The ternary operator is a way to condense an if-else statement into a single line of code. It's also known as a conditional expression. The syntax is straightforward:


value_if_true if condition else value_if_false

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Here's a step-by-step explanation:

condition: This is the expression that evaluates to either True or False.
value_if_true: This is the value that will be returned if the condition is True.
value_if_false: This is the value that will be returned if the condition is False.

Let's look at 10 examples to illustrate how this works:

Example 1: Basic Example


age = 18
status = "Adult" if age >= 18 else "Minor"
print(status)  # Output: Adult

Explanation: If age is 18 or more, status is set to "Adult"; otherwise, it's set to "Minor".

Example 2: Checking Even or Odd


number = 5
result = "Even" if number % 2 == 0 else "Odd"
print(result)  # Output: Odd

Explanation: If number is divisible by 2, result is "Even"; otherwise, it's "Odd".

Example 3: Comparing Two Values


a, b = 10, 20
higher = a if a > b else b
print(higher)  # Output: 20

Explanation: higher will be the greater of a and b.

Example 4: Positive or Negative


num = -3
sign = "Positive" if num > 0 else "Negative"
print(sign)  # Output: Negative

Explanation: sign will be "Positive" if num is greater than 0; otherwise, it's "Negative".

Example 5: Greeting Based on Time


hour = 14
greeting = "Good morning" if hour < 12 else "Good afternoon"
print(greeting)  # Output: Good afternoon

Explanation: If hour is less than 12, greeting is "Good morning"; otherwise, it's "Good afternoon".

Example 6: Checking for Non-Empty String


name = ""
greet = "Hello, " + name if name else "Hello, World"
print(greet)  # Output: Hello, World

Explanation: If name is not an empty string, greet will include the name; otherwise, it defaults to "Hello, World".

Example 7: Assigning Default Value


user_input = None
value = user_input if user_input is not None else "Default Value"
print(value)  # Output: Default Value

Explanation: If user_input is None, value is set to "Default Value"; otherwise, it uses user_input.

Example 8: Checking Multiple Conditions


temperature = 25
weather = "Cold" if temperature < 15 else "Warm" if temperature < 30 else "Hot"
print(weather)  # Output: Warm

Explanation: This uses multiple conditions to determine if the weather is "Cold", "Warm", or "Hot".

Example 9: Calculating Discount


price = 150
discount = 20 if price > 100 else 10
final_price = price - discount
print(final_price)  # Output: 130

Explanation: If price is greater than 100, discount is 20; otherwise, it's 10.

Example 10: Boolean to String


is_raining = True
weather_status = "Raining" if is_raining else "Not Raining"
print(weather_status)  # Output: Raining

Explanation: If is_raining is True, weather_status is "Raining"; otherwise, it's "Not Raining".

The ternary operator is a compact and readable way to write simple conditional statements in Python. It's particularly useful for assigning values based on conditions without using multiple lines of code.

Python Ternary Operator