Chapter: 4 – Notes – JavaScript for React Beginners

📝 Understanding the return Statement in JavaScript (with examples)

In JavaScript, functions are one of the most fundamental building blocks. Sometimes, you simply want a function to do something (like print a message). Other times, you want it to compute something and give the result back.
This is where the return statement comes into play.

Let’s explore this with two simple functions:

Example 1: Function without return

function greet(name) {
    console.log("Hello, " + name + "!");
}

greet("Sreeraj");

Here, the function greet doesn’t return anything. Instead, it directly performs an action: it prints "Hello, Sreeraj!" to the console.
This is perfect when you want a function to execute some code, but you don’t need to reuse the result.

Example 2: Function with return

function greeting(name) {
    return "Hello, " + name + "!";
}

In this case, the function greeting creates the message and returns it to the place where the function was called.
This allows us to do more flexible things with the returned value:

Usage #1: Print directly

console.log(greeting("Sreeraj"));

Here, we call greeting("Sreeraj"). The function returns "Hello, Sreeraj!", and then console.log prints it.

Usage #2: Store in a variable and reuse

let msg = greeting("Sreeraj");
console.log(msg);

We store the returned message in the variable msg. Later, we can log it, modify it, or use it anywhere else in our program.

✅ Summary

• The return statement sends a value back from the function to the caller.
• Without return, a function just runs and finishes; with return, it provides output you can use elsewhere.
• Using return makes functions more reusable and flexible.

By understanding when to use return, you’ll write cleaner, modular, and more maintainable JavaScript code