) OR findNoCase(".xls", doc.name)>
                            📊
                        <cfelse>
                            📎
                        </cfif>
                    </div>
                    <div class="doc-info">
                        <div class="doc-name">
                            <cfoutput>#doc.name#</cfoutput>
                        </div>
                        <div class="doc-meta">
                            <cfoutput>
                                Document ID: #docId# | Size: #doc.size# | Type: #doc.type#
                            </cfoutput>
                        </div>
                    </div>
                    <cfoutput>
                        <a href="?docId=#docId#&action=download" class="download-btn">
                            ⬇ Download
                        </a>
                    </cfoutput>
                </div>
            </cfloop>
            
            <cfif arrayLen(downloadLog) GT 0>
                <div class="audit-log">
                    <h3>📋 Download Audit Log</h3>
                    <cfloop array="#downloadLog#" index="entry">
                        <div class="audit-entry">
                            <cfoutput>
                                <strong>#dateTimeFormat(entry.timestamp, "yyyy-mm-dd HH:nn:ss")#</strong> - 
                                User: #entry.userName# (#entry.userId#) - 
                                Document: #entry.documentName# (#entry.documentId#) - 
                                <span class="badge badge-success">#entry.status#</span>
                                <cfif structKeyExists(entry, "ipAddress")>
                                    <br><small>IP: #entry.ipAddress#</small>
                                </cfif>
                                <cfif structKeyExists(entry, "error")>
                                    <br><small style="color: ##e74c3c;">Error: #entry.error#</small>
                                </cfif>
                            </cfoutput>
                        </div>
                    </cfloop>
                </div>
            </cfif>
            
        </div>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Excel report generator

Sales and analytics teams require the ability to export database reports and dashboard data directly to Excel format for offline analysis, client presentations, and integration with other business intelligence tools. The system must dynamically generate Excel-compatible content from HTML tables with formulas and formatting that Excel can interpret and calculate automatically.

Problem statement

Manual copy-paste of data from web pages to Excel loses formatting and requires cleanup
Static CSV exports don't support Excel formulas or calculated fields
Generating actual Excel binary files requires complex libraries and server resources
Users need descriptive filenames with dates for organizing exported reports

Solution

The cfcontent tag delivers HTML tables as Excel-readable content by setting the appropriate MIME type (application/vnd.ms-excel) and using Content-Disposition headers to specify meaningful filenames.

<cfset reportData = [
    {month = "January", region = "North", units = 1250, revenue = 62500, target = 60000},
    {month = "January", region = "South", units = 980, revenue = 49000, target = 45000},
    {month = "January", region = "East", units = 1420, revenue = 71000, target = 70000},
    {month = "January", region = "West", units = 1100, revenue = 55000, target = 50000},
    {month = "February", region = "North", units = 1380, revenue = 69000, target = 60000},
    {month = "February", region = "South", units = 1050, revenue = 52500, target = 45000},
    {month = "February", region = "East", units = 1560, revenue = 78000, target = 70000},
    {month = "February", region = "West", units = 1220, revenue = 61000, target = 50000}
]>

<cfset currentQuarter = "Q1">
<cfset currentYear = year(now())>
<cfset reportDate = dateFormat(now(), "yyyy-mm-dd")>

<!--- Handle export request --->
<cfif structKeyExists(url, "action") AND url.action EQ "export">
    <!--- Set Excel-friendly filename --->
    <cfset fileName = "Sales_Report_#currentQuarter#_#currentYear#_#reportDate#.xls">
    
    <!--- Configure headers for Excel download --->
    <cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="attachment; filename=#fileName#">
    <cfcontent type="application/vnd.ms-excel" reset="yes">
    
    <!--- Generate Excel-compatible HTML table --->
    <cfoutput>
    <html xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel">
    <head>
        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
        <style>
            table { border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; }
            th { background-color: ##4472C4; color: white; font-weight: bold; 
                 padding: 10px; border: 1px solid ##ddd; }
            td { padding: 8px; border: 1px solid ##ddd; }
            .number { text-align: right; }
            .currency { text-align: right; }
            .total-row { background-color: ##E7E6E6; font-weight: bold; }
            .header-row { background-color: ##F2F2F2; font-weight: bold; }
        </style>
    </head>
    <body>
        <h1>Sales Performance Report</h1>
        <p><strong>Quarter:</strong> #currentQuarter# #currentYear#</p>
        <p><strong>Report Generated:</strong> #dateTimeFormat(now(), "mmmm d, yyyy 'at' h:nn tt")#</p>
        <p><strong>Export Date:</strong> #reportDate#</p>
        
