What do you mean by function return in C language?


A function is a self-contained block that carries out a specific task.

The advantages of function in C language are as follows −

  • Reusability

  • The length program can be reduced.

  • It is easy to locate and isolate a wrong function.

  • It facilitates top-down modular programming.

Example

Following is the C program for functions −

#include<stdio.h>
/*Function prototypes*/
myfunc();
main(){
   myfunc();
}
/*Function Defination*/
myfunc(){
   printf("Hello 
"); }

Here,

  • In calculations, we generally expect a function to return a value. But, it may or may not accept the arguments.

  • This return value has a type int, float, char or anything else.

  • Default type of function is integer.

Example

Another program for the function is as follows −

int total (){
   int a,b,c;
   a=10;
   b=20;
   c=a+b;
   return c; //it returns the c value i.e. prints the result
}

Output

When the above program is executed, it produces the following result −

30

Instead of writing two steps,

c=a+b;
return c;

We can replace with single-step like return a+b;

If you forget to return a value in a function, it returns the warning message in most of the C compilers. This message warns that you must return a value. Warnings may not stop the program execution but, errors stop it.

Example Program

Given below is the C program for return function −

int main(){
   ---
   ---
   ---
   return 0;
}

The default return value for an integer type is 0.

If you do not insert return 0 or any other value in your main() function a, 0 will be returned automatically.

If you want to return an int value in your function, it is preferred to mention the return value in your function header.

Returning from a Function

A function returns a single value by means of the return statement.

If the changes are made within the function to the variables, then they are local to that function. A calling function's variables are not affected by the actions of a called function.

The calling function chooses to ignore the value returned by the called function. For example, printf and scanf return values are usually ignored.

The value returned by a function is used in a more complex expression, or it may be assigned to a variable.

Updated on: 08-Mar-2021

4K+ Views

Kickstart Your Career

Get certified by completing the course

Get Started
Advertisements