What I'd Like To See In Blackstone: Request-based Mappings

In the above example, I would now be able to place custom tags in the c:\root\site\build\customTags\ folder and invoke them using the standard custom tag notation (<cf_customTagName>.) I'd also be able to map my component folder to a directory, which would then allow me to keep all my related components together with the code they belong to.

My personal preference is to try to create my code without any outside dependencies. I also like to write my code in a way that I can create two seperate directories and run instances of the code in each directory. This allows me to keep multiple builds of the same code running so that I can not only develop new code, but fix bugs in the old code—that's if my code had bugs, we all know I write bug free code that may have hidden "features" in the code. :)

Another issue w/mappings is that creating a mapping isn't always easy. If you're on a shared host or doing contracting work, you don't always have access to the administrator. This can make creating mappings problematic. I also don't like having my code be dependant upon an outside source (like a mapping in the administrator.) These mappings can change without your notice and can cause unexpected results. (I once had an ISP move my site to a new server, but ended up pointing the mapping to the wrong folder, but one that contained a backup of my code. Needless to say, I pulled out many a hair trying to figure out why my code changes weren't taking affect. I had them restarting the servers and all sorts of stuff until I found the problem.)

Server-based mappings also create an issue when implementing 3rd party CF software. A lot of the professional CF products I've seen require creating a CF mapping for them to work. This makes it extremely difficult to (if not impossible) to run multiple versions of the product on your server. This may be required if you're in the process of testing the code for production or if you need to keep the old software functioning.

Anyway, enough of my ranting. Please post your feedback on your opinion of this enhancement. If there's enough of an user demand, maybe Macromedia will take note and implement it.