CFWheels Full Stack (Why all the downloads then?)
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Wheels is mentioned as a full stack framework sometimes. What does "full stack" mean? Full stack frameworks "often gathered multiple libraries useful for web development into a single cohesive software stack for web developers to use." The quote is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_application_framework
You can get started with Wheels without any downloads/plugins. After you get familiar with Wheels, you may want to check plugins out. Like most things with Wheels, you don't have to learn everything at once. It can be on your own time line.
If Wheels is a single cohesive stack, why all the downloads/plugins? Well, as great as the Wheels core team is they may not have thought of everything. They may even have a different idea from what you think some Wheels function's parameters should be and what it should do.
Plugins allow you, the Wheels framework user, to modify or enhance Wheels functionality. Some plugins may eventually get incoroporated in Wheels like the Flash Helper mentioned below. Some plugins may be niche like the Oracle Auto increment plugin and not necessary to be added to the framework but are useful anyways.
Below is a list of some of the many plugins created by Wheels users. The full selection is here http://cfwheels.org/plugins/.
Asset Bundler Version 1.0.1A plugin that combines and minifies your javascript and css code.
DatabaseViews Version 0.3
Adds support for database views
DBMigrate Version 0.4
This plugin adds Database Migration functionality to CFWheels similar to Rails' Active Record migrations.
Flash Helpers Version 0.4
Handle with ease Wheels "flash" system
Simulates Auto Increment primary key field for Oracle using sequences
PluginManager Version 0.9
Browse and download authorized plugins directly from your local Wheels install.
Provides Version 0.2
The Provides Plugin lets you manage the data format returned by your Wheels controller.
Scaffold Version 0.6
Add scaffolding to your Wheels applications. It will enable you to quickly create Controllers, Models and Views.
UploadFiles Version 0.1.1
This plugin tries to make uploading files to your CFWheels application easy and secure
WordArt Version 0.6
WordArt CFC generates image for insertion of typography on a webpage by converting text to image in various styles. There are over 25 different options available in this first release of WordArt.
YM_Google-Analytics Version 0.1
YM_Google-Analytics helps you easily track website statistics within your application using Google Analytics' service.
the title of this article is difference from the context. should the title have been "CFWheels Full Stack (Why all the plugins then?)"
True, I am using the term downloads and plugins interchangeably since to get a plugin I have always had to download it. I moved the current second paragraph up to make it more clear. I'll add plugins/downloads to it also. Thanks for the feedback.
John, @sosensible , asked on twitter "While I understand what people mean by full stack it still fails to say what is meant right. #coldfusion #CFWheels #cfml "
I would probably say no, so I'll have edit some of my presentations and articles. If you read this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_stack it says "operating system, web server, database and programming language" wheels does have a download that has the web server, database, railo, and wheels but it isn't from the wheels team.
But it could be argued yes, reading the link I provided above to web application frameworks. "often gathered multiple libraries useful for web development into a single cohesive software stack for web developers to use" but then most frameworks would be full stack if they include validation, orm, and form helpers.
The way I see it is that Wheels is full stack because it's meant to be used without needing any other frameworks.
Compare that with other ColdFusion frameworks where it's more expected that the developer will use some other framework to go along with it (although to a lesser extent these days now that CF9 has ORM built right in).
I think Per is the closest. Here is an article about Full Stack vs. Glue http://blog.ianbicking.org/full-stack-vs-glue.html