powershell - Return values of functions

Question

I have two functions:

Function1
{
    Function2
    return 1
}

Function2
{
    return 0
}

After executing Function1 it should return 1, but it returns 0. Why is that?

Answer 1

PowerShell "return values" don't really work the way you'd be used to from other languages. The important thing to remember is that all output is captured and returned. The return statement is basically just a logical exit point.

For example:

Function Return-Zero {
    return 0
}

Function Return-One {
    Return-Zero
    return 1
}

Return-One

Since the return value of Return-Zero was not stored in a variable, it is part of the output. Running the above will have the output:

0
1

...which is probably what you're getting. If you store the return of Return-Zero in a variable, it is not part of the output.

Function Return-Zero {
    return 0
}

Function Return-One {
    $var = Return-Zero
    return $var
}

Return-One

Output of the above is 0.