nested conditional operator

The nested conditional operator in C++ is a way to write a conditional expression with multiple conditions and outcomes. It allows you to write a compact if-else statement in a single line of code.

Here is the syntax of the nested conditional operator:

condition ? expression1 : expression2

The condition is evaluated first. If it is true, then expression1 is evaluated and becomes the value of the entire conditional expression. If the condition is false, then expression2 is evaluated and becomes the value of the entire conditional expression.

The nested conditional operator can be used to replace simple if-else statements. It is especially useful when you have a simple condition and two possible outcomes.

Let's take an example to understand how the nested conditional operator works:

int x = 10;
int y = 20;
int max = (x > y) ? x : y;

In this example, we have two variables x and y, and we want to find the maximum of the two. The nested conditional operator (x > y) ? x : y is used to assign the maximum value to the variable max.

Here are the steps to understand the execution of the nested conditional operator:

  1. The condition (x > y) is evaluated. In this case, x is not greater than y, so the condition is false.
  2. Since the condition is false, the expression y is evaluated and becomes the value of the entire conditional expression.
  3. The value of y (which is 20) is assigned to the variable max.

In the end, the variable max will have the value 20, which is the maximum of x and y.

The nested conditional operator can be nested further to handle more complex conditions and multiple outcomes. It is a powerful tool for writing concise and readable code in C++.