Comparison operators, also known as relational operators, compare two expressions. The following table contains a list of the comparison operators and the conditions that determine whether result is True, False, or Null:

<	Less than	expr1 < expr2	expr1 >= expr2	expr1 or expr2 = Null
<=	Less than or equal to	expr1 <= expr2	expr1 > expr2	expr1 or expr2 = Null
>	Greater than	expr1 > expr2	expr1 <= expr2	expr1 or expr2 = Null
>=	Greater than or equal to	expr1 >= expr2	expr1 < expr2	expr1 or expr2 = Null
=	Equal to	expr1 = expr2	expr1 <> expr2	expr1 or expr2 = Null
<>	Not equal to	expr1 <> expr2	expr1 = expr2	expr1 or expr2 = Null

When comparing two expressions, you may not be able to easily determine whether the expressions are being compared as numbers or as strings. The following table shows how the expressions are compared or what results when either expression is not a Variant8PHEAW3:

Both expressions are numeric data types3GYXY7 (Integer, Long, Single, Double, or Currency)	Perform a numeric comparison.
Both expressions are String	Perform a string comparison0QKI7U.
One expression is a numeric data type and the other is a Variant of VarType7A68ZTZ 2-7 (a numeric data type) or VarType 8 (String) that can be converted to a number	Perform a numeric comparison.
One expression is a numeric data type and the other is a Variant of VarType 8 (String) that can't be converted to a number	A Type Mismatch error occurs.
One expression is a String and the other is a Variant of any VarType except Null	Perform a string comparison.
One expression is Empty1L2JEZ4 and the other is a numeric data type	Perform a numeric comparison, using 0 as the Empty expression.
One expression is Empty and the other is a String	Perform a string comparison, using a zero-length string as the Empty expression.
One expression is a numeric data type and the other is a Variant of VarType 8 (String)	A Type Mismatch error occurs.

If expr1 and expr2 are both Variant expressions, their VarType determines how they are compared. The following table shows how the expressions are compared or what results from the comparison, depending on the VarType of the Variant:

Both Variant expressions are of VarType 2-7 (numeric data types)	Perform a numeric comparison.
Both Variant expressions are of VarType 8 (String)	Perform a string comparison.
One Variant expression is of VarType 2-7 (a numeric data type) and the other is of VarType 8 (String)	The numeric expression is less than the String expression.
One Variant expression is Empty and the other is of VarType 2-7 (a numeric data type)	Perform a numeric comparison, using 0 as the Empty expression.
One Variant expression is Empty and the other is of VarType 8 (String)	Perform a string comparison, using a zero-length string as the Empty expression.
Both Variant expressions are Empty	The expressions are equal.

Note If a Currency is compared with a Single or Double, the Single or Double is converted to a Currency. This causes any fractional part of the Single or Double value less than 0.0001 to be lost and may cause two values to compare as equal when they are not. Such a conversion can also cause an Overflow error if the magnitude of the Single or Double is too large. When a Single is compared to a Double, the Double is rounded to the precision of the Single.

The example shows a typical use of a comparison operator to evaluate the relationship between variables A and B. An appropriate message is displayed depending on whether the A < B, A = B, or A > B. The other comparison operators can be used in a similar way. To try this example, paste the code into the Declarations section of a form. Then press F5 and click the form.