The following are examples of return statements:
return; /* Returns no value */
return result; /* Returns the value of result */
return 1; /* Returns the value 1 */
return (x * x); /* Returns the value of x * x */The following function searches through an array of integers to determine if a match exists for the variable number. If a match exists, the function match returns the value of i. If a match does not exist, the function match returns the value -1 (negative one).
int match(int number, int array[ ], int n)
{
int i;
for (i = 0; i < n; i++)
if (number == array[i])
return (i);
return(-1);
}A function can contain multiple return statements. For example:
void copy( int *a, int *b, int c)
{
/* Copy array a into b, assuming both arrays are the same size */
if (!a || !b) /* if either pointer is 0, return */
return;
if (a == b) /* if both parameters refer */
return; /* to same array, return */
if (c == 0) /* nothing to copy */
return;
for (int i = 0; i < c; ++i;) /* do the copying */
b[i] = a[1];
/* implicit return */
}In this example, the return statement is used to cause a premature termination of the function, similar to a break statement.
An expression appearing in a return statement is converted to the return type of the function in which the statement appears. If no implicit conversion is possible, the return statement is invalid.
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