Operators in C and C++: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 12:58, 30 July 2012
This is a list of operators in the C and C++ programming languages. All the operators listed exist in C++; the fourth column "Included in C", dictates whether an operator is also present in C. Note that C does not support operator overloading.
When not overloaded, for the operators &&
, ||
, and ,
(the comma operator), there is a sequence point after the evaluation of the first operand.
C++ also contains the type conversion operators const_cast
, static_cast
, dynamic_cast
, and reinterpret_cast
which are not listed in the table for brevity. The formatting of these operators means that their precedence level is unimportant.
Most of the operators available in C and C++ are also available in other languages such as C#, Java, Perl, and PHP with the same precedence, associativity, and semantics.
Table
For the purposes of this table, a
, b
, and c
represent valid values (literals, values from variables, or return value), object names, or lvalues, as appropriate.
Overloadable means that the operator is overloadable in C++. "Included in C" means that the operator exists and has a semantic meaning in C (operators are not overloadable in C).
Arithmetic operators
Operator name | Syntax | Overloadable | Included in C |
Prototype examples (T is any type) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
As member of T | Outside class definitions | |||||
Basic assignment | a = b |
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator =(const T& b);
|
— | |
Addition | a + b |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator +(const T& b) const;
|
T operator +(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Subtraction | a - b |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator -(const T& b) const;
|
T operator -(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Unary plus (integer promotion) | +a |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator +() const;
|
T operator +(const T& a);
| |
Unary minus (additive inverse) | -a |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator -() const;
|
T operator -(const T& a);
| |
Multiplication | a * b |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator *(const T& b) const;
|
T operator *(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Division | a / b |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator /(const T& b) const;
|
T operator /(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Modulo (integer remainder)[note 1] | a % b |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator %(const T& b) const;
|
T operator %(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Increment | Prefix | ++a |
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator ++();
|
T& operator ++(T& a);
|
Suffix | a++
|
Yes | Yes | T T::operator ++(int);
|
T operator ++(T& a, int);
| |
Note: C++ uses the unnamed dummy-parameter int to differentiate between prefix and suffix increment operators.
| ||||||
Decrement | Prefix | --a |
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator --();
|
T& operator --(T& a);
|
Suffix | a-- |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator --(int);
|
T operator --(T& a, int);
| |
Note: C++ uses the unnamed dummy-parameter int to differentiate between prefix and suffix decrement operators.
|
Comparison operators/relational operators
Operator name | Syntax | Overloadable | Included in C |
Prototype examples (T is any type) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
As member of T | Outside class definitions | |||||
Equal to | a == b |
Yes | Yes | bool T::operator ==(const T& b) const;
|
bool operator ==(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Not equal to | a != b |
Yes | Yes | bool T::operator !=(const T& b) const;
|
bool operator !=(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Greater than | a > b |
Yes | Yes | bool T::operator >(const T& b) const;
|
bool operator >(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Less than | a < b |
Yes | Yes | bool T::operator <(const T& b) const;
|
bool operator <(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Greater than or equal to | a >= b |
Yes | Yes | bool T::operator >=(const T& b) const;
|
bool operator >=(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Less than or equal to | a <= b |
Yes | Yes | bool T::operator <=(const T& b) const;
|
bool operator <=(const T& a, const T& b);
|
Logical operators
Operator name | Syntax | Overloadable | Included in C |
Prototype examples (T is any type) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
As member of T | Outside class definitions | |||||
Logical negation (NOT) | !a |
Yes | Yes | bool T::operator !() const;
|
bool operator !(const T& a);
| |
Logical AND | a && b |
Yes | Yes | bool T::operator &&(const T& b) const;
|
bool operator &&(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Logical OR | a || b |
Yes | Yes | bool T::operator ||(const T& b) const;
|
bool operator ||(const T& a, const T& b);
|
Bitwise operators
Operator name | Syntax | Overloadable | Included in C |
Prototype examples (T is any type) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
As member of T | Outside class definitions | |||||
Bitwise NOT | ~a |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator ~() const;
|
T operator ~(const T& a);
| |
