MDN Web Docs
developer.mozilla.org › en-US › docs › Web › JavaScript › Reference › Operators › Conditional_operator
Conditional (ternary) operator - JavaScript | MDN
The conditional (ternary) operator is the only JavaScript operator that takes three operands: a condition followed by a question mark (?), then an expression to execute if the condition is truthy followed by a colon (:), and finally the expression to execute if the condition is falsy.
ternary operator "x ? y : z" in many programming languages, whose value is y if x evaluates to true and z otherwise
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Ternary_conditional_operator
Ternary conditional operator - Wikipedia
January 27, 2026 - In computer programming, the ternary conditional operator is a ternary operator that evaluates to one of two values based on a Boolean expression. The operator is also known as conditional operator, ternary if, immediate if, or inline if (iif). Although many ternary operators are theoretically ...
What are pros/cons of ternary conditional operators? - Programming Language Design and Implementation Stack Exchange
There are some languages that support ternary operator. There are Python, C, JavaScript, PHP. In languages like C and JavaScript, the syntax is like this: condition ? do_true : do_false Python has More on langdev.stackexchange.com
Ternary Operator
I generally use it for a conditional assignment, where a variable will have one of two values based on some condition. I probably wouldn't chain them, though. Also, I like to enclose the condition in parentheses, even though it isn't required. It helps me to parse it as a condition instead of the result of the expression. This is just how I use the operator, though, and my own practices shouldn't be taken as gospel. More on reddit.com
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May 14, 2023Is using the ternary operator bad practice?
If you don't abuse the ternary operator as if replacement and if there is no nesting, it is perfectly fine to use the ternary operator. Actually, it is far more elegant to write int y = (x > 0) ? x : x * (-1); Than int y; if (x > 0) { y = x; } else { y = x * (-1); } Nested ternary operators are a no-go. More on reddit.com
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February 2, 2022Im trying to understand the "Conditional (ternary) operator." Do these 2 codes mean the same thing? I wrote the if statement
Yeah, but please do not code like that. Keep Ternary statements simple, otherwise use something else (if or switch) More on reddit.com
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July 14, 2021Videos
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Conditional (Ternary) Operator, in JavaScript, Simplified - YouTube
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The ternary operator is easy! ❓ - YouTube
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JavaScript TERNARY OPERATOR in 6 minutes! ❓ - YouTube
- YouTube
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What is the ternary operator ❓ - YouTube
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Learn the Java ternary operator in 5 minutes! ❔ - YouTube
W3Schools
w3schools.com › c › c_conditions_short_hand.php
C Short Hand If ... Else (Ternary Operator)
The ternary operator returns a value based on a condition: if the condition is true, it returns the first value; otherwise, it returns the second value.
Programiz
programiz.com › java-programming › ternary-operator
Java Ternary Operator (With Example)
A ternary operator evaluates the test condition and executes a block of code based on the result of the condition.
Ansible
docs.ansible.com › projects › ansible › latest › collections › ansible › builtin › ternary_filter.html
ansible.builtin.ternary filter – Ternary operation filter — Ansible Community Documentation
2 days ago - This describes keyword parameters of the filter. These are the values key1=value1, key2=value2 and so on in the following example: input | ansible.builtin.ternary(key1=value1, key2=value2, ...)
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › c language › conditional-or-ternary-operator-in-c
Conditional or Ternary Operator (?:) in C - GeeksforGeeks
July 12, 2025 - The conditional operator in C is ... the shortest way possible. It is also known as the ternary operator in C as it operates on three operands....
Igmguru
igmguru.com › blog › ternary-operator-in-python
Ternary Operator in Python: Complete Tutorial for Beginners
5 days ago - The ternary operator in Python is a powerful and efficient way to handle simple conditional assignments. It simplifies code and improves clarity in straightforward scenarios. It is commonly used in functions, lambda expressions and list ...
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › dotnet › csharp › language-reference › operators › conditional-operator
?: operator - the ternary conditional operator - C# reference | Microsoft Learn
January 24, 2026 - The conditional operator ?:, also known as the ternary conditional operator, evaluates a Boolean expression and returns the result of one of the two expressions, depending on whether the Boolean expression evaluates to true or false, as the ...
Harness Developer Hub
developer.harness.io › continuous delivery & gitops › knowledge base article › use ternary operators with triggers
Use ternary operators with triggers | Harness Developer Hub
October 10, 2025 - The ternary operator, also known as the conditional operator, is a shorthand notation for expressing conditional statements in various programming languages.
