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.