Microsoft KB Archive/119900

= INFO: Understanding the RETURN Command =

Article ID: 119900

Article Last Modified on 3/3/2005

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Visual FoxPro 3.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Visual FoxPro 5.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Visual FoxPro 6.0 Professional Edition
 * Microsoft FoxPro 2.0
 * Microsoft FoxPro 2.6 for MS-DOS
 * Microsoft FoxPro 2.6a Standard Edition
 * Microsoft FoxPro 2.6 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft FoxPro 2.6a Standard Edition
 * Microsoft FoxPro 2.6 for SCO/UNIX

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This article was previously published under Q119900



SUMMARY
The RETURN command provides a great deal of flexibility over program control. RETURN terminates execution of a program, procedure, or function. Depending on how RETURN is used, control is returned to the calling program, the highest-level calling program, another program, or the Command window. The sample code below illustrates the power of the RETURN command.



MORE INFORMATION
Enter the following code in a program call RETTEST.PRG:

  PARAMETER x  && line 1

  ON ERROR DO myErr DO A  WAIT WINDOW 'In master'   && line 5

  ON ERROR

  PROCEDURE A   DO B   WAIT WINDOW 'In A'   && line 11

  PROCEDURE B   x=testing WAIT WINDOW 'In B' && line 15

  PROCEDURE myErr DO CASE

CASE x = 'master' RETURN TO MASTER CASE EMPTY(x) RETURN OTHERWISE RETURN TO &x

  ENDCASE

To demonstrate the capabilities of the RETURN command, try the following three invocations of the above program from the Command window.


 * The following command returns to line 5 without executing lines 11 or 15: DO rettest WITH "master"
 * The following command returns to line 11 without executing line 15: DO rettest WITH "A"
 * The following command returns to line 15, the line of code immediately following the line that generated the error: DO rettest WITH ""

The program is so short that it may be helpful to use the Trace window and step through the code. For additional information about using the Trace window, see the "Debugging" chapter of the "Developer's Guide" and the "Program Menu" chapter of the "User's Guide."

