Application frameworks answer this question, offering pre-built (and pre-tested) code — a collection of services that can provide the architectural underpinnings for a particular type of application. Web-based applications are increasingly the choice for new application development in which the browser becomes the “universal client”. As web development matures, web-based application frameworks allow the developer to concentrate more on meeting the business needs of the application and less on the “plumbing” needed to make that application work.

Fusebox is, by far, the most popular and mature web framework available for ColdFusion and PHP developers. The architecture of a Fusebox application is divided into various sections (“circuits” in Fusebox parlance), each of which has a particular focus. For example, the responsiblity for ensuring that only authorized users have access to all or part of the application might fall under a Security circuit.

The Fusebox application architect defines these circuits, as well as the individual actions (“fuseactions”) that may be requested of it. When a fuseaction request is made of the application, the Fusebox machinery (the “Fusebox”) routes the request to the appropriate circuit, where the fuseaction is processed. This idea of encapsulation of responsibilities makes it easy for different functional circuits to be “plugged” into an application, making it possible to reuse code.

Within the individual circuit responsible for carrying out the requested fuseaction, the Fusebox architect specifies the individual files (“fuses”) needed to fulfill the fuseaction request. Thus, the Fusebox acts like a good manager, delegating tasks to appropriate departments where it is decomposed into individual tasks, each of which can be assigned to individuals to carry out.