New rule: return-argument-limit

README.md

@@ -269,6 +269,7 @@ List of all available rules. The rules ported from `golint` are left unchanged a
 | `constant-logical-expr`   |  n/a   | Warns on constant logical expressions                        |    no    |  no   |
 | `bool-literal-in-expr`|  n/a   | Suggests removing Boolean literals from logic expressions        |    no    |  no   |
 | `redefines-builtin-id`|  n/a   | Warns on redefinitions of builtin identifiers                    |    no    |  no   |
+| `return-argument-limit` |  int | Specifies the maximum number of arguments a function can return  |    no    |  no   |
 
 ## Available Formatters
 

config.go

@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ var allRules = append([]lint.Rule{
 	&rule.ConstantLogicalExprRule{},
 	&rule.BoolLiteralRule{},
 	&rule.RedefinesBuiltinIDRule{},
+	&rule.ReturnArgumentsLimitRule{},
 }, defaultRules...)
 
 var allFormatters = []lint.Formatter{

fixtures/return-argument-limit.go

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+package fixtures
+
+func foo() (a, b, c, d) { // MATCH /maximum number of return argument per function exceeded; max 3 but got 4/
+	var a, b, c, d int
+}
+
+func bar(a, b int) {
+
+}
+
+func baz(a string, b int) {
+
+}
+
+func qux() (string, string, int, string, int) { // MATCH /maximum number of return argument per function exceeded; max 3 but got 5/
+
+}

rule/return-argument-limit.go

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+package rule
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"go/ast"
+
+	"github.com/mgechev/revive/lint"
+)
+
+// ReturnArgumentsLimitRule lints given else constructs.
+type ReturnArgumentsLimitRule struct{}
+
+// Apply applies the rule to given file.
+func (r *ReturnArgumentsLimitRule) Apply(file *lint.File, arguments lint.Arguments) []lint.Failure {
+	if len(arguments) != 1 {
+		panic(`invalid configuration for "return-argument-limit"`)
+	}
+
+	total, ok := arguments[0].(int64) // Alt. non panicking version
+	if !ok {
+		panic(`invalid value passed as return argument number to the "return-argument-limit" rule`)
+	}
+
+	var failures []lint.Failure
+
+	walker := lintReturnArgumentsNum{
+		total: int(total),
+		onFailure: func(failure lint.Failure) {
+			failures = append(failures, failure)
+		},
+	}
+
+	ast.Walk(walker, file.AST)
+
+	return failures
+}
+
+// Name returns the rule name.
+func (r *ReturnArgumentsLimitRule) Name() string {
+	return "return-argument-limit"
+}
+
+type lintReturnArgumentsNum struct {
+	total     int
+	onFailure func(lint.Failure)
+}
+
+func (w lintReturnArgumentsNum) Visit(n ast.Node) ast.Visitor {
+	node, ok := n.(*ast.FuncDecl)
+	if ok {
+		num := 0
+		if node.Type.Results != nil {
+			num = node.Type.Results.NumFields()
+		}
+		if num > w.total {
+			w.onFailure(lint.Failure{
+				Confidence: 1,
+				Failure:    fmt.Sprintf("maximum number of return argument per function exceeded; max %d but got %d", w.total, num),
+				Node:       node.Type,
+			})
+			return w
+		}
+	}
+	return w
+}