Zig Functions

Introduction to Zig Functions

In Zig, functions are defined using the fn keyword. Functions in Zig are first-class citizens, meaning they can be passed around as arguments, returned from other functions, and stored in variables.

Each function can be defined with typed parameters and a return type, making Zig a strongly-typed language that ensures type safety during compilation.

Basic Function Syntax

The basic syntax for declaring a function in Zig is as follows:

• fn: The keyword to declare a function.
• name: The name of the function.
• parameters: A comma-separated list of parameters, each with a specified type.
• return_type: The type of value the function returns, specified after the colon.

Calling Functions

Once a function is declared, it can be called by using its name followed by parentheses enclosing any required arguments. For example, the add function defined above can be called as follows:

Typed Parameters and Return Values

In Zig, every parameter and return value must have a specified type. This strong typing helps catch errors during compilation, ensuring that functions are used correctly. If a function does not return a value, its return type is void.

Here is an example of a function that returns void:

Optional and Default Parameters

Zig does not support optional or default parameters directly within functions. However, you can achieve similar functionality by using function overloading or defining multiple functions with different parameter sets.

For example, you can define multiple versions of a function to handle different numbers of arguments:

Function Pointers

In Zig, functions are first-class, and you can use function pointers to store references to functions. This can be useful for creating callback mechanisms or implementing strategies that require dynamic function calls.

Here is how you can use function pointers in Zig: