Learning to Program

Function Structure

The syntax of a function is actually quite simple (much simpler than a for loop), as shown in Listing 8.1. The syntax is different for each language, but the building blocks are mostly the same. A function is declared to be a function using a specific keyword, such as function, def, or sub. A function is given a name, which should describe the task the function performs. The function’s parameters are stated and given names. Finally, a function has a group of instructions called a function body. If the function returns a value, the body contains a return statement.

Listing 8.1 The Function Syntax in JavaScript

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function countToTen( /* parameters go here */ ) {  /* code goes here, in the function ...