Creating User-Defined Functions

1.   Declare the function.  The declaration, called the function prototype, tells the computer the name, return type, and parameters of the function.  This statement is placed after #include<iostream.h> (and other headers) and before
int main(void).

2.  Define the function.  The function definition tells the compiler what task the function will be performing.  A function definition cannot be called unless the function is declared.  The function prototype and the function definition must agree EXACTLY on the return type, the name, and the parameters.  The only difference between the function prototype and the function header is a semicolon (see diagram below).  The function definition is placed AFTER the end of the int main(void) function.

The function definition consists of the function header and its body.  The header is EXACTLY like the function prototype, EXCEPT that it contains NO terminating semicolon.

 

 

FORMAT NOTE:

Please have all of your functions end with return.

 


*Note In this first course, we will be using the word argument and parameter interchangeably.  There is, however, a subtle difference between these two terms.  Simply stated, an argument is the value passed to the function and the parameter is the variable that received the value.

 

 

 

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