Comparison operators compare either integer or string expressions, and return true or false depending if the comparison is true or false. The comparison operators are:
|
integers |
strings (case-sensitive) |
> |
greater than |
strict contains (equal strings return false) |
>= |
greater or equal |
contains or is equal (equal strings return true) |
< |
less than |
strict is contained (equal strings return false) |
<= |
less than or equal |
is contained or is equal (equal strings return true) |
<> |
not equal (ie. different) |
These operate slightly differently depending on the type of arguments used.
integers
The meaning of the above operators for integers is obvious:
4 > 3 // true
4 <> 3 // true
4 >= 3 // true
strings
For strings, these operators compare containment, not alphabetical order.
The operators < and > require strict containment: identical strings return false. <= and >= also return true when the strings are identical.
Operator |
Meaning for strings |
sLeft < sRight |
sLeft is contained in sRight, and they differ |
sLeft <= sRight |
sLeft is contained in or equal to sRight |
sLeft > sRight |
sLeft contains sRight, and they differ |
sLeft >= sRight |
sLeft contains or equals sRight |
When operating on strings, the comparison is case-sensitive.
'Nov' <> 'nov' // these are different strings
Mixed types
Note that, although the above can operate on either integers or strings, in a given expression, all arguments must be of the same type. The following expression is invalid :
'8' < 9 // mismatched data types !!!
Finally, to improve legibility it is customary, but not necessary, to enclose the comparison expression in parentheses.
Topic 122400, last updated on 08-Oct-2026
