# Processing Form Variables on Action Pages

A ColdFusion action page is just like any other application page except that you can use the form variables that are passed to it from an associated form. A form variable is passed for every form control that contains a value when the form is submitted.

Note | If multiple controls have the same name, one form variable is passed to the acti. It contains a comma delimited list.

A form variable's name is the name that you assigned to the form control on the form page. Refer to form variable by name within tags, functions and other expressions on an action page.

Because form variables extend beyond the local page -- their scope is the action page -- prefix them with "form." to explicitly tell ColdFusion that you are referring to a form variable. For example this code references the LastName form variable for output on an action page:

    <CFOUTPUT>
        #Form.LastName#
    </CFOUTPUT>