Ternary operator in Ruby

Introduction

The ternary operator helps you choose between two values quickly in one line, making your code shorter and easier to read.

When you want to assign a value based on a simple condition.

When you need a quick if-else decision inside another expression.

When you want to return one of two values without writing a full if-else block.

Syntax

Ruby

condition ? value_if_true : value_if_false

The condition is checked first; if true, the first value is used.

If the condition is false, the second value is used.

Examples

Returns "Adult" if age is 18 or more, otherwise "Child".

Ruby

age >= 18 ? "Adult" : "Child"

Returns "Pass" if score is greater than 50, else "Fail".

Ruby

score > 50 ? "Pass" : "Fail"

Suggests taking an umbrella if it is raining.

Ruby

is_raining ? "Take umbrella" : "No umbrella needed"

Sample Program

This program asks for your age and uses the ternary operator to print if you are an adult or a child.

Ruby

puts "Enter your age:"
age = gets.to_i
result = age >= 18 ? "You are an adult." : "You are a child."
puts result

Important Notes

Use ternary operator only for simple conditions to keep code readable.

Avoid complex expressions inside ternary operators to prevent confusion.

Summary

The ternary operator is a short way to write if-else in one line.

It uses the syntax: condition ? value_if_true : value_if_false.

It is great for simple decisions and makes code cleaner.