Using reference before function name

[alex067]

Can someone explain what this does:


const string &foo() const
{
return element;
}

I understand why we use references before variable names, or in parameters, but in functions whats the usage?

[AbstractionAnon]

element (presumably a string) is being returned by reference rather than by value.

[Peter87]

const string &foo() const could also have been written const string& foo() const, which at least to me more clearly shows that the return type of the function is a reference to const string.

[alex067]

I understand that it's returning a reference to a string, however if I remove the reference, I still return the same thing.

Can someone give me a practical example of why you would return by reference?

[Peter87]

It's just for performance reasons. If you don't return a reference the string would get copied.