In addition to its comprehensive set of arithmetic and logical operators, PHP also provides bitwise operators that allow developers to perform operations at the bit level. These operators enable manipulation and comparison of individual bits within integers.
Let’s explore PHP’s bitwise operators and understand how they work.
& (Bitwise AND):
The bitwise AND operator, represented by ‘&’, performs a binary AND operation between the corresponding bits of two integers. It sets the result’s bit to 1 if both bits are 1 in the operands. For example, $a & $b sets the bits that are set in both $a and $b in the result.
| (Bitwise OR):
The bitwise OR operator, denoted by ‘|’, performs a binary OR operation between the corresponding bits of two integers. It sets the result’s bit to 1 if either of the bits is 1 in the operands. For instance, $a | $b sets the bits that are set in either $a or $b in the result.
~ (Bitwise NOT):
The bitwise NOT operator, represented by ‘~’, performs a unary operation that flips the bits of an integer. It sets the result’s bit to 1 if the corresponding bit in the operand is 0, and vice versa. For example, ~$a flips the bits of $a, setting the bits that were 0 and vice versa.
^ (Bitwise XOR):
The bitwise XOR operator, denoted by ‘^’, performs a binary XOR (exclusive OR) operation between the corresponding bits of two integers. It sets the result’s bit to 1 if the bits are different between the operands, and 0 if they are the same. For instance, $a ^ $b sets the bits that are set in either $a or $b but not in both.
<< (Left Shift):
The left shift operator, represented by ‘<<‘, shifts the bits of the left operand to the left by a specified number of positions. It effectively multiplies the left operand by 2 raised to the power of the right operand. For example, $a << $b shifts the bits of $a leftwards by $b positions.
>> (Right Shift):
The right shift operator, denoted by ‘>>’, shifts the bits of the left operand to the right by a specified number of positions. It effectively divides the left operand by 2 raised to the power of the right operand. For instance, $a >> $b shifts the bits of $a rightwards by $b positions.
Bitwise operators are particularly useful in scenarios where you need to manipulate individual bits of integers, perform low-level optimizations, or work with binary data.
It’s important to note that bitwise operators work on the binary representation of integers, treating each bit as a separate entity. They can be used with both signed and unsigned integers, and the resulting values are integers as well.
In conclusion, PHP’s bitwise operators (&, |, ~, ^, <<, >>) provide powerful tools for manipulating bits and performing bitwise operations within PHP. By leveraging these operators, developers can work with individual bits of integers, perform bitwise calculations, and optimize code when dealing with binary data or low-level operations.
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