approach1.cfm

<!--- place in views/say folder --->
<cfoutput>
#javaScriptIncludeTag("jquery-1.4.2.min")#
</cfoutput>

<script language="JavaScript">
// Listen to the "click" event of the "alert-button" link and make an AJAX request
 $(document).ready(function(){$("#alert-button").click(function() {
    $.ajax({ 
        type: "POST", 
        url: $(this).attr("href"), // Outputs "/say/hello"
        dataType: "json", 
        success: function(response) { 
            $("h1").html(response.message);
            $("p").html(response.time);
        } 
    });
    return false; // keeps the normal request from firing
	});
});
</script>

<cfoutput>
<!--- View code --->
<h1></h1>
<p></p>

#linkTo(text="Alert me!", controller="say", action="hello", id="alert-button")#
</cfoutput>

approach2.cfm

<!--- place in views/say folder --->
<cfoutput>
#javaScriptIncludeTag("jquery-1.4.2.min")#
</cfoutput>

<cfoutput>
<!--- View code --->
<h1></h1>
<p></p>

#remoteLinkTo(text="Alert me!", controller="say", action="hello")#
</cfoutput>

approach3.cfm

<!--- place in views/say folder --->
<cfoutput>

<!--- View code --->
<h1></h1>
<p></p>

#linkTo(text="Alert me!", action="hello", id="alert-button", params="format=json")#

</cfoutput>

hello.js.cfm

<!--- place in views/say folder --->

<cfoutput>
<!--- Remote View code --->
#pageInsertHTML(selector="h1", content=greeting.message)#
#pageInsertHTML(selector="p", content=greeting.time)#
</cfoutput>

say.cfc

<!--- place in controllers folder --->
<cfcomponent extends="Controller">

	<cffunction name="init">
		<cfset filters("turnOffDebugging")>
	</cffunction>
	
	<!--- approach 1 --->
	<cffunction name="hello">
	    <!--- Prepare the message for the user --->
	    <cfset greeting = {}>
	    <cfset greeting["message"] = "Hi there">
	    <cfset greeting["time"] = Now()>
	    <!--- If your request is an AJAX request, respond with the CFML SerializeJSON function --->
	    <cfif isAjax()> 
	        <cfset renderText(SerializeJSON(greeting))>
	    </cfif>
	                
	    <!--- Otherwise, let Wheels do its normal HTML response (the view file at `views/say/hello.cfm`) --->
	</cffunction>
	 
	<!--- approach 2
	<cffunction name="hello">
	    <!--- Prepare the message for the user --->
	    <cfset greeting = {}>
	    <cfset greeting["message"] = "Hi there">
	    <cfset greeting["time"] = Now()>
	  
	    <!--- If your request is an AJAX request, respond with the `views/say/hello.js.cfm remote view` --->
	    <cfif isAjax()> 
	        <cfset renderRemotePage()>
	    </cfif>
	    
	    <!--- Otherwise, let Wheels do its normal HTML response (the `views/say/hello.cfm` view file) --->
	</cffunction>
	 --->
	 
	<!--- approach 3
	<cffunction name="hello">
	    <!--- Prepare the message for the user --->
	    <cfset greeting = {}>
	    <cfset greeting["message"] = "Hi there">
	    <cfset greeting["time"] = Now()> 
	  
	    <!--- Provides will determinate the format you want and convert the data appropriately --->
	    <cfset renderWith(greeting)>
	</cffunction>
	 --->
	 
	 <cffunction name="turnOffDebugging">
		 <!--- turn off debugging output --->
		<cfsetting showDebugOutput="No">
	 </cffunction>
</cfcomponent>

This is the sample code from "Tutorial: Wheels, AJAX, and You" http://cfwheels.org/docs/1-0/chapter/wheels-ajax-and-you