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I have been working with Java a couple of years, but up until recently I haven't run across this construct:
int count = isHere ? getHereCount(index) : getAwayCount(index);
This is probably a very simple question, but can someone explain it? How do I read it? I am pretty sure I know how it works.
if isHere is true, getHereCount() is called,
if isHere is false getAwayCount() is called.
Correct? What is this construct called?
Yes, it is a shorthand form of
int count;
if (isHere)
count = getHereCount(index);
else
count = getAwayCount(index);
It's called the conditional operator. Many people (erroneously) call it the ternary operator, because it's the only ternary (three-argument) operator in Java, C, C++, and probably many other languages. But theoretically there could be another ternary operator, whereas there can only be one conditional operator.
The official name is given in the Java Language Specification:
§15.25 Conditional Operator ? :
The conditional operator ? : uses the boolean value of one expression to decide which of two other expressions should be evaluated.
Note that both branches must lead to methods with return values:
It is a compile-time error for either the second or the third operand expression to be an invocation of a void method.
In fact, by the grammar of expression statements (§14.8), it is not permitted for a conditional expression to appear in any context where an invocation of a void method could appear.
So, if doSomething() and doSomethingElse() are void methods, you cannot compress this:
if (someBool)
doSomething();
else
doSomethingElse();
into this:
someBool ? doSomething() : doSomethingElse();
Simple words:
booleanCondition ? executeThisPartIfBooleanConditionIsTrue : executeThisPartIfBooleanConditionIsFalse
Others have answered this to reasonable extent, but often with the name "ternary operator".
Being the pedant that I am, I'd like to make it clear that the name of the operator is the conditional operator or "conditional operator ?:". It's a ternary operator (in that it has three operands) and it happens to be the only ternary operator in Java at the moment.
However, the spec is pretty clear that its name is the conditional operator or "conditional operator ?:" to be absolutely unambiguous. I think it's clearer to call it by that name, as it indicates the behaviour of the operator to some extent (evaluating a condition) rather than just how many operands it has.
According to the Sun Java Specification, it's called the Conditional Operator. See section 15.25. You're right as to what it does.
The conditional operator ? : uses the boolean value of one expression to decide which of two other expressions should be evaluated.
The conditional operator is syntactically right-associative (it groups right-to-left), so that a?b:c?d:e?f:g means the same as a?b:(c?d:(e?f:g)).
ConditionalExpression:
ConditionalOrExpression
ConditionalOrExpression ? Expression : ConditionalExpression
The conditional operator has three operand expressions; ? appears between the first and second expressions, and : appears between the second and third expressions.
The first expression must be of type boolean or Boolean, or a compile-time error occurs.
condition ? truth : false;
If the condition is true then evaluate the first expression. If the condition is false, evaluate the second expression.
It is called the Conditional Operator and it is a type of Ternary Operation.
int count = isHere ? getHereCount(index) : getAwayCount(index);
means :
if (isHere) {
count = getHereCount(index);
} else {
count = getAwayCount(index);
}
Not exactly correct, to be precise:
if isHere is true, the result of getHereCount() is returned
otheriwse the result of getAwayCount() is returned
That "returned" is very important. It means the methods must return a value and that value must be assigned somewhere.
Also, it's not exactly syntactically equivalent to the if-else version. For example:
String str1,str2,str3,str4;
boolean check;
//...
return str1 + (check ? str2 : str3) + str4;
If coded with if-else will always result in more bytecode.
Ternary, conditional; tomato, tomatoh. What it's really valuable for is variable initialization. If (like me) you're fond of initializing variables where they are defined, the conditional ternary operator (for it is both) permits you to do that in cases where there is conditionality about its value. Particularly notable in final fields, but useful elsewhere, too.
e.g.:
public class Foo {
final double value;
public Foo(boolean positive, double value) {
this.value = positive ? value : -value;
}
}
Without that operator - by whatever name - you would have to make the field non-final or write a function simply to initialize it. Actually, that's not right - it can still be initialized using if/else, at least in Java. But I find this cleaner.
