The Java Language Specification, Third Edition

14.17 The return Statement BLOCKS AND STATEMENTS
392
. . .
}
newedges[k] = edges[k];
continue edgelists;
} // search
. . .
} // edgelists
return new Graph(newedges);
}
}
Which to use, if either, is largely a matter of programming style.
14.17 The return Statement
“Know you, O judges and people of Helium,” he said, “that John Carter, one time
Prince of Helium, has returned by his own statement from the Valley Dor . . .”
A return statement returns control to the invoker of a method (§8.4, §15.12) or
constructor (§8.8, §15.9).
ReturnStatement:
return Expressionopt ;
A return statement with no Expression must be contained in the body of a
method that is declared, using the keyword void, not to return any value (§8.4), or
in the body of a constructor (§8.8). A compile-time error occurs if a return statement
appears within an instance initializer or a static initializer (§8.7). A return
statement with no Expression attempts to transfer control to the invoker of the
method or constructor that contains it.
To be precise, a return statement with no Expression always completes
abruptly, the reason being a return with no value.
A return statement with an Expression must be contained in a method declaration
that is declared to return a value (§8.4) or a compile-time error occurs. The
Expression must denote a variable or value of some type T, or a compile-time
error occurs. The type T must be assignable (§5.2) to the declared result type of
the method, or a compile-time error occurs.
A return statement with an Expression attempts to transfer control to the
invoker of the method that contains it; the value of the Expression becomes the
value of the method invocation. More precisely, execution of such a return statement
first evaluates the Expression. If the evaluation of the Expression completes
DRAFT