Smart English Output - via PHP and Perl ? : operator

It's smart to have your program say "there IS in stock" or "there ARE 2 in stock" ... but if you write your code using an "if" and "else" type structure it can become quite verbose.

The ? ... : operator - available in many languages including C, Perl and PHP - allows you to write a single "if,else" line in a much shorter form:

{condition} ? {value if true} : {value if false}

Here's an subtle example of this operator in use - an image from our pricing for a two day public course:

where you'll note "room" and "rooms". The code, where $ns is a variable containing the number of students:

 $rlet = ($ns==1) ? "":"s";

$pricing[$ns] .= "<b>With hotel room$rlet<b><br>";

(written 2007-05-18)

Associated topics are indexed under

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  [657] The ternary operator in Python - (2006-03-25)
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P204 - Perl - Conditionals and Loops
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  [1607] Learning to program in Perl - (2008-04-11)
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  [930] -> , >= and => in Perl - (2006-11-18)

P206 - Perl - More Loops and Conditionals
  [3398] Perl - making best use of the flexibility, but also using good coding standards - (2011-08-19)
  [2972] Some more advanced Perl examples from a recent course - (2010-09-27)
  [2967] Multiway branches in Perl - the given and when syntax - (2010-09-22)
  [2892] Alternative loops and conditionals in Ruby and Perl - (2010-07-28)
  [2824] A pint of Black Rat, and a lazy barman - (2010-06-25)
  [2817] Setting a safety net or fallback value in Perl - (2010-06-19)
  [2815] switch and case, or given and when in Perl - (2010-06-17)
  [299] What - no switch or case statement? - (2005-05-03)
  [138] Perl - redo and last without a loop - (2004-12-02)

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Regular Express Primer
Drawing hands on a clock face - PHP
Dangerous Dogs and Hotel Marketing
What are WEB-INF and META-INF directories?
Smart English Output - via PHP and Perl ? : operator
Save the Forum - A regular clean sweep
Meet, greet and welcome
What shape is your shake?
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This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

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