CGI module: get form name

[Ben Cartwright]

ej wrote:
> I'm not seeing how to get at the 'name' attribute of an HTML <form> element.
>
> form = cgi.FieldStorage()
>
> gives you a dictionary-like object that has keys for the various named
> elements *within* the form...
>
> I could easily replicate the form name in a hidden field, but there ought to
> be some way to get directly at the form name but I'm just not seeing it.

There isn't.  This is a limitation of the CGI protocol, due to the way
HTTP requests work.  I.e., the name attribute of <form> is *not*
included in form submissions.  Regardless of whether the method is GET
or POST, it's only the fields' key/value pairs that are encoded and
sent off to the server.

If you need it, a hidden field is a good place for the form name.  Or
you could use cookies.

Hope that helps,
--Ben