Functions

[billyb29]

I am a beginner and i wanted to know what does it mean if the function has a (&) before it name i mean like : int &SetTime (...) ?

[ne555]

It is not before the name, but after the return type. It means that it returns a reference.

[yts]

it mean pass by reference.Parameter use the same memory location as argument.Changes are made to argument as well as parameter.Hence the changes are retained after function end.

[Kyon]

Yts, as you say, what you describe is passing by reference. This is returning a reference, meaning that you return a lvalue. Which means you can actually use it with operators like ++ and -- or on the left side of an assignment operators (=, +=, etc).

So the following would be legit code (although depending on the functionality, it might not really be a logical step to make):

SetTime(...) = 3;
// OR
SetTime(...)++;

Just to name a few.

[billyb29]

alright got it ;) thanks guys i really appreciate it .