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<p>Terminates current function and returns specified value to the caller function.
</p>
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<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="return.html#Syntax"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Syntax</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="return.html#Explanation"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Explanation</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="return.html#Keywords"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Keywords</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><a href="return.html#Example"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Example</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5"><a href="return.html#References"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6"><a href="return.html#See_also"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">See also</span></a></li>
</ul>
</td></tr></table>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://en.cppreference.com/mwiki/index.php?title=c/language/return&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Syntax">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Syntax">Syntax</span></h3>
<table class="t-sdsc-begin">
<tr>
<td colspan="10" class="t-sdsc-sep">
</td></tr>
<tr class="t-sdsc">
<td> <code><b>return</b></code> <span class="t-spar">expression</span> <code><b>;</b></code>
</td>
<td> (1)
</td>
<td class="t-sdsc-nopad">
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="10" class="t-sdsc-sep">
</td></tr>
<tr class="t-sdsc">
<td> <code><b>return</b></code> <code><b>;</b></code>
</td>
<td> (2)
</td>
<td class="t-sdsc-nopad">
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="10" class="t-sdsc-sep">
</td></tr></table>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://en.cppreference.com/mwiki/index.php?title=c/language/return&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Explanation">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Explanation">Explanation</span></h3>
<div class="t-li1"><span class="t-li">1)</span> Evaluates the <span class="t-spar">expression</span>, terminates the current function and returns the result of the <span class="t-spar">expression</span> to the caller (the value returned becomes the value of the function call expression). Only valid if the function return type is not <span class="t-c"><span class="mw-geshi c source-c"><span class="kw4">void</span></span></span>.</div>
<div class="t-li1"><span class="t-li">2)</span> Terminates the current function. Only valid if the function return type is <span class="t-c"><span class="mw-geshi c source-c"><span class="kw4">void</span></span></span>.</div>
<p>If the type of the <span class="t-spar">expression</span> is different from the return type of the function, its value is <a href="conversion.html" title="c/language/conversion">converted</a> as if by assignment to an object whose type is the return type of the function, except that overlap between object representations is permitted:
</p>
<div dir="ltr" class="mw-geshi" style="text-align: left;"><div class="c source-c"><pre class="de1"><span class="kw1">struct</span> s <span class="br0">{</span> <span class="kw4">double</span> i<span class="sy4">;</span> <span class="br0">}</span> f<span class="br0">(</span><span class="kw4">void</span><span class="br0">)</span><span class="sy4">;</span> <span class="co1">// function returning struct s</span>
<span class="kw1">union</span> <span class="br0">{</span> <span class="kw1">struct</span> <span class="br0">{</span> <span class="kw4">int</span> f1<span class="sy4">;</span> <span class="kw1">struct</span> s f2<span class="sy4">;</span> <span class="br0">}</span> u1<span class="sy4">;</span>
<span class="kw1">struct</span> <span class="br0">{</span> <span class="kw1">struct</span> s f3<span class="sy4">;</span> <span class="kw4">int</span> f4<span class="sy4">;</span> <span class="br0">}</span> u2<span class="sy4">;</span> <span class="br0">}</span> g<span class="sy4">;</span>
<span class="kw1">struct</span> s f<span class="br0">(</span><span class="kw4">void</span><span class="br0">)</span>
<span class="br0">{</span>
<span class="kw1">return</span> g.<span class="me1">u1</span>.<span class="me1">f2</span><span class="sy4">;</span>
<span class="br0">}</span>
<span class="kw4">int</span> main<span class="br0">(</span><span class="kw4">void</span><span class="br0">)</span>
<span class="br0">{</span>
<span class="co1">// g.u2.f3 = g.u1.f2; // undefined behavior (overlap in assignment)</span>
g.<span class="me1">u2</span>.<span class="me1">f3</span> <span class="sy1">=</span> f<span class="br0">(</span><span class="br0">)</span><span class="sy4">;</span> <span class="co1">// well-defined</span>
<span class="br0">}</span></pre></div></div>
<p>If the return type is a real floating type, the result may be represented in <a href="../types/limits/FLT_EVAL_METHOD.html" title="c/types/limits/FLT EVAL METHOD">greater range and precision</a> than implied by the new type.
</p><p>Reaching the end of a function other than <span class="t-c"><span class="mw-geshi c source-c">main</span></span> is equivalent to <span class="t-c"><span class="mw-geshi c source-c"><span class="kw1">return</span><span class="sy4">;</span></span></span>. Reaching the end of the main function is equivalent to <span class="t-c"><span class="mw-geshi c source-c"><span class="kw1">return</span> <span class="nu0">0</span><span class="sy4">;</span></span></span>. Reaching the end of any other value-returning function is undefined behavior, but only if the result of the function is used in an expression.
</p><p>Executing the <code>return</code> statement in a <a href="noreturn.html" title="c/language/ Noreturn">no-return function</a> is undefined behavior.
</p>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://en.cppreference.com/mwiki/index.php?title=c/language/return&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Keywords">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Keywords">Keywords</span></h3>
<p><a href="../keyword/return.html" title="c/keyword/return"><tt>return</tt></a>
</p>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://en.cppreference.com/mwiki/index.php?title=c/language/return&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Example">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Example">Example</span></h3>
<table class="metadata plainlinks ambox mbox-small-left ambox-notice" style=""><tr><td class="mbox-empty-cell"></td><td class="mbox-text" style="">This section is incomplete<br />Reason: improve </td></tr></table>
<div class="t-example"><div class="t-example-live-link"><div class="coliru-btn coliru-btn-run-init">Run this code</div></div>
<div dir="ltr" class="mw-geshi" style="text-align: left;"><div class="c source-c"><pre class="de1"><span class="co2">#include <stdio.h></span>
 
