A Deep Dive into C++ Function Return Values: Types, Meanings, and Applications

C Function return values ​​can be of various types, including basic types, class types, reference types and pointer types. They indicate the purpose and status of a function and are used for error handling, data passing, and control flow. For example, a function that calculates the average returns a double value that represents the average of two integers.

In-depth discussion of C function return values: types, meanings and applications

In C, function return values ​​are a basic concept , which determines the purpose and usage of the function. Understanding function return values ​​is critical because it helps you write reliable, maintainable code.

Types

Functions in C can have values ​​of different types:

• void: Function does not return any value.
• Basic types: int, float, double and other basic types.
• Class type: User-defined class type.
• Reference type: Reference pointing to other variables or objects.
• Pointer type: Pointer to other variables or objects.

Meaning

The return value can indicate whether the function successfully performed its task:

• int Type: is usually used to indicate error codes. A non-zero value indicates an error, 0 indicates success.
• bool Type: Indicates whether the condition is true or false.
• Custom type: Can return more specific information about function execution.

Application

Function return values ​​can be used for a variety of purposes:

• Error handling: By checking the function return value, you can determine whether the function executed successfully and take appropriate action.
• Passing data: The return value can be used to pass data from the function to the caller.
• Control flow: The return value can be used to determine the path of code execution.

Practical case

Consider a function that calculates the average of two integers:

double calculateAverage(int num1, int num2) {
  return (num1 + num2) / 2.0;
}

The return value type of this function is double because it returns the average of two integers, which may be a decimal.

We can use this function in the main function as shown below:

int main() {
  int num1 = 10;
  int num2 = 20;
  double average = calculateAverage(num1, num2);
  cout << "Average: " << average << endl;
  return 0;
}

This code will print the average of two integers, which is 15.0.

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