File: gawk.info,  Node: Truth Values and Conditions,  Next: Function Calls,  Prev: All Operators,  Up: Expressions

6.3 Truth Values and Conditions
===============================

In certain contexts, expression values also serve as "truth values";
i.e., they determine what should happen next as the program runs.  This
minor node describes how 'awk' defines "true" and "false" and how values
are compared.

* Menu:

* Truth Values::                What is "true" and what is "false".
* Typing and Comparison::       How variables acquire types and how this
                                affects comparison of numbers and strings with
                                '<', etc.
* Boolean Ops::                 Combining comparison expressions using boolean
                                operators '||' ("or"), '&&'
                                ("and") and '!' ("not").
* Conditional Exp::             Conditional expressions select between two
                                subexpressions under control of a third
                                subexpression.