Specifying operators in expressions

In ColdFusion, you use operators to test conditions; for example, you use the IS operator to test for equality. When you use operators in expressions, you must only use supported logical operators that ColdFusion can interpret properly. For example, if you use the greater than operator (>) or the less than operator (<), ColdFusion interprets them as the start or end of a tag rather than as an operator.

The following table lists the unsupported logical operators and their equivalent ColdFusion operators:

Unsupported logical operator

Equivalent ColdFusion
decision operator

Description

=

IS, EQUAL, EQ

Tests for equality.

<

LT, LESS THAN

Tests for less than.

<=

LTE, LE,

LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO

Tests for less than or equal to.

>

GT

GREATER THAN

Tests for greater than.

>=

GTE,

GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO

Tests for greater than or equal to.

< >

IS NOT, NEQ,

NOT EQUAL

Tests for nonequality.

 

CONTAINS

Tests whether a value is contained within a second value.

 

DOES NOT CONTAIN

Tests whether a value is not contained within a second value.

Arithmetic operators

The following table lists the arithmetic operators that ColdFusion supports:

Operators

Description

+, -, *, /

The basic arithmetic operators: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In the case of division, the right operand cannot be zero.

+, -

Unary arithmetic operators for setting the sign of a number as either positive or negative (+ or -).

Mod

Returns the remainder (modulus) after a number is divided by a divisor. The result has the same sign as the divisor. The right operand cannot be zero. For example, 11 MOD 4 is 3.

\

Divides two integer values. Use the \ (backslash character) to separate the integers. The right operand cannot be zero. For example, 9 \ 4 is 2.

^

Returns the result of a number raised to a power (exponent). Use the ^ (caret) to separate the number from the power. The left operand cannot be zero. For example, 2 ^ 3 is 8.

String operator

The following table describes the one ColdFusion string operator that is a concatenation operator:

Operator

Description

&

Concatenates strings.