Overview

This chapter will delve into two foundational aspects of C++: literals and operators. These are the building blocks upon which you construct meaningful instructions for your computer.

What are Literals?

Literals in C++ represent fixed values that are directly embedded within your source code. They are the raw data that your program operates on. C++ supports various types of literals, each tailored to represent different kinds of data. Here are some common types of literals in C++:

Integer Literals

Integer literals are used to represent whole numbers. They can be positive or negative and are usually written without decimal points. For example:

int number = 42;     // This is an integer literal

Floating-Point Literals

Floating-point literals represent real numbers with a decimal point. They can be written in various forms, such as:

float pi = 3.14159;   // This is a floating-point literal

Character and String Literals

Character literals represent individual characters enclosed in single quotes, while string literals represent sequences of characters enclosed in double quotes. For example:

char grade = 'A';            // This is a character literal
std::string greeting = "Hello, World!";  // This is a string literal

Boolean Literals

Boolean literals represent the truth values true and false. They often used in conditional statements and expressions:

bool isRaining = true; // This is a boolean literal

Null Pointer Literal

The nullptr literal represents a null pointer and is often used to indicate that a pointer does not point to any valid memory location:

int *ptr = nullptr; // This is a null pointer literal

What are Operators?

Operators in C++ are symbols that performs operations on one or more operands. They enable you to manipulate data and control the flow of your program. C++ provides a wide range of operators, classified into several categories:

Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators perform basic mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and Modulus(%). Here are some examples:

int a = 5, b = 2;
int sum = a + b; // Addition
int sub = a - b; // Subtration
int product = a * b; // Multiplication
int quotient = a / b; // Division
int mod = a % b; // Returns the remainer of the division.

Relational Operators

Relational operators compare two values and return boolean result (true or false). They are often used in conditional statements. It includes Equality(==), Inequality (!=), Greater Than (>), Less than (<), Greater Than or Equal To (>=), Less than or Equal To (<=).

int x = 6, int y = 7;
bool isEqual = (x == y); // Equality Check
bool isLess = (x < y); // Less than
bool isGreater = (x > y); // Greater than

Logical Operators

Logical operators combine boolean values and produce boolean results. They are frequently used to make decisions in your program. These are Logical AND (&&), Logical OR (||), Logical NOT (!).

bool sunny = true, warm = true;
bool isPerfectDay = sunny && warm; // Logical AND
bool isRainyDay = sunny || !warm; // Logical OR
bool isNotSunny = !sunny; // Logical NOT

Assignment Operators

Assignment operators assign a value to a variable. The most basic one is the = operator.

int age = 23; // Assignment operator (=)
// Compound Assignment Operator
int compound = 1;
compound += 10; // compound now becomes 11;

Conditional (Ternary) Operator

The conditional operator (? : ) is a shorthand way to write simple if-else statements:

int marks = 80;
std::string result  = (marks >= 80) ? "Good Marks" : "Bad Marks";