title: Difference between php echo and return in terms of a jQuery ajax call
body: <p>I was having trouble getting a jQuery Ajax call's success function to work properly and it was pointed out to me that the reason was that my PHP function was using return $result when I should be using echo $result.</p>
  
  <p>Changing the PHP function that the Ajax called from "return $result" to "echo $result" fixed the problem, but why? There's loads of explanations as to the difference between the two (return and echo) in terms of PHP scripts, but how do they differ when sending that value to an Ajax call?</p>