Dart Operators

Operators in Dart are special symbols or keywords that perform operations on operands. They are essential for manipulating data and controlling program flow. Understanding Dart operators is crucial for writing efficient and expressive code.

Types of Operators in Dart

1. Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators perform mathematical calculations on numeric values.

• + (Addition)
• - (Subtraction)
• * (Multiplication)
• / (Division)
• ~/ (Integer Division)
• % (Modulus)

2. Comparison Operators

Comparison operators compare two values and return a boolean result.

• == (Equal to)
• != (Not equal to)
• > (Greater than)
• < (Less than)
• >= (Greater than or equal to)
• <= (Less than or equal to)

3. Logical Operators

Logical operators perform boolean logic operations.

• && (AND)
• || (OR)
• ! (NOT)

4. Assignment Operators

Assignment operators assign values to variables.

• = (Simple assignment)
• +=, -=, *=, /=, %= (Compound assignment)

Examples of Dart Operators in Action

Arithmetic and Assignment Operators

void main() {
  int a = 10;
  int b = 5;
  
  print(a + b);  // Output: 15
  print(a - b);  // Output: 5
  print(a * b);  // Output: 50
  print(a / b);  // Output: 2.0
  print(a ~/ b); // Output: 2
  print(a % b);  // Output: 0
  
  a += 3;        // Equivalent to: a = a + 3
  print(a);      // Output: 13
}
    

Comparison and Logical Operators

void main() {
  int x = 5;
  int y = 10;
  
  print(x == y);  // Output: false
  print(x != y);  // Output: true
  print(x < y);   // Output: true
  print(x > y);   // Output: false
  
  bool isTrue = true;
  bool isFalse = false;
  
  print(isTrue && isFalse);  // Output: false
  print(isTrue || isFalse);  // Output: true
  print(!isTrue);            // Output: false
}
    

Operator Precedence

Dart follows a specific order of precedence for operators. Understanding this order is crucial for writing correct expressions. Here's a simplified precedence table, from highest to lowest:

1. Unary postfix (expr++, expr--)
2. Unary prefix (-expr, !expr)
3. Multiplicative (*, /, %, ~/)
4. Additive (+, -)
5. Relational and type tests (>=, >, <=, <, as, is, is!)
6. Equality (==, !=)
7. Logical AND (&&)
8. Logical OR (||)
9. Conditional (?:)
10. Assignment (=, *=, /=, etc.)

Best Practices

• Use parentheses to clarify complex expressions and override default precedence.
• Avoid overusing operators in a single expression to maintain readability.
• Be cautious with floating-point arithmetic, as it may lead to precision issues.
• When working with Null Safety, use the null-aware operators (??, ?.., ?.) to handle nullable values safely.

Mastering Dart operators is essential for writing efficient and expressive code. They form the foundation for more complex operations and are crucial in control flow statements and functions. Practice using these operators in various scenarios to become proficient in Dart programming.