In JavaScript, the ternary operator ? : allows you to write more concise and readable code when dealing with multiple conditions. It is a short way to write an if-else statement.

Syntax

The syntax of the ternary operator is as follows:

condition ? expression1 : expression2

• If the condition is true, expression1 is executed.
• If the condition is false, expression2 is executed.

Example

Let’s say we have a variable age that holds a person’s age and we want to check if they are old enough to vote. We can use a ternary operator to determine the result:

const age = 18;
const canVote = age >= 18 ? "Yes" : "No";
console.log(canVote); // Output: "Yes"

In this example:

• The condition is age >= 18, which checks if the age is greater than or equal to 18.
• The expression Yes is executed if the condition is true.
• The expression No is executed if the condition is false.

Handling Multiple Conditions

You can also use nested ternary operators to handle multiple conditions. Let’s say we want to check if a number is positive, negative, or zero:

const num = 10;
const result = num > 0 ? "Positive" : num < 0 ? "Negative" : "Zero";
console.log(result); // Output: "Positive"

In this example:

• The first condition num > 0 checks if the number is greater than 0.
• If the first condition is true, the expression "Positive" is executed.
• If the first condition is false, the inner ternary num < 0 ? "Negative" : "Zero" is evaluated.
• If num < 0 is true, the expression "Negative" is executed.
• If num < 0 is false, the expression "Zero" is executed.

Conclusion

Ternary operators provide a shorthand way to handle multiple conditions in JavaScript. They allow you to write more compact and readable code by condensing if-else statements. However, it’s important to use them judiciously to maintain code readability and avoid complex nested ternaries.

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