        <br>
        
        <table border="1">
            <thead>
                <tr>
                    <th>Month</th>
                    <th>Region</th>
                    <th>Units Sold</th>
                    <th>Revenue ($)</th>
                    <th>Target ($)</th>
                    <th>vs Target (%)</th>
                    <th>Status</th>
                </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
                <cfset rowNum = 2> <!--- Excel row numbering starts at row 2 after header --->
                <cfloop array="#reportData#" index="row">
                    <cfset rowNum++>
                    <tr>
                        <td>#row.month#</td>
                        <td>#row.region#</td>
                        <td class="number">#numberFormat(row.units, "999,999")#</td>
                        <td class="currency">#dollarFormat(row.revenue)#</td>
                        <td class="currency">#dollarFormat(row.target)#</td>
                        <!--- Excel Formula: Calculate percentage vs target --->
                        <td class="number">=ROUND((D#rowNum#/E#rowNum#)*100,1)</td>
                        <!--- Excel Formula: IF statement for status --->
                        <td>=IF(D#rowNum#>=E#rowNum#,"✓ Met","✗ Missed")</td>
                    </tr>
                </cfloop>
                
                <!--- Summary Totals Row --->
                <tr class="total-row">
                    <td colspan="2"><strong>TOTAL</strong></td>
                    <td class="number">=SUM(C3:C#rowNum#)</td>
                    <td class="currency">=SUM(D3:D#rowNum#)</td>
                    <td class="currency">=SUM(E3:E#rowNum#)</td>
                    <td class="number">=ROUND((D#rowNum+1#/E#rowNum+1#)*100,1)</td>
                    <td>=IF(D#rowNum+1#>=E#rowNum+1#,"✓ ACHIEVED","✗ BELOW TARGET")</td>
                </tr>
            </tbody>
        </table>
        
        <br><br>
        
        <h3>Regional Summary</h3>
        <table border="1">
            <thead>
                <tr class="header-row">
                    <th>Region</th>
                    <th>Total Revenue</th>
                    <th>Avg Monthly Revenue</th>
                    <th>Performance</th>
                </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
                <cfset regions = ["North", "South", "East", "West"]>
                <cfloop array="#regions#" index="region">
                    <tr>
                        <td>#region#</td>
                        <!--- Use SUMIF to calculate regional totals --->
                        <td class="currency">=SUMIF(B3:B#rowNum#,"#region#",D3:D#rowNum#)</td>
                        <!--- Average formula --->
                        <td class="currency">=SUMIF(B3:B#rowNum#,"#region#",D3:D#rowNum#)/COUNTIF(B3:B#rowNum#,"#region#")</td>
                        <!--- Conditional formatting indicator --->
                        <td>=IF(SUMIF(B3:B#rowNum#,"#region#",D3:D#rowNum#)>120000,"⭐ Excellent",IF(SUMIF(B3:B#rowNum#,"#region#",D3:D#rowNum#)>100000,"👍 Good","📈 Needs Improvement"))</td>
                    </tr>
                </cfloop>
            </tbody>
        </table>
        
        <br><br>
        
        <p><em>Note: This report contains Excel formulas that will calculate automatically when opened in Microsoft Excel.</em></p>
        <p><em>Generated by Sales Analytics System | Confidential - Internal Use Only</em></p>
    </body>
    </html>
    </cfoutput>
    <cfabort>
</cfif>

