(C++) return type

The return type of a function denotes the data type it returns.

For example, the function below, ToInt, returns an int, so its return type is int.


#include <string>



///ToInt converts a std::string to an integer

///From http://www.richelbilderbeek.nl/CppToInt.htm

const int ToInt(const std::string& s)

{

  return std::atoi(s.c_str());

}

Advice

Don't return pointers or references to local variables [1]
For large return type, use a move constructor [2]

References

Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 12.7. Advice. page 341: '[4] Don't return pointers or references to local variables'
Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 18.5. Advice. page 547: '[4] For large results, use a move constructor'

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