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

[Benzadeus]

Why use

 
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

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?

[Bob Phillips]

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

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.