Suggested MAX Session Path For CFers

A ColdFusion developer e-mailed me to ask what MAX sessions she should attend if she a) wanted to become a better ColdFusion developer, and b) wanted to get started with Flex, and especially ColdFusion / Flex integration. That's a tough question - there are lots of sessions that fit the bill, but many schedules overlap, and attending all is not possible. (I guess that's why she was asking for help). In case others are interested, here are the sessions I recommended (and no, do not take this to imply approval or disapproval of specific sessions):

• Day 1: Tuesday
  • 10:30am-11:30am - WD202H: Advanced ColdFusion Components
  • 12:30pm-1:30pm - WD301W: Developing Hybrid Applications with ColdFusion and Java
  • 2:00pm-5:00pm - WD301S: The Big ColdFusion Framework and Methodology Debate
• Day 2: Wednesday
  • 10:30am-11:30am - WD303W: Using ColdFusion with Flex Data Services
  • 12:30pm-1:30pm - RI205W: End-to-End Debugging of Flex Applications
  • 3:00pm-4:00pm - WD202W: Securing ColdFusion
  • 4:15pm-5:15pm - RI305W: Building Custom (Flex) Components
• Day 3: Thursday
  • 10:30pm-12:00pm - WD203H: Building ColdFusion Powered Flex Applications (hands-on)
  • 1:30pm-3:00pm - WD204H: ColdFusion 7 Application Framework (hands-on)
  • 3:00pm-4:00pm - WD001W: An Introduction to ColdFusion Powered Flex
  • 4:15pm-5:15pm - RI206W: Designing More Usable Applications with Flex UI Capabilities

The sequencing is not perfect (for example, I'd have preferred some of the more general Flex sessions before one on Flex debugging). But still, it's a good mix, lots of sessions, and a chance to try it out in hands-on sessions on the last day).

Note: These are only ColdFusion and Flex sessions, and I omitted the Scorpio sessions. Many ColdFusion developers will also want to attend sessions on AJAX, LiveCycle, CSS, Flash, ActionScript, and more. Check out the full session list to figure out what sessions are best for you.