Precedence

Operator precedence defines which operations are performed first when multiple operators appear in an expression. Higher precedence operations are evaluated before lower precedence ones.

Precedence Table (highest to lowest)

Precedence	Operators	Description
1	(), [], .	Primary expressions (literals, identifiers, function calls)
2	not, !, +, -	Unary operators
3	*, /, %	Multiplicative arithmetic
4	+, -	Additive arithmetic
5	<, <=, >, >=, in, matches, contains	Comparison operators
6	==, !=, is, is not	Equality operators
7	and	Logical AND
8	xor	Logical XOR
9	or	Logical OR
10	? :	Ternary conditional

Examples

Arithmetic Precedence

let result: number = 2 + 3 * 4         -- Result: 14 (not 20)
let calculation: number = 10 / 2 + 3 -- Result: 8.0 (not 1.25)

Comparison vs Arithmetic

let is_valid: bool = 5 + 3 > 7     -- Result: true
let check: bool = 10 * 2 == 20     -- Result: true

Logical Precedence

let complex: bool = true and false or true  -- Result: true
let mixed: bool = 5 > 3 and 2 < 4           -- Result: true

Ternary Precedence

let value: number = 5 > 3 ? 10 : 20                       -- Result: 10
let nested: string = true ? (false ? "A" : "B") : "C"  -- Result: "B"

Using Parentheses

Override Precedence

-- Without parentheses (follows precedence)
let result1: number = 2 + 3 * 4        -- Result: 14

-- With parentheses (override precedence)
let result2: number = (2 + 3) * 4      -- Result: 20

Complex Expressions

-- Clear grouping for readability
let access: bool = (user.age >= 18 and user.verified) or
                  (user.role == "admin" and user.active)

-- Mixed operations
let calculation: number = (10 + 5) * (3 - 1) / 2  -- Result: 15.0

-- Same precedence is evaluated from left to right
let calculation: number = (10 + 5) * (5 - 2) / 2  -- Result: 22.5 (15 * 3 / 2)

Best Practices

Use Parentheses for Clarity

-- Good: Clear intent
let result: bool = (a and b) or (c and d)

-- Avoid: Relying on precedence knowledge
let result: bool = a and b or c and d

Group Related Operations

-- Good: Logical grouping
let price: number = (base_price + tax) * discount_rate

-- Good: Comparison grouping
let valid: bool = (age >= 18) and (income > 50000)

Break Complex Expressions

-- Good: Step-by-step calculation
let temp1: number = base_price + tax
let temp2: number = temp1 * discount_rate
let final_price: number = temp2 - shipping

-- Avoid: One complex expression
let final_price: number = (base_price + tax) * discount_rate - shipping