You might be interested in a proposal for some new operators that are similar to the conditional operator. The null-safe operators will enable code like this:
String s = mayBeNull?.toString() ?: "null";
It would be especially convenient where auto-unboxing takes place.
Integer ival = ...; // may be null
int i = ival ?: -1; // no NPE from unboxing
It has been selected for further consideration under JDK 7's "Project Coin."
This construct is called Ternary Operator in Computer Science and Programing techniques. And Wikipedia suggest the following explanation:
In computer science, a ternary operator (sometimes incorrectly called a tertiary operator) is an operator that takes three arguments. The arguments and result can be of different types. Many programming languages that use C-like syntax feature a ternary operator, ?: , which defines a conditional expression.
Not only in Java, this syntax is available within PHP, Objective-C too.
In the following link it gives the following explanation, which is quiet good to understand it:
A ternary operator is some operation operating on 3 inputs. It's a shortcut for an if-else statement, and is also known as a conditional operator.
In Perl/PHP it works as: boolean_condition ? true_value : false_value
In C/C++ it works as: logical expression ? action for true : action for false
This might be readable for some logical conditions which are not too complex otherwise it is better to use If-Else block with intended combination of conditional logic.
We can simplify the If-Else blocks with this Ternary operator for one code statement line.For Example:
if ( car.isStarted() ) {
car.goForward();
} else {
car.startTheEngine();
}
Might be equal to the following:
( car.isStarted() ) ? car.goForward() : car.startTheEngine();
So if we refer to your statement:
int count = isHere ? getHereCount(index) : getAwayCount(index);
It is actually the 100% equivalent of the following If-Else block:
int count;
if (isHere) {
count = getHereCount(index);
} else {
count = getAwayCount(index);
}
That's it!
Hope this was helpful to somebody!
Cheers!
Correct. It's called the ternary operator. Some also call it the conditional operator.
Its Ternary Operator(?:)
The ternary operator is an operator that takes three arguments. The first
argument is a comparison argument, the second is the result upon a true
comparison, and the third is the result upon a false comparison.
Actually it can take more than 3 arguments. For instance if we want to check wether a number is positive, negative or zero we can do this:
String m= num > 0 ? "is a POSITIVE NUMBER.": num < 0 ?"is a NEGATIVE NUMBER." :"IT's ZERO.";
which is better than using if, else if, else.
?: is a Ternary Java Operator.
Its syntax is:
condition ? expression1 : expression2;
Here, the condition is evaluated and
condition returns true, the expression1 will execute.
condition returns false, the expression2 will execute.
public class Sonycode {
public static void main(String[] args) {
double marks = 90;
String result = (marks > 40) ? "passed in exam" : "failed in exam";
System.out.println("Your result is : " + result);
}
}
Output :-
Your result is : passed in exam
It's the conditional operator, and it's more than just a concise way of writing if statements.
Since it is an expression that returns a value it can be used as part of other expressions.
Yes, you are correct. ?: is typically called the "ternary conditional operator", often referred to as simply "ternary operator". It is a shorthand version of the standard if/else conditional.
Ternary Conditional Operator
I happen to really like this operator, but the reader should be taken into consideration.
You always have to balance code compactness with the time spent reading it, and in that it has some pretty severe flaws.
First of all, there is the Original Asker's case. He just spent an hour posting about it and reading the responses. How longer would it have taken the author to write every ?: as an if/then throughout the course of his entire life. Not an hour to be sure.
Secondly, in C-like languages, you get in the habit of simply knowing that conditionals are the first thing in the line. I noticed this when I was using Ruby and came across lines like:
callMethodWhatever(Long + Expression + with + syntax) if conditional
If I was a long time Ruby user I probably wouldn't have had a problem with this line, but coming from C, when you see "callMethodWhatever" as the first thing in the line, you expect it to be executed. The ?: is less cryptic, but still unusual enough as to throw a reader off.
The advantage, however, is a really cool feeling in your tummy when you can write a 3-line if statement in the space of 1 of the lines. Can't deny that :) But honestly, not necessarily more readable by 90% of the people out there simply because of its' rarity.
