valuereturning

Value-returning functions or methods are callables that, when invoked, compute and return a value to the caller. The return value has a formal type defined by the language’s type system. In contrast, some constructs such as procedures or void functions do not yield a meaningful value.

Most programming languages require that a value-returning function conclude by producing a result through a return statement or an equivalent expression. Some languages support multiple return points, allowing the function to exit early with a value. The caller receives the value and can use it in further expressions or assign it to a variable.

Language-specific notes: In C and C++, a function with a non-void return type must return a value on all code paths; failing to do so yields undefined behavior. Java requires that every non-void method returns a value on all paths. Python functions return None if no value is explicitly returned, which is a value of type None. SQL distinguishes scalar-valued functions that return a single value from procedures that may not return a value.

Why value-returning functions matter: they promote modularity, reuse, and clearer data flow, enabling composition of small, testable units in both functional and multi-paradigm languages. Potential drawbacks include unintentional side effects or the need to manage types and return paths carefully. See also: function, method, return statement, type system, side effects.