Conditional Operator in Programming

Conditional Operator, often referred to as the ternary operator, is a concise way to express a conditional (if-else) statement in many programming languages. It is represented by the “?” symbol and is sometimes called the ternary operator because it takes three operands.

Syntax of Conditional Operator:

The syntax of conditional operators, often referred to as the ternary operator, is as follows:

condition ? expression_if_true : expression_if_false

• condition: A boolean expression that evaluates to either true or false.
• expression_if_true: The value or expression to be returned if the condition is true.
• expression_if_false: The value or expression to be returned if the condition is false.

Here’s a brief explanation of each part:

• The condition is evaluated first. If it’s true, the entire expression results in expression_if_true; otherwise, it results in expression_if_false.
• This syntax provides a compact way to express a simple conditional statement in one line.

Conditional Operator in C:

In this example, we’ll use the ternary operator to determine whether a given number is even or odd.

Implementation:

C

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    // Step 1: Input an integer
    int number;
    number = 7;

    // Step 2: Ternary operator to check if the number is
    // even or odd If the condition (number % 2 == 0) is
    // true, "Even" is printed; otherwise, "Odd" is printed.
    printf("The number is %s.\n",
           (number % 2 == 0) ? "Even" : "Odd");

    return 0;
}

Output

The number is Odd.

Explanation:

• The user enters the integer 7.
• The ternary operator evaluates the condition (7 % 2 == 0). Since this is false (7 is not divisible by 2 without remainder), the expression evaluates to "Odd".
• The output statement prints “The number is Odd.”

Conditional Operator in C++:

The syntax for the ternary operator in C++ is the same as in C. It follows the pattern:

condition ? expression_if_true : expression_if_false;

Lets see how to implement above C code in C++:

C++

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    // Step 1: Input an integer
    int number;
    number = 7;

    // Step 2: Ternary operator to check if the number is
    // even or odd If the condition (number % 2 == 0) is
    // true, "Even" is printed; otherwise, "Odd" is printed.
   cout << "The number is "
              << ((number % 2 == 0) ? "Even" : "Odd") << "."
              << endl;

    return 0;
}

Output

The number is Odd.

Conditional Operator in Java:

Syntax of Ternary Operator in Java: The syntax of the ternary operator in Java is the same as in C and C++:

condition ? expression_if_true : expression_if_false;

Comparison with Other Languages: Java’s ternary operator syntax is similar to C and C++. However, there are a few differences, such as the requirement for compatible types in the expressions on both sides of the colon (:). Additionally, Java supports the ternary operator with null-safe checks using Objects.requireNonNullElse.

Java Code Implementation:

Java

import java.util.Scanner;

public class TernaryExample {
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        // Step 1: Input an integer
        int number = 7;

        // Step 2: Ternary operator to check if the number
        // is even or odd. If the condition (number % 2 ==
        // 0) is true, "Even" is printed; otherwise, "Odd"
        // is printed.
        System.out.println(
            "The number is "
            + ((number % 2 == 0) ? "Even" : "Odd") + ".");
    }
}

Output

The number is Odd.

Conditional Operator in Python:

Python’s syntax for the ternary operator is slightly different.

Syntax of Ternary Operator in Python

expression_if_true if condition else expression_if_false

Comparison with Other Languages: Python’s ternary operator has a different syntax but serves the same purpose. The order of expressions is reversed compared to C, C++, and Java. Python does not use the “?” and “:” symbols for the ternary operator.

Python Code Implementation:

Python3

# Step 1: Input an integer
number = 7

# Step 2: Ternary operator to check if the number is
# even or odd. If the condition (number % 2 == 0) is
# true, "Even" is printed; otherwise, "Odd" is printed.
result = "Even" if number % 2 == 0 else "Odd"

# Step 3: Print the result
print(f"The number is {result}.")

Output

The number is Odd.

Conditional Operator in C#:

C# supports the ternary operator with syntax similar to C and C++:

Syntax of Ternary Operator in C#

condition ? expression_if_true : expression_if_false;

Comparison with Other Languages: C# uses the same ternary operator syntax as C, C++, and Java. The logic and structure are consistent across these languages.

C# Code Implementation:

C#

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Step 1: Input an integer
        int number = 7;

        // Step 2: Ternary operator to check if the number is
        // even or odd. If the condition (number % 2 == 0) is
        // true, "Even" is printed; otherwise, "Odd" is printed.
        string result = (number % 2 == 0) ? "Even" : "Odd";

        // Step 3: Print the result
        Console.WriteLine("The number is " + result + ".");
    }
}

Output

The number is Odd.

