4️⃣ C# Operators – Complete Guide to Expressions, Logic & Overloading

C# operators form the foundation for expressions and computations. From simple math to complex logic and custom class behavior, operators enable developers to write expressive and readable code.

---

🪂 Introduction – Why Learn C# Operators?

Operators in C# let you manipulate data, compare values, evaluate conditions, and even define custom behavior for your own classes. Whether you’re calculating totals, validating input, or creating powerful expressions, understanding C# operators is key to writing clean and functional code.

🌟 In this guide, you’ll explore:

• Core categories of operators in C#
• How precedence affects expression evaluation
• How to redefine operator behavior for custom types

---

📃 Topics Covered

Subtopic	Description
➕ C# Operators Overview	Introduction to operator types and usage
➕ C# Arithmetic Operators	Perform basic math calculations
➕ C# Assignment Operators	Assign and update variable values
➕ C# Relational Operators	Compare values for conditional logic
➕ C# Logical Operators	Combine boolean expressions
➕ C# Bitwise Operators	Operate at the binary level
➕ C# Miscellaneous Operators	Specialized operators like ternary, null-coalescing, etc.
➕ C# Operator Precedence	Understand expression evaluation order
➕ C# Operator Overloading	Customize operators for user-defined types

---

➕ C# Operators Overview

Operators in C# are used to perform operations on variables, constants, and expressions. They include categories such as arithmetic, logical, relational, and assignment operators.

int a = 10, b = 5;
int sum = a + b; // Using arithmetic and assignment operators

---

➕ C# Arithmetic Operators

These operators are used to perform mathematical calculations:

Operator	Description	Example	Result
+	Addition	a + b	15
-	Subtraction	a - b	5
*	Multiplication	a * b	50
/	Division	a / b	2
%	Modulus	a % b	0

---

➕ C# Assignment Operators

These operators assign values and can combine with arithmetic:

Operator	Meaning	Example	Equivalent
=	Assign	a = 5	Assign 5 to a
+=	Add & assign	a += 2	a = a + 2
-=	Subtract & assign	a -= 2	a = a - 2
*=	Multiply & assign	a *= 2	a = a * 2
/=	Divide & assign	a /= 2	a = a / 2

---

➕ C# Relational Operators

Used to compare values:

Operator	Description	Example	Result
==	Equal to	a == b	false
!=	Not equal to	a != b	true
>	Greater than	a > b	true
<	Less than	a < b	false
>=	Greater or equal	a >= b	true
<=	Less or equal	a <= b	false

---

➕ C# Logical Operators

Used to combine boolean expressions:

Operator	Description	Example	Result
&&	Logical AND	true && false	false
`		`	Logical OR	`true		false`	true
!	Logical NOT	!true	false

---

➕ C# Bitwise Operators

Operate at the bit level:

Operator	Description	Example	Result
&	AND	5 & 3	1
`	`	OR	`5	3`	7
^	XOR	5 ^ 3	6
~	NOT	~5	-6
<<	Left shift	5 << 1	10
>>	Right shift	5 >> 1	2

---

➕ C# Miscellaneous Operators

Operator	Purpose	Example
?:	Ternary conditional	a > b ? a : b
??	Null coalescing	name ?? "Guest"
?.	Null-conditional access	obj?.ToString()
typeof	Get type at runtime	typeof(int)
is	Type checking	obj is string
as	Safe casting	obj as string
nameof	Return name of variable as string	nameof(variable)

---

➕ C# Operator Precedence

Operators are evaluated in a specific order. For example, multiplication and division have higher precedence than addition and subtraction. Use parentheses to control precedence explicitly.

int result = 10 + 2 * 5;       // Result: 20
int adjusted = (10 + 2) * 5;   // Result: 60

---

➕ C# Operator Overloading

C# allows overloading operators in user-defined types to make code more intuitive.

public class Point
{
    public int X, Y;

    public static Point operator +(Point a, Point b)
    {
        return new Point { X = a.X + b.X, Y = a.Y + b.Y };
    }
}

This enables:

Point p1 = new Point { X = 1, Y = 2 };
Point p2 = new Point { X = 3, Y = 4 };
Point sum = p1 + p2;

---

📌 Summary – Recap & Next Steps

Understanding operators in C# enables you to write concise, expressive, and optimized code. From basic arithmetic to overloading custom behaviors, operators are the building blocks of logical computation.

🔍 Key Takeaways:

• Operators are categorized as arithmetic, assignment, logical, and more
• Operator precedence affects evaluation order
• You can customize operator behavior for classes via overloading

️️ Real-World Relevance: Operators simplify conditionals, loops, math, and object manipulation in virtually every application.

---

❓ FAQs

Q: Can all operators be overloaded in C#? ✅ No. You can overload most arithmetic and comparison operators, but not logical operators like &&, ||, or =.

Q: What is the difference between ** and ** in C#? ✅ == can be overloaded for custom behavior, while Equals() checks object equality by default and can be overridden.

Q: Is the null-coalescing operator “ the same as a ternary? ✅ No. ?? only checks for null and returns a default, while ?: is a general-purpose condition.

Q: How do I avoid ambiguity in complex expressions? ✅ Use parentheses to control operator precedence and clarify evaluation order.

---

Share Now :