31. The Ternary Operator

The ternary operator (? :) is a shorthand way to write simple if...else statements, often used for setting a variable based on a condition.

Syntax

condition ? value_if_true : value_if_false

Example 1: Basic Conditional Assignment

Imagine we want to set a status message based on a score:

javascript let score = 75;

// Traditional if/else: // let status; // if (score >= 60) { // status = 'Pass'; // } else { // status = 'Fail'; // }

// Ternary equivalent (one line): let status = score >= 60 ? 'Pass' : 'Fail';

console.log(status); // Output: Pass

Example 2: Nested Ternary (Caution!)

While possible, nesting ternaries makes code harder to read and is often discouraged.

javascript let userType = 'admin';

let message = (userType === 'admin') ? 'Welcome, Administrator!' : (userType === 'guest') ? 'Please log in.' : 'Hello User.';

console.log(message); // Welcome, Administrator!