Share via


about_Operator_Precedence

TOPIC
    about_Operator_Precedence

SHORT DESCRIPTION
    Lists the Windows PowerShell operators in precedence order.

LONG DESCRIPTION
    Windows PowerShell operators let you construct simple, but powerful
    expressions. This topic lists the operators in precedence order. 
    Precedence order is the order in which Windows PowerShell evaluates
    the operators when multiple operators appear in the same expression.

    When operators have equal precedence, Windows PowerShell evaluates 
    them from left to right. The exceptions are the assignment operators,
    the cast operators, and the negation operators (!, -not, -bnot), 
    which are evaluated from right to left.

    You can use enclosures, such as parentheses, to override the 
    standard precedence order and force Windows PowerShell to evaluate
    the enclosed part of an expression before an unenclosed part. 

    In the following list, operators are listed in the order that they
    are evaluated. Operators on the same line, or in the same group, have
    equal precedence. 

    The Operator column lists the operators. The Reference column lists
    the Windows PowerShell Help topic in which the operator is described.
    To display the topic, type "get-help <topic-name>".


    OPERATOR                         REFERENCE 
    --------                         ---------

    $()  @()                         about_Operators

    . (dereference) :: (static)      about_Operators

    [0] (index operator)             about_Operators

    [int] (cast operators)           about_Operators
 
    -split (unary) -join (unary)     about_Split, about_Join

    , (comma operator)               about_Operators

    ++ --                            about_Assignment_Operators
 
    -not ! -bNot                     about_Logical_Operators, about_Comparison_Operators

    .. (range operator)              about_Operators
   
    -f (format operator)             about_Operators 
   
    * / %                            about_Arithmetic_Operators
 
    + -                              about_Arithmetic_Operators



    The following group of operators have equal precedence. Their
    case-sensitive and explicitly case-insensitive variants have
    the same precedence.

    -split (binary)                  about_Split
    -join (binary)                   about_Join
    -is  -isnot  -as                 about_Type_Operators
    -eq  -ne  -gt  -gt  -lt  -le     about_Comparison_Operators
    -like  -notlike                  about_comparison_operators
    -match  -notmatch                about_comparison_operators
    -contains  -notcontains          about_comparison_operators
    -replace                         about_comparison_operators

    
    The list resumes here with the following operators in precedence
    order:

    -band -bor -bxor                 about_Comparison_Operators

    -and -or -xor                    about_Comparison_Operators

    . (dot-source)  & (call)         about_Scopes, about_Operators

    | (pipeline operator)            about_Operators

    >  >>  2>  2>>  2>&1             about_Redirection

    =  +=  -=  *=  /= %=             about_Assignment_Operators



EXAMPLES
    
    The following two commands show the arithmetic operators and
    the effect of using parentheses to force Windows PowerShell to
    evaluate the enclosed part of the expression first.

        C:\PS> 2 + 3 * 4
        14
        
        C:\PS> (2 + 3) * 4
        20



    The following example gets the read-only text files from the local
    directory and saves them in the $read_only variable.

        $read_only = get-childitem *.txt | where-object {$_.isReadOnly}

    It is equivalent to the following example.

        $read_only = ( get-childitem *.txt | where-object {$_.isReadOnly} )


    Because the pipeline operator (|) has a higher precedence than the
    assignment operator (=), the files that the Get-ChildItem cmdlet 
    gets are sent to the Where-Object cmdlet for filtering before they
    are assigned to the $read_only variable. 
   



    The following example demonstrates that the index operator takes
    precedence over the cast operator.

    The first expression creates an array of three strings. Then, it
    uses the index operator with a value of 0 to select the first object
    in the array, which is the first string. Finally, it casts the 
    selected object as a string. In this case, the cast has no effect.

        C:\PS> [string]@('Windows','PowerShell','2.0')[0]
        Windows

    The second expression uses parentheses to force the cast operation
    to occur before the index selection. As a result, the entire array
    is cast as a (single) string. Then, the index operator selects
    the first item in the string array, which is the first character.

        C:\PS> ([string]@('Windows','PowerShell','2.0'))[0]
        W


    

    In the following example, because the -gt (greater-than) operator
    has a higher precedence than the -and (logical AND) operator, the
    result of the expression is FALSE.
 
        C:\PS> 2 -gt 4 -and 1
        False 

    It is equivalent to the following expression.

        C:\PS> (2 -gt 4) -and 1
        False 

    If the -and operator had higher precedence, the answer would be TRUE.

        C:\PS> 2 -gt (4 -and 1)
        True 

    However, this example demonstrates an important principle of managing
    operator precedence. When an expression is difficult for people to
    interpret, use parentheses to force the evaluation order, even when it
    forces the default operator precedence. The parentheses make your
    intentions clear to people who are reading and maintaining your scripts.


SEE ALSO
    about_Assignment_Operators
    about_Comparison_Operators
    about_Join
    about_Logical_Operators
    about_Operators
    about_Redirection
    about_Scopes
    about_Split
    about_Type_Operators