W3Schools
w3schools.com › js › js_if_ternary.asp
W3Schools.com
The conditional operator is a shorthand for writing conditional if...else statements. It is called a ternary operator because it takes three operands.
Codecademy
codecademy.com › docs › operators › ternary operator
C | Operators | Ternary operator | Codecademy
February 5, 2025 - The ternary operator in C, also known as the conditional operator (?:), provides a shorthand way to perform conditional assignments or expressions.
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Pro: Readability
While plenty of people talk about the readability problems with misused ternary operators, there are also situations where using a full if/else would be annoyingly bulky, spreading a simple statement across five lines, and significantly reducing readability. Here are some sample statements pulled from a project I'm working on:
bg_2d.fillStyle = is_in_bounds(x, y) ? grid_colors[x][y] : "#ffffff";
const diagonal_slowdown = is_diagonal() ? Math.SQRT2 : 1;
const color = (team == "red") ? "#ff0000" : "#0000ff";
When you have a simple situation where you have two things to pick from based on a condition, which happens all the time, ternary is perfect. Having a short syntax for ternary massively improves readability in these situations.
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Pros:
It's an expression, and in languages with distinction between expressions and statements it's crucial to have a selection operator available as an expression. Ternary operator is not necessarily the best syntax though, as the other answers highlighted how convoluted it can become with very little effort. A good alternative is an if-then-else available as an expression and not just statement.
Cons:
It's introducing control flow into expressions, just like logic operators in many languages. When side effects are possible, it's making expressions less visually obvious to follow.
The C-style syntax of C?T:F often leads to convoluted and error-prone code.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › java › java-ternary-operator
Java Ternary Operator - GeeksforGeeks
The ternary operator is a compact alternative to the if-else statement. It evaluates a condition and returns one of two values depending on whether the condition is true or false.
Published December 20, 2025
DEV Community
dev.to › valentinaperic › writing-if-statements-with-the-ternary-operator-37j
Writing If Statements with the Ternary Operator - DEV Community
August 25, 2020 - The conditional (ternary) operator ... a condition followed by a question mark (?), then an expression to execute if the condition is truthy followed by a colon (:), and finally the expression to execute if the condition is falsy...
Igmguru
igmguru.com › blog
Blog
DevOps is basically a blend of two words: ‘Development’ and ‘Operations’. When combined, they become a modern approach where software developers and software operations teams work together throughout the whole software lifecycle. Get into the..
Reddit
reddit.com › r/c_programming › ternary operator
r/C_Programming on Reddit: Ternary Operator
May 14, 2023 -
What do people think about using the ternary '?' operator instead of ifelse?
Do you use it, how often, what are best practices concerning this way of writing conditional statements?
Top answer 1 of 5
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I generally use it for a conditional assignment, where a variable will have one of two values based on some condition. I probably wouldn't chain them, though. Also, I like to enclose the condition in parentheses, even though it isn't required. It helps me to parse it as a condition instead of the result of the expression. This is just how I use the operator, though, and my own practices shouldn't be taken as gospel.
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I like using ternary operator when you need to return something (for example, ptr ? ptr->field : NULL), but otherwise, it isn't very readable
Google
google.github.io › styleguide › pyguide.html
styleguide | Style guides for Google-originated open-source projects
For common operations like multiplication, use the functions from the operator module instead of lambda functions. For example, prefer operator.mul to lambda x, y: x * y. Okay for simple cases. Conditional expressions (sometimes called a “ternary operator”) are mechanisms that provide a ...
Python Tips
book.pythontips.com › en › latest › ternary_operators.html
6. Ternary Operators — Python Tips 0.1 documentation
Ternary operators are more commonly known as conditional expressions in Python. These operators evaluate something based on a condition being true or not.
Lenovo
lenovo.com › home
Ternary Operator: When to Use the Ternary Operator & Why is it Useful? | Lenovo US
The term "ternary" refers to the fact that it takes three operands. The ternary operator follows short-circuit evaluation, meaning that only the expression corresponding to the evaluated condition is executed.
Microsoft Support
support.microsoft.com › en-us › office › if-function-69aed7c9-4e8a-4755-a9bc-aa8bbff73be2
IF function - Microsoft Support
In this example, the formula in cell D2 says: IF(C2 = 1, then return Yes, otherwise return No)As you see, the IF function can be used to evaluate both text and values. It can also be used to evaluate errors. You are not limited to only checking if one thing is equal to another and returning a single result, you can also use mathematical operators and perform additional calculations depending on your criteria.