Avoid bare returns

Docs > Code Analysis > Static Analysis Rules > Avoid bare returns

Metadata

ID: go-best-practices/avoid-bare-return

Language: Go

Severity: Info

Category: Best Practices

Description

The “Avoid bare returns” rule in Go static analysis is designed to increase clarity and readability in your code. A bare return is when a function that has named return values returns those values implicitly, without explicitly stating what is being returned.

While Go’s allowance for bare returns can make code more concise, it can also make it more difficult to understand and debug, especially in larger functions. Implicitly relying on the state of named return values can lead to unexpected behavior if those values are modified elsewhere in the function.

To adhere to this rule and promote better coding practices, always explicitly return values in your functions. This makes it clear what values are being returned and in what state, reducing the chance of bugs and making your code easier to understand. For example, instead of writing return in a function that returns an int and a bool, write return 0, false.

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Non-Compliant Code Examples

func func1(arg int) (a int) {
    return
}

func func2(arg int) (b int) {
    return
}

func func3(arg int) (a int, b bool) {
    return
}


func func4(a string, b int) (a int, b string) {
	return 
}

Compliant Code Examples

func func1(arg int) {
    return
}

func func2(arg int) int {
    return 4
}

func func3(arg int) (int, bool) {
    return 3, false
}


func func3(arg int) (int, bool) {
    return 3, true
}

func func2(arg int) int {
    return
}

func func3(arg int) (int, bool) {
    return
}


func func3(arg int) (int, bool) {
    return 3, true
}