C Conditional (ternary) Operator

C conditional (ternary) operator

Created By: chatGPT

The ternary operator in C is a shorthand way of writing an if-else statement. It provides a compact syntax for conditional evaluation. The basic syntax is: condition ? expression_if_true : expression_if_false;

int a = 10;
int b = 20;
int max = (a > b) ? a : b;

In this example, if the condition a > b is true, max will be assigned the value of a. Otherwise, it will be assigned the value of b. Using this operator can make your code cleaner and easier to read when handling simple conditions.

printf("The maximum value is: %d\n", max);

You can also use the ternary operator for more complex expressions. However, it’s important not to nest ternary operators excessively, as this can lead to confusion and reduce code readability.

int result = (a < b) ? (a * 2) : (b * 2);

Keep in mind that while the ternary operator is a powerful tool, it should be used judiciously. Readability is key in programming, and sometimes an if-else statement may be preferable for complex logic.

if (a < 0) {
    printf("Negative\n");
} else {
    printf("Non-negative\n");
}