(SOLVED) Return type error

Unity Engine
1

I’m following this tutorial to get the closest object to the player, and I’m getting a return type error.

Here’s the script that’s showing the error:

using System.Collections;
using System;
using UnityEngine;

public class FindClosestObject : IComparer {

    private Transform compareTransform;

    public DistanceComparer (Transform compTransform) {
        compareTransform = compTransform;
    }

    public int Compare (object x, object y) {
        Collider xCollider = x as Collider;
        Collider yCollider = y as Collider;

        Vector3 offset = xCollider.transform.position - compareTransform.position;
        float xDistance = offset.sqrMagnitude;

        offset = yCollider.transform.position - compareTransform.position;
        float yDistance = offset.sqrMagnitude;

        return xDistance.CompareTo(yDistance);
    }
}

The error is at line 9, on the DistanceComparer function.
The full error is “Class, struct, or interface method must have a return type”.

The video is pretty recent, so I don’t understand why the person is not getting an error, but I am.

2

You shaped the thing on line 9 like a constructor but constructors must always have the same name as the class they construct. So the compiler can’t necessarily guess whether you have an incorrectly-named constructor or a method without a return type. Compilers aren’t good at guessing intent but humans are.

What I think really happened is you wanted the thing on line 9 to be a constructor.

public FindClosestObject(Transform compTransform) {
  compareTransform = compTransform;
}
1 Like
3

Thanks, that solved it.

I just realized I’m also getting some errors in another script from that tutorial.

Here’s the script:

using System;
using UnityEngine;

public class Sense : MonoBehaviour {

    public float checkRadius;
    public LayerMask checkLayers;

    private void Update {
        if (Input.GetKeyDown (KeyCode.Space)) {
            Collider[] colliders = Physics.OverlapSphere(transform.position, checkRadius, checkLayers);
            Array.Sort(colliders, new DistanceComparer(transform));

            foreach (Collider item in colliders) {
                Debug.Log(item.name);
            }
        }
    }

    public void OnDrawGizmos() {
        Gizmos.DrawWireSphere(transform.position, checkRadius);
    }
}

And the errors are:
3238586--248837--upload_2017-9-29_20-31-43.png
Line 9 is the Update function, line 10 is the “if” statement, and line 18 is the closing curly bracket of Update.

I definitely know I didn’t misplace a bracket, and I’ve checked multiple times now. I don’t understand the error for Update, as when I remove the “void” return type, it seems to break and the console tells me that every bracket is an unnexpected symbol. I tried using other return types, and while that fixes it, I don’t think it’s what I’m supposed to do. For example, setting the return type to “int” removes the error.

I also don’t understand the error at line 10, as I have never worked with the “set” and “get” accessors in C#, and I have only come across them a few times in other people’s scripts.

4

You’re missing () after Update

1 Like
5

You forgot the parenthesis in your update function:
private void Update(){
}
oh, sorry, I should have refreshed before posting.

1 Like
6

Thanks guys, I’m blind. :smile: