# Returns

{% hint style="info" %}
Another big perk of functions is their ability to return a value (or even multiple values) back into the code it was called from. Not all situations require a return, but some do, and a return can be incredibly valuable.
{% endhint %}

A return's datatype is defined after a double colon on the function line:

{% code overflow="wrap" lineNumbers="true" %}

```python
#:          (    Parameters   )    (Return)
#:              V          V          V
function add(a:number, b:number) :: number:
  return ({_a} + {_b})
```

{% endcode %}

Similar to parameters, allow the function to return any object by setting the return type to `object`, and authorise the function to return multiple objects by pluralising the return datatype:

{% code overflow="wrap" lineNumbers="true" %}

```python
function exampleFunction() :: object:
#: This function can return a (single) object of any datatype

function exampleFunciton() :: locations:
#: This function can return a list (multiple) locations
```

{% endcode %}

To return an object, use the return effect: `return %object(s)%`.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Note that a function will terminate after returning something, so a return should be a function's last instruction.

A function with a return must not have any wait effects inside it.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
When a function has a return, it can be thought of like an expression; the function will be evaluated and 'replaced' with the return.

{% code overflow="wrap" lineNumbers="true" %}

```python
if add(10, 5) = 15: #: => if 15 = 15:
  broadcast "Math is cool!"
```

{% endcode %}

This means a function's return can also be used in effects or captured in a variable.
{% endhint %}


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