list of all assignment operators

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Assignment Operators in C

In C language, the assignment operator stores a certain value in an already declared variable. A variable in C can be assigned the value in the form of a literal, another variable, or an expression.

The value to be assigned forms the right-hand operand, whereas the variable to be assigned should be the operand to the left of the " = " symbol, which is defined as a simple assignment operator in C.

In addition, C has several augmented assignment operators.

The following table lists the assignment operators supported by the C language −

Simple Assignment Operator (=)

The = operator is one of the most frequently used operators in C. As per the ANSI C standard, all the variables must be declared in the beginning. Variable declaration after the first processing statement is not allowed.

You can declare a variable to be assigned a value later in the code, or you can initialize it at the time of declaration.

You can use a literal, another variable, or an expression in the assignment statement.

Once a variable of a certain type is declared, it cannot be assigned a value of any other type. In such a case the C compiler reports a type mismatch error.

In C, the expressions that refer to a memory location are called "lvalue" expressions. A lvalue may appear as either the left-hand or right-hand side of an assignment.

On the other hand, the term rvalue refers to a data value that is stored at some address in memory. A rvalue is an expression that cannot have a value assigned to it which means an rvalue may appear on the right-hand side but not on the left-hand side of an assignment.

Variables are lvalues and so they may appear on the left-hand side of an assignment. Numeric literals are rvalues and so they may not be assigned and cannot appear on the left-hand side. Take a look at the following valid and invalid statements −

Augmented Assignment Operators

In addition to the = operator, C allows you to combine arithmetic and bitwise operators with the = symbol to form augmented or compound assignment operator. The augmented operators offer a convenient shortcut for combining arithmetic or bitwise operation with assignment.

For example, the expression "a += b" has the same effect of performing "a + b" first and then assigning the result back to the variable "a".

Run the code and check its output −

Similarly, the expression "a <<= b" has the same effect of performing "a << b" first and then assigning the result back to the variable "a".

Here is a C program that demonstrates the use of assignment operators in C −

When you compile and execute the above program, it will produce the following result −

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Assignment Operators In C++

In C++, the assignment operator forms the backbone of many algorithms and computational processes by performing a simple operation like assigning a value to a variable. It is denoted by equal sign ( = ) and provides one of the most basic operations in any programming language that is used to assign some value to the variables in C++ or in other words, it is used to store some kind of information.

The right-hand side value will be assigned to the variable on the left-hand side. The variable and the value should be of the same data type.

The value can be a literal or another variable of the same data type.

Compound Assignment Operators

In C++, the assignment operator can be combined into a single operator with some other operators to perform a combination of two operations in one single statement. These operators are called Compound Assignment Operators. There are 10 compound assignment operators in C++:

Addition Assignment Operator ( += )
Subtraction Assignment Operator ( -= )
Multiplication Assignment Operator ( *= )
Division Assignment Operator ( /= )
Modulus Assignment Operator ( %= )
Bitwise AND Assignment Operator ( &= )
Bitwise OR Assignment Operator ( |= )
Bitwise XOR Assignment Operator ( ^= )
Left Shift Assignment Operator ( <<= )
Right Shift Assignment Operator ( >>= )

Lets see each of them in detail.

1. Addition Assignment Operator (+=)

In C++, the addition assignment operator (+=) combines the addition operation with the variable assignment allowing you to increment the value of variable by a specified expression in a concise and efficient way.

This above expression is equivalent to the expression:

2. Subtraction Assignment Operator (-=)

The subtraction assignment operator (-=) in C++ enables you to update the value of the variable by subtracting another value from it. This operator is especially useful when you need to perform subtraction and store the result back in the same variable.

3. Multiplication Assignment Operator (*=)

In C++, the multiplication assignment operator (*=) is used to update the value of the variable by multiplying it with another value.

4. Division Assignment Operator (/=)

The division assignment operator divides the variable on the left by the value on the right and assigns the result to the variable on the left.

5. Modulus Assignment Operator (%=)

The modulus assignment operator calculates the remainder when the variable on the left is divided by the value or variable on the right and assigns the result to the variable on the left.

6. Bitwise AND Assignment Operator (&=)

This operator performs a bitwise AND between the variable on the left and the value on the right and assigns the result to the variable on the left.

7. Bitwise OR Assignment Operator (|=)

The bitwise OR assignment operator performs a bitwise OR between the variable on the left and the value or variable on the right and assigns the result to the variable on the left.

