C# If-Else Short Hand

1. Using the Ternary Operator in C#
2. Using the Nested Ternary Operators in C#

The If-Else statements are used to execute conditional code blocks. We specify a condition in the if block. On meeting that condition, the if code block is executed.

Otherwise, the else code block is executed. This tutorial will look at the ternary operator ?:, the if-else shorthand in C#.

Using the Ternary Operator in C#

The ternary operator gets its name because it takes three arguments as input: the condition, the if code block, and the else code block.

All three are wrapped in a one-line shorthand, making code concise and clean. It helps achieve the same functionality as if-else in minimalist code.

using System;

class Program {
  public static void Main() {
    int exp1 = 5;
    double exp2 = 3.0;
    bool condition = 5 > 2;
    var ans = condition ? exp1 : exp2;
    Console.WriteLine(ans);
  }
}

Output:

5

In the above example, the ternary operator will first evaluate the given condition. If the specified condition is true, we move to exp1, separated by a ? condition. Otherwise, we move to exp2, separated from exp1 by a :.

The power of ternary operators doesn’t stop here as we know if-else statements can be nested. Ternary operators can also achieve the same with much lesser code.

Using the Nested Ternary Operators in C#

using System;

class Program {
  public static void Main() {
    int alcoholLevel = 90;
    string message = alcoholLevel >= 100
                         ? "You are too drunk to drive"
                         : (alcoholLevel >= 80 ? "Come on live a little" : "Sober :)");
    Console.WriteLine(message);
  }
}

Output:

Come on live a little

In the above example, we output multiple messages based on the alcohol level of a person using nested ternary operators, all packed in a single line of code.