What do the operators ">>" (double arrow) and "|" (single pipe) mean in JavaScript?
javascript
Solution
`x >> y` means to shift the bits of `x` by `y` places to the right (`<<` to the left).
`x | y` means to compare the bits of `x` and `y`, putting a `1` in each bit if either `x` or `y` has a `1` in that position.
`x & y` is the same as `|`, except that the result is `1` if BOTH `x` and `y` have a `1`.
Examples:
#left-shifting 1 by 4 bits yields 16
1 << 4 = b00001 << 4 = b10000 = 16
#right-shifting 72 by 3 bits yields 9
72 >> 3 = b1001000 >> 3 = b1001 = 9
#OR-ing
8 | 2 = b1000 | b0010 = b1010 = 10
#AND-ing
6 & 3 = b110 & b011 = b010 = 2
For more information, search Google for "bitwise operators".
Problem
I saw this in some JS code: ``` index = [ ascii[0] >> 2, ((ascii[0] & 3) << 4) | ascii[1] >> 4, ((ascii[1] & 15) << 2) | ascii[2] >> 6, ascii[2] & 63 ]; ``` I'd quite like to know what a lot of this means. Specifically ">>", a single pipe "|" and the "&" symbol on the last line? Much appreciated!