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Sales Report Export</title>
    <style>
        * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; }
        body { font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; background: #f5f5f5; padding: 20px; }
        .container { max-width: 1200px; margin: 0 auto; background: white; 
                     border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0 0 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.1); }
        .header { background: linear-gradient(135deg, #1e3c72 0%, #2a5298 100%); 
                  color: white; padding: 30px; border-radius: 10px 10px 0 0; }
        .header h1 { font-size: 28px; margin-bottom: 10px; }
        .content { padding: 30px; }
        .stats-grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 1fr); 
                      gap: 15px; margin-bottom: 30px; }
        .stat-card { background: #f8f9fa; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; 
                     text-align: center; border-left: 4px solid #1e3c72; }
        .stat-value { font-size: 32px; font-weight: bold; color: #1e3c72; margin: 10px 0; }
        .stat-label { color: #6c757d; font-size: 14px; }
        table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 20px 0; }
        th { background: #1e3c72; color: white; padding: 12px; text-align: left; }
        td { padding: 10px; border-bottom: 1px solid #dee2e6; }
        tr:hover { background: #f8f9fa; }
        .number { text-align: right; }
        .currency { text-align: right; font-weight: 500; }
        .status-met { color: #28a745; font-weight: bold; }
        .status-missed { color: #dc3545; font-weight: bold; }
        .export-btn { background: #28a745; color: white; padding: 15px 30px; 
                      border: none; border-radius: 8px; font-size: 16px; 
                      cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; display: inline-block; 
                      font-weight: bold; transition: all 0.3s; }
        .export-btn:hover { background: #218838; transform: translateY(-2px); 
                            box-shadow: 0 5px 15px rgba(40,167,69,0.3); }
        .info-box { background: #e7f3ff; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; 
                    border-left: 4px solid #0066cc; margin: 20px 0; }
        .feature-list { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); 
                        gap: 10px; margin-top: 15px; }
        .feature-item { padding: 10px; background: white; border-radius: 5px; 
                        border-left: 3px solid #28a745; }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="container">
        <div class="header">
            <cfoutput>
                <h1>📊 Sales Performance Dashboard</h1>
                <p>Quarter: #currentQuarter# #currentYear# | Report Date: #dateFormat(now(), "mmmm d, yyyy")#</p>
            </cfoutput>
        </div>
        
        <div class="content">
            <cfset totalUnits = 0>
            <cfset totalRevenue = 0>
            <cfset totalTarget = 0>
            <cfloop array="#reportData#" index="row">
                <cfset totalUnits += row.units>
                <cfset totalRevenue += row.revenue>
                <cfset totalTarget += row.target>
            </cfloop>
            
            <div class="stats-grid">
                <div class="stat-card">
                    <div class="stat-label">Total Units Sold</div>
                    <div class="stat-value">
                        <cfoutput>#numberFormat(totalUnits, "999,999")#</cfoutput>
                    </div>
                </div>
                <div class="stat-card">
                    <div class="stat-label">Total Revenue</div>
                    <div class="stat-value">
                        <cfoutput>#dollarFormat(totalRevenue)#</cfoutput>
                    </div>
                </div>
                <div class="stat-card">
                    <div class="stat-label">Total Target</div>
                    <div class="stat-value">
                        <cfoutput>#dollarFormat(totalTarget)#</cfoutput>
                    </div>
                </div>
                <div class="stat-card">
                    <div class="stat-label">Achievement</div>
                    <div class="stat-value" style="color: <cfoutput>#totalRevenue GTE totalTarget ? '##28a745' : '##dc3545'#</cfoutput>">
                        <cfoutput>#numberFormat((totalRevenue/totalTarget)*100, "999.9")#%</cfoutput>
                    </div>
                </div>
            </div>
            
            <div style="text-align: center; margin: 30px 0;">
                <a href="?action=export" class="export-btn">
                    📥 Export to Excel
                </a>
            </div>
            
            <div class="info-box">
                <h3 style="color: #0066cc; margin-bottom: 15px;">✨ Excel Export Features</h3>
                <div class="feature-list">
                    <div class="feature-item">✓ Automatic Excel formulas for calculations</div>
                    <div class="feature-item">✓ Formatted tables with headers and styling</div>
                    <div class="feature-item">✓ SUM, SUMIF, and IF functions included</div>
                    <div class="feature-item">✓ Regional summary with conditional logic</div>
                    <div class="feature-item">✓ Percentage calculations vs targets</div>
                    <div class="feature-item">✓ Date-stamped filename for easy filing</div>
                </div>
            </div>
            
