Shorthand if/else statement Javascript

var x = y !== undefined ? y : 1;

Note that var x = y || 1; would assign 1 for any case where y is falsy (e.g. false, 0, ""), which may be why it "didn't work" for you. Also, if y is a global variable, if it's truly not defined you may run into an error unless you access it as window.y.


As vol7ron suggests in the comments, you can also use typeof to avoid the need to refer to global vars as window.<name>:

var x = typeof y != "undefined" ? y : 1;

Another way to write it shortly

bePlanVar = !!((bePlanVar == false));

// is equivalent to

bePlanVar = (bePlanVar == false) ? true : false;

// and 

if (bePlanVar == false) {
    bePlanVar = true;
} else {
    bePlanVar = false;
}