In the examples of COMPUTE shown above, everything to the right of the
equal sign represents an arithmetic expression. Arithmetic expressions
can consist of a single numeric literal, a single numeric data item, or a
single Intrinsic Function reference. They can also consist of several
of these items connected by arithmetic operators. These operators are
evaluated in a hierarchic order.
Operator | Meaning | Order of Evaluation |
---|---|---|
Unary + or - | Algebraic sign | First |
** | Exponentiation | Second |
/ or * | Division or multiplication | Third |
Binary + or - | Addition or subtraction | Last |
Operators at the same level are evaluated from left to right; however, you can use parentheses with these operators to change the order in which they are evaluated. Expressions in parentheses are evaluated before any of the individual operators are evaluated. Parentheses, necessary or not, make your program easier to read.
In addition to using arithmetic expressions in COMPUTE statements, you can also use them in other places where numeric data items are allowed. For example, you can use arithmetic expressions as comparands in relation conditions:
IF (A + B) > (C - D + 5) THEN...
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