error: expected unqualified-id before '[' help?

[beefstu409]

So I'm getting an expected unqualified-id error in the code below. It's a file being called by the main in another file. They are compiled together using g++. Any hints or ideas of what's wrong?

#include <iostream>
#include <cstdlib>

using namespace std;


int[] expand_array(int a[], int l, int inc); //error on this line, character 4

int[] expand_array(int a[], int l, int inc)  //error on this line, character 4
{
    int newa[l + inc];
    for(int i = 0; i < l; i++)
    {
        newa[i] = a[i];
    }
    return newa[];
}

[ceruleus]

maybe you should pass the array by reference and manipulate it inside your function rather than returning an array?

bool expand_array( int a[], int 1, int inc, int[] &b );

where b receives whatever array you wanted to return

edit: ya didn't really answer your question did I...

[Disch]

You can't return arrays from functions.

You'll either have to pass the array by reference as ceruleus suggested, or you'll have to put it in a container class (like a vector) or something similar and return that.