There is a somewhat unusual operator in C++ called bitwise EXCLUSIVE OR, also known as bitwise XOR. (In English this is usually pronounced "eks-or".) The bitwise XOR operator is written using the caret symbol ^. A bitwise XOR operation results in a 1 only if the input bits are different, else it results in a 0.
Precisely,
0 0 1 1 operand1 0 1 0 1 operand2 ---------- 0 1 1 0 (operand1 ^ operand2) - returned result
int x = 12; // binary: 1100
int y = 10; // binary: 1010
int z = x ^ y; // binary: 0110, or decimal 6The ^ operator is often used to toggle (i.e. change from 0 to 1, or 1 to 0) some of the bits in an integer expression. In a bitwise OR operation if there is a 1 in the mask bit, that bit is inverted; if there is a 0, the bit is not inverted and stays the same. Below is a program to blink digital pin 5.
// Blink_Pin_5
// demo for Exclusive OR
void setup(){
DDRD = DDRD | B00100000; // set digital pin five as OUTPUT
Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop(){
PORTD = PORTD ^ B00100000; // invert bit 5 (digital pin 5), leave others untouched
delay(100);
}EXAMPLE BitMath Tutorial