from the subroutine as elements in an array, or as a single object in the case that only one object has not been captured. In Perl, a return value or values of a subroutine can depend on the context in which it was called. The most fundamental distinction is a scalar context where the calling code expects one value, a list context where the calling code expects a list of values and a void context where the calling code doesn't expect any return value at all. A subroutine can check the context using the wantarray function. A special syntax of return without arguments is used to return an undefined value in scalar context and an empty list in list context. The scalar context can be further divided into Boolean, number, string, and various reference types contexts. Also, a context-sensitive object can be returned using a contextual return sequence, with lazy evaluation of scalar values. Many operating systems let a program return a result (separate from normal output) when its process terminates; these values are referred to as return codes, or more specifically exit statuses. The amount of information that can be passed this way is quite limited, in practice often restricted to signalling success or fail. From within the program this return is typically achieved by calling Exit (system call) (common even in C, where the alternative mechanism of returning from the main function is available). Syntax Return statements come in many shapes. The following syntaxes are most common: In some assembly languages, for example that for the MOS Technology 6502, the mnemonic "RTS" (ReTurn from Subroutine) is used. Multiple return statements Languages with an explicit return statement create the possibility of multiple return statements in the same function. Whether or not that is a good thing is controversial. Strong adherents of structured programming make sure each function has a single entry and a single exit (SESE). It has thus been argued that one should eschew the use of the explicit return statement except at the textual end of a subroutine, considering that, when it is used to "return early", it may suffer from the same sort of problems that arise for the GOTO statement. Conversely, it can be argued that using the return statement is worthwhile when the alternative is more convoluted code, such as deeper nesting, harming readability. In his 2004 textbook, David Watt writes that "single-entry multi-exit