User Guide

52 Chapter 2: ActionScript Basics
Comparison operators
Comparison operators compare the values of expressions and return a Boolean value (
true or
false). These operators are most commonly used in loops and in conditional statements. In the
following example, if the variable
score is 100, a certain function is called; otherwise, a different
function is called:
// call one function or another based on score
if (score > 100){
highScore();
}
else {
lowScore();
}
In the following example, if the user’s entry (a string variable, userEntry) matches their stored
password, the playhead moves to a named frame called
welcomeUser:
if (userEntry == userPassword) {
gotoAndStop("welcomeUser");
}
Except for the strict equality (==) operator, the comparison operators compare strings only if both
operands are strings. If only one of the operands is a string, ActionScript converts both operands
to numbers and performs a numeric comparison. Uppercase characters precede lowercase in
alphabetic order, so “Eagle” comes before “dog.” If you want to compare two strings or characters
regardless of case, you need to convert both strings to upper- or lowercase before comparing them.
The following table lists the ActionScript comparison operators:
/
Division
%
Modulo (remainder of division)
-
Subtraction
++
Increment
--
Decrement
Operator Operation performed
<
Less than: Returns true if the left operand is mathematically smaller than the right
operand.
Returns
true if the left operand alphabetically precedes the right operand (for
example, a < b).
>
Greater than: Returns true if the left operand is mathematically larger than the right
operand.
Returns
true if the left operand alphabetically follows the right operand (for example,
b > a).
Operator Operation performed