Conditional Operator in JavaScript:

Syntax of Ternary Operator in JavaScript

condition ? expression_if_true : expression_if_false;

Comparison with Other Languages: JavaScript uses the same ternary operator syntax as C, C++, Java, and C#. The logic and structure are consistent across these languages.

JavaScript Code Implementation:

Javascript

// Step 1: Input an integer (for demonstration, assuming a predefined value)
let number = 7;

// Step 2: Ternary operator to check if the number is
// even or odd. If the condition (number % 2 === 0) is
// true, "Even" is assigned; otherwise, "Odd" is assigned.
let result = (number % 2 === 0) ? "Even" : "Odd";

// Step 3: Print the result
console.log(`The number is ${result}.`);

Output

The number is Odd.

Comparison with If-Else Statements:

Aspect	Ternary Operator	If-Else Statements
Conciseness	Concise, fits in a single line.	Requires more lines and syntax.
Complex Conditions	Suitable for simple conditions.	Better suited for complex conditions and multiple statements.
Return Values	Can be used to directly return a value.	Primarily used for control flow; does not return values directly.
Code Blocks	Handles a single expression in each branch.	Can handle multiple statements within each branch.
Readability	Readable for simple conditions; may reduce readability for complex conditions.	Offers better readability, especially for complex logic.
Flexibility	Limited to handling single expressions.	More flexible, accommodating complex conditions and logic.

Nested Ternary(Conditional) Operators:

Nested ternary operators are a form of conditional expression used in programming languages that support ternary operators. A ternary operator takes three operands and evaluates a condition, returning one of two values depending on whether the condition is true or false. Nested ternary operators involve using one or more ternary operators within another ternary operator.

Syntax:

Here’s a general syntax for a nested ternary operator:

condition1 ? result1 : (condition2 ? result2 : result3)

In this syntax:

• condition1, condition2, etc., are boolean expressions.
• result1, result2, result3, etc., are the values or expressions to be returned based on the conditions.

The evaluation works as follows:

• If condition1 is true, result1 is returned.
• If condition1 is false, it evaluates condition2.
  • If condition2 is true, result2 is returned.
  • If condition2 is false, result3 is returned.

Here’s an example in JavaScript:

C++

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
    int x = 5;
    const char* result = (x > 0) ? ((x < 10) ? "x is between 0 and 10" : "x is not between 0 and 10") : "x is not greater than 0";
    cout << result << endl;
    return 0;
}

C

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int x = 5;
    const char* result = (x > 0) ? ((x < 10) ? "x is between 0 and 10" : "x is not between 0 and 10") : "x is not greater than 0";
    printf("%s\n", result);
    return 0;
}

Java

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int x = 5;
        String result = (x > 0) ? ((x < 10) ? "x is between 0 and 10" : "x is not between 0 and 10") : "x is not greater than 0";
        System.out.println(result);
    }
}

Python

x = 5
result = "x is between 0 and 10" if 0 < x < 10 else "x is not between 0 and 10" if x > 0 else "x is not greater than 0"
print(result)

C#

using System;

class Program {
    static void Main(string[] args) {
        int x = 5;
        string result = (x > 0) ? ((x < 10) ? "x is between 0 and 10" : "x is not between 0 and 10") : "x is not greater than 0";
        Console.WriteLine(result);
    }
}

Javascript

var x = 5;
var result = (x > 0) ? (x < 10 ? "x is between 0 and 10" : "x is not between 0 and 10") : "x is not greater than 0";
console.log(result);

Output

x is between 0 and 10

In this example:

• If x is greater than 0, it checks if x is less than 10. If true, it returns “x is between 0 and 10”; otherwise, it returns “x is not between 0 and 10”.
• If x is not greater than 0, it returns “x is not greater than 0”.

Nested ternary operators can be useful for concise conditional expressions, but they can become difficult to read and maintain if overused or overly complex. Therefore, it’s important to use them judiciously and consider readability for yourself and other developers who might work with your code.

Conclusion:

Conditional operators, particularly the ternary operator, provide a concise and elegant solution for expressing simple conditions. While enhancing code conciseness, readability should not be compromised. The choice between ternary operators and if-else statements depends on the specific requirements of the code.