Reply to footswitch w/ APC40

I need clarification on how the footswitches work with the APC40 in Ableton. are signals from the footswitch translated into a MIDI signal by the APC 40? if the footswitch were engaged in ableton, could it be mapped to a function like any knob or button could be? if not, would one have to use a translating program?
I am considering buying a cheap sustain footpedal if i could use it for anything i like in ableton.
thanks