Idiomatic Go: The Equivalent of C’s Ternary Operator

In C and many other programming languages, the ternary operator ( ? : ) provides a concise way to express conditional expressions. However, Go, with its focus on simplicity and readability, does not include a ternary operator. Instead, Go encourages the use of a clear and explicit if-else statement for conditional expressions. In this blog post, we’ll explore the idiomatic Go approach for achieving the same results as C’s ternary operator.

The C Ternary Operator

In C, the ternary operator has the following syntax:

C code:

result = (condition) ? value_if_true : value_if_false;

This line of code assigns value_if_true to result if condition is true, and value_if_false otherwise.

Idiomatic Go Approach

In Go, the equivalent of the ternary operator is typically expressed using a simple if-else statement. While it may be a few more lines of code, it enhances readability and clarity.

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    // Example values
    condition := true
    valueIfTrue := "It's true!"
    valueIfFalse := "It's false!"

    // Idiomatic Go: if-else statement
    var result string
    if condition {
        result = valueIfTrue
    } else {
        result = valueIfFalse
    }

    fmt.Println(result)
}

In this example, the if-else statement effectively replaces the ternary operator. The code is clear and easy to understand, aligning with Go’s design principles.

A Helper Function for Simplicity

To simplify the code, especially when dealing with simple types or expressions, you can create a helper function. This approach promotes code reusability and makes your code more concise.

package main

import "fmt"

// Ternary is a helper function to mimic the ternary operator
func Ternary(condition bool, valueIfTrue, valueIfFalse interface{}) interface{} {
    if condition {
        return valueIfTrue
    }
    return valueIfFalse
}

func main() {
    // Example values
    condition := true
    valueIfTrue := "It's true!"
    valueIfFalse := "It's false!"

    // Using the Ternary helper function
    result := Ternary(condition, valueIfTrue, valueIfFalse)

    fmt.Println(result)
}

Here, the Ternary function takes a condition and two values, and returns the appropriate value based on the condition. While this is more concise, it’s crucial to use this approach judiciously to maintain readability.

Conclusion

While Go doesn’t include a ternary operator like C, the language’s design principles emphasize simplicity and readability. Embracing the if-else statement or creating a helper function when necessary provides a clear and idiomatic approach to express conditional expressions in Go. By favoring readability over brevity, your Go code will be more maintainable and accessible to others.