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Ternary operator in java.
Last Updated on October 16, 2023 by Ankit Kochar
The Ternary Operator in Java offers a more concise and compact approach to implementing straightforward if-else conditions within a single line of code. Let’s delve into a comprehensive exploration of this operator. A prerequisite for understanding this topic is a familiarity with "If-Else" conditions in Java. So, we are now starting with the definition and syntax of Ternary Operator in Java.
Ternary Operator in Java is a shorthand way of writing if-else conditions in Java. In Java, the exclusive conditional operator that accommodates three operands is known as the "ternary operator." It serves as a succinct alternative to the traditional if-then-else statement commonly employed in Java programming. The ternary operator can be leveraged either in place of if-else conditions or in the form of nested ternary operators to rearrange conditions. While it adheres to the same underlying logic as an if-else statement, the ternary operator boasts a compact syntax that promotes more concise code and streamlines the construction of if-else statements.
The above expression will get executed as:
Here is a simple flowchart, representing the use of Ternary Operator in Java.
If Expression1 is true, then Expression2 will be executed, else Expression3 is executed.
Here are some of the examples of Ternary Operator in Java, which are showing the various uses of Ternary Operator
Example 1: Using Ternary Operator as an alternative to “if-else” Statement in Java The ternary operator in Java can be used as an alternative to the if-else statement for simple cases. The syntax for using the ternary operator in this way is:
Here, expression is the expression being evaluated, and result1 is the value that will be returned if the expression is true, and result2 is the value that will be returned if the expression is false.
Here is an example of using the ternary operator as an alternative to the if-else statement:
As you can see, the ternary operator can be used as a compact and concise alternative to the if-else statement.
Example 2: Using Ternary Operator as an alternative to “if-else-if” Statement in Java The ternary operator in Java can be used as an alternative to the if-else-if statement for simple cases. The syntax for using the ternary operator in this way is:
Here, expression1 is the expression being evaluated, and value1, value2, value3 are the possible values it can take. result1, result2, result3 are the values that will be returned if the corresponding value is matched, and defaultResult is the value that will be returned if none of the values are matched.
Here is an example of using the ternary operator as an alternative to the if-else-if statement:
As you can see, the ternary operator in java can be used as a compact and concise alternative to the if-else-if statement, but it should only be used for simple cases where the conditions and expressions are relatively straightforward. For complex cases, it is better to use the traditional if-else-if statement to avoid making the code harder to understand and maintain.
Example 3: Using Ternary Operator as an alternative to “Switch-Case” Statement in Java The ternary operator in Java can be used as an alternative to the switch-case statement for simple cases. The syntax for using the ternary operator in this way is as given below:
Here is an example of using the ternary operator as an alternative to a switch-case statement:
As you can see, the ternary operator in java can be used as a compact and concise alternative to the switch-case statement in the above example for displaying the day of the week, but it should only be used for simple cases where the conditions and expressions are relatively straightforward.
In Java, you can nest ternary operators to create more complex conditional expressions. As studied above, A ternary operator in java is a shorthand way of writing an if-else statement, and has the following syntax:
To nest ternary operators, you can simply include another ternary operator as the “valueIfTrue” or “valueIfFalse”. Here’s an example of how you could use nested ternary operators to conditionally assign a value to a variable:
In this example, the outer ternary operator compares x and y. If x is greater than y, the inner ternary operator is evaluated, comparing x and z. If x is greater than z, x is assigned to result, otherwise z is assigned. If x is not greater than y, the inner ternary operator is evaluated, comparing y and z. If y is greater than z, y is assigned to result, otherwise z is assigned.
Note: Although, nested ternary operators can be useful in some cases, they can also make code more complex and harder to read. If you find that your code is becoming too complex to understand using nested ternary operators, it may be better to use an if-else statement instead.
The ternary operator in Java has many advantages, including
Along with several advantages, the ternary operator in Java also have some disadvantages. These disadvantages are listed below:
Conclusion The Ternary operator in Java is a powerful tool for writing concise and expressive code when dealing with simple conditional assignments. It offers advantages such as compactness, improved readability for straightforward conditions, and efficient code. However, it should be used judiciously and avoided for complex conditions to maintain code clarity and readability.
Here are some FAQs related to Ternary Operator in Java.
1. What is the syntax of the ternary operator in Java? Answer: The syntax is condition ? expression_if_true : expression_if_false.
