Lua Quick Start Guide

Returning a value

Functions don't just take input, they can also return some output to the calling code. This is done through a return value. When a function returns a value, it can be called as part of an expression or as a standalone statement.

If a function is called as a part of an expression, its return value can be assigned to a variable, or used wherever a variable could be used. The following code demonstrates this concept:

-- declare the functionfunction AddTwo(x)  result = x + 2  print (x .. " + 2 = " .. result)  return resultendAddTwo(3) -- calls as statementnine = 7 + AddTwo(5) -- Call as expressionprint ("adding two " .. AddTwo(3)) -- Call as expression

When a function hits a return statement, it returns whatever data follows and ...