Fusebox: Developing ColdFusion® Applications

Why Nested Layouts Work

We field questions regularly about why Fusebox moved to a nested layout model. After all, the old model seemed to work quite well. The answer to the “why” question has to do with the goal of creating a model that would allow circuits to behave as either parent or child, acting either alone or in concert with other circuits. To achieve that goal, circuits must be able to easily absorb the layouts of their potential children, and also allow their layouts to be easily absorbed by their potential parents. All this is accomplished through the use of nested layouts.

To begin our look at nested layouts, we’ll turn to another analogy. This time, the academic and business worlds are the source of our example. In a way, nested ...