NYCPHP Meetup

[tedd]

At 3:10 PM -0700 8/17/08, Kristina Anderson wrote:
>I've seen similar syntax before, in some code Tedd & I were working
>with a couple of months back...and just want to make sure I fully
>understand what is actually happening with it.

-- Kristina:

The Ternary Operator is the "?" -- it is simply shorthand way of 
writing "this else that".

  "? this : that"

If used in an assignment

var = if true ? this : that

I use it primarily for this:

	$action = isset($_GET['action']) ? $_GET['action'] : null;
	$action = isset($_POST['action']) ? $_POST['action'] : null;
	$action = isset($_SESSION['action']) ? $_SESSION['action'] : null;

You see, if you try to check for the existence of an index that is 
not there, then you'll generate an error. But by using the above, it 
assures: a) no error will be generated; b) and your var will be set 
to whatever you want the default to be.

I don't like using the Ternary Operator elsewhere because you can 
generate some very strange looking code, such as:

   $var ?
   $a = a()
   :
   $a = b();

Note, the above works and is the same as:

    if($var)
       {
       $a = a();
       }
    else
       {
       $a = b();
       }

But, which is easier to understand three months from now?

Cheers,

tedd


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