[cfset x = config.MAX_IMAGES_PER_IMPORT / 8 />
[cfloop condition="count LT #x#">

It's worth mentioning that numbers evaluate to themselves, so you don't need to DE() them inside an IIF() unless you want to. Using DE will save you the cost of evaluating the expression if it's unneeded, but for simple numbers that's usually not helpful, so you can just use the number directly.

[cfloop condition="count LT #IIF( true, DE( config.MAX_IMAGES_PER_IMPORT / 8 ), DE(0) )#"]

No need to, but I just wanted to test it.

Why is it obvious that that should cause a syntax error? I consider myself pretty knowledgable about the CF language and it definitely seems at odds with every other piece of syntax I've come across. Perhaps a better question would be this one.

If this is legal:

[cfparam name="x" default="count LT #config.MAX_IMAGES_PER_IMPORT / 8#" />

why isn't this?

[cfloop condition="count LT #config.MAX_IMAGES_PER_IMPORT / 8#" />

Obviously the two have different runtime semantics, but a syntax error can't be caused by those.

You're right on both counts. The hashes are almost totally irrelevant, as the expression will be evaluated no later than "each iteration". In this simple case, the cost of evaluating the full expression is quite low (division is an expensive arithmetic op, but pales next to a CFC method call). However, if you have a time-consuming expression (like a method call that queries the DB, or worse yet, the filesystem) you could see a nice advantage by using the hashes and only doing the evaluation once, if that suits the need.

Dropping the hashes is exactly what I did, I was more remarking that it's weird that the attribute value behaves unlike every other attribute value I can think of.

count LT #config.MAX_IMAGES_PER_IMPORT / 8#

That would obviously throw a syntax error. This isn't a cfloop weirdness, it's a syntax error on your part. Sorry for coming off as sounding like a jerk but before you say something is weird or a bug, you should make sure that it is.

Actually, I don't think you even need the hashes in this case. :)

Patrick