From: Lloyd Linklater <lloyd@2live4.com>
Date: 2008-10-01T22:04:43+09:00
Subject: Re: Newbie question- Return method

Patrick Doyle wrote:
> The word "return" is a reserved word in ruby, just like the words
> "def", "if", "while", etc...
> 
> "return" is used in a method to exit the method and to return the
> given value to the caller.  In principal, you could write
> 
> def compute_square(x)
>   return x*x
> end
> 
> ...although The Ruby Way(tm) would be to simply write:
> 
> def compute_square(x)
>   x*x
> end
> 
> since, by the definition of the language, the return value of a method
> is (99.99% of the time) the last expression computed in the method.
> 

You can use it to pick what you want returned if it is not the last 
thing in the method.

e.g.

def myMethod s
  d = 'foo'
  s.upcase!
end

p myMethod("hiya")

=>  "HIYA"

However

def myMethod s
  d = "foo"
  s.upcase!
  return d
end

p myMethod("hiya")

=> "foo"

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