freeCodeCamp/guide/english/javascript/conditional-ternary-operators/index.md

title
Conditional Ternary Operators

Conditional Ternary Operators

Basic usage

The ternary operator is a compact way to write an if-else inside an expression.

const thing = <condition> ? <if condition is true> : <if condition is false>;

E.g.

const cappedInput = input > 50 ? 50 : input // this will cap the input at 50

Else if

You can also chain ternary operators, this way you will have an if-else if-else behaviour

<first condition> ? <value if first true>
: <second condition> ? <value if second is true>
: <fallback value>

Comparison to if statement:

The ternary operator is essentially a simplification of the normal if statement. You turn this:

if (condition) {
    <if condition is true>;
} else {
    <if condition is false>;
}

Into this:

var output = <condition> ? <if condition is true> : <if condition is false>;

As you can see, it is much easier to write and read.

Pro tip: As you see you can split the ternary operator on multiple lines E.g.

const wealth = housesOwned > 3 ? "rich" 
             : housesOwned > 1 ? "nothing to complain"
             : "poor"