How are these two components different?

Question

Is one of these better than the other? What's the difference? They seem to be interchangeable

component
{
    property name="some_thing" type="string" value="";
}

vs

component
{
    this.some_thing = "";
}

Answer 1

cfproperty

Post CF8, 'cfproperty' allows one to set an implicit setter/getter.

It is also used in the creation of web services & ORM applications and has a vast array of configuration properties:

https://helpx.adobe.com/coldfusion/cfml-reference/coldfusion-tags/tags-p-q/cfproperty.html

Setter/getter

com/foo.cfc

component accessors='true' { 

    // set properties & variables above any component methods

    property name='bar' type='string';
    this.setBar('foo');

    function init(){
        return this;
    }

}

Within a template 'foo.cfm':

foo = new com.foo();
WriteDump(var=foo.getBar());
// foo

'this' scope

The 'this' scope can be accessed both internally & externally to the component.

com/foo.cfc

component { 

    // set properties & variables above any component methods

    this.bar = 'foo';

    function init(){
        return this;
    }

}

Within a template 'foo.cfm':

foo = new com.foo();
WriteDump(var=foo.bar);
// foo

'variables' scope within a component

The variables scope within a component cannot be accessed from outside the component.