Bitwise AND | a & b |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator &(const T& b) const;
|
T operator &(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Bitwise OR | a | b |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator |(const T& b) const;
|
T operator |(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Bitwise XOR | a ^ b |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator ^(const T& b) const;
|
T operator ^(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Bitwise left shift[note 2] | a << b |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator <<(const T& b) const;
|
T operator <<(const T& a, const T& b);
| |
Bitwise right shift[note 2][note 3] | a >> b |
Yes | Yes | T T::operator >>(const T& b) const;
|
T operator >>(const T& a, const T& b);
|
Compound assignment operators
Operator name | Syntax | Meaning | Overloadable | Included in C |
Prototype examples (T is any type) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
As member of T | Outside class definitions | ||||||
Addition assignment | a += b
|
a = a + b
|
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator +=(const T& b);
|
T& operator +=(T& a, const T& b);
| |
Subtraction assignment | a -= b
|
a = a - b
|
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator -=(const T& b);
|
T& operator -=(T& a, const T& b);
| |
Multiplication assignment | a *= b
|
a = a * b
|
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator *=(const T& b);
|
T& operator *=(T& a, const T& b);
| |
Division assignment | a /= b
|
a = a / b
|
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator /=(const T& b);
|
T& operator /=(T& a, const T& b);
| |
Modulo assignment | a %= b
|
a = a % b
|
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator %=(const T& b);
|
T& operator %=(T& a, const T& b);
| |
Bitwise AND assignment | a &= b
|
a = a & b
|
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator &=(const T& b);
|
T& operator &=(T& a, const T& b);
| |
Bitwise OR assignment | a |= b
|
a = a | b
|
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator |=(const T& b);
|
T& operator |=(T& a, const T& b);
| |
Bitwise XOR assignment | a ^= b
|
a = a ^ b
|
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator ^=(const T& b);
|
T& operator ^=(T& a, const T& b);
| |
Bitwise left shift assignment | a <<= b
|
a = a << b
|
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator <<=(const T& b);
|
T& operator <<=(T& a, const T& b);
| |
Bitwise right shift assignment[note 3] | a >>= b
|
a = a >> b
|
Yes | Yes | T& T::operator >>=(const T& b);
|
T& operator >>=(T& a, const T& b);
|
Member and pointer operators
Operator name | Syntax | Overloadable | Included in C |
Prototype examples (T, T2 and R are any type) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
As member of T | Outside class definitions | |||||
Array subscript | a[b] |
Yes | Yes | R& T::operator [](const T2& b); |
— | |
Indirection ("object pointed to by a") | *a |
Yes | Yes | R& T::operator *();
|
R& operator *(T& a);
| |
Reference ("address of a") | &a |
Yes | Yes | T* T::operator &();
|
T* operator &(T& a);
| |
Structure dereference ("member b of object pointed to by a") | a->b |
Yes | Yes | R* T::operator ->(); |
— | |
Structure reference ("member b of object a") | a.b |
No | Yes | — | ||
Member pointed to by b of object pointed to by a[note 4] | a->*b |
Yes | No | R T::operator->*(R); [note 5]
|
R operator->*(T, R); [note 5]
| |
Member pointed to by b of object a | a.*b |
No | No | — |
Other operators
Operator name | Syntax | Overloadable | Included in C |
Prototype examples (T, R, Arg1 and Arg2 are any type) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
As member of T | Outside class definitions | |||||
Function call See Function object. |
a(a1, a2) |
Yes | Yes | R T::operator ()(Arg1 a1, Arg2 a2, …);
|
— | |
Comma | a, b |
Yes | Yes | R& T::operator ,(R& b) const;
|
R& operator ,(const T& a, R& b);
| |
Ternary conditional | a ? b : c |
No | Yes | — | ||
Scope resolution | a::b |
No | No | — | ||
Size-of | sizeof(a) [note 6]sizeof(type) |
No | Yes | — | ||
Align-of | alignof(type) or _Alignof(type) [note 7] |
No | Yes | — | ||
Type identification | typeid(a) typeid(type) |
No | No | — | ||
Cast | (type) a |
Yes | Yes | T::operator R() const;
|
— | |
Note: for user-defined conversions, the return type implicitly and necessarily matches the operator name. | ||||||
Allocate storage | new type |
Yes | No | void* T::operator new(size_t x);
|
void* operator new(size_t x);
| |
Allocate storage (array) | new type[n] |
Yes | No | void* T::operator new[](size_t x);
|
void* operator new[](size_t x);
| |
Deallocate storage | delete a |
Yes | No | void T::operator delete(void* x);
|
void operator delete(void* x);
| |
Deallocate storage (array) | delete[] a |
Yes | No | void T::operator delete[](void* x);
|
void operator delete[](void* x);
|
Notes:
- ^ The modulus operator works just with integer operands, for floating point numbers a library function must be used instead (like [[math.h|
fmod
]]). - ^ a b In the context of iostreams, writers often will refer to
<<
and>>
as the “put-to” or "stream insertion" and “get-from” or "stream extraction" operators, respectively. - ^ a b According to the C99 standard, the right shift of a negative number is implementation defined. Most implementations, e.g., the GCC, use an arithmetic shift (i.e., sign extension), but a logical shift is possible.
