Using Functions in C++

A function is a subprogram that acts on data and often returns a value.  You are already familiar with the one function that every C++ program possesses:  int main(void)

Good C++ programmers write programs that consist of many of these small functions.  These programmers know that a program written with numerous functions is easier to maintain, update and debug than one very long program.  By programming in a modular (functional) fashion, several programmers can work independently on separate functions which can be assembled at a later date to create the entire project.

Ideally, your main( ) function should be very short and should consist primarily of function calls.  

Each function has its own name.  When that name is encountered in a program, the execution of the program branches to the body of that function.  When the function is finished, execution returns to the area of the program code from which it was called, and the program continues on to the next line of code.

 

 

Functions come in two varieties:

Built-in functions

Build-in functions are part of the compiler package, such as
exit(1); 


User-defined functions

User-defined functions are created by you, the programmer.

 

 

 

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