Why do create a temporary variable and then set the value to a function?

Why use

Code:

---


Function ExcelVersion() As String
    Dim temp As String
On Error Resume Next
    Select Case CLng(Application.Version)
        Case 9: temp = "Excel 2000"
        Case 10: temp = "Excel 2002"
        Case 11: temp = "Excel 2003"
        Case 12: temp = "Excel 2007"
        Case 14: temp = "Excel 2010"
    End Select
    On Error GoTo 0
    ExcelVersion = temp
End Function

---

instead of

Code:

---

Function ExcelVersion() As String
    On Error Resume Next
    Select Case CLng(Application.Version)
        Case 9: ExcelVersion = "Excel 2000"
        Case 10: ExcelVersion = "Excel 2002"
        Case 11: ExcelVersion = "Excel 2003"
        Case 12: ExcelVersion = "Excel 2007"
        Case 14: ExcelVersion = "Excel 2010"
    End Select
    On Error GoTo 0
End Function

---

?

I've seen VBA programmers using the first topology more than the second... is there a reason?

Probably just a style thing, some programmers don't like to use a function name as though it were a variable, they were probably raised on languages where you explicitly return a value, where you would have to use something like

Code:

---

Function ExcelVersion()
    Dim temp As String
On Error Resume Next
    Select Case CLng(Application.Version)
    Case 9: temp = "Excel 2000"
    Case 10: temp = "Excel 2002"
    Case 11: temp = "Excel 2003"
    Case 12: temp = "Excel 2007"
    Case 14: temp = "Excel 2010"
    End Select
    On Error Goto 0
    Return temp
End Function

---

Personally, I wouldn't do it the second way, although I will admit to using the function name where the value is only returned once.