            <h2 style="color: #1e3c72; margin: 30px 0 20px 0;">Sales Data Preview</h2>
            <table>
                <thead>
                    <tr>
                        <th>Month</th>
                        <th>Region</th>
                        <th class="number">Units</th>
                        <th class="currency">Revenue</th>
                        <th class="currency">Target</th>
                        <th class="number">vs Target</th>
                        <th>Status</th>
                    </tr>
                </thead>
                <tbody>
                    <cfloop array="#reportData#" index="row">
                        <cfset vsTarget = (row.revenue / row.target) * 100>
                        <tr>
                            <cfoutput>
                                <td>#row.month#</td>
                                <td>#row.region#</td>
                                <td class="number">#numberFormat(row.units, "999,999")#</td>
                                <td class="currency">#dollarFormat(row.revenue)#</td>
                                <td class="currency">#dollarFormat(row.target)#</td>
                                <td class="number">#numberFormat(vsTarget, "999.9")#%</td>
                                <td class="#row.revenue GTE row.target ? 'status-met' : 'status-missed'#">
                                    #row.revenue GTE row.target ? '✓ Met' : '✗ Missed'#
                                </td>
                            </cfoutput>
                        </tr>
                    </cfloop>
                </tbody>
            </table>
            
         </div>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Browser-based document preview

Legal firms, educational institutions, and corporate training departments require the ability to display documents directly in the browser for immediate viewing without forcing downloads. Users should be able to preview contracts, training materials, policy documents, and certificates in-line while still having the option to download when needed, improving workflow efficiency and reducing storage on client devices.

Problem statement

Forcing downloads for every document view clutters user download folders unnecessarily
Users cannot quickly preview documents before deciding to save them locally
Browser back button doesn't work properly after forced downloads disrupt the navigation flow
Training materials and policies should be viewable without requiring local file storage
PDF contracts need to be displayed for review before electronic signature collection

Solution

The cfcontent tag sets the Content-Disposition header to "inline" instead of "attachment" to display documents directly in the browser window. The solution enables immediate document preview for PDFs and other viewable formats, and provides separate view and download actions based on user intent.

<cfset documentVault = {
    "POLICY001" = {
        title = "Employee Handbook 2024",
        type = "application/pdf",
        category = "Policy",
        icon = "📘",
        size = "2.4 MB",
        lastUpdated = "2024-01-15"
    },
    "TRAIN002" = {
        title = "Safety Training Manual",
        type = "application/pdf",
        category = "Training",
        icon = "🛡️",
        size = "1.8 MB",
        lastUpdated = "2024-02-20"
    },
    "CONTRACT003" = {
        title = "Service Level Agreement",
        type = "application/pdf",
        category = "Legal",
        icon = "⚖️",
        size = "456 KB",
        lastUpdated = "2024-03-10"
    },
    "CERT004" = {
        title = "Compliance Certificate",
        type = "application/pdf",
        category = "Certificate",
        icon = "🏆",
        size = "234 KB",
        lastUpdated = "2024-01-30"
    }
}>

<cfset viewMode = structKeyExists(url, "mode") ? url.mode : "inline">
<cfset accessLog = []>

<!--- Handle document view/download request --->
<cfif structKeyExists(url, "docId") AND structKeyExists(url, "action")>
    <cftry>
        <!--- Validate document exists --->
        <cfif NOT structKeyExists(documentVault, url.docId)>
            <cfheader statuscode="404">
            <cfoutput>
                <h1>404 - Document Not Found</h1>
                <p>The requested document does not exist in the vault.</p>
            </cfoutput>
            <cfabort>
        </cfif>
        
        <cfset doc = documentVault[url.docId]>
        
        <!--- Determine content disposition based on action --->
        <cfif url.action EQ "view">
            <cfset disposition = "inline">
            <cfset actionText = "Viewing">
        <cfelse>
            <cfset disposition = "attachment">
            <cfset actionText = "Downloaded">
        </cfif>
        
        <!--- Log access --->
        <cfset arrayAppend(accessLog, {
            timestamp = now(),
            docId = url.docId,
            docTitle = doc.title,
            action = actionText,
            disposition = disposition
        })>
        
        <!--- For CFFiddle: Simulate document delivery --->
        <cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="#disposition#; filename=#replace(doc.title, ' ', '_', 'ALL')#.pdf">
        <cfcontent type="text/plain" reset="yes">
        <cfoutput>
#disposition EQ "inline" ? "VIEWING IN BROWSER" : "DOWNLOADING FILE"#
========================================

Document: #doc.title#
Type: #doc.type#
Category: #doc.category#
Size: #doc.size#
Last Updated: #dateFormat(doc.lastUpdated, "mmmm d, yyyy")#

Content-Disposition: #disposition#

#disposition EQ "inline" ? "This document is displayed directly in your browser.
You can read it without downloading. Use browser's built-in
PDF viewer controls. Click 'Download' if you want to save it." : "This document is being downloaded to your computer.
Check your Downloads folder. The file will be saved locally
for offline access and archival."#

Access Details:
- Document ID: #url.docId#
- Access Time: #dateTimeFormat(now(), "yyyy-mm-dd HH:nn:ss")#
- Action: #actionText#

---

PRODUCTION IMPLEMENTATION:
In a production environment, this would use:

<cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="#disposition#; filename=#doc.title#.pdf">
<cfcontent type="#doc.type#" file="c:\document_vault\#url.docId#.pdf">

The inline mode displays PDFs directly in browser.
The attachment mode triggers download dialog.
        </cfoutput>
        <cfabort>
        
    <cfcatch type="any">
        <cfheader statuscode="500">
        <cfoutput>
            <h1>Error Loading Document</h1>
            <p>An error occurred: #cfcatch.message#</p>
        </cfoutput>
        <cfabort>
    </cfcatch>
    </cftry>
</cfif>

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Document Viewer System</title>
    <style>
        * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; }
        body { font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; background: #ecf0f1; padding: 20px; }
        .container { max-width: 1200px; margin: 0 auto; }
        .page-header { background: linear-gradient(135deg, #2c3e50 0%, #3498db 100%); 
                       color: white; padding: 40px; border-radius: 15px; 
                       box-shadow: 0 10px 30px rgba(0,0,0,0.2); margin-bottom: 30px; }
        .page-header h1 { font-size: 36px; margin-bottom: 10px; }
        .doc-grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(300px, 1fr)); 
                    gap: 20px; margin-bottom: 30px; }
        .doc-card { background: white; border-radius: 12px; padding: 25px; 
                    box-shadow: 0 5px 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.1); transition: all 0.3s; }
        .doc-card:hover { transform: translateY(-5px); 
                          box-shadow: 0 10px 30px rgba(0,0,0,0.15); }
        .doc-header { display: flex; align-items: center; margin-bottom: 15px; }
        .doc-icon { font-size: 48px; margin-right: 15px; }
        .doc-title { font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; color: #2c3e50; }
        .doc-meta { display: grid; gap: 8px; margin: 15px 0; font-size: 14px; color: #7f8c8d; }
        .doc-meta-item { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; 
                         padding: 8px 0; border-bottom: 1px solid #ecf0f1; }
        .action-buttons { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; margin-top: 15px; }
        .btn { padding: 12px; border: none; border-radius: 8px; cursor: pointer; 
               font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; display: inline-block; 
               text-align: center; transition: all 0.3s; }
        .btn-view { background: #3498db; color: white; }
        .btn-view:hover { background: #2980b9; }
        .btn-download { background: #27ae60; color: white; }
        .btn-download:hover { background: #229954; }
        .info-panel { background: white; padding: 30px; border-radius: 12px; 
                      box-shadow: 0 5px 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.1); margin-bottom: 20px; }
        .info-panel h3 { color: #2c3e50; margin-bottom: 20px; }
        .comparison { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); gap: 20px; }
        .comparison-item { padding: 20px; background: #f8f9fa; border-radius: 8px; }
        .comparison-item h4 { color: #3498db; margin-bottom: 15px; }
        .comparison-item ul { margin-left: 20px; color: #2c3e50; line-height: 1.8; }
        .category-badge { display: inline-block; padding: 5px 12px; border-radius: 15px; 
                          font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 10px; }
        .badge-policy { background: #e74c3c; color: white; }
        .badge-training { background: #f39c12; color: white; }
        .badge-legal { background: #9b59b6; color: white; }
        .badge-certificate { background: #16a085; color: white; }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="container">
        <div class="page-header">
            <h1>📄 Document Viewer & Download Center</h1>
            <p>View documents inline or download for offline access</p>
        </div>
        
