How to access predefined variables within cfscript? - coldfusion

Question

The following code works:
<cfoutput>#$.currentURL()#</cfoutput>
However, within a function, "$" is not available.
<cfscript>
function myTest() {
return $.currentURL();
}
</cfscript>
Does anyone know what actually is the equivalent of $ within a function?
Likewise, #pluginConfig.getDirectory()# works when used directly in cfoutput. However, within a cfscript function, it reports "unknown variable pluginConfig."
Thank you for advance for guiding me in the right direction.

Answer 1

When writing code outside the Mura Event Scope (like you do with that function), you have to obtain an instance of the Mura Scope ($) yourself. This can be done using the following code:
$ = application.serviceFactory.getBean('$');
Next you'll have to initialise the instance using an event object, a struct with value pairs or a 'siteID':
$.init(event);
$.init(myStruct);
$.init(siteID);
The same counts for the pluginConfig, this you can abtain via the Mura Scope. You'll have to pass the pluginID, moduleID, name or package of the plugin:
$.getPlugin(pluginID);
$.getPlugin(moduleID);
$.getPlugin(name);
$.getPlugin(package);
An other option you have is to pass the Mura Scope and the pluginConfig as arguments to the function. When writing a small plugin, this might be the easier way. But when writting medium or large plugins, it will get a bit messy when you're passing along these objects all the time.

Answer 2

The $ is used as a special framework variable in some CF frameworks (like Mura). You will need to figure out the framework context (if any) your code is executing in