Recursive binary function returns error: control reaches end of non-void function

Question

Working on pset3 and tried to write a separate binary search function in helpers.c so I can just call it later in the main search function. Here's my code for the binary search:

bool binarysearch(int target, int array[], int start, int end);
{
    //make sure array exists
    if (array != NULL)
    {
        //makes sure array has remaining values to search
        if (start > end)
            return false;

        else
        {
            //define midpoint
            int mid = (start + end)/2;

            //if midpoint is target, return true
            if (array[mid] == target)
            {
                return true;
            }

            //if midpoint is greater than target, search left    
            else if (array[mid] > target)
            {
                return binarysearch(target, array, start, mid - 1);
            }

            //if midpoint is less than target, search right
            else if (array[mid] < value)
            {
                return binarysearch(target, array, mid + 1, end);
            }
    }
}

And here's the call in the same file:

bool search(int value, int values[], int n)
{
    if (binarysearch(value, values, 0, n) == true)
        return true;

    else
        return false;
}

When I try to make find in my terminal, it returns a top error of "error: control reaches end of non-void function." Where am I going wrong? Is the binary search itself broken or am I calling it wrong in search? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

A return statement is required at the end of main, the compiler does not know if you are going to return true or false because of IF-ELSE conditions. The solution is to return false at the end of the main function

Answer 2

Your binarysearch function follows this logic:

if (something)
{
    if (something_else)
    {
    else
    {
        /* ... */
    }

    /* **ERR:NOTHING_IS_RETURNED** */
    // Here you must add a return false statement
}

As you can see you're not returning anything in case the first if condition fails.

Answer 3

bool binarysearch(int target, int array[], int start, int end)
{
    //make sure array exists
    if (array != NULL)
    {    conditional statements already in the question asked
    }  


    else{return false;} //this one was missing i think which lead to the error