Ternary Operator

The ternary operator offers a concise alternative to the if...else statement, with a notable distinction. It consists of three key elements:

ternary

(boolean expression) ? instruction_for_true_case : instruction_for_false_case


              1
            
(boolean expression) ? instruction_for_true_case : instruction_for_false_case

Such an operator is convenient to use, for example, when comparing two numbers:

main

#include <iostream>

int main()

{

int accountBalance = 5000; // Account balance

int minimumBalance = 1000; // Minimum required balance

// Use the ternary operator to check if the balance is above the minimum required

int result = (accountBalance > minimumBalance) ? accountBalance : minimumBalance;

std::cout << "Account balance: " << result << std::endl;

}


              123456789101112
            
#include <iostream>

int main()
{
    int accountBalance = 5000;  // Account balance
    int minimumBalance = 1000;  // Minimum required balance

    // Use the ternary operator to check if the balance is above the minimum required
    int result = (accountBalance > minimumBalance) ? accountBalance : minimumBalance;

    std::cout << "Account balance: " << result << std::endl;
}

In this case, the outcome of the ternary operation is assigned to the result variable. If the comparison returns true, the value of var1 will be stored in the result variable.

Conversely, if the comparison result is false, to the result variable will be assigned the value of the var2 variable.

The ternary operator is preferred for simple conditional assignments due to its conciseness, allowing you to check a condition and assign a value in one line. In contrast, if...else is more verbose and requires multiple lines, making it less efficient for simple logic.

main

#include <iostream>

int main()

{

int accountBalance = 5000; // Account balance

int minimumBalance = 1000; // Minimum required balance

int result;

if (accountBalance > minimumBalance)

result = accountBalance;

else

result = minimumBalance;

std::cout << "Account balance: " << result << std::endl;

}


              123456789101112131415
            
#include <iostream>

int main()
{
    int accountBalance = 5000;  // Account balance
    int minimumBalance = 1000;  // Minimum required balance
    int result;

    if (accountBalance > minimumBalance)
        result = accountBalance;
    else
        result = minimumBalance;

    std::cout << "Account balance: " << result << std::endl;
}

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Section 4. Chapter 2

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