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27.1: Abbreviated Precedence Chart for C++ Operators

  • Page ID
    10563
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    An operator is a language-specific syntactical token (one or more symbols) that causes an action to be taken on one or more operands. The following item provides an abbreviated list of those C++ operators that are typically taught in a programming fundamentals course that teaches modular structured programming concepts.

    The first column shows the precedence (the higher precedence is 1 or it goes first) and operators that have the same precedence also have the same associativity (the associativity is only listed once for the group of operators). Decrement is two minus signs, but some word processing software programs might have problems printing two minus signs and convert it to a double dash. Insertion (two < signs) and extraction (two > signs) might also have printing problems. These printing problems are noted in the comments with emphasized text.

    PR Operator Name Symbol(s) Comments Associativity Connexions Module
    1 function call () Left to Right m19145
    1 index [] aka array index m21316
    2 class member . a period Right to Left m20796
    2 postfix increment ++ unary m20499
    2 postfix decrement -- unary, two minus signs m20499
    3 indirection * unary, aka dereference Right to Left m22152
    3 address & unary m22148
    3 unary positive + unary, aka plus m20501
    3 unary negative - unary, aka minus m20501
    3 prefix increment ++ unary m20499
    3 prefix decrement -- unary, two minus signs m20499
    3 cast (type) unary m18744
    3 sizeof sizeof (type) unary m18736
    3 logical NOT ! unary m19847
    4 multiply * Left to Right m18706
    4 divide / m18706
    4 modulus % remainder m18706
    5 add + Left to Right m18706
    5 subtract - m18706
    6 insertion << writing, two less than signs Left to Right m18835
    6 extraction >> reading, two greater than signs m18835
    7 less than < Left to Right m19549
    7 greater than > m19549
    7 less than or equal to <= m19549
    7 greater than or equal to >= m19549
    8 equality == equal to Left to Right m19549
    8 inequality != not equal to m19549
    9 logical AND && Left to Right m19847
    10 logical OR || Left to Right m19847
    11 conditional ?: trinary Left to Right m20811
    12 assignment = Right to Left m18725
    12 addition assignment += m18743
    12 subtraction assignment -= m18743
    12 multiplication assignment *= m18743
    12 division assignment /= m18743
    12 modulus assignment %= m18743
    13 sequence or comma , Left to Right m18690

    This page titled 27.1: Abbreviated Precedence Chart for C++ Operators is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kenneth Leroy Busbee (OpenStax CNX) .

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