This StackOverflow answer gives a good overview of the Ruby-specific implementation of equality operators.
In the case of ==:
At the Object level,
==returns true only ifobjandotherare the same object. Typically, this method is overridden in descendant classes to provide class-specific meaning.
Translation, please.
Exactly… 
i THINK
a = a == 3 ? 1 : 2
means
if a is equal to 3, then a becomes 1. Otherwise it becomes 2
Xojo has something similar now too, but (if I got it right) I still feel that
if a = 3 then
a=1
else
a = 2
end if
is so much easier to debug.
If you have to stop and wonder what something does, saving a couple of characters of typing was a waste of time.
Correct, Xojo does now have what equates to ternary conditions. Essentially the same thing as VBA’s IIF if you have experience there.
Can become
a = If(a = 3, 1, 2)
Thank you all for the explanations.
Not if you compare it with Ruby.
Which happens to be exactly what the OP was asking for.
Many languages use:
X++ // increment by 1
X-- // decrement by 1
X += 7 // add 7 to X
X -= 5 // subtract 5 from X
X *= 23.5 // multiply x by 23.5 and store in X
X /= 2 // divide X by 2 and store in X
I would love the ++ and – ones to exist.
I asked that I don’t know, 10 years ago? I was stoned to death by BASIC purists in the forum that time, because some said they couldn’t understand such grammar. And I said “just don’t use it”. Now that Xojo Web was introduced and JavaScript is kind of blurring things, not sure if such way of thinking persists. But from time to time, not Basic devs brings this question back and it is discarded.
But now the languaje is more “ADVANCED”, whe have the VAR…
What is the difference between DIM and VAR ? 3 characters ?
If you want to be able type these shorthand forms, Julian 's ReformatCode script will let you. It will then take that form and reformat it to what Xojo needs it to be.