Application datasource Property not accessible in CFM Template

 

Does anyone see what I'm missing? 

By @Robert_Frenette

I do.

The this scope belongs to the instance of Application.cfc that ColdFusion creates. The instance is created first, before the call to onApplicationStart. That is because ColdFusion invokes the onApplicationStart event-handler, using the instance as the calling object. In other words, the this scope is already available in memory by the time onApplicationStart is invoked.

In addition, your code's definition of this.datasource in onApplicationStart is a problem. For the same reason, ColdFusion will be unaware of this.datasource when it creates an instance of Application.cfc.

A solution: 

• Define every this-scoped variable in the so-called constructor area of Application.cfc. That is, in the area between component {} and the event-handlers.
  

  /* Application.cfc */
  
  // The usual App config stuff here... (omitted for brevity) 
  
  // Include Config files
  include "resources/config/AppSettings.cfm";
  
   ​

  /* AppSettings.cfm */
  this.datasources = {MY_DSN = { PROPS FOR DB CONNECTION HERE }};
  
  /* 
  If you define the datasource like this in Application.cfc,
  it means MY_DSN is the default datasource for the application.
  It will then be available throughout the application.
  Which means, you may then omit it from queries.
  */
  this.datasource = "MY_DSN";
  
  // Set System Env Vars
  /* 
  What you do here (defining and exposing credentials in code as runtime variables) 
  is bad practice.
  */
  // this.System.setProperty("DB_USER_NAME",  "DB USERNAME FROM .ENV FILE HERE");
  // this.System.setProperty("DB_USER_PASSWORD", "DB PASSWORD FROM .ENV FILE HERE");
  
  /* 
  If you insist on using environmental variables, then do it, 
  for example, like this:
      - Following the procedure for setting environmental variables
      in your Operating System, manually set the 2 name-value pairs:
      
      ("DB_USER_NAME","DB_USER_NAME_VALUE") 
      ("DB_USER_PASSWORD","DB_USER_PASSWORD_VALUE")
      
      as environmental variables
   */
  
  this.DB_DSN_CREATED=false;
  
  // System 
  this.System = createObject("java", "java.lang.System");
  
  // Get System Env Vars: a struct with case-sensitive keys
  this.environmentVars = this.System.getenv();
  
  // Get the DB username and password (without exposing them in code)
  // Remember: the keys are case-sensitive
  if (structKeyExists(this.environmentVars,"DB_USER_NAME") && 
      structKeyExists(this.environmentVars,"DB_USER_PASSWORD") ) {
  	this.db_username=environmentVars["DB_USER_NAME"];
  	this.db_user_password=environmentVars["DB_USER_PASSWORD"];
  	
  	this.DB_DSN_CREATED=true;
  }

• Ensure that onApplicationStart has just one responsibility. Namely, to start the application. It should not be weighed down with the extra responsibility of setting system variables.
  Furthermore, it is best-practice for onApplicationStart to return true if the application may start, and false if it may not.
  

  /* Application.cfc */
  component {
      public boolean function onApplicationStart() {
  		if (this.DB_DSN_CREATED) {
  			/* 
  			Transfer credentials to application scope, making
  			them available anywhere in the application
  			*/
  			application.db_username=this.db_username;
  			application.db_user_password=this.db_user_password;
  			
  			// the application may start
   			return true;
   		} else {
   			// the application may not start
   			return false;
   		}
      }
  }​