GetMetaData

Description

Gets metadata (such as the methods, properties, and parameters of a component) associated with an object that is deployed on the ColdFusion server.

Returns

Structured metadata information: for ColdFusion components (CFCs) and user-defined functions (UDFs), a structure; for query objects, an array of structures.

Function syntax

GetMetaData(object)

History

ColdFusion MX 7: Added support for getting query object metadata.
ColdFusion MX: Added this function.

Parameters

Parameter	Description
object	A ColdFusion component, user-defined function, or query object. Within a CFC, the parameter can also specify the This scope.

Usage

This function provides information about application data, and lets applications dynamically determine the structure of an object and how to use it. This function is useful for CFCs and query objects. The metadata for a CFC includes information on the component and its functions, arguments, and properties. The getMetaData function also returns metadata for user-defined functions that are not part of CFCs. Use the GetComponentMetaData function to get information about ColdFusion interfaces, or about CFC definitions that you have not instantiated.The following table lists the data returned by the function for supported object types:

Object	Field	Description
Component	A structure containing the following fields: displayname	Value of the cfcomponent tag displayname attribute, if any.
extends	Metadata for the component’s ancestor component. Components that do not explicitly extend another component extend the WEB-INF.cftags.component.
fullname	The dot delimited path from the cf_webroot of the component.
functions	Array of metadata structures for the component’s functions.
hint	Value of the cfcomponent tag displayname attribute, if any.
implements	A structure containing the metadata of the interfaces that the component implements. The key of the structure is the interface name, and the value is a structure containing the interface metadata.
name	Component name, including the period-delimited path from a component search root such as the web root or a directory specified in the administrator Custom Tag Paths page.
output	Value of the cfcomponent tag output attribute, if any
path	Absolute path to the component.
properties	Array of structures containing metadata specified by the component’s cfproperty tags, if any.
type	Always, component.
userMetadata	User-specified attributes in the cfcomponent tag
function	A structure containing the following fields. access	Value of the cffunction tag access attribute, if any.
displayname	Value of the cffunction tag displayname attribute, if any.
hint	Value of the cffunction tag hint attribute, if any.
name	Function name.
output	Value of the cffunction tag output attribute, if any.
parameters	Array of structures containing metadata for the function parameters.
returnformat	The format in which to return values to a remote caller. This attribute has no effect on values returned to a local caller.
returntype	Value of the cffunction tag returntype attribute, if any.
roles	Value of the cffunction tag output attribute, if any.
userMetadata	User-specified attributes in the cffunction tag.
Parameter or Property	A structure containing the following fields: default	Value of the cfargument or cfproperty tag default attribute, if any.
displayname	Value of the cfargument or cfproperty tag displayname attribute, if any.
hint	Value of the cfargument or cfproperty tag hint attribute, if any.
name	Function parameter or CFC property name.
required	Value of the cfargument or cfproperty tag required attribute, if any.
type	Value of the cfargument or cfproperty tag type attribute, if any.
userMetadata	User-specified attributes in the argument tag.
Query	An array of structures containing the following elements: IsCaseSensitive	Boolean value indicating whether character data must be case correct.
name	The column name.
TypeName	The SQL data type (Omitted if the query object is created with QueryNew without specifying types.)

Note: Use the This scope to access component metadata inside the CFC. The This scope is available at runtime in the component body and in the CFC methods. It is used to read and write variables that are present during the life of the component.

For more information, see Using introspection to get information about components in the Developing ColdFusion Applications.

Example

The following example uses the cfdump tag to display metadata for the utilities CFC that is used by the ColdFusion component browser. It also displays the names and data types of the fields in the cfdocexamples database Employees table.

<cfscript>
componentutils = createObject("component", "cfide.componentutils.utils");
utilmetadata = getMetaData(componentutils);
</cfscript>

<h4>Metadata for the CFC component utilities</h4>
<cfdump var="#utilmetadata#">


<cfquery name="getemployees" datasource="cfdocexamples">
SELECT *
FROM Employees
</cfquery>
<cfset employeemeta=getMetaData(getemployees)>

<h4>The Employees table has the following columns</h4>
<cfloop index="i" from="1" to="#arrayLen(employeemeta)#">
<cfoutput>
#employeemeta[i].name# #employeemeta[i].TypeName# #employeemeta[i].isCaseSensitive#<br>
</cfoutput>
</cfloop>