2. When should I use the ternary operator over if-else statements in Java? Answer: Use the ternary operator for simple conditional assignments that can be expressed concisely in a single line. If-else statements are more suitable for complex conditions or when multiple actions are required based on the condition.
3. Can I nest ternary operators in Java? Answer: Yes, you can nest ternary operators, but it’s generally discouraged for complex nesting because it can reduce code readability. Nested if-else statements are often a better choice for complex logic.
4. Are there any limitations to using the ternary operator in Java? Answer: Yes, the ternary operator is limited in handling complex conditions, multiple actions, and side effects. It may also reduce code readability when used excessively.
5. Is there a difference in performance between the ternary operator and if-else statements in Java? Answer: In most cases, the difference in performance is negligible. The choice between the ternary operator and if-else statements should primarily be based on code readability and maintainability.
6. Can I use the ternary operator to replace if-else statements entirely in my Java code? Answer: While the ternary operator can replace simple if-else conditions, it is not a suitable replacement for all if-else statements. Complex conditions and situations requiring multiple actions should still use if-else statements.
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A ternary operator is not a new thing for programmers. It is part of the syntax for basic conditional expressions in almost every modern programming language. We commonly refer to it as the conditional operator, inline if (iif), or ternary if. It works similar to the If-conditional statement but it is a single-line statement. Let’s discuss the ternary operator in java with some examples.
Table of Contents
The ternary operator in Java is a part of conditional statements. As the name ternary suggests, it is the only operator in Java that consists of three operands. The Java ternary operator can be thought of as a simplified version of the if-else statement with a value to be returned. It consists of a Boolean condition that evaluates to either true or false, along with a value that would be returned if the condition is true and another value if the condition is false.
The syntax of the java ternary operator includes two symbols, “?” and ”:” See this line of code below:
The variable var1 on the left-hand side of the = (assignment) operator will be assigned, value1 if the Boolean expression evaluates to true or value2 if the Boolean expression evaluates to false.
See this Java code example for checking if the integer is even or odd, first using a simple if-else statement then using a ternary operator in Java.
Using if-else statement:
Now the same functionality using the ternary operator in Java:
The condition part of the above ternary operator expression is this part:
The condition is a Java expression that evaluates to either true or false. The above condition will evaluate to true if the num is completely divisible by 2, which means it is an even number or false if it is not.
The condition can only be a Java expression that evaluates to a Boolean value, just like the expressions we use in an if-else statement or a while loop. A non-Boolean statement such as an assignment statement or an input/output statement here will result in a syntax error.
Right after the condition of a ternary operator we have a question mark (?) followed by two values, separated by a colon (:) that the ternary operator can return. The values part of the ternary operator in the above example is this:
“This is an even number!” : “This is an odd number!”;
In the example above, if the condition evaluates to true then the ternary operator will return the string value “This is an even number!”. If the condition evaluates to false then the ternary operator expression would return the string value “This is an odd number!”; .
The returning values can consist of any data type or can be the result of a Java expression that returns a value of any data type but it should be the same as the data type of the variable it is assigned to. The Java variable (msg) at the start of the ternary operator is of type String, then the values returned by the values must also be of type String. In the case of dissimilar data types, the code will result in a syntax error.
As ternary operator takes relatively less space as compared to an if-else statement, it is feasible to be used as a shorthand for null checks before calling a method on an object. See this code snippet:
Now see this one demonstrating the same null check using an if statement:
Both examples are equivalent to each other, but the ternary operator example is a bit shorter and more elegant, making the code more readable.
It could seem pointless at first as the math functions are already very straight forward but there could be many scenarios where you could be incapable of using them then ternary operator can be a very good alternative due to its short format.
There is a simple function in math class in Java to find the maximum number but you can also achieve the same functionality using a ternary operator in Java. See this code snippet used to find the maximum number using the ternary operator in Java:
If the num1 value is larger than or equal to the num2 value. the ternary operator will return the num1, else it will return the value in num2.
Just like the maximum, the Java ternary operator can also be used to find the minimum number like the Java Math min() function. See this example below:
Now to find the absolute value, see this example the ternary operator in Java:
The ternary operator conditions will first check if the value in num1 is larger than or equal to 0. In that case, the ternary operator returns the value as it is else it will return -num1, which will negate the negative value, turning it positive.
Just like nesting in if-else statement, you can do that using Ternary Operator in Java by chaining more than one Java ternary operator together. It is done by implementing another ternary operator in place of one or both of the values. See this example of a chained ternary operator in Java:
Here we are also trying to find the maximum number, but now we have three values to compare.