8. Bitwise XOR Assignment Operator (^=)

The bitwise XOR assignment operator performs a bitwise XOR between the variable on the left and the value or variable on the right and assigns the result to the variable on the left.

9. Left Shift Assignment Operator (<<=)

The left shift assignment operator shifts the bits of the variable on the left to left by the number of positions specified on the right and assigns the result to the variable on the left.

10. Right Shift Assignment Operator (>>=)

The right shift assignment operator shifts the bits of the variable on the left to the right by a number of positions specified on the right and assigns the result to the variable on the left.

Also, it is important to note that all of the above operators can be overloaded for custom operations with user-defined data types to perform the operations we want.

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C Assignment Operators

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An assignment operation assigns the value of the right-hand operand to the storage location named by the left-hand operand. Therefore, the left-hand operand of an assignment operation must be a modifiable l-value. After the assignment, an assignment expression has the value of the left operand but isn't an l-value.

assignment-expression : conditional-expression unary-expression assignment-operator assignment-expression

assignment-operator : one of = *= /= %= += -= <<= >>= &= ^= |=

The assignment operators in C can both transform and assign values in a single operation. C provides the following assignment operators:

In assignment, the type of the right-hand value is converted to the type of the left-hand value, and the value is stored in the left operand after the assignment has taken place. The left operand must not be an array, a function, or a constant. The specific conversion path, which depends on the two types, is outlined in detail in Type Conversions .

Assignment Operators

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Assignment Operators in C

Operators are a fundamental part of all the computations that computers perform. Today we will learn about one of them known as Assignment Operators in C. Assignment Operators are used to assign values to variables. The most common assignment operator is = . Assignment Operators are Binary Operators.

Types of Assignment Operators in C

Here is a list of the assignment operators that you can find in the C language:

basic assignment ( = )
subtraction assignment ( -= )
addition assignment ( += )
division assignment ( /= )
multiplication assignment ( *= )
modulo assignment ( %= )
bitwise XOR assignment ( ^= )
bitwise OR assignment ( |= )
bitwise AND assignment ( &= )
bitwise right shift assignment ( >>= )
bitwise left shift assignment ( <<= )

Working of Assignment Operators in C

This is the complete list of all assignment operators in C. To read the meaning of operator please keep in mind the above example.

Example for Assignment Operators in C

Basic assignment ( = ) :

Subtraction assignment ( -= ) :

Addition assignment ( += ) :

Division assignment ( /= ) :

Multiplication assignment ( *= ) :

Modulo assignment ( %= ) :

Bitwise XOR assignment ( ^= ) :

Bitwise OR assignment ( |= ) :

Bitwise AND assignment ( &= ) :

Bitwise right shift assignment ( >>= ) :

Bitwise left shift assignment ( <<= ) :

This is the detailed explanation of all the assignment operators in C that we have. Hopefully, This is clear to you.

Practice Problems on Assignment Operators in C

1. what will be the value of a after the following code is executed.

A) 10 B) 11 C) 12 D) 15

Answer – C. 12 Explanation: a starts at 10, increases by 5 to 15, then decreases by 3 to 12. So, a is 12.

2. After executing the following code, what is the value of num ?

A) 4 B) 8 C) 16 D) 32

Answer: C) 16 Explanation: After right-shifting 8 (binary 1000) by one and then left-shifting the result by two, the value becomes 16 (binary 10000).

Q. How does the /= operator function? Is it a combination of two other operators?

A. The /= operator is a compound assignment operator in C++. It divides the left operand by the right operand and assigns the result to the left operand. It is equivalent to using the / operator and then the = operator separately.

Q. What is the most basic operator among all the assignment operators available in the C language?

A. The most basic assignment operator in the C language is the simple = operator, which is used for assigning a value to a variable.

Assignment operators are used to assign the result of an expression to a variable.
There are two types of assignment operators in C. Simple assignment operator and compound assignment operator.
Compound Assignment operators are easy to use and the left operand of expression needs not to write again and again.
They work the same way in C++ as in C.

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Assignment Operators in C

We use this type of operator to transform as well as assign the values to any variable in an operation. In any given assignment operator, the right side is a value, and the left side is a variable. The value present on the right side of the operator must have the same data type as that of the variable present on the left side. In any other case, the compiler raises an error.

In this article, we will take a look into the Assignment Operators in C according to the GATE Syllabus for CSE (Computer Science Engineering) . Read ahead to know more.