When it is truly an assignment based on a Boolean and values I don't have a problem with it, but it can easily be abused.
Conditional expressions are in a completely different style, with no explicit if in the statement.
The syntax is:
boolean-expression ? expression1 : expression2;
The result of this conditional expression is
expression1 if boolean-expression is true;
otherwise the result is expression2.
Suppose you want to assign the larger number of variable num1 and num2 to max. You can simply write a statement using the conditional expression:
max = (num1 > num2) ? num1 : num2;
Note: The symbols ? and : appear together in a conditional expression. They form a conditional operator and also called a ternary operator because it uses three operands. It is the only ternary operator in Java.
cited from: Intro to Java Programming 10th edition by Y. Daniel Liang page 126 - 127
So far from I have been searching through the net, the statement always have if and else condition such as a ? b : c. I would like to know whether the if ternary statement can be used without else.
Assuming i have the following code, i wish to close the PreparedStatement if it is not null
(I am using Java programming language.)
PreparedStatement pstmt;
//....
(pstmt!=null) ? pstmt.close : <do nothing>;
No, you cannot do that.
Instead try this:
if(bool1 && bool2) voidFunc1();
Why using ternary operator when you have only one choice?
if (pstmt != null) pstmt.close();
is enough!
Just write it out?
if(pstmt != null) pstmt.close();
It's the exact same length.
As mentioned in the other answers, you can't use a ternary operator to do this.
However, if the need strikes you, you can use Java 8 Optional and lambdas to put this kind of logic into a single statement:
Optional.of(pstmt).ifPresent((p) -> p.close())
Ternary if operator is the particular ternary operator. One of a kind.
From Wiki:
In mathematics, a ternary operation is an n-ary operation with n = 3.
It means all 3 operands are required for you.
A ternary operation is called ternary beacause it takes 3 arguments, if it takes 2 it is a binary operation.
And as noted above, it is an expression returning a value.
If you omit the else you would have an undefined situation where the expression would not return a value.
So as also noted in other answer, you should use an if statement.
You cannot use ternary without else, but to do a "if-without-else" in one line, you can use Java 8 Optional class.
PreparedStatement pstmt;
//....
Optional.ofNullable(pstmt).ifPresent(pstmt::close); // <- but IOException will still happen here. Handle it.
use:
<logic Expression> ? <method> : null;
Example:
(pstmt!=null) ? pstmt.close : null;
is dirty solution but works...
pstmt != null && pstmt.close;
The line of code above translates to When the left side of the expression "translates" to true -> execute the right side.
Well in JavaScript you can simply do:
expression ? doAction() : undefined
since that's what's literally actually happening in a real if statement, the else clause is simply undefined. I image you can do pretty much the same thing in (almost?) any programming language, for the else clause just put a null-type variable that doesn't return a value, it shouldn't cause any compile errors.
or just make a function to return if all else fails
function oy(x1,x2){if(x1) return x2();}
oy(etzem==6, ()=>yichoyliss=8);
I'm trying to return a different value using a simple if/else to check for an even number in Java.
if (move % 2 == 0) {
return "o";
} else {
return "O";
}
I know in JavaScript you can use
if () : a ? b ;
Can this be used in Java?
Yes, you can use the ternary operator in Java:
return (move % 2 == 0) ? "o" : "O";
Just don't expect it to be any faster than the if-else.
Yes, you can use the conditional operator in Java:
return (move % 2 == 0) ? "o": "O";
It won't make your program any faster, but it's a little more concise and if you are familiar with the conditional operator, you will probably find it easier to read.
But conversely, if you don't know this operator it will be hard to guess what the code does.
Yes you can. It's called a ternary operator
Usage:
true ? case1 : case2; // returns case1
false ? case1 : case2; // returns case2
Instead of "optimizing" the if versus the ternary operator ? you should focus on the move % 2 == 0. If move is an integer and not a floating point variable this may be faster:
if( move & 1 == 0 )
return "E";
else
return "O";
Bit operations are usually faster than division or modulo calculations.
(conditional) ? if-true-statement : if-false-statement;
Yes it can, check out the Wikipedia page for Ternary Operators
There's no way you can use an if-statement in a more or less efficient way.
