What Are Apex Operators?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
An operator is a symbol that performs an action on one or more values. We call the values operands. For example, in An expression is any piece of code that produces a value. So Think of operators as the buttons on a calculator. The numbers are your data, and the buttons tell the calculator what to do with them. Apex just has a few more buttons than a normal calculator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Almost every line of real business logic uses Apex Operators. Here are a few things Bright Path Tutors needs every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So once you know Apex Operators, you can turn business rules into working code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apex reads an expression and applies each operator in a fixed order. Then it returns one final value. Developers call this order precedence. For example, multiplication runs before addition, just like in school maths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So Apex groups Apex Operators into a few families, and each family has a clear job. The table below shows the main ones with a quick example of each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the table, “or” stands for the double pipe symbol These do basic maths: Apex has no When you divide two Integers, Apex drops the decimal part. So The These compare two values and return a Boolean. Here is a surprise for many beginners. When you compare Strings with The Apex also short-circuits. With The ternary operator is a short The Let’s build a fee calculator for Bright Path Tutors with Apex Operators. Online courses get a 10% discount, and students pay an 18% tax on the final amount. We also want a label for the course mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ternary line sets Real records often have empty fields. Here, a course has no fee yet, and the code must not crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The This is one of the most common interview questions on Apex Operators. The table below compares the two ways to check text.<\/p>\n\n\n\nfee + tax<\/code>, the +<\/code> is the operator, and fee<\/code> and tax<\/code> are the operands.<\/p>\n\n\n\nfee + tax<\/code> is an expression, and so is seats > 30<\/code>. You can then store the result in a variable or use it in a decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Apex Operators Matter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How Apex Operators Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a>100 + 20 * 2<\/code> gives 140, not 240. If you want the addition first, use brackets, such as (100 + 20) * 2<\/code>, which gives 240. Brackets always win, and they also make code easier to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTypes of Apex Operators<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Group<\/th> Operators<\/th> Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Arithmetic<\/td> + – * \/<\/td> fee * 2<\/td><\/tr> Assignment<\/td> = += -= *= \/=<\/td> total += fee<\/td><\/tr> Increment and decrement<\/td> ++ —<\/td> count++<\/td><\/tr> Comparison<\/td> == != < > <= >=<\/td> seats >= 30<\/td><\/tr> Logical<\/td> && or !<\/td> isOnline && feeOk<\/td><\/tr> Ternary<\/td> ? :<\/td> isOnline ? ‘Online’ : ‘Classroom’<\/td><\/tr> Null-safe<\/td> ?. ??<\/td> c?.Fee__c ?? 0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n ||<\/code>, which means logical OR.<\/p>\n\n\n\nArithmetic Operators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
+<\/code> adds, -<\/code> subtracts, *<\/code> multiplies and \/<\/code> divides. The +<\/code> sign also joins strings, such as 'Hi ' + name<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n%<\/code> operator for remainders. Instead, use Math.mod(10, 3)<\/code>, which returns 1. Many people coming from Java or JavaScript miss this.<\/p>\n\n\n\nInteger Division<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
7 \/ 2<\/code> gives 3, not 3.5. To keep the decimal, make one side a Decimal<\/code>, such as 7.0 \/ 2<\/code>, which gives 3.5. Also, dividing by zero throws a MathException, so check the divisor first.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAssignment Operators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
=<\/code> sign stores a value in a variable. The short forms combine maths and assignment. For example, total += fee;<\/code> means the same as total = total + fee;<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIncrement and Decrement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
count++<\/code> adds 1 to count<\/code>, and count--<\/code> takes 1 away. You will use these a lot inside loops.<\/p>\n\n\n\nComparison Operators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
==<\/code> means equal, !=<\/code> means not equal, and the others check greater or less than.<\/p>\n\n\n\n==<\/code>, Apex ignores case. So 'apex' == 'APEX'<\/code> is true<\/code>. If case matters, use 'apex'.equals('APEX')<\/code>, which returns false<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLogical Operators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
&&<\/code> operator means AND, so both sides must be true. Next, ||<\/code> means OR, so at least one side must be true. Finally, !<\/code> means NOT, and it flips true to false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n&&<\/code>, if the left side is false, Apex skips the right side. This is handy for safety, such as c != null && c.Fee__c > 500<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Ternary Operator<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
if-else<\/code> in one line. It has three parts: a condition, a value if true and a value if false.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSafe Navigation and Null Coalescing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
?.<\/code> operator stops a NullPointerException. If the left side is null, the whole expression returns null. The ??<\/code> operator gives a fallback when a value is null. Together, they replace many long null checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Real Apex Operators Example<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Decimal baseFee = 6000;\nBoolean isOnline = true;\nInteger seatsBooked = 28;\nInteger maxSeats = 30;\n\n\/\/ Arithmetic and ternary\nDecimal discount = isOnline ? baseFee * 10 \/ 100 : 0;\nDecimal feeAfterDiscount = baseFee - discount;\nDecimal tax = feeAfterDiscount * 18 \/ 100;\nDecimal finalFee = feeAfterDiscount + tax;\n\n\/\/ Comparison and logical\nBoolean almostFull = seatsBooked >= maxSeats - 2;\nBoolean showWarning = almostFull && isOnline;\n\nString mode = isOnline ? 'Online' : 'Classroom';\nSystem.debug(mode + ' fee: ' + finalFee);\nSystem.debug('Show warning: ' + showWarning);<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\ndiscount<\/code> to 600 for online courses and 0 for classroom ones. Then the next lines subtract the discount and add 18% tax. The comparison checks if only 2 or fewer seats remain. Finally, &&<\/code> joins two conditions into one Boolean. Here is the log output.<\/p>\n\n\n\nUSER_DEBUG [17]|DEBUG|Online fee: 6372.00\nUSER_DEBUG [18]|DEBUG|Show warning: true<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nHandling Empty Fields with Apex Operators<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Course__c c = new Course__c(Name = 'Git Basics');\n\n\/\/ Without a check, c.Fee__c * 2 would throw an error\nDecimal fee = c.Fee__c ?? 0;\nInteger weeks = (c.Duration_in_Weeks__c ?? 4).intValue();\n\nCourse__c missing = null;\nString name = missing?.Name;\n\nSystem.debug('Fee: ' + fee + ', weeks: ' + weeks + ', name: ' + name);<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n??<\/code> operator gives 0 when the fee is empty, and 4 when the duration is empty. Then intValue()<\/code> turns the Decimal duration into an Integer. The ?.<\/code> line returns null instead of failing on a null record. So the log shows Fee: 0, weeks: 4, name: null<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n== vs equals() for Strings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Feature<\/th> == operator<\/th> equals() method<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Case sensitive<\/td> No<\/td> Yes<\/td><\/tr> ‘Apex’ vs ‘APEX’<\/td> true<\/td> false<\/td><\/tr> Safe when left side is null<\/td> Yes<\/td> No, throws an error<\/td><\/tr> Works for numbers too<\/td> Yes<\/td> Yes, through the object<\/td><\/tr> Typical use<\/td> Most text checks<\/td> Exact matches, such as codes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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