Overview of Bitwise Operators¶

Bitwise operators have a # prefix so they remain visibly distinct from logical operators:

VAR bits BYTE := 6;

bits := bits #&& 3;  // and
bits := bits #|| 3;  // or
bits := bits #^^ 3;  // xor
bits := bits #!!;    // inverse
bits := bits #++ 2;  // shift up
bits := bits #-- 1;  // shift down
bits := bits #+% 3;  // rotate up
bits := bits #-% 3;  // rotate down

Boolean-shaped bit operations¶

The complete binary family is #&&, #||, #^^, #!^, #!&, #!|, #^>, and #^<. They apply the corresponding Boolean truth table to every bit.

Each has a compound-assignment form ending in =, such as #&&= and #||=.

Shifts and rotations¶

#++ and #-- shift toward higher or lower bit positions. #+% and #-% rotate rather than discard the bits that cross an edge. Their compound forms are #++=, #--=, #+%=, and #-%=.

Bit literals¶

BIT n constructs a compile-time numeric literal with one bit set:

ASSERT(BIT 0 == 1);
ASSERT(BIT 5 == 32);
ASSERT((BIT 63 AS U64) == 9223372036854775808);

The index is a non-negative integer literal. Cast the result to the required concrete integer type when it enters runtime storage.

Reference¶

See the Bitwise Operators Reference for the complete language rules, constraints, and technical edge cases.