
Contents > Developing ColdFusion MX Applications > Building Custom CFXAPI Tags > Writing a Java CFX tag > Loading Java CFX classes

Loading Java CFX classes

Each Java CFX class has its own associated ClassLoader that loads it and any dependent classes also located in the web_root/WEB-INF/classes directory. When Java CFX classes are reloaded after a change, a new ClassLoader is associated with the freshly loaded class. This special behavior is similar to the way Java servlets are handled by the web server and other servlet engines, and is required in order to implement automatic class reloading.

However, this behavior can cause subtle problems when you are attempting to perform casts on instances of classes loaded from a different ClassLoader. The cast fails even though the objects are apparently of the same type. This is because the object was created from a different ClassLoader and therefore is not technically the same type.

To solve this problem, only perform casts to class or interface types that are loaded using the standard Java classpath, that is, classes not located in the classes directory. This works because classes loaded from outside the classes directory are always loaded using the system ClassLoader, and therefore, have a consistent runtime type.


Contents > Developing ColdFusion MX Applications > Building Custom CFXAPI Tags > Writing a Java CFX tag > Loading Java CFX classes

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