cfparam

Last updated on May 30, 2024 | Also applies to ColdFusion

ColdFusion

Open app

CFML Reference User Guide

ColdFusion functions

ColdFusion functions by category
Functions a-b
1. Abs
2. ACos
3. AddSOAPRequestHeader
4. AddSOAPResponseHeader
5. AjaxLink
6. AjaxOnLoad
7. ApplicationStop
8. ArrayAppend
9. ArrayAvg
10. ArrayClear
11. ArrayContains
12. ArrayContainsNoCase
13. ArrayDelete
14. ArrayDeleteAt
15. ArrayDeleteNoCase
16. ArrayEach
17. ArrayFilter
18. ArrayFind
19. ArrayFindAll
20. ArrayFindAllNoCase
21. ArrayFindNoCase
22. ArrayInsertAt
23. ArrayIsDefined
24. ArrayIsEmpty
25. ArrayLen
26. ArrayMap
27. ArrayMax
28. ArrayMin
29. ArrayNew
30. ArrayPrepend
31. ArrayReduce
32. ArrayResize
33. ArraySet
34. ArraySetMetadata
35. ArraySlice
36. ArraySort
37. ArraySum
38. ArraySwap
39. ArrayToList
40. Asc
41. ASin
42. Atn
43. AuthenticatedContext
44. AuthenticatedUser
45. BinaryDecode
46. BinaryEncode
47. BitAnd
48. BitMaskClear
49. BitMaskRead
50. BitMaskSet
51. BitNot
52. BitOr
53. BitSHLN
54. BitSHRN
55. BitXor
56. BooleanFormat
Functions-c-d
Functions-e-g
Functions-h-im
Functions-in-k
Functions-l
Functions-m-r
Functions-s
Functions-t-z
1. Tan
2. ThreadJoin
3. ThreadTerminate
4. Throw
5. TimeFormat
6. ToBase64
7. ToBinary
8. ToScript
9. ToString
10. Trace
11. Transactionandconcurrency
12. TransactionCommit
13. TransactionRollback
14. TransactionSetSavePoint
15. Trim
16. UCase
17. URLDecode
18. URLEncodedFormat
19. URLSessionFormat
20. Val
21. ValueList
22. VerifyClient
23. Week
24. Wrap
25. WriteDump
26. WriteLog
27. WriteOutput
28. WSGetAllChannels
29. WSGetSubscribers
30. WSPublish
31. WSSendMessage
32. XmlChildPos
33. XmlElemNew
34. XmlFormat
35. XmlGetNodeType
36. XmlNew
37. XmlParse
38. XmlSearch
39. XmlTransform
40. XmlValidate
41. Year
42. YesNoFormat

