C# Assignment Operators

Introduction

Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables. In C#, the most common assignment operator is the simple assignment operator (=), but there are also several compound assignment operators that combine arithmetic or bitwise operations with assignment.

List of Assignment Operators

  1. Simple Assignment (=)
  2. Add and Assign (+=)
  3. Subtract and Assign (-=)
  4. Multiply and Assign (*=)
  5. Divide and Assign (/=)
  6. Modulus and Assign (%=)
  7. Bitwise AND and Assign (&=)
  8. Bitwise OR and Assign (|=)
  9. Bitwise XOR and Assign (^=)
  10. Left Shift and Assign (<<=)
  11. Right Shift and Assign (>>=)

1. Simple Assignment (=)

The simple assignment operator assigns the value of the right-hand operand to the left-hand operand.

Syntax

variable = value;

Example

int a = 5;
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 5

2. Add and Assign (+=)

The add and assign operator adds the value of the right-hand operand to the left-hand operand and assigns the result to the left-hand operand.

Syntax

variable += value;

Example

int a = 5;
a += 3;  // Equivalent to a = a + 3;
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 8

3. Subtract and Assign (-=)

The subtract and assign operator subtracts the value of the right-hand operand from the left-hand operand and assigns the result to the left-hand operand.

Syntax

variable -= value;

Example

int a = 5;
a -= 3;  // Equivalent to a = a - 3;
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 2

4. Multiply and Assign (*=)

The multiply and assign operator multiplies the left-hand operand by the right-hand operand and assigns the result to the left-hand operand.

Syntax

variable *= value;

Example

int a = 5;
a *= 3;  // Equivalent to a = a * 3;
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 15

5. Divide and Assign (/=)

The divide and assign operator divides the left-hand operand by the right-hand operand and assigns the result to the left-hand operand.

Syntax

variable /= value;

Example

int a = 9;
a /= 3;  // Equivalent to a = a / 3;
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 3

6. Modulus and Assign (%=)

The modulus and assign operator divides the left-hand operand by the right-hand operand, assigns the remainder to the left-hand operand.

Syntax

variable %= value;

Example

int a = 10;
a %= 3;  // Equivalent to a = a % 3;
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 1

7. Bitwise AND and Assign (&=)

The bitwise AND and assign operator performs a bitwise AND operation between the left-hand and right-hand operands and assigns the result to the left-hand operand.

Syntax

variable &= value;

Example

int a = 5;  // Binary: 0101
a &= 3;  // Binary: 0011; Result: 0001
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 1

8. Bitwise OR and Assign (|=)

The bitwise OR and assign operator performs a bitwise OR operation between the left-hand and right-hand operands and assigns the result to the left-hand operand.

Syntax

variable |= value;

Example

int a = 5;  // Binary: 0101
a |= 3;  // Binary: 0011; Result: 0111
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 7

9. Bitwise XOR and Assign (^=)

The bitwise XOR and assign operator performs a bitwise XOR operation between the left-hand and right-hand operands and assigns the result to the left-hand operand.

Syntax

variable ^= value;

Example

int a = 5;  // Binary: 0101
a ^= 3;  // Binary: 0011; Result: 0110
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 6

10. Left Shift and Assign (<<=)

The left shift and assign operator shifts the bits of the left-hand operand left by the number of positions specified by the right-hand operand and assigns the result to the left-hand operand.

Syntax

variable <<= numberOfPositions;

Example

int a = 5;  // Binary: 0101
a <<= 1;  // Binary: 1010
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 10

11. Right Shift and Assign (>>=)

The right shift and assign operator shifts the bits of the left-hand operand right by the number of positions specified by the right-hand operand and assigns the result to the left-hand operand.

Syntax

variable >>= numberOfPositions;

Example

int a = 5;  // Binary: 0101
a >>= 1;  // Binary: 0010
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 2

Combining Assignment Operators

Assignment operators can be combined with arithmetic or bitwise operations to perform compound operations.

Example: Using Multiple Assignment Operators

int a = 10;
a += 2;  // a = a + 2
a *= 3;  // a = a * 3
a -= 4;  // a = a - 4
a /= 2;  // a = a / 2
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 14

Example: Using Bitwise Assignment Operators

int a = 5;  // Binary: 0101
a &= 3;  // Binary: 0011; Result: 0001
a |= 4;  // Binary: 0100; Result: 0101
a ^= 2;  // Binary: 0010; Result: 0111
Console.WriteLine("a: " + a);

Output:

a: 7

Conclusion

Understanding and using assignment operators is crucial for efficiently performing calculations and managing data in your C# programs. The simple assignment operator (=) and the compound assignment operators (+=, -=, *=, /=, %=) allow you to perform arithmetic and bitwise operations while assigning the result back to the variable. By mastering these operators, you can write more concise and readable code.

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