> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://new.docs.falkordb.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# bitwise.shiftRight

> Performs a sign-propagating right bit shift, moving all bits right by a specified number of positions.

## Description

Performs a sign-propagating right bit shift operation, moving all bits to the right by the specified number of positions. The sign bit is copied to fill the leftmost positions.

## Syntax

```cypher theme={null}
flex.bitwise.shiftRight(a, positions)
```

## Parameters

| Parameter   | Type             | Required | Description                        |
| ----------- | ---------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------- |
| `a`         | number (integer) | Yes      | The value to shift                 |
| `positions` | number (integer) | Yes      | Number of positions to shift right |

## Returns

**Type:** number (integer)

The result of shifting the bits right by the specified positions, with sign extension.

## Examples

### Example 1: Basic Right Shift

```cypher theme={null}
RETURN flex.bitwise.shiftRight(20, 2) AS result
```

**Output:**

```text theme={null}
result
------
5
```

(Binary: 10100 >> 2 = 00101 = 5)

### Example 2: Divide by Power of Two

```cypher theme={null}
WITH 56 AS value
RETURN 
    flex.bitwise.shiftRight(value, 1) AS div2,
    flex.bitwise.shiftRight(value, 2) AS div4,
    flex.bitwise.shiftRight(value, 3) AS div8
```

**Output:**

```text theme={null}
div2 | div4 | div8
-----|------|-----
28   | 14   | 7
```

(Right shift by n is equivalent to integer division by 2^n)

### Example 3: Sign Extension with Negative Numbers

```cypher theme={null}
RETURN flex.bitwise.shiftRight(-8, 2) AS result
```

**Output:**

```text theme={null}
result
------
-2
```

(Sign bit is preserved in right shift)

### Example 4: Extracting Higher Bits

```cypher theme={null}
WITH 255 AS value  // 11111111
RETURN flex.bitwise.shiftRight(value, 4) AS upperNibble
```

**Output:**

```text theme={null}
upperNibble
-----------
15
```

(Extracts upper 4 bits: 00001111 = 15)

## Notes

* Operates on 32-bit signed integers in JavaScript
* Uses arithmetic (sign-propagating) right shift
* Right shift by n is equivalent to integer division by 2^n (truncated toward negative infinity)
* Sign bit is copied to fill vacated positions (sign extension)
* Bits shifted off the right are discarded
* Useful for division by powers of 2 and extracting bit fields

## See Also

* [bitwise.shiftLeft](/udfs/flex/bitwise/shiftLeft) - Shift bits to the left
* [bitwise.and](/udfs/flex/bitwise/and) - Bitwise AND operation
* [bitwise.or](/udfs/flex/bitwise/or) - Bitwise OR operation

## Frequently Asked Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What does flex.bitwise.shiftRight do?">
    It shifts all bits in an integer to the right by the specified number of positions with sign extension — the sign bit is preserved for negative numbers.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does shiftRight perform arithmetic or logical shift?">
    It performs an **arithmetic** right shift (sign-extending). Negative numbers remain negative after shifting. Each right shift effectively divides the value by 2 (rounding toward negative infinity).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>