Function returning a struct

Technical C/C++
1

I am having some issues with structure handling. The error I’m getting reads:

expected initializer before ‘function_name’

Here is some sample code for what I’m trying to do:

struct my_struct{
int a;
int b;
};

…
//This next line is the line in which the error occurs
my_struct function_name(my_struct my_argument){
…
}

Does anyone have any ideas on what is causing this and how to fix it?

2

It would help if we saw a better context for the situation. Could you post more, like maybe the whole file, and point out where the error occurs?

3

Is this in a .c file?
Or .cpp?

4

This is a .cpp file. I don’t like adding context to questions like these because I am really after more general answers. In this particular scenario, there is no more context as it is a question that arose while I was teaching some of the younger members of the team about structs. The code above is essentially what I had written in the program to test this out.

5

Is that code inside of a class? I really can’t help unless you show more of what’s going on and I don’t feel like playing 20 Questions. There’s nothing wrong with what you posted, but it just shows very basic form.

6 
 struct my_struct fuctionname(struct my_struct argName)

Or you can typedef the struct.

7

Ok, but it’s clearly being compiled as C code, and that’s why more context would have been helpful.

In your original post, you wrote…

I am having some issues with structure handling. The error I’m getting reads:

expected initializer before ‘function_name’

In this case, the simple answer is, if the code you posted was compiled as C++, you wouldn’t get any such error because ‘my_struct’ becomes implicitly typedef’d.

Which means, IMHO, you are using a C compiler to teach C++ to others.:ahh:

8

But as gvarndell said, this isn’t necessary in a C++ compiler. Something funny is going on here…