What is difference between these two function? (function reference)

Question

1.00/5 (1 vote)

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This is common function that I see.

C++

std::string foo(){}

but not this

C++

std::string &foo(){}

What is the second one.
What the difference in what they do?
I understand that

C++

std::string foo(int &a){}

is passing by reference.
The second foo... it is pass function by reference or what?

What I have tried:

I came across this function on one of my question in quora.
Still didn't understand. So I ask here. Hope anybody can help

Posted 11-Feb-16 6:18am

Are Riff

Updated 11-Feb-16 7:05am

v2

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Comments

Richard MacCutchan 11-Feb-16 12:42pm

That will give a syntax error, you cannot return a reference to void. Try a proper type and see what happens.

Are Riff 11-Feb-16 13:04pm

sorry, it was something else, it was std::string foo()

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nv3 · Answer 1 · 2016-02-11T07:19:00

Solution 1

Better read it as

std::string&  foo()

The function returns a reference to a string object instead of a string object.

Posted 11-Feb-16 7:19am

nv3

Comments

Albert Holguin 12-Feb-16 15:55pm

This is dangerous though... because scope plays an important part of this. Don't return by reference anything that's going to go out of scope as soon as the function is finished!