[ fromfile: types.xml id: types ]

Here we formally define some terms that we have been using. Operators are special kinds of functions that perform calculations on operands and return results. Operands are the arguments supplied to an operator.

Operators can be thought of as ordinary functions, except that you can call some of them using infix operator symbols (e.g., +, -, *, /, etc.). Thus, in addition to the longer function-call syntax (e.g., str3 = operator+(str1, str2); ) you can use the more readable infix systax (e.g., str3 = str1 + str2; ).

An expression can consist of a single operand, multiple operands with operators interspersed, or functions with arguments. Each expression has a type and a value. The value is obtained by applying the definitions of the operators (and/or functions) to the operands (and/or arguments).