When should I use # in ColdFusion?

Question

This has been one of the biggest obstacles in teaching new people ColdFusion.

When to use # is ambiguous at best. Since using them doesn't often create a problem it seems that most people gravitate to using them too much.

So, what are the basic rules?

Answer 1

I think it may be easier to say where NOT to use #. The only place is in cfif statements, and cfset statements where you are not using a variable to build a string in quotes. You would need to use the # sign in almost all other cases.

Example of where you are not going to use it:

<cfset value1 = 5>
<cfset value2 = value1/>

<cfif value1 EQ value2>
    Yay!!!
</cfif>

<cfset value2 = "Four plus one is " & value1/>

Examples of where you will use #:

in a cfset where the variable is surrounded by quotes
<cfset value1 = 5>
<cfset value2 = "Four plus one is #value1#"/>

the bodies of cfoutput, cfmail, and cffunction (output="yes") tags
<cfoutput>#value2#</cfoutput>
<cfmail to="[email protected]" from="[email protected]" subject="x">#value2#</cfmail>
<cffunction name="func" output="yes">#value2#</cffunction>    

in an attribute value of any coldfusion tag
<cfset dsn = "myDB"/>
<cfquery name="qryUsers" datasource="#dsn#">

<cfset value1 = 5>
<cfset value2 = 10/>
<cfloop from="#value1#" to="#value2#" index="i">

<cfqueryparam value="#value1#" cfsqltype="cf_sql_integer"/>

EDIT:

One oddball little thing I just noticed that seems inconsistent is conditional loops allow the variable name to be used with and without # signs.

<cfset value1 = 5>

<cfloop condition = "value1 LTE 10">
    <cfoutput>#value1#</cfoutput><br>
    <cfset value1 += 1>
</cfloop>

<cfset value1 = 5>

<cfloop condition = "#value1# LTE 10">
    <cfoutput>#value1#</cfoutput><br>
    <cfset value1 += 1>
</cfloop>