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name coldbox-routing-development
description Use this skill when configuring ColdBox routes, setting up RESTful resource routes, creating route groups, implementing URL pattern matching with constraints, defining named routes, or working with Router.cfc in a ColdBox application.

Routing Development

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when setting up URL routing for ColdBox applications, defining REST resource routes, or configuring route constraints and groups.

Language Mode Reference

Examples use BoxLang (.bx) syntax by default. Adapt for your target language:

Concept BoxLang (.bx) CFML (.cfc)
Class declaration class [extends="..."] { component [extends="..."] {
DI annotation @inject above property name="svc"; property name="svc" inject="svc";
View templates .bxm suffix .cfm / .cfml suffix
Tag prefix <bx:if>, <bx:output>, <bx:set> <cfif>, <cfoutput>, <cfset>

CFML Compat Mode: With BoxLang + CFML Compat module, .bx and .cfc files coexist freely. BoxLang-native classes use class {} (.bx files); CFML-compat classes use component {} (.cfc files).

Core Concepts

ColdBox routing maps URLs to handler actions via config/Router.cfc:

  • RESTful resource routes are defined via resources() or route()
  • Route groups share prefix, namespace, or middleware
  • Constraints validate URL segments with regex
  • Named routes can be used in views/handlers via buildLink()
  • HTTP verb restrictions enforce RESTful semantics

Implementation Steps

  1. Create/open config/Router.cfc
  2. Define resource routes or individual routes
  3. Add route groups where appropriate
  4. Apply constraints to dynamic segments
  5. Name routes for reference in templates
  6. Order routes from most-specific to least-specific

Basic Router.cfc

class Router extends coldbox.system.web.routing.Router {

    function configure() {

        // Set base URL and options
        setFullRewrites( true )

        // Simple home route
        route( "/", "main.index" )

        // Named route
        route( name = "about", pattern = "/about", target = "pages.about" )

        // RESTful resource (generates CRUD routes)
        resources( "users" )

        // Nested resources
        resources(
            resource  = "posts",
            nested    = "comments"
        )

        // Wildcard route - MUST be last
        route( "/:handler/:action?" )
    }
}

CFML (.cfc):

component extends="coldbox.system.web.routing.Router" {

    function configure() {

        // Set base URL and options
        setFullRewrites( true )

        // Simple home route
        route( "/", "main.index" )

        // Named route
        route( name = "about", pattern = "/about", target = "pages.about" )

        // RESTful resource (generates CRUD routes)
        resources( "users" )

        // Nested resources
        resources(
            resource  = "posts",
            nested    = "comments"
        )

        // Wildcard route - MUST be last
        route( "/:handler/:action?" )
    }
}

RESTful Resource Routes

resources( "users" ) generates these routes:

Method URL Handler Action
GET /users users.index
GET /users/new users.create
POST /users users.store
GET /users/:id users.show
GET /users/:id/edit users.edit
PUT /users/:id users.update
PATCH /users/:id users.update
DELETE /users/:id users.delete

Route Groups

// API versioning group
group(
    pattern   = "/api/v1",
    namespace = "api.v1",
    handler   = "api.v1"
) {
    resources( "users" )
    resources( "posts" )
    resources( "comments" )
}

// Admin group with prefix
group(
    pattern = "/admin",
    handler = "admin"
) {
    route( "/", "admin.dashboard.index" )
    resources( "users" )
    resources( "settings" )
}

// Authenticated group (with CBSecurity middleware)
group(
    pattern    = "/dashboard",
    middleware = "cbsecurity"
) {
    route( "/", "dashboard.index" )
    route( "/profile", "dashboard.profile" )
}

Routes with Constraints

// Numeric ID constraint
route(
    pattern     = "/users/:id",
    target      = "users.show",
    constraints = { id: "[0-9]+" }
)

// UUID constraint
route(
    pattern     = "/tokens/:token",
    target      = "tokens.verify",
    constraints = { token: "[a-f0-9]{8}-[a-f0-9]{4}-[a-f0-9]{4}-[a-f0-9]{4}-[a-f0-9]{12}" }
)

// Slug constraint
route(
    pattern     = "/blog/:slug",
    target      = "blog.show",
    constraints = { slug: "[a-z0-9-]+" }
)

// Optional segments
route( "/search/:term?", "search.index" )

HTTP Verb-Specific Routes

// Explicit HTTP methods
get( "/users", "users.index" )
post( "/users", "users.store" )
put( "/users/:id", "users.update" )
patch( "/users/:id", "users.patch" )
delete( "/users/:id", "users.delete" )

// Multiple verbs
route(
    pattern = "/users/:id",
    target  = "users.show"
).methods( "GET,HEAD" )

Named Routes in Views

// In handler
var userLink = buildLink( "users.show", { id: prc.user.getId() } )

// In view template
<a href="#buildLink( 'users.index' )#">All Users</a>
<a href="#buildLink( 'users.edit', { id: prc.user.getId() } )#">Edit</a>

// Or using named route
<a href="#buildLink( routeName = 'user.profile', queryString = { tab: 'settings' } )#">Profile</a>

API Router (Dedicated)

// config/Router.cfc
class Router extends coldbox.system.web.routing.Router {

    function configure() {
        setFullRewrites( true )

        // Mount API routes from module
        addRoute( route( "/api/" ).toModuleRoutes( "api" ) )

        // Web routes
        route( "/", "main.index" )
        route( "/:handler/:action?" )
    }
}

// modules/api/config/Router.cfc
class Router extends coldbox.system.web.routing.Router {

    function configure() {
        // V1 routes
        group( pattern = "/v1" ) {
            resources( "users" )
            resources( "posts" )
        }

        // V2 routes
        group(
            pattern   = "/v2",
            namespace = "v2"
        ) {
            resources( "users" )
        }
    }
}

CFML (.cfc):

// config/Router.cfc
component extends="coldbox.system.web.routing.Router" {

    function configure() {
        setFullRewrites( true )

        // Mount API routes from module
        addRoute( route( "/api/" ).toModuleRoutes( "api" ) )

        // Web routes
        route( "/", "main.index" )
        route( "/:handler/:action?" )
    }
}

// modules/api/config/Router.cfc
component extends="coldbox.system.web.routing.Router" {

    function configure() {
        // V1 routes
        group( pattern = "/v1" ) {
            resources( "users" )
            resources( "posts" )
        }

        // V2 routes
        group(
            pattern   = "/v2",
            namespace = "v2"
        ) {
            resources( "users" )
        }
    }
}

Route Best Practices

  • Define most-specific routes first, wildcards last
  • Use resources() for standard CRUD routes rather than defining each route manually
  • Group related routes with shared prefixes/namespaces
  • Add constraints for numeric IDs and UUIDs to prevent invalid parameters
  • Name important routes for easy reference in templates
  • Use HTTP method restrictions for REST APIs
  • Separate API routing via modules for cleaner organization