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Data types

Last update:
May 18, 2026
Note:
As of ColdFusion (2021 release), CORBA has been removed. You can no longer use CORBA-related features, functions, and tags.
ColdFusion is considered typeless because you do not explicitly specify variable data types.  However, ColdFusion data, the constants and the data that variables represent, do have data types, which correspond to the ways the data is stored on the computer. ColdFusion data belongs to the following type categories:
CategoryDescription and types
Simple
Represents one value. You can use simple data types directly in ColdFusion expressions. ColdFusion simple data types are:
  • strings A sequence of alphanumeric characters enclosed in single or double quotation marks, such as "This is a test."
  • integers A sequence of numbers written without quotation marks, such as 356.
  • real numbers, such as -3.14159
  • Boolean values Use True, Yes, or 1 for  true  and False, No, or 0 for false. Boolean values are not case sensitive.
  • date-time values ColdFusion supports a variety of data formats. For more information, see  DateTimeFormat.
Complex
A container for data. Complex variables generally represent more than one value. ColdFusion built-in complex data types are:
  • arrays
  • structures
  • queries
Binary
Raw data, such as the contents of a GIF file or an executable program file
Object
COM, CORBA, Java, web services, and ColdFusion Component objects: Complex objects that you create and access using the  cfobject  tag and other specialized tags.
ColdFusion does not have a data type for unlimited precision decimal numbers, but it can represent such numbers as strings and provides a function that supports unlimited precision decimal arithmetic. For more information, see  PrecisionEvaluate  in the CFML Reference.
For more information on ColdFusion data types, see  Using ColdFusion Variables .

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