How Does Python's Ternary Operator Work?

Ternary Conditional Operator in Python

Python introduced the ternary conditional operator in version 2.5, allowing programmers to express conditional statements succinctly. It follows the syntax:

a if condition else b

where:

• a is the value returned if condition evaluates to True.
• b is the value returned if condition evaluates to False.

The ternary operator serves as a concise way to switch between two values based on a condition. However, it is crucial to note that it is considered an expression, not a statement. This means it can't include statements like pass or assignments within the expression.

For instance, the following code snippet demonstrates the use of the ternary operator:

'true' if True else 'false'  # Result: 'true'
'true' if False else 'false' # Result: 'false'

Keep in mind that the ternary operator has faced criticism for various reasons:

• The argument order differs from the classic ternary operator in other languages like C and C .
• It can be considered unwieldy as it is not in line with the natural flow of thought.
• It may complicate code readability.

To improve memorability, remember to read the ternary statement aloud. For example, "x will be 4 if b is greater than 8 otherwise 9" accurately describes the following code:

x = 4 if b > 8 else 9

For further reference, you can refer to the official Python documentation:

• [Conditional expressions](https://docs.python.org/3/reference/expressions.html#conditional-expressions)
• [Is there an equivalent of C’s ”?:” ternary operator?](https://docs.python.org/faq/python-faq.html#is-there-an-equivalent-of-c-s-syntax)

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