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ECE 532
CHAPTER 1: REVISION OF COMPUTER
PROGRAMMING CONCEPT (FUNCTION
PART 1)
Lecturer: Dr. Roslina Mohamad
Room: Tower 2, Level 13, No: 14C
Tel: 03-55436068
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Before We Begin…
• Recite Du’a
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FUNCTION
PART 1 – PASS-BY-VALUE FUNCTION
1)VOID FUNCTION

2)VALUE-RETURNING FUNCTION

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At the end of this lecture, you will be able to:

Revise how to construct and use a value-

returning, void, user-defined function in a
program
Revise the concept of pass-by-value
function

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Introduction
• Functions are like building blocks
• They allow complicated programs to be
divided into manageable pieces
• Some advantages of functions:
• A programmer can focus on just that part of the
program and construct it, debug it, and perfect it
• Different people can work on different functions
simultaneously
• Can be re-used (even in different programs)
• Enhance program readability
User-Defined Functions
 Value-returning functions: have a return
type
 Return a value of a specific data type using the
return statement
 Void functions: do not have a return type
 Do not use a return statement to return a
value

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PROTOTYPING, CALLING AND
DEFINING FUNCTIONS

Function prototype: a function declaration statement

Function call: a statement that causes a function to execute

Function definition: the statements that make up a function

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 Example of Function

Function
Prototype

Function
Call

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 Example of Function

Function
Definition

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FUNCTION PROTOTYPE
Function prototype: function heading without the body of the
function
Syntax:

It is not necessary to specify the variable name in the

parameter list
The data type of each parameter must be specified

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 Calling a Function
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 To call a function, use the function name

followed by () and ;
printHeading();
 When a function is called, the program executes
the body of the function
 After the function terminates, execution resumes
in the calling module at the point of call
 Format Function Call
CALLING FUNCTIONS WITH
MULTIPLE ARGUMENTS ILLUSTRATION
displayData(height, weight); // call

void displayData(int h, int w)// heading

{
cout << "Height = " << h << endl;
cout << "Weight = " << w << endl;
}

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 Function Definition
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 Definition includes
return type: data type of the value the function returns to
the part of the program that called it
name: name of the function. Function names follow
same rules as variable names
parameter list: variables that hold the values passed to
the function
body: statements that perform the function’s task
Function Definition

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Example using a Function Prototype

//See Example 1.19 18

Example using a Function
Definition (without Function
Prototype)
#include<iostream>
using namespace std;

int square(int x) // Function Definition

{
return x*x;
}

int main()
{
int a=10;
cout<<a<<" squared: "<<square(a)<<endl;

//See Example 1.20

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Void Function (Non-return Type) & Function Return

Type

• If a function does not return a value, its return type is

void
void printHeading()
{
cout << "\tMonthly Sales\n";
}

• If a function returns a value, the type of the value must

be indicated
int main()
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PASS-BY-VALUE FUNCTION
 When an argument is passed by value, a copy of
the argument’s value is made and passed (on the
function call stack) to the called function.
 Changes to the copy do not affect the original
variable’s value in the caller.
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 Passing Data by Value
O Pass by value: when an argument is passed to a function, a
copy of its value is placed in the parameter
O The function cannot access the original argument
O Changes to the parameter in the function do not affect the
value of the argument in the calling function

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 Passing Data by Value
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 Example: int val = 5;

evenOrOdd(val);

val num
5 5
argument in parameter in

calling function evenOrOdd function

 evenOrOdd can change variable num, but it will
have no effect on variable val
 Void Functions

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Example of Void Functions with no Parameter (Refer to Gaddis)

•Program without using function prototype

//See Example 1.21, Example 1.22,

Example 1.23, Example 1.24

•Program using function prototype

// See Example 1.25

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Example of Void Functions with a Parameter(s)/ Pass-by-Value (Refer to Gaddis)

// See Example 1.26, Example 1.27,

Example 1.28, Example 1.29
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Value-Returning Functions with
Passing by Value
 To use these functions you must:
◦ Include the appropriate header file in your program
using the include statement
◦ Know the following items:
 Name of the function
 Number of parameters, if any
 Data type of each parameter
 Data type of the value returned: called the type
of the function

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Value-Returning Functions with Passing
by Value

 Because the value returned by a value-returning

function is unique, must:
 Save the value for further calculation
 Use the value in some calculation
 Print the value
 A value-returning function is used in an assignment or
in an output statement
 One more thing is associated with functions:
 The code required to accomplish the task

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Syntax: Value-Returning Function

 Syntax:

 functionType is also called the data type or return

type

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SYNTAX: FORMAL PARAMETER LIST

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 Returning a Value from a Function
 return statement can be used to return a value
from the function to the module that made the
function call
 Prototype and definition must indicate data type of
return value (not void)
 Calling function should use return value, e.g.,
› assign it to a variable
› send it to cout
› use it in an arithmetic computation
› use it in a relational expression

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 * Returning a Value – the return
Statement
* Format: return expression;
* expression may be a variable, a literal value, or an
expression.
* expression should be of the same data type as the declared
return type of the function (will be converted if not)

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Example of Value-Returning Functions

 Value-Returning Functions
• Heading: first four properties above
– Example: int abs(int number)
• Formal Parameter: variable declared in the
heading
– Example: number
• Actual Parameter: variable or expression listed
in a call to a function
– Example: x = pow(u, v)

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Example

//See Example 1.30

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Example

//See Example 1.31

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 Example of Value-Returning Functions
(Refer to Gaddis)

//See Example 1.32, Example 1.33,

Example 1.34

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