how to I return an array from a funciton?
That's easy: you cannot.

Perl 5 subroutines return flattened lists.

From the docs (perlsub):

The Perl model for function call and return values is simple: all functions are passed as parameters one single flat list of scalars, and all functions likewise return to their caller one single flat list of scalars.
One of these scalars can of course be a reference to an array (as you have done) but I see no really good reason why you should do so. Usually I only return references (note the plural!) when I must distinguish between the return values, e.g. a list of directories and a list of files is returned. Without references they would be indistinguishable. If you only return one list, it is better not to use a reference, which you probably have to de-reference anyway ...

CountZero

A program should be light and agile, its subroutines connected like a string of pearls. The spirit and intent of the program should be retained throughout. There should be neither too little or too much, neither needless loops nor useless variables, neither lack of structure nor overwhelming rigidity." - The Tao of Programming, 4.1 - Geoffrey James

In reply to Re: sub functions return array's by CountZero
in thread sub functions return array's by Karger78

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