ColdFusion tags

ColdFusion tag summary
ColdFusion tags by category
1. Application framework tags
  1. cfapplication
  2. cfassociate
  3. cferror
  4. cfimport
  5. cfinterface
  6. cflock
  7. cfscript
  8. cfthread
2. Communications tags
3. Database manipulation tags
4. Data output tags
  1. cfchart
5. Debugging tags
  1. cfdump
  2. cftimer
  3. cftrace
6. Exception handling tags
  1. cfcatch
  2. cferror
  3. cffinally
  4. cfrethrow
  5. cfthrow
  6. cftry
7. Extensibility tags
  1. cfchart
  2. cfchartdata
  3. cfchartseries
  4. cfcollection
  5. cfcomponent
  6. cfexecute
  7. cfftp
  8. function
  9. cfindex
  10. cfinterface
  11. cfinvoke
  12. cfinvokeargument
  13. cfobject
  14. cfproperty
  15. cfreport
  16. cfreportparam
  17. cfreturn
  18. cfsearch
  19. cfsharepoint
  20. cfspreadsheet
  21. cfwddx
  22. cfxml
8. File management tags
  1. cfdirectory
  2. cffile
  3. cffileupload
  4. cfftp
  5. cfzip
  6. cfzipparam
9. Flow-control tags
  1. cfabort
  2. cfbreak
  3. cfcase
  4. cfcontinue
  5. cfdefaultcase
  6. cfelse
  7. cfelseif
  8. cfexecute
  9. cfexit
  10. cfif
  11. cfinclude
  12. cflocation
  13. cfloop
  14. cfrethrow
  15. cfswitch
  16. cfthrow
  17. cftry
10. Forms tags
  1. cfapplet
  2. cfcalendar
  3. cffileupload
  4. cfform
  5. cfformgroup
  6. cfformitem
  7. cfgrid
  8. cfgridcolumn
  9. cfgridrow
  10. cfgridupdate
  11. cfinput
  12. cfpdf
  13. cfpdfform
  14. cfpdfformparam
  15. cfpdfparam
  16. cfpdfsubform
  17. cfselect
  18. cfslider
  19. cftextarea
  20. cftree
  21. cftreeitem
11. Internet Protocol tags
  1. cfajaximport
  2. cfajaxproxy
  3. cfftp
  4. cffeed
  5. cfimap
  6. cfhttp
  7. cfhttpparam
  8. cfldap
  9. cfmail
  10. cfmailparam
  11. cfmailpart
  12. cfpop
  13. cfsprydataset
12. Page processing tags
  1. cfcache
  2. cfcontent
  3. cfflush
  4. cfheader
  5. cfhtmlhead
  6. cfinclude
  7. cfprocessingdirective
  8. cfsetting
  9. cfsilent
13. Security tags
14. Variable manipulation tags
  1. cfcookie
  2. cfdump
  3. cfparam
  4. cfregistry
  5. cfsavecontent
  6. cfschedule
  7. cfset
  8. cfsetting
15. Other tags
  1. cfimage
  2. cflog
  3. cfregistry
Tags a-b
Tags c
Tags f
Tags g-h
1. cfgraph
2. cfgraphdata
3. cfgrid
4. cfgridcolumn
5. cfgridrow
6. cfgridupdate
7. cfheader
8. cfhtmlhead
9. cfhtmltopdf
10. cfhtmltopdfitem
11. cfhttp
12. cfhttpparam
Tags i
1. cfif
2. cfimage
3. cfimap
4. cfimapfilter
5. cfimpersonate
6. cfimport
7. cfinclude
8. cfindex
9. cfinput
10. cfinsert
11. cfinterface
12. cfinvoke
13. cfinvokeargument
Tags j-l
Tags m-o
Tags p-q
1. cfparam
2. cfpdf
3. cfpdfform
4. cfpdfformparam
5. cfpdfparam
6. cfpdfsubform
7. cfpod
8. cfpop
9. cfpresentation
10. cfpresentationslide
11. cfpresenter
12. cfprint
13. cfprocessingdirective
14. cfprocparam
15. cfprocresult
16. cfprogressbar
17. cfproperty
18. cfquery
19. cfqueryparam
Tags r-s
1. cfregistry
2. cfreport
3. cfreportparam
4. cfrethrow
5. cfreturn
6. cfsavecontent
7. cfschedule
8. cfscript
9. cfsearch
10. cfselect
11. cfservlet
12. cfservletparam
13. cfset
14. cfsetting
15. cfsharepoint
16. cfsilent
17. cfslider
18. cfspreadsheet
19. cfsprydataset
20. cfstoredproc
21. cfswitch
Tags t
1. cftable
2. cftextarea
3. cftextinput
4. cfthread
5. cfthrow
6. cftimer
7. cftooltip
8. cftrace
9. cftransaction
10. cftree
11. cftreeitem
12. cftry
Tags u-z
1. cfupdate
2. cfwddx
3. cfwebsocket
4. cfwindow
5. cfxml
6. cfzip
7. cfzipparam

CFML Reference

Cloud services

CFML Reference User Guide
ColdFusion functions
ColdFusion tags
1. ColdFusion tag summary
2. ColdFusion tags by category
  1. Application framework tags
    1. cfapplication
    2. cfassociate
    3. cferror
    4. cfimport
    5. cfinterface
    6. cflock
    7. cfscript
    8. cfthread
  2. Communications tags
  3. Database manipulation tags
  4. Data output tags
    1. cfchart
  5. Debugging tags
    1. cfdump
    2. cftimer
    3. cftrace
  6. Exception handling tags
    1. cfcatch
    2. cferror
    3. cffinally
    4. cfrethrow
    5. cfthrow
    6. cftry
  7. Extensibility tags
    1. cfchart
    2. cfchartdata
    3. cfchartseries
    4. cfcollection
    5. cfcomponent
    6. cfexecute
    7. cfftp
    8. function
    9. cfindex
    10. cfinterface
    11. cfinvoke
    12. cfinvokeargument
    13. cfobject
    14. cfproperty
    15. cfreport
    16. cfreportparam
    17. cfreturn
    18. cfsearch
    19. cfsharepoint
    20. cfspreadsheet
    21. cfwddx
    22. cfxml
  8. File management tags
    1. cfdirectory
    2. cffile
    3. cffileupload
    4. cfftp
    5. cfzip
    6. cfzipparam
  9. Flow-control tags
    1. cfabort
    2. cfbreak
    3. cfcase
    4. cfcontinue
    5. cfdefaultcase
    6. cfelse
    7. cfelseif
    8. cfexecute
    9. cfexit
    10. cfif
    11. cfinclude
    12. cflocation
    13. cfloop
    14. cfrethrow
    15. cfswitch
    16. cfthrow
    17. cftry
  10. Forms tags
    1. cfapplet
    2. cfcalendar
    3. cffileupload
    4. cfform
    5. cfformgroup
    6. cfformitem
    7. cfgrid
    8. cfgridcolumn
    9. cfgridrow
    10. cfgridupdate
    11. cfinput
    12. cfpdf
    13. cfpdfform
    14. cfpdfformparam
    15. cfpdfparam
    16. cfpdfsubform
    17. cfselect
    18. cfslider
    19. cftextarea
    20. cftree
    21. cftreeitem
  11. Internet Protocol tags
    1. cfajaximport
    2. cfajaxproxy
    3. cfftp
    4. cffeed
    5. cfimap
    6. cfhttp
    7. cfhttpparam
    8. cfldap
    9. cfmail
    10. cfmailparam
    11. cfmailpart
    12. cfpop
    13. cfsprydataset
  12. Page processing tags
    1. cfcache
    2. cfcontent
    3. cfflush
    4. cfheader
    5. cfhtmlhead
    6. cfinclude
    7. cfprocessingdirective
    8. cfsetting
    9. cfsilent
  13. Security tags
  14. Variable manipulation tags
    1. cfcookie
    2. cfdump
    3. cfparam
    4. cfregistry
    5. cfsavecontent
    6. cfschedule
    7. cfset
    8. cfsetting
  15. Other tags
    1. cfimage
    2. cflog
    3. cfregistry
3. Tags a-b
4. Tags c
5. Tags f
6. Tags g-h
  1. cfgraph
  2. cfgraphdata
  3. cfgrid
  4. cfgridcolumn
  5. cfgridrow
  6. cfgridupdate
  7. cfheader
  8. cfhtmlhead
  9. cfhtmltopdf
  10. cfhtmltopdfitem
  11. cfhttp
  12. cfhttpparam
7. Tags i
  1. cfif
  2. cfimage
  3. cfimap
  4. cfimapfilter
  5. cfimpersonate
  6. cfimport
  7. cfinclude
  8. cfindex
  9. cfinput
  10. cfinsert
  11. cfinterface
  12. cfinvoke
  13. cfinvokeargument
8. Tags j-l
9. Tags m-o
10. Tags p-q
  1. cfparam
  2. cfpdf
  3. cfpdfform
  4. cfpdfformparam
  5. cfpdfparam
  6. cfpdfsubform
  7. cfpod
  8. cfpop
  9. cfpresentation
  10. cfpresentationslide
  11. cfpresenter
  12. cfprint
  13. cfprocessingdirective
  14. cfprocparam
  15. cfprocresult
  16. cfprogressbar
  17. cfproperty
  18. cfquery
  19. cfqueryparam
11. Tags r-s
  1. cfregistry
  2. cfreport
  3. cfreportparam
  4. cfrethrow
  5. cfreturn
  6. cfsavecontent
  7. cfschedule
  8. cfscript
  9. cfsearch
  10. cfselect
  11. cfservlet
  12. cfservletparam
  13. cfset
  14. cfsetting
  15. cfsharepoint
  16. cfsilent
  17. cfslider
  18. cfspreadsheet
  19. cfsprydataset
  20. cfstoredproc
  21. cfswitch
12. Tags t
  1. cftable
  2. cftextarea
  3. cftextinput
  4. cfthread
  5. cfthrow
  6. cftimer
  7. cftooltip
  8. cftrace
  9. cftransaction
  10. cftree
  11. cftreeitem
  12. cftry
13. Tags u-z
  1. cfupdate
  2. cfwddx
  3. cfwebsocket
  4. cfwindow
  5. cfxml
  6. cfzip
  7. cfzipparam
CFML Reference
1. Reserved words and variables
2. Ajax JavaScript functions
3. ColdFusion ActionScript functions
4. ColdFusion mobile functions
5. Application.cfc reference
6. Script functions implemented as CFCs
7. ColdFusion Flash Form style reference
8. ColdFusion event gateway reference
9. ColdFusion C++ CFX Reference
10. ColdFusion Java CFX reference
11. WDDX JavaScript Objects
Cloud services

