A function declaration in C and C++ gives the function name, the argument types passed to the function, and the return value of the function. For example, here is a declaration for a function called func1( ) that takes two integer arguments (integers are denoted in C/C++ with the keyword int) and returns an integer:

The first keyword you see is the return value all by itself: int. The arguments are enclosed in parentheses after the function name in the order they are used. The semicolon indicates the end of a statement; in this case, it tells the compiler “that’s all – there is no function definition here!”

C and C++ declarations attempt to mimic the form of the item’s use. For example, if a is another integer the above function might be used this way:

Since func1( ) returns an integer, the C or C++ compiler will check the use of func1( ) to make sure that a can accept the return value and that the arguments are appropriate.

Arguments in function declarations may have names. The compiler ignores the names but they can be helpful as mnemonic devices for the user. For example, we can declare func1( ) in a different fashion that has the same meaning: