Operators
- Java provides several operators that you can use to manipulate your variables.
- As in all languages, Java allows you to perform math functions. The following table outlines the available functions:
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| + | Performs addition | int x = 1;
int y = 2; int z = x + y // z = 3 |
| - | Performs subtraction | int x = 2;
int y = 1; int z = x - y // z = 1 |
| * | Performs multiplication | int x = 2;
int y = 2; int z = x * y // z = 4 |
| / | Performs division | int x = 4;
int y = 2; int z = x / y // z = 2 |
| % | Gets the remainder (modulus) | int x = 6;
int y = 4; int z = x % y // z = 5 |
- One thing to remember about mathematics in Java is that since variables are typed, you should be careful to match types or expect automatic casting! In other words, Java will return the result in a type that fits in the result regardless of what was used in the equation
- As was alluded to in the last section, variables utilize assignment operators. However, if you are working with a numerical type, you have more assignment operators than simply "=". The following table outlines the other available assignment operators:
| Operator | Description |
|---|---|
| = | Equality. Note, you can chain assignments
such as:
x=y=x=0 |
| += | Addition |
| -= | Subtraction |
| /= | Division. Don't forget about automatic casting! If your division returns a decimal number, it will be chopped to fit its type. |
| *= | Multiplication |
| %= | Modulus |
| ^= | Bitwise XOR |
| &= | Bitwise AND |
| |= | Bitwise OR |
| <<= | Left Shift |
| >>= | Right Shift |
| >>>= | Zero Fill Right Shift |
Incrementation and Decrementation
- Java also provides the standard increment and decrement operators with prefix and postfix notation. Remember that the prefix operator modifies the variable before is it acted upon whereas the postfix operator acts afterwards. This is best seen by example:
int x = 3; int y = 3; int sum1 = 2 * x++; // sum1 is 6 and x is 4 int sum2 = 2 * ++y // sum2 is 8 and y is 4 int sum3 = 2 * x--; // sum3 is 6 and x is 2 int sum4 = 2 * --y // sum4 is 4 and y is 2Precedence
- Finally, Java maintains the usual operator hierarchy. The precedence table is shown below:
| Precedence | Operator | Associativity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ++, --, ~!, +, -, (unary), (type cast) | R |
| 2 | * / % | L |
| 3 | +, -, + (concatination) | L |
| 4 | >>>, >>, << | L |
| 5 | <, <=, >, >= | L |
| 6 | ==, != | L |
| 7 | & | L |
| 8 | ^ | L |
| 9 | | | L |
| 10 | && | L |
| 11 | || | L |
| 12 | ?: | R |
| 13 | =, *=, /=, %=, +=, -=, <<=, >>=, >>>=, &=, ^=, |= | R |
Additional Resources:
- Learning to Write Java
- Introducing Java (TM) - Your First Applet
- Java FAQs
- Java Software
- java.sun.com
- Sun Microsystems
Variables
Table of Contents
Flow Control