The first ternary operator condition compares the num1 and num2 numbers just like before but the values to be returned are different here. In both conditions, a second ternary operator comparing the largest value with the third number stored in num3. The second ternary operator will then return the largest number among all three.
You can chain or nest the Java ternary operator multiple times as much as you want, as long as each ternary operator returns a single value, and each ternary operator is used in place of a single value.
It is still preferred not to use nesting as it makes the code more complex and difficult to make any amendments later.
See Also: Adding a Newline Character To a String In Java
Ternary operator in Java is neither a novelty nor an exceptional feature for Java developers but it can surely be a worthy addition to your Java tool kit. Ternary operator can come in handy if your code consists of several if-else statements at different places as it can significantly shorten your code by using ternary operator instead of “if statements”.
Shaharyar Lalani is a developer with a strong interest in business analysis, project management, and UX design. He writes and teaches extensively on themes current in the world of web and app development, especially in Java technology.
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The Ternary Operator is similar to the if-else statement as it follows the same algorithm as of if-else statement but the ternary operator takes less space and helps to write the if-else statements in the shortest way possible. It is known as the ternary operator because it operates on three operands.
Table of Content
The ternary operator is a conditional operator that takes three operands: a condition, a value to be returned if the condition is true , and a value to be returned if the condition is false . It evaluates the condition and returns one of the two specified values based on whether the condition is true or false.
The Ternary operator can be in the form
It can be visualized into an if-else statement as:
The working of the Ternary operator is as follows:
Flowchart of ternary operator
Here are the implementation of Ternary Operator in C language:
Here are the implementation of Ternary Operator in C++ language:
Here are the implementation of Ternary Operator in java language:
Here are the implementation of Ternary Operator in python language:
Here are the implementation of Ternary Operator in C# language:
Here are the implementation of Ternary Operator in javascript language:
The conditional operator or ternary operator is generally used when we need a short conditional code such as assigning value to a variable based on the condition. It can be used in bigger conditions but it will make the program very complex and unreadable.
Similar reads.
The spread ( ... ) syntax allows an iterable, such as an array or string, to be expanded in places where zero or more arguments (for function calls) or elements (for array literals) are expected. In an object literal, the spread syntax enumerates the properties of an object and adds the key-value pairs to the object being created.
Spread syntax looks exactly like rest syntax. In a way, spread syntax is the opposite of rest syntax. Spread syntax "expands" an array into its elements, while rest syntax collects multiple elements and "condenses" them into a single element. See rest parameters and rest property .
Spread syntax can be used when all elements from an object or array need to be included in a new array or object, or should be applied one-by-one in a function call's arguments list. There are three distinct places that accept the spread syntax:
Although the syntax looks the same, they come with slightly different semantics.
Only iterable values, like Array and String , can be spread in array literals and argument lists. Many objects are not iterable, including all plain objects that lack a Symbol.iterator method:
On the other hand, spreading in object literals enumerates the own properties of the value. For typical arrays, all indices are enumerable own properties, so arrays can be spread into objects.
All primitives can be spread in objects. Only strings have enumerable own properties, and spreading anything else doesn't create properties on the new object.
When using spread syntax for function calls, be aware of the possibility of exceeding the JavaScript engine's argument length limit. See Function.prototype.apply() for more details.
Replace apply().
It is common to use Function.prototype.apply() in cases where you want to use the elements of an array as arguments to a function.
With spread syntax the above can be written as:
Any argument in the argument list can use spread syntax, and the spread syntax can be used multiple times.
When calling a constructor with new , it's not possible to directly use an array and apply() , because apply() calls the target function instead of constructing it, which means, among other things, that new.target will be undefined . However, an array can be easily used with new thanks to spread syntax:
A more powerful array literal.
Without spread syntax, the array literal syntax is no longer sufficient to create a new array using an existing array as one part of it. Instead, imperative code must be used using a combination of methods, including push() , splice() , concat() , etc. With spread syntax, this becomes much more succinct:
Just like spread for argument lists, ... can be used anywhere in the array literal, and may be used more than once.
You can use spread syntax to make a shallow copy of an array. Each array element retains its identity without getting copied.
Spread syntax effectively goes one level deep while copying an array. Therefore, it may be unsuitable for copying multidimensional arrays. The same is true with Object.assign() — no native operation in JavaScript does a deep clone. The web API method structuredClone() allows deep copying values of certain supported types . See shallow copy for more details.
