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 :
int x = 10;The addition compound assignment operator ( += ) adds a value to a variable:
int x = 10;
x += 5; // same as x = x + 5A list of all assignment operators
| Operator | Example | Same As | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| = | 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"; // 30Tip
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;