In this article, we’re going to get back into some technical stuff regarding Java. This article is going to list and define just about every single operator and operand in Java. Each operator or operand will have its own entry, and we’ll go into a bit of detail about what each one does, what it’s suited for, and how it can be used.
Operators and operands
First, however, you might be wondering what operators and operands are. In Java, Operators are equality types. In a very basic sense, they function as little equations that determine specific information about a Java expression, which is how Java calls to and interacts with apps and other programs. Operands are simple smaller particles of operators, and they serve to form exactly what an operator does. Following are the various different types.
Additive
As the name suggests, operators of the additive type perform addition and subtractions functions to increase or decrease numeric value. These operators include addition (+), subtraction (-), postdecrement(–), and preincrement (++). Addition and subtraction function pretty much how you think they might. Postdecrement and preincrement both add or subract one from the value, store the outcome, and then return the original value.
Array index
This operator accesses an array element. This means that it provides element’s index, which is its position. Normally, the placement of this operator is immediately following the variable’s name. For example: temperatures[1]. Temperatures, in this case, is the variable, and its position is now defined as [1], meaning that it is a positive value along the array.
Assignment
The assignment operator really just does what it says – it assigns the value that an expression has to a variable and also to an array element. Naturally, the types between the expression and the variable must be compatible and they have to agree. This means that you couldn’t, for example, assign a string literal to an integer variable. Assignment compound expressions can get very complex, but its best to try keeping them a little simpler, for your own sanity.
Bitwise
Bitwise operators are one of the first that don’t have an obvious name about what they do. Simply put, bitwise operators change binary values of their operands. These operands must be integers and the operator has to have bitwise itself and a complement or exclusive, or it must be a bitwise inclusive to start.
Cast
Another sort of odd name, the cast operator is one that attempts to convert an operand’s type to another type. It can do this because operators can exert control over primitive reference types used by operands. It can’t, however, turn a primitive type into a more advanced version.
Conditional
A conditional examines and analyzes Boolean expressions. If you remember, Boolean operators are expressions like AND, OR, and NOT. They’re usually used as search terms, but they can also be used in Java.
Equality
Another very simple operator, the equality operator simply determines whether operands between two compared sources are equal or inequal. If they are equal, it returns a value of (==). If they are inequal, it returns a value of (!=).
Logical
Logical operators are a lot like bitwise operators. However, instead of working with binary values, it works with Boolean operators. They are given a shorthand and changed as necessary with operands.
Method call
This operator is used to signify when a method is being called by a program or function. It identifies that method, along with its placement in the array and its various features. It also evaluates the expressions that the method is attached to.
Multiplicative
Very similar to additive operators, multiplicative operators increase or decrease numeric value using multiplication or division. It uses the standard symbols for these things, * for multiplication and /for division.
Object creation
The object creation operator can be activated in order to form an object out of a class or an array. This is a pretty complex function, so you might want to check out a guide on it specifically, since describing it would take more time than we have here.
Relational
These operators order operands by structuring them into greater, lesser, and other ranked statuses. These operators can define things as greater than (>), less than (<), greater than or equal to (>=), and less than or equal to (=<).
Shift
As their name suggests, shift operators shift integral values left or right by a number that is specified in the command. These shifts can be signed or unsigned by the user.
Unary minus/plus
Finally, these operators are used to return the positive or negative versions of their operands, meaning that they can immediately shift a value from its positive or negative version to the opposite value.
That’s Java’s list of operators – it’s a pretty varied and dynamic list, and it should give anyone interested in developing on Java, a good idea of what and how that can be helped by using operators.
