Creating and Calling Functions

An introduction to functions - reusable blocks of code that we can use to break our application into smaller pieces.
This lesson is part of the course:

Intro to C++ Programming

Become a software engineer with C++. Starting from the basics, we guide you step by step along the way

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Ryan McCombe
Ryan McCombe
Edited

In our previous discussions, we've seen how objects in programming can be thought of as having two main aspects: properties and behaviors.

Properties are like the characteristics or states of an object. We've already learned how to define and use these through variables. For instance, in a game, a character's health or level can be represented as properties using variables like int Health or int Level.

But what about the actions or behaviors these objects can perform? This is where functions come into the picture. Functions are the building blocks that enable our objects to act and interact. They define behaviors by grouping sequences of code to perform specific tasks or actions.

Take the example of a game character again. What kinds of actions might this character need to perform? Perhaps they need to move around, attack enemies, or respond to taking damage. Each of these actions can be encapsulated within a function.

By using functions, we not only organize our code into meaningful blocks but also make it reusable and easier to manage. A well-defined function can be used multiple times, in different contexts, without having to rewrite the same code. This makes our programming more efficient and our code more readable.

In the upcoming sections, we'll dive deeper into how to create these functions, how to define their behaviors, and how to invoke them to bring our objects to life.

The main Function

You may have realized we're already working with a function in our code - the main function:

int main() {
  // ... code here
}

The uniquely named main function is the "entry point" to our code. When we convert our project from code to a runnable application, the compiler looks for a function called main. This is the function that is called when our executable is run. When the main function ends, our program ends.

However, in our code, we have the freedom to create as many functions as we want. We're not just limited to the main function.

Creating Functions

Let's start by creating a simple function that modifies some variables.

To create a function, we first need to decide on a name for it. The rules for naming functions are the same as naming variables. Aside from rules like not having any spaces, we can call our functions almost anything.

Just like with variables, we should aim to be descriptive with our function names.

Let's assume we wanted a function to have our monsters take damage. A good name might simply be TakeDamage. We can define a new function above our main function like this:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

void TakeDamage() {

}

int main() {

}

Aside from TakeDamage having a different name to our main function, we can also see that we have used the void prefix rather than int.

void and int refer to the data type that will be returned from the function. We will discuss return types in more detail a little later in this chapter.

For now, let's just ensure we always have the int keyword in our main function heading, and void in every other function heading we create.

Let's add some variables to our code, and also fill in the body of the TakeDamage function. The body is the area between the { and }. This is where we make our function perform actions, just like we have with the main function in the past.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int Health { 150 };
bool isDead { false };

void TakeDamage() {
  cout << "Taking Damage";
  Health -= 150;
  isDead = true;
}

int main() {

}

White Space and Indenting

Remember, the spacing of our code is not important to the compiler. When it comes to functions, many people prefer to put the opening { on the line after the function name. That is also valid:

void TakeDamage()
{
  Health -= 150;
  isDead = true;
}

A common pattern that’s almost always adopted is indenting the code within the body of the function, so it is offset from the left edge. This has been shown in all our code samples so far.

Like with all white space, this is not important to the compiler, but it makes things easier to read for humans. Almost all editors will do this indenting for you automatically, as you may have noticed.

This indenting is either done with the spacebar or the tab key - typical choices for indenting are 2 or 4 spaces or 1 or 2 tabs.

// Indenting by two spaces
void FunctionA(){
  cout << "Taking Damage";
  Health -= 150;
  isDead = true;
}

// Indenting by four spaces
void FunctionB(){
    cout << "Taking Damage";
    Health -= 150;
    isDead = true;
}

You can modify the settings of your editor to specify how big the automated indents should be, and whether they should be done with tabs or spaces.

Test your Knowledge

Defining Functions

How might we define a function called LevelUp?

Calling Functions

Just because we have created a function, it doesn't mean the code in that function will ever run. If we run the previous code (or debug it) we’d see the code in our TakeDamage() function is never executed.

The only function that we can consider to run automatically is the main function.

To execute the code within any other function, we need to call that function. This is sometimes also referred to as invoking the function.

To call a function, we use the function-call operator, which is a set of opening and closing parentheses. It looks like this:

TakeDamage();

Given that we know the main function is going to be run automatically, we can put the code to call our TakeDamage function within the body of the main function. This ensures it is called:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int Health { 150 };
bool isDead { false };

void TakeDamage() {
  cout << "Taking Damage";
  Health -= 150;
  isDead = true;
}

int main() {
  TakeDamage();
}
Taking Damage

Note, that the TakeDamage function definition must come before the main function in our code. Were we to switch the order of these functions, putting main above TakeDamage, our code would not compile.

The compiler reads our code from top to bottom so, when it sees us trying to call a function that we haven't defined yet, it will fail with an error.

We will soon see techniques that make the order in which we define our functions less important, but for now, let's just order our file such that we're always defining functions before calling them.

Test your Knowledge

Calling Functions

How might we call a function called LevelUp?

Summary

In this lesson, we've explored the fundamentals of creating and calling functions in C++. Here's a quick recap of what you've learned:

  • Functions are blocks of code that perform specific tasks.
  • The main function serves as the entry point of a C++ program.
  • Functions are defined with a return type (for example, int or void), a name, and a body enclosed in curly braces {}.
  • We should give our functions descriptive names, and indent their body to keep our code easy to read.
  • Functions are invoked using their name followed by parentheses (). The TakeDamage() example demonstrated how to call a function within main.

Preview of the Next Lesson

In the next lesson, we’ll introduce the call stack, and how it affects our use of the debugger. The next lesson will:

  • Build on your understanding of functions in more complex scenarios.
  • Introduce how the call stack organizes function calls and how this affects your program's flow.
  • Jump back into the debugger to learn how to navigate through our function calls and the call stack.

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Lesson Contents

Creating and Calling Functions

An introduction to functions - reusable blocks of code that we can use to break our application into smaller pieces.

3D art showing a progammer setting up a development environment
This lesson is part of the course:

Intro to C++ Programming

Become a software engineer with C++. Starting from the basics, we guide you step by step along the way

Free, Unlimited Access
Functions, Conditionals and Loops
3D art showing a progammer setting up a development environment
This lesson is part of the course:

Intro to C++ Programming

Become a software engineer with C++. Starting from the basics, we guide you step by step along the way

Free, unlimited access

This course includes:

  • 56 Lessons
  • Over 200 Quiz Questions
  • Capstone Project
  • Regularly Updated
  • Help and FAQ
Next Lesson

The Call Stack and Debugging Functions

An introduction to how our function calls create a call stack, and how we can navigate it in a debugger.
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