Code Inspection: Inconsistent return points

Reports inconsistencies in function/method exit points.

The following types of inconsistencies are reported:

• The function/method contains the return statements both with and without arguments.

• The function/method may return a value or otherwise end its execution without returning anything.

Technically these are not errors, but practically they usually indicate a programming mistake.

In the following example, the inconsistentReturnPoints function's behavior is inconsistent: it will either return 1 or will not return anything.

function inconsistentReturnPoints() {
    if ($a) {
        return 1;
    } else {
        $a = 'Foo';
        echo $a;
    }
}