= Operator (Visual Basic)
Assigns a value to a variable or property.
Syntax
variableorproperty = value
Parts
variableorproperty
Any writable variable or any property.
value
Any literal, constant, or expression.
Remarks
The element on the left side of the equal sign (=) can be a simple scalar variable, a property, or an element of an array. The variable or property cannot be ReadOnly. The = operator assigns the value on its right to the variable or property on its left.
Note
The = operator is also used as a comparison operator. For details, see Comparison Operators.
Overloading
The = operator can be overloaded only as a relational comparison operator, not as an assignment operator. For more information, see Operator Procedures.
Example
The following example demonstrates the assignment operator. The value on the right is assigned to the variable on the left.
Dim testInt As Integer
Dim testString As String
Dim testButton As System.Windows.Forms.Button
Dim testObject As Object
testInt = 42
testString = "This is an example of a string literal."
testButton = New System.Windows.Forms.Button()
testObject = testInt
testObject = testString
testObject = testButton
