Thread: info on "return" order in functions

i discovered these facts about using return in a function while experimenting on my own. take this following function for example:

Code:

char getchen(void);

char getchen(void)
{
	char ch;

	ch=getche();
	return ch;
	printf("\n");
}

here i needed the character to be displayed before the carriage return so i thought inserting the return statement at this point would make it work properly. it ended up ignoring everything after the return statement. here is the correct code and explination:

Code:

char getchen(void);

char getchen(void)
{
	char ch;

	ch=getche();
	printf("\n");
	return ch;
}

i discovered that the order of return doesnt matter. it always has to be last and all it gives is a reference to the variable that has to be returned. it doesnt necesarily have to be placed where you want the variable to return as i learned from trial and error

hope this was useful to somebody, thx 4 reading. post some replies for me

well, ignoring that minor technical detail. that pretty much covers the return statement and how it messed me up

Originally posted by Bigbio2002
well, ignoring that minor technical detail. that pretty much covers the return statement and how it messed me up

Whenever a return statement is encountered, the function returns. The newline in your first example is not printed, because the function immediately returns.

In your second example, the newline is printed first, and then the function returns.

here i needed the character to be displayed before the carriage return so i thought inserting the return statement at this point would make it work properly. it ended up ignoring everything after the return statement.

This is correct. This is working exactly as it should.

i discovered that the order of return doesnt matter. it always has to be last and all it gives is a reference to the variable that has to be returned. it doesnt necesarily have to be placed where you want the variable to return as i learned from trial and error

No, this is wrong. Whenever a return is encountered, the function immediately returns.

Whether or not your other code executes right has nothing to do with the way return works. It is your just misunderstanding how the logic of the code works.

In short:

1) If a function doesn't return anything, meaning it is a void function, then return is not needed at all, unless you wish to "break out of" the function early. Example:

Code:

void function( int x )
{
    int y = 0;

    for( y = 0; y < x; y++ )
    {
        if( y == 5 )
            return;
    }

    printf("x was less than 5\n");
}

Crude example, but it illustrates the point. Here, we want the function to end if y ever reaches five. If it doesn't, then it will continue on and issue the printf statement. Notice that we do not need a return at the end of this function, because it is a void function.

2) If a function is non-void, meaning it returns a value, then you must return a value of the appropriate type whenever you return from the function. Example:

Code:

int function( int x )
{
    int y = 0;

    for( y = 0; y < x; y++ )
    {
        if( y == 5 )
            return x;
    }

    printf("x was less than 5\n");
    return y;
}

This function requires two return statements. The function breaks early in the loop, if the right condition is met, and so it has to return an integer there, since that's the return type this function requires. It also needs one at the end, because the end of the code block is reached and the function requires an integer be returned.

In this example, it doesn't matter what we return, as long as it is an integer, since that's what the function declaration requires of us.

Quzah.

wow, ok that was all cofusing.

Whether or not your other code executes right has nothing to do with the way return works. It is your just misunderstanding how the logic of the code works.

i guess as long as it works i shouldnt bother with the low level technical stuff. the part i dont understand is that even though it returns the value last, how come it displays the character from getche() before the newline? i ought to stop thinking...

also, i feel kinda stupid typing in all lowercase and looking at all of you with neatly formatted replies

I was simply explaining to you that all functions return no matter what. Now for the sake of pure C you only use a return upon returning from a function that returns a value. All functions do return - but void functions have an intrinsic return that the compiler puts in for you - functions that return a value have an intrinsic return - but the compiler does not know what to return so you must tell it.

A good programming habit to get into is one entry point and one exit point per function and - one function does one thing. Using a return to leave a function mid-way is not a good practice. The only reason I can see to use a return midway through a function is in a recursive function.

Exiting out of a function mid-way makes your code very hard to follow and also violates several rules - although it can be done.


The proper way to use a return statement is this:

Code:

int Add(int a,int b)
{
  return (a+b);
}

You can also return pointers to objects and classes. You can also return arrays but I don't recommend doing it. If you need to fill an array do it like this or simply return a pointer to the array. You can return an array via the stack but again I don't recommend doing it although it is possible.

Code:

//Adds array1 and array2 and puts result in arraytoset
void SetArray(int array1[2][2], int array2[2][2],int arraytoset[2][2])
{
  for (int ii=0;ii<2;i++)
  {
     for (int j=0;j<2;j++)
     {
        arraytoset[ii][j]+=array1[ii][j]+array2[ii][j];
     }
   }
}

Have to use ii or board will interpret it as italics not array.

When a C function returns, that function is responsible for cleaning up the stack. I cannot explain to you the entire stack process as it would only serve to confuse you at this juncture.

NOTE: Is there a way to turn off the bold italic and other things inside of a code section. Look at the above example. The board sees my 'i' as an italics command, not as part of a C array. So it puts everything in italics after that. Then when I want to use italics again....it fails because it's looking for a '/i'.
???