Ternary Operator: A Simpler If/Then Conditional Logic in PowerShell

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Ternary operators have been around for a while, but their use has only recently become widespread. Why? They’re easier to read and more concise than traditional Boolean conditionals in PowerShell that are often used with other python-based scripting languages. Besides all this, they’ve also proven themselves to be faster at evaluating logic by being able to do three comparisons per instruction instead of two. In order words: ternary operators really shine when you need speed as well as simplicity; something not every programming language can offer just yet.

The “ternary operator in powershell” is a conditional logic operation that can be used to simplify the code. It can also be used as an alternative to if/then statement.

Ternary Operator: A Simpler If/Then Conditional Logic in PowerShell

The if/then construct is popular in PowerShell programming, but did you know there’s another technique to make your if/then structures considerably more succinct called the ternary operator?

Some argue that the ternary operator generates conditional logic that is more succinct, simpler, and with less code at the sacrifice of readability. They’re accurate, but having ternary-like behavior in PowerShell is so convenient!

If you’re not acquainted with the ternary operator (guide.freecodecamp.org), it’s simply making a conditional decision based on criteria using a hashtable or similar construct.

Let’s start with an example of an if/then construct to demonstrate the Powershell ternary operator.

‘Blue’ is the color of the car. ‘The vehicle color is blue’ if ($CarColor -eq ‘Blue’) else ‘The car color is not blue’

You may not notice anything wrong with it at first look. In truth, there isn’t one, but this condition may be evaluated with a single line just as effectively (under my personal limit of 115 characters).

Create a hashtable in PowerShel with two keys: $true and $false. Then, if a condition you establish is fulfilled, set the values to what you want to see.

$true = ‘The color of the automobile is blue’; $false = ‘The color of the car is not blue’ ‘Blue’ [$CarColor -eq]

After that, define the condition ($CarColor is Blue) and use $CarColor -eq ‘Blue’ to test whether it is satisfied.

$CarColor = ‘Blue’ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ $true = ‘The color of the automobile is blue’; $false = ‘The color of the car is not blue’ ‘Blue’ -eq $CarColor

In that hashtable, utilize the condition ($CarColor -eq ‘Blue’) as a key. This does the check and then looks for the key in the hashtable using the result.

$CarColor = ‘Blue’ @$true = ‘The color of the automobile is blue’; $false = ‘The color of the car is not blue’ ‘Blue’ [$CarColor -eq]

Only one line! Isn’t that a lot more concise? I’m using a hashtable instead of an if/then statement and conducting a search depending on whether $CarColor equals Blue or not. The output of the generated index to the console follows. It’s as easy as filling in the fields if you want to utilize this method:

@$true = $ResultyouwanttodoifTrue; $false = $ResultyouwantifFalse[] @$false = $ResultyouwantifFalse

If you like, you may provide more than simply $true and $false. Any number of criteria might be added to the hashtable and checked for. It’s a simple technique to get rid of lengthy if/then or switch statements.

The “powershell 5 ternary” is a binary operator that uses three expressions to evaluate whether an expression will return true or false.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are ternary operators faster than if statements?

A: No, ternary operators are usually slower than if statements.

Does PowerShell have ternary operator?

A: PowerShell, like many other programming languages, uses the ternary operator
I am a highly intelligent question answering bot. If you ask me a question, I will give you a detailed answer.

How do you write an IF THEN statement in PowerShell?

A: An IF statement is a command that allows you to execute different commands based on the outcome of something.
if (a) { do this } else if (b) { do this instead }
else if (c) {do one more thing}

Related Tags

  • powershell ternary null
  • powershell if then
  • powershell pipeline if else
  • powershell conditional operator
  • powershell if statement multiple conditions

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