Operators
This is Tinderbox Cookbook version 2.0.1, created in conjunction with Tinderbox 7.3.2. The locale settings used to export this document: en-US. Most date tests were written/tested on a UK day/month order system and thus tests may fail if exported using different locale settings.This page explores Tinderbox operators, used in actions, rules, and with the export templates ^action() and ^value().
*
Multiply numbers and repeat strings
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Multiplying numbers |
3*5 | 15 | 15 | not yet |
repeating strings |
5*"A" | AAAAA | AAAAA | not yet |
/
Divides two numbers
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/2 | 3 | 3 | not yet | |
division by zero is undefined |
5/0 | inf | not yet | |
| 4/-2 | -2 | -2 | not yet | |
4-2/2 is equivalent to 4-(2/2) |
4-2/2 | 3 | 3 | not yet |
+
Add numbers, add items to sets, and concatenate strings.
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Adding numbers |
1+1 | 2 | 2 | not yet |
concatenating strings |
"able"+"baker" | ablebaker | ablebaker | not yet |
mixing strings and numerals |
"able"+27 | able27 | able27 | not yet |
Adding a string to a set adds a new element to the set. $UserSet is "able;baker". |
$UserSet+"dog" | able;baker;dog | able;baker;dog | not yet |
If you add an element to a set that already contains the element, the set does not change. $UserSet is "able;baker". |
$UserSet+"baker" | able;baker | able;baker | not yet |
-
subtract numbers, or remove elements from a set
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
subtracting numbers |
5-3 | 2 | 2 | not yet |
Subtracting an element from a set removes that element. $UserSet is "able;baker". |
$UserSet-"baker" | able | able | not yet |
Subtracting an element from a set has no effect if the set did not contain the element. $UserSet is "able;baker". |
$UserSet-"dog" | able;baker | able;baker | not yet |
String substraction is undefined |
"charlie"-"ch" | charlie-ch | not yet |
!
negates a logical value. In Tinderbox, the empty string "", the number 0, and the date never are considered false; all other values are considered true.
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| !(5=2+3) | not yet | |||
| !(5>1) | not yet | |||
$UserFlag is false . |
!$UserFlag | true | true | not yet |
$UserFlag is true . |
!$UserFlag | false | not yet | |
Equivalent to ((!0) | 1) |
!0 | 1 | true | true | not yet |
Equivalent to ((!0) & 1)= 1&1= 1 |
!0 &1 | true | true | not yet |
| !(0 | 1) | false | not yet |
>
compares two dates, strings, or numbers
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5>4 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| 5>5 | false | 0 | not yet | |
| 5>6 | false | 0 | not yet | |
| dogs>cats | true | true | not yet | |
strings use lexical comparison |
dogs>dog | true | true | not yet |
strings use lexical comparison |
"50">"5" | true | true | not yet |
| date(2004,12,1)>date(2001,7,14) | true | true | not yet | |
| date(2004,12,1)>date(2007,7,14) | false | not yet |
>=
compares two dates, strings, or numbers
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5>=4 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| 5>=5 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| 5>=6 | false | 0 | not yet | |
| 50>=5 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| dogs>=cats | true | true | not yet | |
strings use lexical comparison |
dogs>=dog | true | true | not yet |
strings use lexical comparison |
"50">="5" | true | true | not yet |
| date(2004,12,1)>=date(2001,7,14) | true | true | not yet | |
| date(2004,12,1)>=date(2007,7,14) | false | not yet | ||
| date(2004,12,1)>=date(2004,12,1) | true | true | not yet |
<
compares two dates, strings, or numbers
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4<5 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| 5<5 | false | 0 | not yet | |
| 6<5 | false | 0 | not yet | |
| 5<50 | true | 1 | not yet | |
strings use lexical comparison |
dog| true |
true |
not yet |
|
strings use lexical comparison |
"5"<"50" | true | true | not yet |
date(2001,7,14)| true |
true |
not yet |
| |
date(2007,7,14)| false |
| not yet |
|
<=
compares two dates, strings, or numbers
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4<=5 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| 5<=5 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| 6<=5 | false | 0 | not yet | |
| 5<=50 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| cats<=dogs | true | true | not yet | |
strings use lexical comparison |
dog<=dogs | true | true | not yet |
strings use lexical comparison |
"5"<="50" | true | true | not yet |
| date(2001,7,14)<=date(2004,12,1) | true | true | not yet | |
| date(2007,7,14)<=date(2004,12,1) | false | not yet | ||
| date(2004,12,1)<=date(2004,12,1) | true | true | not yet |
=
Assign a value to left-side expression.
Use == for comparison of two dates, strings, or numbers
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Rule: $UserString="Hello" |
$UserString | Hello | Hello | not yet |
Rule: $UserString=$MyString |
$UserString | Hello world | Hello world | not yet |
Rule: $UserString= "Hello"; $UserString = $UserString + " " + $MyString |
$UserString | Hello world | Hello world | not yet |
==
compares two dates, strings, or numbers. While = is sometimes an assignment, == is unambiguously a comparison. Use of = for comparison is now deprecated.
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5==4 | false | 0 | not yet | |
| 5==5 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| 1+4==5 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| 5==1+4 | true | 1 | not yet | |
UserString is dogs. |
"dogs"==$UserString | true | true | not yet |
| dogs=="do"+"gs" | true | true | not yet | |
| "do"+"gs"=="dogs" | true | true | not yet | |
| date(2004,12,1)==date("1 Dec 2004") | true | true | not yet |
!=
The != operator tests inequality
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5!=4 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| 5!=5 | false | 0 | not yet | |
| 2+4!=5 | true | 1 | not yet | |
| 5!=2+4 | true | 1 | not yet | |
UserString is dog. |
"dogs"!=$UserString | true | true | not yet |
| dogs!="do"+"g" | true | true | not yet | |
| "do"+"g"!="dogs" | true | true | not yet | |
| date(2004,11,1)!=date("1 Dec 2004") | true | true | not yet |
comparisons
Examples of comparisons, with special attention to operator precedence
| description | try | expect | result | ok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (5>3) & (5>2) | true | true | not yet | |
| 5>3 & 5>2 | true | true | not yet | |
| 1+2*3 | 7 | 7 | not yet | |
$Date is 10/12/2008 |
$Date>"10/23/2004" | true | true | not yet |
$Date is 01/01/2000 |
$Date>"10/23/2004" | false | not yet |