Function not returning a result [duplicate] - php

Question

This question already has answers here:
How to use return inside a recursive function in PHP
(4 answers)
Closed 9 months ago.
Here is a function in PHP that generates a random number between 1 and 15 and store that number in a array and keep calling itself to repeat until the array contains five elements, at which point, you can make it either print/echo out the elements of the array or return the array. My problem is that when I try to get it to return the array and assign it to the variable $result, I get nothing. Any ideas as to what's going on?
$storenumbers = array();
function storemynumbers($storenumbers){
$number = rand(1,15);
if(count($storenumbers) == 5){
echo "Done<br/>";
print_r($storenumbers);
//return $storenumbers;
}else{
echo $number."<br/>";
$storenumbers[] = $number;
storemynumbers($storenumbers);
}
}
//$result = storemynumbers($storenumbers);
//print_r($result);
storemynumbers($storenumbers);

Answer 1

Because you are only returning anything on the last run, which gets passed back to the next-to-last run, which is then dropped.
In your else block, try adding return in front of storemynumbers($storenumbers). This should pass the return value all the way back down the chain.
That said, why can't you just do:
$storenumbers = Array();
for( $i=0; $i<5; $i++) $storenumbers[] = rand(1,15);
print_r($storenumbers);

Answer 2

becouse you need to pass parameter by reference(& before parameter): like this:
function storemynumbers(&$storenumbers){
}
By default variables are local copy, so they not visible outside function.

Answer 3

missing return on the recursion. would be my guess.
$storenumbers = array();
function storemynumbers($storenumbers){
$number = rand(1,15);
if(count($storenumbers) == 5){
echo "Done<br/>";
print_r($storenumbers);
return $storenumbers;
}else{
echo $number."<br/>";
$storenumbers[] = $number;
return storemynumbers($storenumbers);
}
}
$result = storemynumbers($storenumbers);
print_r($result);

Answer 4

This is a easy way to create a array of $max random number between 1 and 15.
function storemynumbers($max, $start, $end) {
$store = array();
for( $i=0; $i<$max; $i++) {
$store[] = rand($start, $end);
}
return $store;
}
$result = storemynumbers(5, 1, 15);
print_r($result);
You could also use a reference to a variable