return value of operator overloading in C++

Question

I have a question about the return value of operator overloading in C++. Generally, I found two cases, one is return-by-value, and one is return-by-reference. So what\'s the

Answer 1

Depending on the operator you may have to return by value.

When both can be used though, like in operator+= you could consider the following:

• If your objects are immutable it's probably better to return by value.
• If your objects are mutable it's probably better to return by reference.