... and further more - keep in mind that, and this does not only apply for if-statements:
You should never try to optimize expressions used, for performance reasons - write code that focuses on readability (and in term, maintainability). The reason for this is that there's a JIT (Just-in-time compiler) that will optimize the bytecode, and modify the instructions you've specified in your byte-code.
If you're thinking about using the ternary operator, then consider, will this lead to harder to understand code (if you're multiple people working on the code). If it's just you working on the code then do as you please - and yes:
Object var = boolean-expression ? some-value : another-value;
is much more compact than:
Object var;
if (boolean-expression)
var = some-value;
else
var = another-value;
If you really need this to be blindingly fast, which is pretty dubious, you should also consider a lookup table:
static final char[] moveChar = {"o", "O"};
// ...
return moveChar[move % 2];
But I wouldn't implement any of the suggestions given here without timing them, and I wouldn't do anything at all until it had been proven that what you have now is really a bottleneck, by which I mean that it consumes more than about 50% of the CPU time.
I'm trying to make my code more readable, so I decided to use some short IF statements.
Here's my code which doesn't work ("not a statement"):
jXPanel6.isVisible() ? jXPanel6.setVisible(true) : jXPanel6.setVisible(false);
What's wrong with this? Needs brackets? Where?
The "ternary expression" x ? y : z can only be used for conditional assignment. That is, you could do something like:
String mood = inProfit() ? "happy" : "sad";
because the ternary expression is returning something (of type String in this example).
It's not really meant to be used as a short, in-line if-else. In particular, you can't use it if the individual parts don't return a value, or return values of incompatible types. (So while you could do this if both method happened to return the same value, you shouldn't invoke it for the side-effect purposes only).
So the proper way to do this would just be with an if-else block:
if (jXPanel6.isVisible()) {
jXPanel6.setVisible(true);
}
else {
jXPanel6.setVisible(false);
}
which of course can be shortened to
jXPanel6.setVisible(jXPanel6.isVisible());
Both of those latter expressions are, for me, more readable in that they more clearly communicate what it is you're trying to do. (And by the way, did you get your conditions the wrong way round? It looks like this is a no-op anyway, rather than a toggle).
Don't mix up low character count with readability. The key point is what is most easily understood; and mildly misusing language features is a definite way to confuse readers, or at least make them do a mental double-take.
jXPanel6.setVisible(jXPanel6.isVisible());
or in your form:
jXPanel6.setVisible(jXPanel6.isVisible()?true:false);
The ternary operator can only be the right side of an assignment and not a statement of its own.
http://www.devdaily.com/java/edu/pj/pj010018/
As others have indicated, something of the form
x ? y : z
is an expression, not a (complete) statement. It is an rvalue which needs to get used someplace - like on the right side of an assignment, or a parameter to a function etc.
Perhaps you could look at this: http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/nutsandbolts/expressions.html
I'm a little late to the party but for future readers.
From what i can tell, you're just wanting to toggle the visibility state right? Why not just use the ! operator?
jxPanel6.setVisible(!jxPanel6.isVisible);
It's not an if statement but I prefer this method for code related to your example.
You can do it as simple as this, I did it in react hooks :
(myNumber == 12) ? "true" : "false"
it was equal to this long if function below :
if (myNumber == 12) {
"true"
} else {
"false"
}
Hope it helps ^_^
I have been working with Java a couple of years, but up until recently I haven't run across this construct:
int count = isHere ? getHereCount(index) : getAwayCount(index);
This is probably a very simple question, but can someone explain it? How do I read it? I am pretty sure I know how it works.
if isHere is true, getHereCount() is called,
if isHere is false getAwayCount() is called.
Correct? What is this construct called?
Yes, it is a shorthand form of
int count;
if (isHere)
count = getHereCount(index);
else
count = getAwayCount(index);
It's called the conditional operator. Many people (erroneously) call it the ternary operator, because it's the only ternary (three-argument) operator in Java, C, C++, and probably many other languages. But theoretically there could be another ternary operator, whereas there can only be one conditional operator.
