Datum returning values?

ID:154878
 
Nov 24 2011, 5:10 pm
I tried this:

Datum
    New()
        //do stuff to figure out x
        return x


mob
    proc
        check_value()
            var/return_value = new/Datum
            world << "[return_value] is what you were looking for!"


However that won't work because the variable only stores the new datum, and not it's return value.

I had to do this instead: 
Datum
    New(isreal)
        if(!isreal) return
        //do stuff to figure out x
        return x



mob
    proc
        check_value()
            var/Datom/datum = new/Datum()
            var/return_value_of_datum = datum.New(1)


That seems ugly though, is there a better way assuming I really want to use a datum in this circumstance?
Nov 24 2011, 5:14 pm
Why don't you just return the thing directly?

datum
  var
    Value

  proc 
    ReturnValue()
      return "[src.value]"

mob
  verb
    CheckVar()
      world << "[datum.ReturnValue()]"
Nov 24 2011, 7:43 pm
If you don't need the datum object itself for some later use, it seems like you don't even want a datum there. Care to elaborate on what you're actually doing?
Nov 25 2011, 4:52 am
You can't do that nor should you if that's all you are having the datum do. The New proc returns "a reference to a new instance of Type" and won't return anything else. You can do it this way below:

math
    New()
        ..()
    proc/calculateSum(a, b)return a + b

mob/verb/test()
    var/math/m = new/math
    world<<m.calculateSum(5, 3)//returns 8


I don't recommend this at all. If you want to calculate a number do it this way:

proc/Add(A, B)return A + B

mob/verb/test()
    world<<Add(5, 3)//returns 8