Using ColdFusion as a local server?

[Nerd-5000]

I have just begun to use ColdFusion and have fallen at the first hurdle as I
don't have a server :o
I am only practicing and messing about at the moment so I don't think it is
worth paying for one. I heard about Microsoft's IIS which lets you create a
server on you computer. This would allow me to test my ColdFusion websites,
however, It only comes with XP Professional and I refuse to pay ?200 to
Microsoft for an upgrade from XP Home.

This led me to search the internet for open source software which would allow
me to create a similar local server. I couldn't however find any which were
easy to use or worked with ColdFusion.

Now I have found out that ColdFusion itself has a feature which would allow me
to do this, but I don't have any idea how to set it up or what information to
put into the 'Remote info' and 'Testing server' sections when defining my site
in Dreamweaver.

I'm sure it is very simple but the only way I can learn these things is if
somebody tells me,

Please help!
Nerd-5000

[CFDEBUG]

coldfusion itself has a development server you can install in your machine for
free. How to set it up and all those details are in the cf documentation.

[url]http://livedocs.macromedia.com/coldfusion/7/htmldocs/part_ins.htm[/url]

[mxstu]

Another option is [url]http://www.apache.org/[/url]. I've used it with good results.

[Nerd-5000]

Thanks CFDEBUG I'll check that out.

Note to mxstu,
Apache was one of the local Server programs I tried but it displayed error
messages when I tried to use the POST method with a Text area and Submit
button. It might have been my fault, I'm not sure :confused;, but I couldn't
find any information about it.

[mxstu]

That sounds familiar. I think in my case it wasn't really related to Apache.
It was just Internet Explorer hiding the real error CF messages in my code. I
think I just turned off the "show friendly http error messages" box and found
the real problem in the code. If you're using Internet Explorer and receive a
similar error (HTTP 500), you might want to check that out.

[zbob99]

ColdFusion and Apache work fine.

[Nerd-5000]

Trying to get Apache to work again and I tried turning off the 'friendly http
error messages' as you advised. However, it didn't make any difference. It
simply gave this error message as before:

Method Not Allowed
The requested method POST is not allowed for the URL /dante/test_output.cfm.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apache/1.3.33 Server at localhost Port 80



(Dante is the Name of site folder and
test_output.cfm is the name of page which should be displaying information)

This isn't a normal HTTP error message :confused;
All I'm trying to do is use the POST method with a form containing a TextArea
and a submit button, any ideas?

[mxstu]

It's not recognizing the .cfm files as scripts that need to be executed. See [url]http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=tn_17162[/url]

[mxstu]

One more link from livedocs [url]http://livedocs.macromedia.com/coldfusion/6.1/htmldocs/config14.htm[/url]

[cf_menace]

[url]http://www.stephencollins.org/archives/2005/03/a_gift_to_the_c.html[/url]

[mxstu]

The "ACME" guide.. great acronym!

[Nerd-5000]

Thanks so much! I'll check all of those links out and try to sort it out.
You've been really helpful, thanks :)