Operators and Expressions

Use arithmetic, logical, and comparison operators to build expressions in AL code.

20 minBeginner

Learning Objectives

Apply arithmetic operators for calculations
Use logical and comparison operators in conditions
Build complex expressions for assignments and validations

Arithmetic Operators

Operator	Operation	Example
`+`	Addition	`Total := A + B`
`-`	Subtraction	`Balance := Debit - Credit`
`*`	Multiplication	`LineAmount := Qty * Price`
`/`	Division	`UnitCost := TotalCost / Qty`

ArithmeticExample.al

var
    Total: Decimal;
    Quantity: Integer;
    Price: Decimal;
begin
    Quantity := 10;
    Price := 15.5;
    Total := Quantity * Price; // Total = 155.0
end;

Logical Operators

Operator	Meaning
`and`	Both conditions must be true
`or`	At least one condition must be true
`not`	Negates the condition

Comparison Operators

Operator	Meaning
`=`	Equal to
`<>`	Not equal to
`<`	Less than
`>`	Greater than
`<=`	Less than or equal
`>=`	Greater than or equal

LogicalExample.al

var
    IsActive: Boolean;
    Count: Integer;
begin
    IsActive := true;
    Count := 5;
    if IsActive and (Count > 0) then
        Message('Record is active with count %1', Count);
end;

Working with Expressions

Expressions combine operators and values for assignments and conditions:

DiscountCalculation.al

var
    DiscountRate: Decimal;
    Price: Decimal;
    FinalPrice: Decimal;
begin
    DiscountRate := 0.1;
    Price := 100;
    FinalPrice := Price * (1 - DiscountRate); // FinalPrice = 90
end;

Division Warning

Integer division truncates decimals. Use Decimal variables when fractional results matter.

Key Revision Points (MB-820)

AL uses and, or, not (lowercase) for logical operations
Comparison operators work on all comparable types
Expressions are used in assignments, conditions, and procedure parameters