Assignment Operators
Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables.
In the example below, we use the assignment operator (=) to assign the value 10 to a variable called x:
Example
int x = 10;
The addition compound assignment operator (+=) adds a value to a variable:
Example
int x = 10;
x += 5; // same as x = x + 5
A list of all assignment operators:
| Operator | Example | Same As | Try it |
|---|---|---|---|
| = | x = 5 | x = 5 | |
| += | x += 3 | x = x + 3 | |
| -= | x -= 3 | x = x - 3 | |
| *= | x *= 3 | x = x * 3 | |
| /= | x /= 3 | x = x / 3 | |
| %= | x %= 3 | x = x % 3 | |
| &= | x &= 3 | x = x & 3 | |
| |= | x |= 3 | x = x | 3 | |
| ^= | x ^= 3 | x = x ^ 3 | |
| >>= | x >>= 3 | x = x >> 3 | |
| <<= | x <<= 3 | x = x << 3 |
Compound Assignment Operators
Compound assignment operators are a shorter way of writing operations where you use a variable in both sides of an assignment. For example, instead of writing x = x + 5;, you can simply write x += 5;.
Example
int x = 10;
x += 5; // same as x = x + 5
cout << x << "\n"; // 15
x *= 2; // same as x = x * 2
cout << x << "\n"; // 30
Tip: Compound operators make code shorter and easier to read, especially when updating the same variable many times. Why "Compound"? They are called compound assignment operators because they combine a regular operator (like
+,-,*, etc.) with the assignment operator (=) into one single operator. For example,+=is a combination of+and=.
Real-Life Example: Tracking Savings
Compound assignment operators can also be used in real-life scenarios. For example, you can use the += operator to keep track of savings when you add money to an account:
Example
int savings = 100;
savings += 50; // add 50 to savings
cout << "Total savings: " << savings;