The official name is given in the Java Language Specification:
§15.25 Conditional Operator ? :
The conditional operator ? : uses the boolean value of one expression to decide which of two other expressions should be evaluated.
Note that both branches must lead to methods with return values:
It is a compile-time error for either the second or the third operand expression to be an invocation of a void method.
In fact, by the grammar of expression statements (§14.8), it is not permitted for a conditional expression to appear in any context where an invocation of a void method could appear.
So, if doSomething() and doSomethingElse() are void methods, you cannot compress this:
if (someBool)
doSomething();
else
doSomethingElse();
into this:
someBool ? doSomething() : doSomethingElse();
Simple words:
booleanCondition ? executeThisPartIfBooleanConditionIsTrue : executeThisPartIfBooleanConditionIsFalse
Others have answered this to reasonable extent, but often with the name "ternary operator".
Being the pedant that I am, I'd like to make it clear that the name of the operator is the conditional operator or "conditional operator ?:". It's a ternary operator (in that it has three operands) and it happens to be the only ternary operator in Java at the moment.
However, the spec is pretty clear that its name is the conditional operator or "conditional operator ?:" to be absolutely unambiguous. I think it's clearer to call it by that name, as it indicates the behaviour of the operator to some extent (evaluating a condition) rather than just how many operands it has.
According to the Sun Java Specification, it's called the Conditional Operator. See section 15.25. You're right as to what it does.
The conditional operator ? : uses the boolean value of one expression to decide which of two other expressions should be evaluated.
The conditional operator is syntactically right-associative (it groups right-to-left), so that a?b:c?d:e?f:g means the same as a?b:(c?d:(e?f:g)).
ConditionalExpression:
ConditionalOrExpression
ConditionalOrExpression ? Expression : ConditionalExpression
The conditional operator has three operand expressions; ? appears between the first and second expressions, and : appears between the second and third expressions.
The first expression must be of type boolean or Boolean, or a compile-time error occurs.
condition ? truth : false;
If the condition is true then evaluate the first expression. If the condition is false, evaluate the second expression.
It is called the Conditional Operator and it is a type of Ternary Operation.
int count = isHere ? getHereCount(index) : getAwayCount(index);
means :
if (isHere) {
count = getHereCount(index);
} else {
count = getAwayCount(index);
}
Not exactly correct, to be precise:
if isHere is true, the result of getHereCount() is returned
otheriwse the result of getAwayCount() is returned
That "returned" is very important. It means the methods must return a value and that value must be assigned somewhere.
Also, it's not exactly syntactically equivalent to the if-else version. For example:
String str1,str2,str3,str4;
boolean check;
//...
return str1 + (check ? str2 : str3) + str4;
If coded with if-else will always result in more bytecode.
Ternary, conditional; tomato, tomatoh. What it's really valuable for is variable initialization. If (like me) you're fond of initializing variables where they are defined, the conditional ternary operator (for it is both) permits you to do that in cases where there is conditionality about its value. Particularly notable in final fields, but useful elsewhere, too.
e.g.:
public class Foo {
final double value;
public Foo(boolean positive, double value) {
this.value = positive ? value : -value;
}
}
Without that operator - by whatever name - you would have to make the field non-final or write a function simply to initialize it. Actually, that's not right - it can still be initialized using if/else, at least in Java. But I find this cleaner.
You might be interested in a proposal for some new operators that are similar to the conditional operator. The null-safe operators will enable code like this:
String s = mayBeNull?.toString() ?: "null";
It would be especially convenient where auto-unboxing takes place.
Integer ival = ...; // may be null
int i = ival ?: -1; // no NPE from unboxing
It has been selected for further consideration under JDK 7's "Project Coin."
This construct is called Ternary Operator in Computer Science and Programing techniques. And Wikipedia suggest the following explanation:
In computer science, a ternary operator (sometimes incorrectly called a tertiary operator) is an operator that takes three arguments. The arguments and result can be of different types. Many programming languages that use C-like syntax feature a ternary operator, ?: , which defines a conditional expression.
Not only in Java, this syntax is available within PHP, Objective-C too.
