JavaScript Arithmetic (Math) Incrementing (++)
Example
The Increment operator (++) increments its operand by one.
- If used as a postfix, then it returns the value before incrementing.
- If used as a prefix, then it returns the value after incrementing.
//postfix
var a = 5, // 5
b = a++, // 5
c = a // 6
In this case, a is incremented after setting b. So, b will be 5, and c will be 6.
//prefix
var a = 5, // 5
b = ++a, // 6
c = a // 6
In this case, a is incremented before setting b. So, b will be 6, and c will be 6.
The increment and decrement operators are commonly used in for loops, for example:
for(var i = 0; i < 42; ++i)
{
// do something awesome!
}
Notice how the prefix variant is used. This ensures that a temporarily variable isn't needlessly created (to return the value prior to the operation).
