what is xor_eq c++

Explanation of xor_eq in C++

In C++, xor_eq is a compound assignment operator that performs a bitwise exclusive OR (XOR) operation between two operands and assigns the result to the left operand. It is equivalent to the expression a ^= b, where a and b are variables or expressions.

The xor_eq operator combines the XOR operation with assignment, allowing you to modify the value of a variable by XORing it with another value and storing the result back into the same variable.

Here's an example to illustrate the usage of xor_eq:

int a = 5;
int b = 3;
a xor_eq b;  // Equivalent to: a ^= b;

In this example, the value of a is XORed with the value of b, and the result is stored back into a. After the operation, the value of a will be 6 because 5 XOR 3 is 6.

It's important to note that xor_eq is a bitwise operator, meaning it operates on the individual bits of the operands. It performs the XOR operation on corresponding bits of the operands, resulting in a new value with the bits set where the corresponding bits of the operands differ.

The xor_eq operator can be useful in various scenarios, such as flipping specific bits in a binary representation or implementing certain algorithms that rely on bitwise operations.

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