In the following link it gives the following explanation, which is quiet good to understand it:
A ternary operator is some operation operating on 3 inputs. It's a shortcut for an if-else statement, and is also known as a conditional operator.
In Perl/PHP it works as: boolean_condition ? true_value : false_value
In C/C++ it works as: logical expression ? action for true : action for false
This might be readable for some logical conditions which are not too complex otherwise it is better to use If-Else block with intended combination of conditional logic.
We can simplify the If-Else blocks with this Ternary operator for one code statement line.For Example:
if ( car.isStarted() ) {
car.goForward();
} else {
car.startTheEngine();
}
Might be equal to the following:
( car.isStarted() ) ? car.goForward() : car.startTheEngine();
So if we refer to your statement:
int count = isHere ? getHereCount(index) : getAwayCount(index);
It is actually the 100% equivalent of the following If-Else block:
int count;
if (isHere) {
count = getHereCount(index);
} else {
count = getAwayCount(index);
}
That's it!
Hope this was helpful to somebody!
Cheers!
Correct. It's called the ternary operator. Some also call it the conditional operator.
Its Ternary Operator(?:)
The ternary operator is an operator that takes three arguments. The first
argument is a comparison argument, the second is the result upon a true
comparison, and the third is the result upon a false comparison.
Actually it can take more than 3 arguments. For instance if we want to check wether a number is positive, negative or zero we can do this:
String m= num > 0 ? "is a POSITIVE NUMBER.": num < 0 ?"is a NEGATIVE NUMBER." :"IT's ZERO.";
which is better than using if, else if, else.
?: is a Ternary Java Operator.
Its syntax is:
condition ? expression1 : expression2;
Here, the condition is evaluated and
condition returns true, the expression1 will execute.
condition returns false, the expression2 will execute.
public class Sonycode {
public static void main(String[] args) {
double marks = 90;
String result = (marks > 40) ? "passed in exam" : "failed in exam";
System.out.println("Your result is : " + result);
}
}
Output :-
Your result is : passed in exam
It's the conditional operator, and it's more than just a concise way of writing if statements.
Since it is an expression that returns a value it can be used as part of other expressions.
Yes, you are correct. ?: is typically called the "ternary conditional operator", often referred to as simply "ternary operator". It is a shorthand version of the standard if/else conditional.
Ternary Conditional Operator
I happen to really like this operator, but the reader should be taken into consideration.
You always have to balance code compactness with the time spent reading it, and in that it has some pretty severe flaws.
First of all, there is the Original Asker's case. He just spent an hour posting about it and reading the responses. How longer would it have taken the author to write every ?: as an if/then throughout the course of his entire life. Not an hour to be sure.
Secondly, in C-like languages, you get in the habit of simply knowing that conditionals are the first thing in the line. I noticed this when I was using Ruby and came across lines like:
callMethodWhatever(Long + Expression + with + syntax) if conditional
If I was a long time Ruby user I probably wouldn't have had a problem with this line, but coming from C, when you see "callMethodWhatever" as the first thing in the line, you expect it to be executed. The ?: is less cryptic, but still unusual enough as to throw a reader off.
The advantage, however, is a really cool feeling in your tummy when you can write a 3-line if statement in the space of 1 of the lines. Can't deny that :) But honestly, not necessarily more readable by 90% of the people out there simply because of its' rarity.
When it is truly an assignment based on a Boolean and values I don't have a problem with it, but it can easily be abused.
Conditional expressions are in a completely different style, with no explicit if in the statement.
The syntax is:
boolean-expression ? expression1 : expression2;
The result of this conditional expression is
expression1 if boolean-expression is true;
otherwise the result is expression2.
Suppose you want to assign the larger number of variable num1 and num2 to max. You can simply write a statement using the conditional expression:
max = (num1 > num2) ? num1 : num2;
Note: The symbols ? and : appear together in a conditional expression. They form a conditional operator and also called a ternary operator because it uses three operands. It is the only ternary operator in Java.
cited from: Intro to Java Programming 10th edition by Y. Daniel Liang page 126 - 127