Array.prototype.concat() is often used to concatenate an array to the end of an existing array. Without spread syntax, this is done as:
With spread syntax this becomes:
Array.prototype.unshift() is often used to insert an array of values at the start of an existing array. Without spread syntax, this is done as:
With spread syntax, this becomes:
Note: Unlike unshift() , this creates a new arr1 , instead of modifying the original arr1 array in-place.
You can make an element present or absent in an array literal, depending on a condition, using a conditional operator .
When the condition is false , we spread an empty array, so that nothing gets added to the final array. Note that this is different from the following:
In this case, an extra undefined element is added when isSummer is false , and this element will be visited by methods such as Array.prototype.map() .
Copying and merging objects.
You can use spread syntax to merge multiple objects into one new object.
A single spread creates a shallow copy of the original object (but without non-enumerable properties and without copying the prototype), similar to copying an array .
When one object is spread into another object, or when multiple objects are spread into one object, and properties with identical names are encountered, the property takes the last value assigned while remaining in the position it was originally set.
You can make an element present or absent in an object literal, depending on a condition, using a conditional operator .
The case where the condition is false is an empty object, so that nothing gets spread into the final object. Note that this is different from the following:
In this case, the watermelon property is always present and will be visited by methods such as Object.keys() .
Because primitives can be spread into objects as well, and from the observation that all falsy values do not have enumerable properties, you can simply use a logical AND operator:
In this case, if isSummer is any falsy value, no property will be created on the fruits object.
Note that Object.assign() can be used to mutate an object, whereas spread syntax can't.
In addition, Object.assign() triggers setters on the target object, whereas spread syntax does not.
You cannot naively re-implement the Object.assign() function through a single spreading:
In the above example, the spread syntax does not work as one might expect: it spreads an array of arguments into the object literal, due to the rest parameter. Here is an implementation of merge using the spread syntax, whose behavior is similar to Object.assign() , except that it doesn't trigger setters, nor mutates any object:
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I have searched for this and there are some questions regarding the same problem, but none of the answers to those questions seem to address my query.
I have looked up the spec and managed to find the following points:
first expression to ternary must be of type boolean
second and third expressions cant be calls to void methods.
given the above information if I write the following code
it prints walter to console, meaning the expression returned something hence its not void. but now if try to write this
this code fails to compile with The left-hand side of an assignment must be a variable
Even though both of above conditions are met(to best of my knowledge). why the code doesn't compile and why it requires a variable on the left ?
moreover if I do this
the code fails to compile with
The operator <= is undefined for the argument type(s) java.lang.String,java.lang.String
but following compiles fine
The conditional operator is an expression: it has a result:
but you can't use it like this:
because it's not a StatementExpression ; this is much the same as the fact you can't write any of:
because they just don't serve any purpose.
A StatementExpression is an expression that you can pop a ; after, for example:
The full list of StatementExpression s can be found in the language spec :
As such, you don't have to have an assignment: you can use the conditional operator in a contrived way such as this:
(Not that I am in any way advocating this as good code, or in any way useful; merely pointing out that it is legal)
As for the rest of your issues: these are just compiler-implementation-specific messages. Your compiler is tripping over the invalid syntax, and doing its best to help you, but it is not doing an especially good job.
Note that other compilers (e.g. the one used by Ideone) give totally different messages.
The first form should be written using an if/else:
( if is a statement, incidentally)
The second one is just missing some parentheses:
Although the assignments in the second and third operands are redundant anyway:
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Assignment Operator; Relational Operators; Logical Operators; ... Ternary Operator in Java. Java ternary operator is the only conditional operator that takes three operands. It's a one-liner replacement for the if-then-else statement and is used a lot in Java programming. We can use the ternary operator in place of if-else conditions or even ...
As you can see, this looks plain wrong. Indeed, JLS §15.26 says this: There are 12 assignment operators; all are syntactically right-associative (they group right-to-left). Thus, a=b=c means a=(b=c), which assigns the value of c to b and then assigns the value of b to a. The result of the first operand of an assignment operator must be a ...
In this quick article, we learned about the ternary operator in Java. It isn't possible to replace every if-else construct with a ternary operator. But it's a great tool for some cases and makes our code much shorter and more readable. As usual, the entire source code is available over on GitHub.
