DEFINE_ACTION_FUNCTION function RET ~string~ ... ??

[subtledoctor]

I'd like to do something like this:

DEFINE_ACTION_FUNCTION choose_tra RET ~chosen_tra~ BEGIN
  [codey stuff]
  ACTION_IF (VARIABLE_IS_SET %detected_lang%) BEGIN
    OUTER_SPRINT chosen_tra ~%detected_lang%~
  END
  ACTION_IF !(VARIABLE_IS_SET %detected_lang%) BEGIN
    OUTER_SPRINT chosen_tra ~en_US~
  END
END

---------------------------

DEFINE_ACTION_FUNCTION install_component BEGIN

  LAF choose_tra RET tra_to_use = ~chosen_tra~ END

  WITH_TRA ~%MOD_FOLDER%/lang/%tra_to_use%/stuff.tra~ BEGIN

    [do stuff]

  END

END

I've only ever seen RET used in mods or in the Weidu documentation to return an integer - not a string. Can it work this way?  (Is RET even needed?  Could I just run the function to SPRINT the string and then use that variable?)

Thx.

Edited September 8, 2021 by subtledoctor

[kjeron]

RET makes no distinction between INT/STRING, whichever that variables was last set to before the function ends is what it will return as.

No, you can't set a string in a function and have it persist afterwards without using RET, no different from an integer.

[subtledoctor]

Nice.  Digging more, I see that RES_NUM_OF_SPELL_NAME returns strings, and I have used that before. Looks like I can get this working. Thanks.