Understanding Miscellaneous Operators

Introduction to Miscellaneous Operators

Swift supports various types of operators, including arithmetic, comparison, logical, bitwise, assignment, and range operators. In addition to these, Swift provides several miscellaneous operators that enhance the language's flexibility and functionality.


Types of Miscellaneous Operators in Swift

Name Operator Example
Unary Minus - -23
Unary Plus + +32
Ternary Conditional ? : X > Y ? 43 : 21

Unary Minus Operator in Swift

The unary minus (-) operator is used to change the sign of a numeric value. It converts a positive number into a negative and vice versa. It is a prefix operator, meaning it is placed before the operand without any space.


Syntax:

-x

Example: Using Unary Minus Operator in Swift

import Foundation

let a = 50
let b = -10

// Using unary minus operator
let result = a + (-b) // 50 + 10
print("Sum of \(a) and - \(b) = \(result)")

Output

Sum of 50 and -(-10) = 60

Unary Plus Operator in Swift

The unary plus (+) operator ensures a numeric expression remains positive. However, it does not alter the actual value of the number. Like the unary minus operator, it is also a prefix operator.


Syntax:

+x

Example: Using Unary Plus Operator in Swift

import Foundation

let a = 15
let b = +5

// Using unary plus operator
let sum = a + b // 15 + 5
print("Sum of \(a) and \(b) = \(sum)")

Output

Sum of 15 and 5 = 20

Ternary Conditional Operator in Swift

The ternary conditional operator (condition ? expression1 : expression2) is a shorthand for an if-else statement. It efficiently selects one of two expressions based on a condition's truth value.


Syntax:

condition ? expression1 : expression2

Example: Using Ternary Conditional Operator in Swift

import Foundation

let x = 10
let y = 20

// Using ternary conditional operator
let maxNumber = x > y ? x : y
print("The larger number between \(x) and \(y) is \(maxNumber)")

Output

The larger number between 10 and 20 is 20