Can script functions return a value?

#1 Yes... just return it as expected.

function GetName()
{
   return "Tom";
}

echo( "Hello Torque! -- " @ GetName() );

Basic types are passed by value and object instances are passed as a numerical id pointer which is in essence by reference.

#2 I'm a newbie myself, but script functions can return values. You don't have to specify the return type in the function header. Just type

return(value);

where you want to return something.

My understanding is that perameters are passed by text, since there are no types in Torquescript. So if you pass an object id or name, calling methods on that perameter will call it on the actual object. Suppose you have a function

function increaseSpeed(%objectSpeed)
{
   %objectSpeed += 2;
}

and you call

increaseSpeed(%myPlayer.getSpeed());

or

increaseSpeed(%myPlayer.speed);

You are passing the text returned by that function, or stored in that variable, not the variable. So the function WILL NOT increase your players speed, it will increase the value you passed by 2. If you want to adjust variables, you typically need to write a function like

increaseSpeed(%objectID)
{
   %objectID.speed += 2;
}

So if you call

increaseSpeed(%myPlayer.getID());

That code will act on your speed variable. Hope that helps.

EDIT: Tom beat me to it while I was posting :P

#3

Quote:I'm a newbie myself, but script functions can return values. You don't have to specify the return type in the function header. Just type
return(value);

This is all good except return is not a function. The following is correct:

%position = %player.getTransform();
return %position;        // <-------------------

#4 Stefan is correct (and Noah had an excellent write-up!): the syntax error is because you have the ( and ) around the value you want to return. That's a common c++ syntax style, but it confuses TorqueScript unfortunately...you need to not use anything around the return value.