What is --> Operator in C++?

In C++, the --> operator is not a valid operator. The --> operator is often mistakenly used in place of the decrement operator -- followed by the greater than operator >.

The decrement operator -- reduces the value of a variable by 1, while the greater than operator > is used for comparison between two values. When combined, the -- followed by > operator sequence forms the compound operator -->.

C++ example code snippet that demonstrates the usage of the --> operator sequence:

//C++ code for explaning --> operator
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
    int a = 10;
    int b = 5;

    if (a-- > b) {
        cout << "a is greater than b" << endl;
    } else {
        cout << "b is greater than a" << endl;
    }
    cout<<"Value of a: " << a;

    return 0;
}

Output:

a is greater than b
Value of a: 9

In this code, we are using the --> operator sequence as a-- > b in the if condition to compare the values of a and b. The postfix decrement operator -- reduces the value of a by 1 after the comparison is performed, and then the greater than operator > compares the new value of a with the value of b.

The output of this program is a is greater than b because the value of a is initially 10 and the value of b is 5. After the comparison, the value of a becomes 9 and is greater than the value of b.

It is important to note that the --> operator is not a standard operator in C++, and using it may lead to unexpected results. It is always better to use standard operators in your code to ensure proper functioning and readability.