if
/else
statements can become lengthy even when you simply want to return a value depending on a Boolean expression. Fortunately, Java provides a shortcut that allows you to write if
/else
statements in a single line of code. It is called the ternary conditional statement.
The term ternary
comes from a Latin word that means “composed of three parts”.
These three parts are:
- A Boolean expression
- A single statement that gets executed if the Boolean expression is true
- A single statement that gets executed if the Boolean expression is false
Here is an example of a ternary conditional statement:
int pointsScored = 21; char gameResult = (pointsScored > 20) ? 'W' : 'L'; System.out.println(gameResult);
In the example above, the int
variable called pointsScored
is equal to 21
.
The Boolean expression is (pointsScored > 20)
, which evaluates to true
. This will return the value of 'W'
, which is assigned to the variable gameResult
. The value 'W'
is printed to the console.
Instructions
Set the canDrive
variable equal to the ternary expression: (fuelLevel > 0) ? 'Y' : 'N';