The return value for main
should indicate how the program exited. Normal exit is generally represented by a 0 return value from main
. Abnormal termination is usually signalled by a non-zero return but there is no standard for how non-zero codes are interpreted. Also as noted by others, void main()
is explicitly prohibited by the C++ standard and shouldn't be used. The valid C++ main
signatures are:
int main()
and
int main(int argc,char* argv[])
which is equivalent to
int main(int argc,char** argv)
It's also worth noting that in C++, int main()
can be left without a return value at which point it defaults to returning 0. This is also true with a C99 program. Whether return 0 should be omitted or not is open to debate. The range of valid C program main signatures is much greater.
Also, efficiency is not an issue with the main
function. It can only be entered and left once (marking program start and termination) according to the C++ standard. For C, the case is different and re-entering main()
is allowed, but should probably be avoided