Flash cards
Review the key moves
What is the main idea behind Java Assignment Operators?
Lesson checks
Practice each idea before moving on
Short Mimo-style checks built from this lesson's code, terms, and sequence.
Which statement best captures the main point of this lesson?
Put the learning moves in the order that makes the concept easiest to apply.
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 assignment operator ( += ) adds a value to a variable:
int x = 10;
x += 5;A 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 |
Note
Most assignment operators are just shorter ways of writing code. For example, x += 5 is the same as x = x + 5 , but shorter and often easier to read.
Real-Life Example: Tracking Savings
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
System.out.println("Total savings: " + savings);