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75: Mainline

The assignment operator, =, like all operators in C, produces a value. By convention, the value produced is the same as the value assigned. Thus, the value of the expression y = 5 is 5. Accordingly, assignment expressions can appear as subexpressions nested inside larger expressions.

In the following assignment expression, for example, the assignment expression, y = 5, which assigns a value to y, appears inside a larger assignment expression, which assigns a value to x as well:

x = (y = 5) 

When the assignment expression is evaluated, 5 is assigned to y first; then, the value of the subexpression, which is also 5, is assigned to x.