Multiple returns from function

Question

Is it possible to have a function with 2 returns like this:

function test($testvar)
{
  // do something

  return $var1;
  return $var2;
}

If so, how would I be able to get each return separately?

Answer 1

In your example, the second return will never happen - the first return is the last thing PHP will run. If you need to return multiple values, return an array:

function test($testvar) {

    return array($var1, $var2);
}

$result = test($testvar);
echo $result[0]; // $var1
echo $result[1]; // $var2

Answer 2

The answer is no. When the parser reaches the first return statement, it will direct control back to the calling function - your second return statement will never be executed.

Answer 3

What you're looking for is a continuation style returns and it's not really supported in PHP (it is supported in functional languages like scheme). The closet thing you can do is store a global state variable when the function is called the first time increment the global, then have a condition that checks the variables state on the second call.

global var $tester = 0;

function test($testvar) {

if($tester===0) {
$tester++;
return $var1;

    } else {
     return $var2;
    }

} 

Answer 4

There is no way of returning 2 variables. Although you CAN propagate an array an return it; create a conditional to return a dynamic variable, etc.

For instance, This function would return $var2;

function wtf($blahblah = true) {
    $var1 = "ONe";
    $var2 = "tWo";

    if($blahblah == true) return $var2;
    return $var1;
}

In application:

echo wtf();
//would echo: tWo
echo wtf("not true, this is false");
//would echo: ONe

If you wanted them both, you could modify the function a bit

function wtf($blahblah = true) {
    $var1 = "ONe";
    $var2 = "tWo";

    if($blahblah == true) return $var2;

    if($blahblah == "both") {
      $anArray[] = $var1;
      $anArray[] = $var2;
      return $anArray;
    }

    return $var1;
}

echo wtf("both")[0]
//would echo: ONe
echo wtf("both")[1]
//would echo: tWo

Answer 5

Languages which allow multiple returns usually just convert the multiple values into a data structure.

For example, in python you can return multiple values, however they're actually just being returned as 1 tuple.

So you can return multiple values in PHP by just creating a simple array and returning that.

Answer 6

Hi

You can get values of two or more variables by setting them by reference

function t(&$a, &$b) {
    $a = 1;
    $b = 2;
}


t($a,$b);

echo $a . '  ' . $b;

output:

1 2