`AND` vs `&&`: When Should You Prioritize Readability Over Precedence in Logical Operations?

'AND' vs '&&' as Operators: A Matter of Readability and Precision

In the world of programming, the choice between using 'AND' and '&&' as operators may seem like a trivial matter. However, as evidenced by a recent codebase encounter, this choice can have subtle but potentially significant implications.

The traditional precedence rules of '&&' (logical AND) and '||' (logical OR) dictate that '&&' has higher precedence than 'AND' and 'OR', respectively. However, in certain frameworks like PrestaShop, this precedence distinction may not always be apparent. This raises the question: should developers stick to 'AND' and 'OR' for readability or embrace '&&' and '||' for their higher precedence?

To delve into the intricacies of this operator debate, let's consider the following code snippet:

$this_one = true;
$that = false;

$truthiness = $this_one and $that;

Intuitively, one might expect $truthiness to be false since $that is false. However, due to the precedence rules, $truthiness is actually assigned the value of $this_one, which is true. This is because the assignment operator '=' has higher precedence than 'and'.

To resolve this issue and obtain the expected result, one can either explicitly use parentheses to force the intended order of operations:

$truthiness = ($this_one and $that);

Or, one can use '&&' instead of 'and', which will automatically result in the correct evaluation:

$truthiness = $this_one && $that;

While 'AND' and 'OR' may offer better readability, it is important to be aware of their potential pitfalls. By utilizing '&&' and '||' with their higher precedence, developers can avoid unexpected outcomes and ensure that their code behaves as intended.

The above is the detailed content of `AND` vs `&&`: When Should You Prioritize Readability Over Precedence in Logical Operations?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!