Let's compare a ternary operator with a longer if.else statement: The ternary operator is basically a shortcut for a traditional if.else statement. Then we add a colon ( :) followed by a value to return if the condition is false.

Starting with ?, we add a condition on the left side and a value on the right side to return when the condition is true. The ? operator is also called the ternary operator because, unlike other operators such as strict equal ( =) or remainder ( %), it's the only one that takes three operands. The term ternary means composed of three items or parts. We'll look at each of these in detail, starting with the most common way you'll see the ? operator being used – as a ternary operator. Three Main Uses for the Question Mark ( ?) in JavaScript: There are three main uses for the ? operator, two of which you might not used or even heard of. The ? operator is used in conditional statements, and when paired with a :, can function as a compact alternative to if.else statements.īut there is more to it than meets the eye. If the value of day is not 1, 2, or 3, the code inside the default statement will be executed, and the output will be 'Unknown day'.The conditional or question mark operator, represented by a ?, is one of the most powerful features in JavaScript. In this example, the variable day is set to 3, so the block of code inside the case 3 statement is executed, and the output will be 'Wednesday'. The switch statement is used to execute different blocks of code based on different conditions. In this example, the condition x > 10 is false, so the block of code inside the else statement is executed, and the output will be 'x is less than or equal to 10'. Here’s an example: let x = 5 Ĭonsole.log('x is less than or equal to 10') The if.else statement is used to execute a block of code if a condition is true, and another block of code if the condition is false.

There are two types of conditional statements in JavaScript: the if.else statement and the switch statement. Conditional statements in JavaScript allow you to execute a specific block of code only if a certain condition is true.

Javascript conditional