        <div class="info-panel">
            <h3>🎯 Inline View vs Download</h3>
            <div class="comparison">
                <div class="comparison-item">
                    <h4>👁️ Inline View (Browser Display)</h4>
                    <ul>
                        <li>Opens directly in browser window</li>
                        <li>No download clutter</li>
                        <li>Quick preview and reading</li>
                        <li>Browser back button works</li>
                        <li>Perfect for mobile users</li>
                        <li>Saves device storage</li>
                    </ul>
                </div>
                <div class="comparison-item">
                    <h4>⬇️ Download (Save Locally)</h4>
                    <ul>
                        <li>Saves to Downloads folder</li>
                        <li>Available offline</li>
                        <li>Can be archived/shared</li>
                        <li>Opens in default PDF app</li>
                        <li>Permanent local copy</li>
                        <li>Editable annotations</li>
                    </ul>
                </div>
            </div>
        </div>
        
        <h2 style="color: #2c3e50; margin-bottom: 20px;">📚 Document Library</h2>
        <div class="doc-grid">
            <cfloop collection="#documentVault#" item="docId">
                <cfset doc = documentVault[docId]>
                <div class="doc-card">
                    <div class="doc-header">
                        <div class="doc-icon">
                            <cfoutput>#doc.icon#</cfoutput>
                        </div>
                        <div>
                            <div class="doc-title">
                                <cfoutput>#doc.title#</cfoutput>
                            </div>
                            <cfoutput>
                                <cfswitch expression="#doc.category#">
                                    <cfcase value="Policy">
                                        <span class="category-badge badge-policy">#doc.category#</span>
                                    </cfcase>
                                    <cfcase value="Training">
                                        <span class="category-badge badge-training">#doc.category#</span>
                                    </cfcase>
                                    <cfcase value="Legal">
                                        <span class="category-badge badge-legal">#doc.category#</span>
                                    </cfcase>
                                    <cfcase value="Certificate">
                                        <span class="category-badge badge-certificate">#doc.category#</span>
                                    </cfcase>
                                </cfswitch>
                            </cfoutput>
                        </div>
                    </div>
                    
                    <div class="doc-meta">
                        <div class="doc-meta-item">
                            <span><strong>Document ID:</strong></span>
                            <cfoutput><span>#docId#</span></cfoutput>
                        </div>
                        <div class="doc-meta-item">
                            <span><strong>File Size:</strong></span>
                            <cfoutput><span>#doc.size#</span></cfoutput>
                        </div>
                        <div class="doc-meta-item">
                            <span><strong>Last Updated:</strong></span>
                            <cfoutput><span>#dateFormat(doc.lastUpdated, "mm/dd/yyyy")#</span></cfoutput>
                        </div>
                        <div class="doc-meta-item">
                            <span><strong>Type:</strong></span>
                            <span>PDF Document</span>
                        </div>
                    </div>
                    
                    <div class="action-buttons">
                        <cfoutput>
                            <a href="?docId=#docId#&action=view" class="btn btn-view">
                                👁️ View Inline
                            </a>
                            <a href="?docId=#docId#&action=download" class="btn btn-download">
                                ⬇️ Download
                            </a>
                        </cfoutput>
                    </div>
                </div>
            </cfloop>
        </div>
        
        <cfif arrayLen(accessLog) GT 0>
            <div class="info-panel">
                <h3>📊 Access Log</h3>
                <cfloop array="#accessLog#" index="entry">
                    <div style="padding: 10px; background: ##f8f9fa; border-radius: 5px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
                        <cfoutput>
                            <strong>#dateTimeFormat(entry.timestamp, "HH:nn:ss")#</strong> - 
                            #entry.docTitle# (#entry.docId#) - 
                            <strong style="color: ##3498db;">#entry.action#</strong> - 
                            Disposition: <code>#entry.disposition#</code>
                        </cfoutput>
                    </div>
                </cfloop>
            </div>
        </cfif>
        
        
    </div>
</body>
</html>

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cfcontent

Description

Category

Syntax

See also

History

Attributes

Usage

Example

Real-world uses of the cfcontent tag

Secure document download system

Excel report generator

Browser-based document preview

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