- ^ An example can be found in "Implementing operator->* for Smart Pointers" by Scott Meyers.
- ^ a b In the case where the ->* operator is to work just like the default implementation, the R parameter will be method pointer to a method of the class T and the return value must be some kind of functor object that is ready to be called with (only) the method parameters.
- ^ The parentheses are not necessary when taking the size of a value, only when taking the size of a type. However, they are usually used regardless.
- ^ C++ defines
alignof
operator, whereas C defines_Alignof
. Both operators have the same semantics.
Operator precedence
The following is a table that lists the precedence and associativity of all the operators in the C and C++ languages (when the operators also exist in Java, Perl, PHP and many other recent languages, the precedence is the same as that given[citation needed]). Operators are listed top to bottom, in descending precedence. Descending precedence refers to the priority of evaluation. Considering an expression, an operator which is listed on some row will be evaluated prior to any operator that is listed on a row further below it. Operators that are in the same cell (there may be several rows of operators listed in a cell) are evaluated with the same precedence, in the given direction. An operator's precedence is unaffected by overloading.
The syntax of expressions in C and C++ is specified by a context-free grammar.[citation needed] The table given here has been inferred from the grammar.[citation needed] For the ISO C 1999 standard, section 6.5.6 note 71 states that the C grammar provided by the specification defines the precedence of the C operators, and also states that the operator precedence resulting from the grammar closely follows the specification's section ordering:
"The [C] syntax [i.e., grammar] specifies the precedence of operators in the evaluation of an expression, which is the same as the order of the major subclauses of this subclause, highest precedence first."[citation needed]
A precedence table, while mostly adequate, cannot resolve a few details. In particular, note that the ternary operator allows any arbitrary expression as its middle operand, despite being listed as having higher precedence than the assignment and comma operators. Thus a ? b , c : d
is interpreted as a ? (b, c) : d
, and not as the meaningless (a ? b), (c : d)
. Also, note that the immediate, unparenthesized result of a C cast expression cannot be the operand of sizeof
. Therefore, sizeof (int) * x
is interpreted as (sizeof(int)) * x
and not sizeof ((int) *x)
.
Precedence | Operator | Description | Associativity |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ::
|
Scope resolution (C++ only) | Left-to-right |
2 | ++
|
Suffix increment | |
--
|
Suffix decrement | ||
()
|
Function call | ||
[]
|
Array subscripting | ||
.
|
Element selection by reference | ||
->
|
Element selection through pointer | ||
typeid()
|
Run-time type information (C++ only) (see typeid) | ||
const_cast
|
Type cast (C++ only) (see const cast) | ||
dynamic_cast
|
Type cast (C++ only) (see dynamic_cast) | ||
reinterpret_cast
|
Type cast (C++ only) (see reinterpret cast) | ||
static_cast
|
Type cast (C++ only) (see static cast) | ||
3 | ++
|
Prefix increment | Right-to-left |
--
|
Prefix decrement | ||
+
|
Unary plus | ||
-
|
Unary minus | ||
!
|
Logical NOT | ||
~
|
Bitwise NOT | ||
(type)
|
Type cast | ||
*
|
Indirection (dereference) | ||
&
|
Address-of | ||
sizeof
|
Size-of | ||
new , new[]
|
Dynamic memory allocation (C++ only) | ||
delete , delete[]
|
Dynamic memory deallocation (C++ only) | ||
4 | .*
|
Pointer to member (C++ only) | Left-to-right |
->*
|
Pointer to member (C++ only) | ||
5 | *
|
Multiplication | |
/
|
Division | ||
%
|
Modulo (remainder) | ||
6 | +
|
Addition | |
-
|
Subtraction | ||
7 | <<
|
Bitwise left shift | |
>>
|
Bitwise right shift | ||
8 | <
|
Less than | |
<=
|
Less than or equal to | ||
>
|
Greater than | ||
>=
|
Greater than or equal to | ||
9 | ==
|
Equal to | |
!=
|
Not equal to | ||
10 | &
|
Bitwise AND | |
11 | ^
|
Bitwise XOR (exclusive or) | |
12 | |
|
Bitwise OR (inclusive or) | |
13 | &&
|
Logical AND | |
14 | ||
|
Logical OR | |
15 | ?:
|
Ternary conditional (see ?:) | Right-to-left |
16 | =
|
Direct assignment | |
+=
|
Assignment by sum | ||
-=
|
Assignment by difference | ||
*=
|
Assignment by product | ||
/=
|
Assignment by quotient | ||
%=
|
Assignment by remainder | ||
<<=
|
Assignment by bitwise left shift | ||
>>=
|
Assignment by bitwise right shift | ||
&=
|
Assignment by bitwise AND | ||
^=
|
Assignment by bitwise XOR | ||
|=
|
Assignment by bitwise OR | ||
17 | throw
|
Throw operator (exceptions throwing, C++ only) | |
18 | ,
|
Comma | Left-to-right |
Notes
The precedence table determines the order of binding in chained expressions, when it is not expressly specified by parentheses.
