Start With If/Else, Then Convert To Ternary
Start with your expressions in simple if/else code, and then carefully convert each if/else into a shorter ternary statement. It may help to take the additional step of creating variables for each expression.
/* start with if / else ... */
if($language == 'php')
{
$dynamic = true;
}
else
{
$dynamic = false;
}
/* ... then convert */
$dynamic = ($language == 'php' ? true : false); //or 1 : 0
/* optional code shortening */
$dynamic = $language == 'php';
Use Parenthesis To Group Logic
Keeping your expressions in parentheses is a great way to keep your code organized for later maintenance.
//viva grouping!
$age_code = ($age > 10 ? ($age > 20 ? ($age > 30 ? 'senior' : 'adult') : 'teen') : 'youngster');
//the following isn't as fun to read
$age_code = $age > 10 ? $age > 20 ? $age > 30 ? 'senior' : 'adult' : 'teen' : 'youngster';
Use "Intermediate" Variables For Parts of the Expression
The above 10/20/30 code is rough and can be difficult to maintain. Using variables may help simplify things.
//better?
$over_30 = ($age > 30 ? 'senior' : 'adult');
$over_20 = ($age > 20 ? $over_30 : 'teen');
$age_code = ($age > 10 ? $over_20 : 'youngster');
Use True/False Boolean, Not Just The Expression
As you probably know, you can use JUST the expression as the return value. If you believe that will hurt you during the learning process, explicitly return true or false.
/* explicit */
$can_drive = ($age >= 16 ? true : false);
/* implicit, just the expression */
$can_drive = $age >= 16;
Know When Not To Use Ternary Logic
If there are many nested if/else statements in the logic, shorthand expressions may not be the best option. For example, the following snippet of code returns whether a given year is a leap year:
$is_leap_year = ((($year % 4) == 0) && ((($year % 100) != 0) || (($year %400) == 0)));
The above code works well for ternary logic because it wont have to be updated frequently as the leap year "calculation" is always the same. If you have code that needs to be updated often, shorthand if/else may not be the optimal choice.
