#### Order of precedence

When you create arithmetic expressions that involve several operators, the order that the program evaluates the various elements of the expression becomes important.

In general, the program evaluates expressions in the following order:

- from left to right
- follows the rules of precedence from basic math.

##### Example

Multiplication and division are performed first from left to right. Then addition and subtraction are performed. For example, 5 + 10 * 3 = 5 + 30 = 35.

You can change this order of precedence by using parentheses. For example, (5 + 10) * 3 = 15 * 3 = 45. If you are unsure of the order of precedence, it is a good idea to clarify your intentions with parentheses.

The arithmetic operators in Seagate Crystal Reports have the same order of precedence as in Visual Basic. Here is the list, from highest precedence to lowest:

- Exponentiation (^)
- Negation (-)
- Multiplication and division (*, /)
- Integer Division (\)
- Modulus (Mod)
- Addition and subtraction (+, -)

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