vairable queryall undefined

It says the method artname could not be found in component all. So that leads me to believe that I have to have methods set in my components?
I thought I could just output the returnvariable in this very simple component? I tried what you say where artname is a column in the cfquery results and i get the method artname could not be found:
<cfset localvariable=getall.artname()>

Why am I being so thick on this one?! I thought returnvariable returns the whole query back? Thanks

<cfobject name="abc" component="something">
<cfset localvariable = abc.somefunction()>

Hi Dan, thanks, I am cfreturning the queryall query from the function so why is it messing up? Could you give me an idiot's example what you mean? Thank-you

You have to run the function and assign whatever the function returns to a variable in your template.