Introduction to the Ternary Operator. The ternary operator in Java is a shorthand for the if-else statement. It is a compact syntax that evaluates a condition and returns one of two values based on the condition's result. ... Example 2: Conditional Assignment Scenario. Assign a default value to a variable if a condition is not met. Code ...
Java Short Hand If...Else (Ternary Operator) Previous Next Short Hand if...else. There is also a short-hand if else, which is known as the ternary operator because it consists of three operands. It can be used to replace multiple lines of code with a single line, and is most often used to replace simple if else statements:
Here's an example of the Java ternary operator being used to assign the minimum (or maximum) value of two variables to a third variable, essentially replacing a Math.min(a,b) or Math.max(a,b) method call. This example assigns the minimum of two variables, a and b, to a third variable named minVal: In this code, if the variable a is less than ...
Ternary Operator in Java. A ternary operator evaluates the test condition and executes a block of code based on the result of the condition. Its syntax is: condition ? expression1 : expression2; Here, condition is evaluated and. if condition is true, expression1 is executed. And, if condition is false, expression2 is executed.
The Java ternary operator allows you to build a single-line if statement. True or false can be the result of a ternary operator. Whether the statement evaluates to true or false, it returns a certain result. ... Assignment Operator; Relational Operators; Logical Operators; Java Ternary Operator with examples.
In Java, the ternary operator, also known as the conditional operator, is a special operator that takes three operands: a condition followed by a question mark (?), an expression to evaluate if the condition is true, followed by a colon (:), and an expression to evaluate if the condition is false. ... Assignment Operators Logical Operators ...
The basic types of operators in Java include arithmetic, relational, bitwise, logical, and assignment operators. The ternary operator falls under the category of conditional operators, which perform different computations depending on whether a programmer-specified boolean condition evaluates to true or false.
The TernaryOperatorExample class in Java demonstrates the usage of the ternary operator to determine whether a given number is even or odd. The main method initializes two integer variables, x, and y, with values 10 and 11, respectively. It then uses the ternary operator to assign a corresponding message based on whether the number is even or odd.
Ternary Operator Java. In Java, the ternary operator is a type of Java conditional operator. In this section, we will discuss the ternary operator in Java with proper examples.. The meaning of ternary is composed of three parts. The ternary operator (? :) consists of three operands. It is used to evaluate Boolean expressions. The operator decides which value will be assigned to the variable.
The Ternary operator in Java is a powerful tool for writing concise and expressive code when dealing with simple conditional assignments. It offers advantages such as compactness, improved readability for straightforward conditions, and efficient code. However, it should be used judiciously and avoided for complex conditions to maintain code ...
The fact that the assignment operator returns the thing it is assigning; Share. Improve this answer. Follow answered Jun 28, 2011 at 18:14 ... Java ternary operator. 3. Java ternary operator confusion. 6. Why is the Ternary operator not working inside a method argument in java. 1.
Last update: 2024-05-12. The Java ternary operator functions like a simplified Java if statement. The ternary operator consists of a condition that evaluates to either true or false , plus a value that is returned if the condition is true and another value that is returned if the condition is false. Here is a simple Java ternary operator example:
Ternary operator in Java. The ternary operator in Java is a part of conditional statements. As the name ternary suggests, it is the only operator in Java that consists of three operands. The Java ternary operator can be thought of as a simplified version of the if-else statement with a value to be returned.
The Ternary Operator is similar to the if-else statement as it follows the same algorithm as of if-else statement but the ternary operator takes less space and helps to write the if-else statements in the shortest way possible. It is known as the ternary operator because it operates on three operands. ... Ternary Operator in Java: Here are the ...
There isn't a comma operator in Java. (Although, if you like bad code you can declare multiple variables in a single declaration using commas.) - Tom Hawtin ... Assignment as part of ternary if. 0. Ternary Operator in java with multiple statements. Hot Network Questions Would a PhD from Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand be accepted in ...
The spread (...) syntax allows an iterable, such as an array or string, to be expanded in places where zero or more arguments (for function calls) or elements (for array literals) are expected. In an object literal, the spread syntax enumerates the properties of an object and adds the key-value pairs to the object being created. Spread syntax looks exactly like rest syntax.
Why can't Ternary operator be used without assignment (variable on the left)? Ask Question Asked 5 years, ... Why there must be variable on the left side of ternary operator, method return values can be discarded why cant this be done in the case of ternary. Why Java doesn't allow it, what problems or inconsistencies will it cause if allowed;