ColorConsole [Version 1.7.1000] PowerShell 2.0-Export
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.
C:\Windows-7>Powershell get-help about_Return -full
# TOPIC
about_Return
# SHORT DESCRIPTION
Exits the current scope, which can be a function, script, or script block.
# LONG DESCRIPTION
The Return keyword exits a function, script, or script block. It can be
used to exit a scope at a specific point, to return a value, or to indicate
that the end of the scope has been reached.
Users who are familiar with languages like C or C# might want to use the
Return keyword to make the logic of leaving a scope explicit.
In Windows PowerShell, the results of each statement are returned as
output, even without a statement that contains the Return keyword.
Languages like C or C# return only the value or values that are specified
by the Return keyword.
Syntax
The syntax for the Return keyword is as follows:
return
[<expression>
]
The Return keyword can appear alone, or it can be followed by a value or
expression, as follows:
return
return $a
return
(2 + $a
)
Examples
The following example uses the Return keyword to exit a
function at a
specific point if a conditional is met:
function ScreenPassword
($instance
)
{
if
(!
($instance.screensaversecure
)) {return $instance.name
}
<additional statements>
}
foreach
($a in @
(get-wmiobject win32_desktop
)) { ScreenPassword
($a
) }
This script checks each user account. The ScreenPassword
function returns
the name of any user account that does not have a password-protected
screen saver. If the screen saver is password protected, the
function
completes any other statements to be run, and Windows PowerShell does not
return any value.
In Windows PowerShell, values can be returned even if the Return keyword
is not used. The results of each statement are returned. For example, the
following statements return the value of the $a variable:
$a
return
The following statement also returns the value of $a:
return $a
The following example includes a statement intended to let the user know
that the
function is performing a calculation:
function calculation
{
param
($value
)
"Please wait. Working on calculation..."
$value += 73
return $value
}
Running this
function and assigning the result to a
variable has the
following effect:
C:\PS> $a = calculation 14
C:\PS>
The "Please wait. Working on calculation..." string is not displayed.
Instead, it is assigned to the $a variable, as in the following example:
C:\PS> $a
Please wait. Working on calculation...
87
Both the informational string and the result of the calculation are
returned by the
function and assigned to the $a variable.
SEE ALSO
about_Functions
about_Scopes
about_Script_Blocks
C:\Windows>powershell
get-help about_scopes -full