Table of Contents

Working Of Assignment Operators In C
Example Of Assignment Operators In C
Practice Problems On Assignment Operators In C

Types of Assignment Operators in C

An assignment operator is basically a binary operator that helps in modifying the variable to its left with the use of the value to its right. We utilize the assignment operators to transform and assign values to any variables.

Here is a list of the assignment operators that you can find in the C language:

basic assignment ( = )
subtraction assignment ( -= )
addition assignment ( += )
division assignment ( /= )
multiplication assignment ( *= )
modulo assignment ( %= )
bitwise XOR assignment ( ^= )
bitwise OR assignment ( |= )
bitwise AND assignment ( &= )
bitwise right shift assignment ( >>= )
bitwise left shift assignment ( <<= )

Working of Assignment Operators in C

Here is a table that discusses, in brief, all the Assignment operators that the C language supports:

Example of Assignment Operators in C

Let us look at an example to understand how these work in a code:

#include <stdio.h>

int x = 21;

printf(“Line A – = Example of the Value of y = %d\n”, y );

printf(“Line B – -= Example of the Value of y = %d\n”, y );

printf(“Line C – += Example of the Value of c = %d\n”, c );

printf(“Line D – /= Example of the Value of y = %d\n”, y );

printf(“Line E – *= Example of the Value of y = %d\n”, y );

y <<= 2;

printf(“Line F – <<= Example of the Value of y = %d\n”, y );

printf(“Line G – %= Example of the Value of y = %d\n”, y );

y &= 2;

printf(“Line H – &= Example of the Value of y = %d\n”, y );

y >>= 2;

printf(“Line I – >>= Example of the Value of y = %d\n”, y );

printf(“Line J – |= Example of the Value of y = %d\n”, y );

printf(“Line K – ^= Example of the Value of y = %d\n”, y );

The compilation and execution of the program mentioned above will produce a result as follows:

Line A – = Example of the Value of y = 21

Line B – -= Example of the Value of y = 21

Line C – += Example of the Value of y = 42

Line D – /= Example of the Value of y = 21

Line E – *= Example of the Value of y = 441

Line F – <<= Example of the Value of y = 44

Line G – %= Example of the Value of y = 11

Line H – &= Example of the Value of y = 2

Line I – >>= Example of the Value of y = 11

Line J – |= Example of the Value of y = 2

Line K – ^= Example of the Value of y = 0

Here is another example of how the assignment operators work in the C language:

int y = 10;

printf(“z = x + y = %d \n”,z);

printf(“z += x = %d \n”,z);

printf(“z -= x = %d \n”,z);

printf(“z *= x = %d \n”,z);

printf(“z /= x = %d \n”,z);

printf(“z %= x = %d \n”,z);

c &= x ;

printf(“c &= x = %d \n”,z);

printf(“z ^= x = %d \n”,z);

printf(“z |= x = %d \n”,z);

z <<= 2 ;

printf(“z <<= 2 = %d \n”,z);

z >>= 2 ;

printf(“z >>= 2 = %d \n”,z);

The output generated here will be:

z = x + y = 15

z += x = 20

z -= x = 15

z *= x = 75

z &= x = 0

z ^= x = 10

z |= x = 10

z <<= 2 = 40

z >>= 2 = 10

z >>= 2 = 2

Practice Problems on Assignment Operators in C

1. What would be the output obtained from the program given below?

#include<stdio.h>

p += p += p += 3;

printf(“%d”,p);

Answer – A. 20

p+=p+=p+=3; it can written as p+=p+=p=p+3; p=2; Or, p+=p+=5; p=5; Or, p+=p=5+5; p=5; Or, p+=10; p=10; Or, p=p+10; p=10; Or, p=20. So, finally p=20.

2. Which of these is an invalid type of assignment operator?

D. None of these

Answer – D. None of these

All of these are valid types of assignment operators.

How does the /= operator work? Is it a combination of two other operators?

Yes, the /+ operator is a combination of the = and / operators. The / operator divides the current value of the available variable first on the left using the available value on the right. It then assigns the obtained result to the available variable on the left side.

What is the most basic operator among all the assignment operators available in the C language?

The = operator is the most basic one used in the C language. We use this operator to assign the value available in the right to the value mentioned on the left side of the operator.

Keep learning and stay tuned to get the latest updates on GATE Exam along with GATE Eligibility Criteria , GATE 2023 , GATE Admit Card , GATE Syllabus for CSE (Computer Science Engineering) , GATE CSE Notes , GATE CSE Question Paper , and more.

Also Explore,

Arithmetic Operators in C
Bitwise Operators in C
Increment and Decrement Operators in C
Logical Operators in C
Operators in C
Relational Operators in C

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Assignment Operators in Programming - GeeksforGeeks
Mar 26, 2024 · We use an assignment operator to store and update data within a program. They enable programmers to store data in variables and manipulate that data. The most common assignment operator is the equals sign (=), which assigns the value on the right side of the operator to the variable on the left side. Types of Assignment Operators: Simple ...
Assignment Operators in C - GeeksforGeeks
Mar 20, 2024 · 1. “=”: This is the simplest assignment operator. This operator is used to assign the value on the right to the variable on the left. Example: a = 10; b = 20; ch = 'y'; 2. “+=”: This operator is combination of ‘+’ and ‘=’ operators. This operator first adds the current value of the variable on left to the value on the right and ...
Assignment Operators in C - Online Tutorials Library
The value to be assigned forms the right-hand operand, whereas the variable to be assigned should be the operand to the left of the "=" symbol, which is defined as a simple assignment operator in C. In addition, C has several augmented assignment operators. The following table lists the assignment operators supported by the C language −
Assignment Operators In C++ - GeeksforGeeks
Nov 15, 2023 · Compound Assignment Operators. In C++, the assignment operator can be combined into a single operator with some other operators to perform a combination of two operations in one single statement. These operators are called Compound Assignment Operators. There are 10 compound assignment operators in C++: Addition Assignment Operator ( += )
C Programming: Assignment Operators with Examples - w3resource
Sep 21, 2024 · Assignment Operators in C Programming. Overview. In C programming, assignment operators are used to assign values to variables. The simple assignment operator is =. C also supports shorthand assignment operators that combine an operation with assignment, making the code more concise. Key Topics: Simple Assignment Operator; Shorthand Addition ...
C Assignment Operators | Microsoft Learn
Jan 24, 2023 · Therefore, the left-hand operand of an assignment operation must be a modifiable l-value. After the assignment, an assignment expression has the value of the left operand but isn't an l-value. Syntax. assignment-expression: conditional-expression unary-expression assignment-operator assignment-expression. assignment-operator: one of
Types of Assignment Operators in C - Scaler
Jan 24, 2022 · A. The most basic assignment operator in the C language is the simple = operator, which is used for assigning a value to a variable. Conclusion. Assignment operators are used to assign the result of an expression to a variable. There are two types of assignment operators in C. Simple assignment operator and compound assignment operator.
Assignment Operator in C - upGrad
Oct 12, 2024 · List of All Assignment Operators in C. In C, we have two types of assignment operators in C: simple assignment operators and compound assignment operators. Simple Assignment Operator (=): A simple assignment operator assigns the value on the right-hand side (RHS) to the variable on the left-hand side (LHS) For example:
Assignment Operators in C | Different List of ... - EDUCBA
Jun 21, 2023 · Assignment operators are used for assigning value to the variable. Like any other operator, C also supports Assignment Operator which is a binary operator that operates on any two operands. It has two values such as the right value and the left value. It has lower precedence than all available operators but has higher precedence than the comma ...
Assignment Operators in C | GATE Notes - BYJU'S
Types of Assignment Operators in C. An assignment operator is basically a binary operator that helps in modifying the variable to its left with the use of the value to its right. We utilize the assignment operators to transform and assign values to any variables. Here is a list of the assignment operators that you can find in the C language:

Assignment Operators in C

Simple Assignment Operator (=)

Augmented Assignment Operators

Assignment Operators In C++

Compound Assignment Operators

1. Addition Assignment Operator (+=)

2. Subtraction Assignment Operator (-=)

3. Multiplication Assignment Operator (*=)

4. Division Assignment Operator (/=)

5. Modulus Assignment Operator (%=)

6. Bitwise AND Assignment Operator (&=)

7. Bitwise OR Assignment Operator (|=)

8. Bitwise XOR Assignment Operator (^=)

9. Left Shift Assignment Operator (<<=)

10. Right Shift Assignment Operator (>>=)

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C Assignment Operators

Additional resources

Assignment Operators in C

Types of Assignment Operators in C

Working of Assignment Operators in C

Example for Assignment Operators in C

Practice Problems on Assignment Operators in C

2. After executing the following code, what is the value of num ?

Assignment Operators in C

Types of Assignment Operators in C

Working of Assignment Operators in C

Example of Assignment Operators in C

Practice Problems on Assignment Operators in C

How does the /= operator work? Is it a combination of two other operators?

What is the most basic operator among all the assignment operators available in the C language?

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