- For example,
++x*3
is ambiguous without some precedence rule(s). The precedence table tells us that: x is 'bound' more tightly to ++ than to *, so that whatever ++ does (now or later—see below), it does it ONLY to x (and not tox*3
); it is equivalent to (++x
,x*3
). - Similarly, with
3*x++
, where though the post-fix ++ is designed to act AFTER the entire expression is evaluated, the precedence table makes it clear that ONLY x gets incremented (and NOT3*x
); it is functionally equivalent to something like (tmp=3*x
,++x
,tmp
) with tmp being a temporary value.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Precedence_2.png)
- Abstracting the issue of precedence or binding, consider the diagram above. The compiler's job is to resolve the diagram into an expression, one in which several unary operators ( call them 3+( . ), 2*( . ), ( . )++ and ( . )[ i ] ) are competing to bind to y. The order of precedence table resolves the final sub-expression they each act upon: ( . )[ i ] acts only on y, ( . )++ acts only on y[i], 2*( . ) acts only on y[i]++ and 3+( . ) acts 'only' on 2*((y[i])++). It's important to note that WHAT sub-expression gets acted on by each operator is clear from the precedence table but WHEN each operator acts is not resolved by the precedence table; in this example, the ( . )++ operator acts only on y[i] by the precedence rules but binding levels alone do not indicate the timing of the Suffix ++ (the ( . )++ operator acts only after y[i] is evaluated in the expression).
Many of the operators containing multi-character sequences are given "names" built from the operator name of each character. For example, +=
and -=
are often called plus equal(s) and minus equal(s), instead of the more verbose "assignment by addition" and "assignment by subtraction".
The binding of operators in C and C++ is specified (in the corresponding Standards) by a factored language grammar, rather than a precedence table. This creates some subtle conflicts. For example, in C, the syntax for a conditional expression is:
logical-OR-expression ? expression : conditional-expression
while in C++ it is:
logical-OR-expression ? expression : assignment-expression
Hence, the expression:
e = a < d ? a++ : a = d
is parsed differently in the two languages. In C, this expression is a syntax error, but many compilers parse it as:
e = ((a < d ? a++ : a) = d)
which is a semantic error, since the result of the conditional-expression (which might be a++) is not an lvalue. In C++, it is parsed as:
e = (a < d ? a++ : (a = d))
which is a valid expression.
The precedence of the bitwise logical operators has been criticized.[1] Conceptually, & and | are arithmetic operators like + and *.
The expression a & b == 7
is syntactically parsed as a & (b == 7)
whereas the expression a + b == 7
is parsed as (a + b) == 7
. This requires parentheses to be used more often than they otherwise would.
C++ operator synonyms
C++ defines[1]
keywords to act as aliases for a number of operators: and (&&), bitand (&), and_eq (&=), or (||), bitor (|), or_eq (|=), xor (^), xor_eq (^=), not (!), not_eq (!=), compl (~)
. These can be used exactly the same way as the symbols they replace as they are not the same operator under a different name, but rather simple text aliases for the name (character string) of respective operator. For instance, bitand
may be used to replace not only the bitwise operator but also the address-of operator, and it can even be used to specify reference types (e.g. int bitand ref = n;).
The ANSI C specification makes allowance for these keywords as preprocessor macros in the header file iso646.h
. For compatibility with C, C++ provides the header ciso646
, inclusion of which has no effect.
References
- ^ ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG21 - The C++ Standards Committee (1 September 1998). ISO/IEC 14882:1998(E) Programming Language C++. International standardization working group for the programming language C++. pp. 40–41.
{{cite book}}
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