Support for multiple return variables

[Jummit]

It's really not that complicated, here is how it works in Lua (which GDscript is inspired by):

function return_three_values()
    return 1, "string", {"an array"}
end

an_int, a_string, an_array = return_three_values()

Currently you would just create an array and put your variables in there, but there are three issues with that:

1. You have to pull them out of the array again
2. Its not as easy to read
3. Its not typed

[Chaosus]

in Lua (which GDscript is inspired by):

I think, GDScript was inspired by Python where this feature as in several other languages, called "tuple"

[Jummit]

in Lua (which GDscript is inspired by):

Actually GDScript was inspired by Python where this feature as in several other languages, called "tuple"

It also has dictionaries, which are inspired by Lua's, but I guess multiple return variables is a very common thing.

[OvermindDL1]

It also has dictionaries, which are inspired by Lua's

They are? They seem extremely similar to Python's dictionaries. Lua instead has Tables, which though conceptually similar to Dictionaries have some pretty fundamental differences that GDScript doesn't seem to have?

[ghost]

I'm neutral on this, but just adding that I've found dictionaries to be more convenient than arrays for returning multiple values. Mostly since it doesn't have a strict ordering of indices to remember, or need for extra work to create constants or enums to make readable labels for the indices.

func get_data():
	# Do stuff
	return {
		player = get_player(),
		health = get_health(),
		score  = get_score()
	}

# Elsewhere

var data = get_data()

UI.set_health(data.health)
UI.set_score(data.score)

[Jummit]

It also has dictionaries, which are inspired by Lua's

They are? They seem extremely similar to Python's dictionaries. Lua instead has Tables, which though conceptually similar to Dictionaries have some pretty fundamental differences that GDScript doesn't seem to have?

Oh, It seems like I have overlooked something there. GDscript also supports the lua syntax of dictionaries:

var table = {
    key = "value"
}

instead of pythons

var table = {
    "key" : "value"
}

http://docs.godotengine.org/en/3.0/getting_started/scripting/gdscript/gdscript_basics.html#dictionary

[OvermindDL1]

Yep, it supports different syntaxes, but it still 'works' like Python Dictionaries and not Lua Tables.

[nathanfranke]

I would opt for python/c# style tuples

func get_data():
    return (get_player(), get_health(), get_score())

var player
var health
var score
(player, health, score) = get_data()

Also possible support for something like a, b, c = 5, 6, 7 as in python

[Calinou]

@atbigelow Please don't bump issues without contributing significant new information. Use the 👍 reaction button on the first post instead.

[clayjohn]

Feature and improvement proposals for the Godot Engine are now being discussed and reviewed in a dedicated Godot Improvement Proposals (GIP) (godotengine/godot-proposals) issue tracker. The GIP tracker has a detailed issue template designed so that proposals include all the relevant information to start a productive discussion and help the community assess the validity of the proposal for the engine.

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If you are interested in this feature proposal, please open a new proposal on the GIP tracker following the given issue template (after checking that it doesn't exist already). Be sure to reference this closed issue if it includes any relevant discussion (which you are also encouraged to summarize in the new proposal). Thanks in advance!