Description

Tests for the existence of a parameter (that is, a variable), validates its data, and, if a default value is not assigned, optionally provides one.

History

ColdFusion 10: Added the attribute {{maxLength}}

ColdFusion MX 7:

Added min, max, and pattern attributes.
Added creditcard, email, eurodate, float, integer, range, regex, regular_expression, ssn, social_security_number, time, URL, USdate, XML, and zipcode values of the type attribute.

Syntax

<cfparam

name = "parameter name"

default = "value"

max = "value"

maxLength = "number"

min = "value"

pattern = "regular expression"

type = "data_type">

<cfparam 
name = "parameter name" 
default = "value" 
max = "value" 
maxLength = "number" 
min = "value" 
pattern = "regular expression" 
type = "data_type">

Attributes

Attribute	Req/Opt	Default	Description
name	Required		Name of the parameter (variable) to test (such as "Client.Email " or "Cookie.BackgroundColor "). If omitted, and if the parameter does not exist, an error is thrown.
default	Optional		Value to set parameter to if it does not exist. Any expression used for the default attribute is evaluated, even if the parameter exists. The result is not assigned if the parameter exists, but if the expression has side effects, they still occur.
max	Optional		The maximum valid value; used only for range validation.
maxLength	Optional		Used to specify the maximum character length of email, url, and string.
min	Optional		The minimum valid value; used only for range validation.
pattern	Optional		A JavaScript regular expression that the parameter must match; used only for regex or regular_expression validation.
type	Optional	any	The valid format for the data; one of the following. For detailed information on validation algorithms, see Validating form data using hidden fields in Validating data in the Developing ColdFusion Applications. any: any type of value. array: an array of values. binary: a binary value. boolean: a Boolean value: yes, no, true, false, or a number. creditcard: a 13-16 digit number conforming to the mod10 algorithm. date or time: a date-time value. email: a valid e-mail address. eurodate: a date-time value. Any date part must be in the format dd/mm/yy. The format can use /, -, or . characters as delimiters. float or numeric: a numeric value. guid: a Universally Unique Identifier of the form "XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX" where X is a hexadecimal number. integer: an integer. query: a query object. range: a numeric range, specified by the min and max attributes. regex or regular_expression: matches input against pattern attribute. ssn or social_security_number: a U.S. social security number. string: a string value or single character. struct: a structure. telephone: a standard U.S. telephone number. URL: an http, https, ftp, file, mailto, or news URL. UUID: a ColdFusion Universally Unique Identifier, formatted XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, where X is a hexadecimal number. See CreateUUID. USdate: a U.S. date of the format mm/dd/yy, with 1-2 digit days and months, 1-4 digit years. variableName: a string formatted according to ColdFusion variable naming conventions. xml: XML objects and XML strings. zipcode: U.S., 5- or 9-digit format ZIP codes.

Usage

You can use this tag to make the following tests:

To test whether a required variable exists, use this tag with only the name attribute. If it does not exist, ColdFusion stops processing the page and returns an error.
To test whether a required variable exists, and that it is of the specified type, use this tag with the name and type attributes. If the variable does not exist or its value is not of the specified type, ColdFusion returns an error.
To set a default value for the variable, use this tag with the name and default attributes. If the variable does not exist, it is created and set to the default attribute value. If the variable exists, processing continues; the value is not changed.
If you specify variableName for the typeattribute, the parameter's value must be a string that is in ColdFusion variable name format; that is, starts with a letter, underscore (_), or Unicode currency symbol, and contains letters, numbers, underscores, periods, and Unicode currency symbols, only. ColdFusion does not check whether the parameter value corresponds to an existing ColdFusion variable.

Note:

To improve performance, avoid using the cfparam tag in ColdFusion functions, including in CFC methods. Instead, place the cfparam tags in the body of the CFML pages.

Example

</cfif>

<body>

<h3>cfparam Example</h3>

<p>cfparam is used to set default values so that a developer does not have to

check for the existence of a variable using a function like IsDefined.</p>

<p>The default value of our tempVar is "<cfoutput>#StoreTempVar# </cfoutput>"</p>

<cfif tempVar is not #StoreTempVar#

and tempVar is not "">

<h3>The value of tempVar has changed: the new value is

<cfoutput>#tempVar#</cfoutput></h3>

</cfif>

<p>

Type in a new value for tempVar, and hit submit:<br>

</form>

<cfparam name = "storeTempVar" default = "my default value"> <cfparam name = "tempVar" default = "my default value">  <cfif IsDefined("form.tempVar") is "True">  <cfif form.tempVar is not "">  <cfset tempVar = form.tempVar> </cfif> </cfif> <body> <h3>cfparam Example</h3> <p>cfparam is used to set default values so that a developer does not have to check for the existence of a variable using a function like IsDefined.</p> <p>The default value of our tempVar is "<cfoutput>#StoreTempVar# </cfoutput>"</p>  <cfif tempVar is not #StoreTempVar# and tempVar is not ""> <h3>The value of tempVar has changed: the new value is <cfoutput>#tempVar#</cfoutput></h3> </cfif> <p> <form action = "cfparam.cfm" method = "post"> Type in a new value for tempVar, and hit submit:<br> <input type = "Text" name = "tempVar"> <input type = "Submit" name = "" value = "submit"> </form>

<!--- This example shows how to use CFPARAM to define default values for page variables. ---> 
<cfparam name = "storeTempVar" default = "my default value"> 
<cfparam name = "tempVar" default = "my default value"> 

<!--- Check if form.tempVar was passed. ---> 
<cfif IsDefined("form.tempVar") is "True"> 
<!--- Check if form.tempVar is not blank. ---> 
<cfif form.tempVar is not ""> 
<!--- If not, set tempVar to value of form.tempVar ---> 
<cfset tempVar = form.tempVar> 
</cfif> 
</cfif> 

<body> 
<h3>cfparam Example</h3> 
<p>cfparam is used to set default values so that a developer does not have to 
check for the existence of a variable using a function like IsDefined.</p> 

<p>The default value of our tempVar is "<cfoutput>#StoreTempVar# </cfoutput>"</p> 

<!--- Check if tempVar is still the same as StoreTempVar and that tempVar is not blank. ---> 
<cfif tempVar is not #StoreTempVar# 
and tempVar is not ""> 
<h3>The value of tempVar has changed: the new value is 
<cfoutput>#tempVar#</cfoutput></h3> 
</cfif> 

<p> 
<form action = "cfparam.cfm" method = "post"> 
Type in a new value for tempVar, and hit submit:<br> 
<input type = "Text" name = "tempVar"> 
<input type = "Submit" name = "" value = "submit"> 
</form>

Get help faster and easier

New user?

cfparam

Description

History

Category

Syntax

See also

Attributes

Usage

Example

Get help faster and easier

Share this page

Ask the Community

Contact Us