How do I use the ternary operator ( ? : ) in PHP as a shorthand for "if / else"?
The
(condition) ? /* value to return if condition is true */
: /* value to return if condition is false */ ;
syntax is not a "shorthand if" operator (the ?
is called the conditional operator) because you cannot execute code in the same manner as if you did:
if (condition) {
/* condition is true, do something like echo */
}
else {
/* condition is false, do something else */
}
In your example, you are executing the echo
statement when the $address
is not empty. You can't do this the same way with the conditional operator. What you can do however, is echo
the result of the conditional operator:
echo empty($address['street2']) ? "Street2 is empty!" : $address['street2'];
and this will display "Street is empty!" if it is empty, otherwise it will display the street2 address.
PHP 7+
As of PHP 7, this task can be performed simply by using the Null coalescing operator like this :
echo !empty($address['street2']) ?? 'Empty';
Basic True / False Declaration
$is_admin = ($user['permissions'] == 'admin' ? true : false);
Conditional Welcome Message
echo 'Welcome '.($user['is_logged_in'] ? $user['first_name'] : 'Guest').'!';
Conditional Items Message
echo 'Your cart contains '.$num_items.' item'.($num_items != 1 ? 's' : '').'.';
ref: https://davidwalsh.name/php-ternary-examples