php-doc-en/language/control-structures/return.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- $Revision$ -->

<sect1 xml:id="function.return" xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
 <title>return</title>
 <?phpdoc print-version-for="return"?>
 <simpara>
  <literal>return</literal> returns program control to the calling module.
  Execution resumes at the expression following the called module's invocation.
 </simpara>
 <simpara>
  If called from within a function, the <literal>return</literal>
  statement immediately ends execution of the current function, and
  returns its argument as the value of the function
  call. <literal>return</literal> also ends the execution of
  an <function>eval</function> statement or script file.
 </simpara>
 <simpara>
  If called from the global scope, then execution of the current
  script file is ended. If the current script file was
  <function>include</function>d or <function>require</function>d,
  then control is passed back to the calling file. Furthermore, if
  the current script file was <function>include</function>d, then
  the value given to <literal>return</literal> will be returned as
  the value of the <function>include</function> call. If
  <literal>return</literal> is called from within the main script
  file, then script execution ends. If the current script file was
  named by the <link
  linkend="ini.auto-prepend-file">auto_prepend_file</link> or <link
  linkend="ini.auto-append-file">auto_append_file</link>
  configuration options in &php.ini;,
  then that script file's execution is ended.
 </simpara>
 <simpara>For more information, see <link
 linkend="functions.returning-values">Returning values</link>.
 </simpara>
 <para>
  <note>
   <simpara>
    Note that since <literal>return</literal> is a language
    construct and not a function, the parentheses surrounding its
    argument are not required and their use is discouraged.
   </simpara>
  </note>
  <note>
   <simpara>
    If no parameter is supplied, then the parentheses must be omitted
    and &null; will be
    returned. Calling <literal>return</literal> with parentheses but
    with no arguments will result in a parse error.
   </simpara>
  </note>
 </para>

 <para>
  As of PHP 7.1.0, return statements without an argument trigger <constant>E_COMPILE_ERROR</constant>,
  unless the return type is <type>void</type>, in which case return statements
  with an argument trigger that error.
 </para>
</sect1>

<!-- Keep this comment at the end of the file
Local variables:
mode: sgml
sgml-omittag:t
sgml-shorttag:t
sgml-minimize-attributes:nil
sgml-always-quote-attributes:t
sgml-indent-step:1
sgml-indent-data:t
indent-tabs-mode:nil
sgml-parent-document:nil
sgml-default-dtd-file:"~/.phpdoc/manual.ced"
sgml-exposed-tags:nil
sgml-local-catalogs:nil
sgml-local-ecat-files:nil
End:
vim600: syn=xml fen fdm=syntax fdl=2 si
vim: et tw=78 syn=sgml
vi: ts=1 sw=1
-->