<span class="kw4">void</span> fa<span class="br0">(</span><span class="kw4">int</span> i<span class="br0">)</span>
<span class="br0">{</span>
<span class="kw1">if</span> <span class="br0">(</span>i <span class="sy1">==</span> <span class="nu0">2</span><span class="br0">)</span>
<span class="kw1">return</span><span class="sy4">;</span>
<a href="../io/fprintf.html"><span class="kw851">printf</span></a><span class="br0">(</span><span class="st0">"fa():  %d<span class="es1">\n</span>"</span>, i<span class="br0">)</span><span class="sy4">;</span>
<span class="br0">}</span> <span class="co1">// implied return;</span>
 
<span class="kw4">int</span> fb<span class="br0">(</span><span class="kw4">int</span> i<span class="br0">)</span>
<span class="br0">{</span>
<span class="kw1">if</span> <span class="br0">(</span>i <span class="sy1">></span> <span class="nu0">4</span><span class="br0">)</span>
<span class="kw1">return</span> <span class="nu0">4</span><span class="sy4">;</span>
<a href="../io/fprintf.html"><span class="kw851">printf</span></a><span class="br0">(</span><span class="st0">"fb():  %d<span class="es1">\n</span>"</span>, i<span class="br0">)</span><span class="sy4">;</span>
<span class="kw1">return</span> <span class="nu0">2</span><span class="sy4">;</span>
<span class="br0">}</span>
 
<span class="kw4">int</span> main<span class="br0">(</span><span class="kw4">void</span><span class="br0">)</span>
<span class="br0">{</span>
fa<span class="br0">(</span><span class="nu0">2</span><span class="br0">)</span><span class="sy4">;</span>
fa<span class="br0">(</span><span class="nu0">1</span><span class="br0">)</span><span class="sy4">;</span>
<span class="kw4">int</span> i <span class="sy1">=</span> fb<span class="br0">(</span><span class="nu0">5</span><span class="br0">)</span><span class="sy4">;</span> <span class="co1">// the return value 4 used to initializes i</span>
i <span class="sy1">=</span> fb<span class="br0">(</span>i<span class="br0">)</span><span class="sy4">;</span> <span class="co1">// the return value 2 used as rhs of assignment</span>
<a href="../io/fprintf.html"><span class="kw851">printf</span></a><span class="br0">(</span><span class="st0">"main(): %d<span class="es1">\n</span>"</span>, i<span class="br0">)</span><span class="sy4">;</span>
<span class="br0">}</span></pre></div></div>
<p>Output:
</p>
<div dir="ltr" class="mw-geshi" style="text-align: left;"><div class="text source-text"><pre class="de1">fa(): 1
fb(): 4
main(): 2</pre></div></div>
</div>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://en.cppreference.com/mwiki/index.php?title=c/language/return&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: References">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h3>
<div class="t-ref-std-11">
<ul><li> C11 standard (ISO/IEC 9899:2011):
</li></ul>
<dl><dd><ul><li> 6.8.6.4 The return statement (p: 154)
</li></ul>
</dd></dl>
<div class="t-ref-std-c99">
<ul><li> C99 standard (ISO/IEC 9899:1999):
</li></ul>
<dl><dd><ul><li> 6.8.6.4 The return statement (p: 139)
</li></ul>
</dd></dl>
<div class="t-ref-std-c89">
<ul><li> C89/C90 standard (ISO/IEC 9899:1990):
</li></ul>
<dl><dd><ul><li> 3.6.6.4 The return statement
</li></ul>
</dd></dl>
</div>
<h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://en.cppreference.com/mwiki/index.php?title=c/language/return&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: See also">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="See_also">See also</span></h3>
<table class="t-dsc-begin">
<tr class="t-dsc">
<td colspan="2"> <div class="t-dsc-see"><span><a href="../../cpp/language/return.html" title="cpp/language/return">C++ documentation</a></span> for <span class="t-dsc-see-tt"><span>return statement</span></span></div>
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