Increment and Decrement Operators

Definition

The ++ (increment) and -- (decrement) operators take a single argument.

• ++ adds one to its operand.

• -- subtracts one from its operand.

In an assignment statement, the operand’s placement before or after the operand determines whether the increment/decrement operation takes place before or after the assignment.

• If the operator appears before the operand (++n), the increment or decrement operation occurs before the assignment

• If the operator appears after the operand (n++), the increment or decrement operation occurs after the assignment

// The following three statements are equivalent:
i++
i = i + 1
i += 1

// Increment n before assignment.
// Afterwards, both x and n have the value 11.
n = 10
x = ++n

// Increment n after assignment.
// Afterwards, x is 10 and n is 11.
n = 10
x = n++