Statements: return

The return statement returns the control to the calling method.

Syntax

Form 1:

return;

Form 2:

returnexpression;

Discussion

In its first version, the return statement terminates the execution of a method and returns the control to the calling method. This version can be used only within a method being declared with void as its return value. Such methods can't return a value. For example, you use the return statement to leave a method early:

// If the value of the property doesn't change - nothing to do.
if ( value == pure SomeProperty )
return;

// otherwise remember the new value and ...
pure SomeProperty = value;

// ... force the component to update its state
InvalidateViewState();

In its second version, the return statement additionally evaluates the specified expression and returns its result to the calling method. This version can be used only within a method being declared with a data type other than void as its return value. Such method explicitly expects a value to return. Please note, the resulting data type of the expression should match the return value declaration of the method. For example, you can implement a method to search within a component for a text view containing the specified text:

var string     text = ...; // The text to search
var Core::View view = FindNextView( null, Core::ViewState[]);

// Search in the list of views for the text view with the given text
while ( view != null )
{
  var Views::Text textView = (Views::Text)view;

  // Is this the desired text view?
  if (( textView != null ) && ( textView.String == text ))
    return textView;

  // If not, continue with the next view
  view = FindNextView( view, Core::ViewState[ Visible ]);
}

// No matching view found
return null;