Procedures - Functions and Subroutines
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This chapter describes:
- What Is a Procedure?
- Defining and Invoking Function Procedures
- Function Procedure Example
- Defining and Invoking Sub Procedures
- Sub Procedure Example
- Rules of Passing Arguments
- Example - Passing Arguments by Reference
- Example - Passing Arguments by Value
- Passing Array as Arguments
- Variable Scope in Procedures
- Example - Variable Scopes
Notes and samples in this chapter are based Visual Basic 6.0.
What Is a Procedure?
A Procedure is a unit of code outside of the main execution code. But it can be executed by an invoking statement
in the main execution code. There are 3 aspects about procedures:
1. Defining a procedure.
2. Invoking a procedure.
3. Exchanging data between the main execution code and a procedure.
VB offers two types of procedures:
1. Function Procedure - A procedure that returns a value explicitly.
2. Sub Procedure - A procedure that does not return any value explicitly.
Defining and Invoking Function Procedures
A "Function" statement defines a function procedure with the following syntax:
Function function_name(argument_list)
statement_block
function_name = return_value
End Function
where "function_name" is the name of the function, "argument_list" a list of variables used
to pass data into and/or out of the function, and "return_value" is the value to be returned explicitly
to the invoking statements.
Of course, "argument_list" is optional.
Assigning the return value to the function name is also optional. If not given, default value
will be returned to the invoking statements. But this is not recommended.
Invoking a function procedure is simple, no need of any special statements. Just use the function
name with an argument list in any expression:
... function_name(argument_list) ...
This will cause the system to:
- Stop evaluating the expression.
- Map data or variables based on the argument list.
- Execute the entire statement block defined inside the function.
- Take the value returned in the function name.
- Continue to evaluate the expression.
If you want terminate a function procedure early, you can use the "Exit" statement:
Exit Function
(Continued on next part...)
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