# Return (1,), what is the meaning?

**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/return-1-what-is-the-meaning/106924
**Category:** New to Julia
**Tags:** question
**Created:** [November 30, 2023, 3:22am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/return-1-what-is-the-meaning/106924 "2023-11-30T03:22:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![jiang\_ming\_zhang](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/jiang_ming_zhang/32/204063_2.png) [@jiang\_ming\_zhang](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jiang_ming_zhang)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2023, 3:22am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/return-1-what-is-the-meaning/106924/1 "2023-11-30T03:22:26Z")

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I am new to Julia. The following code is from some people’s package:

> function apply\_column!(::IsDeterministic, w, op::AbstractMatrix, add, val, boost=1)  
> w .+= op[:, add] .\* val  
> return (1,)  
> end

What does

> return (1,)

mean? The comma looks quite strange to me.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jar1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@jar1](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jar1)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2023, 3:23am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/return-1-what-is-the-meaning/106924/2 "2023-11-30T03:23:57Z")

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`(1,)` is a tuple with `1` inside it. Same as `tuple(1)`.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Dan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/dan/32/42581_2.png) [@Dan](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Dan)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2023, 3:25am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/return-1-what-is-the-meaning/106924/3 "2023-11-30T03:25:16Z")

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> [@jiang\_ming\_zhang](#):
>
> return (1,)

is the way you return a Tuple with 1 element. The comma is used to distinguish a Tuple from just 1 surrounded by parenthesis. I.e:

```julia
(1) == 1

```

but

```julia
(1,) != 1

```

and

```julia
julia> typeof( (1,) )
Tuple{Int64}

```