PHP Ternary Operator

Basic Ternary Operator

condition ? valueIfTrue : valueIfFalse packs a simple two-way choice into a single expression, replacing a 4-line if/else block that only assigns one variable.

It reads best when the condition and both outcomes are short and clear — for anything more involved, a real if/else stays more readable.

Example: Basic Ternary Operator

<?php
// Declare `$age`, set to `20`
$age = 20;
// Declare `$status`, set to `$age >= 18 ? "adult" : "minor"`
$status = $age >= 18 ? "adult" : "minor";
// Print `$status` to the output
echo $status;
?>

Short Ternary Operator

$value ?: $fallback — the short ternary, sometimes called the Elvis operator for how it looks — returns $value itself if it's truthy, or $fallback otherwise. It's shorthand for $value ? $value : $fallback without repeating $value twice.

Example: Short Ternary Operator

<?php
// Declare `$value`, set to ""
$value = "";
// Declare `$result`, set to `$value ?: "fallback"`
$result = $value ?: "fallback";
// Print `$result` to the output
echo $result;
?>

Null Coalescing Operator

$value ?? $fallback, the null coalescing operator, returns $value unless it's null or entirely undefined, in which case it returns $fallback.

Unlike the short ternary above, it checks specifically for null/undefined rather than any falsy value, so 0 or '' pass through untouched instead of triggering the fallback.

Example: Null Coalescing Operator

<?php
// Declare `$value`, set to `0`
$value = 0;
// Print `$value ?? "fallback"` to the output
echo $value ?? "fallback";
?>

Direct Output with Ternary

Because the ternary operator is itself an expression with a value, you can drop it directly inside an echo call — echo $loggedIn ? 'Welcome back' : 'Please log in'; — without needing a separate variable to hold the chosen string first.

Example: Direct Output with Ternary

<?php
// Declare `$loggedIn`, set to `true`
$loggedIn = true;
// Print `$loggedIn ? 'Welcome back' : 'Please log in'` to the output
echo $loggedIn ? 'Welcome back' : 'Please log in';
?>

Nested Ternary Operators

Nesting one ternary inside another lets you express a short chain of choices in a single line, but readability drops fast past two levels.

Past that point, a match expression or a plain if/elseif chain almost always communicates the same logic more clearly.

Example: Nested Ternary Operators

<?php
// Declare `$score`, set to `75`
$score = 75;
// Declare `$grade`, set to `$score >= 90 ? "A" : ($score >= 70 ? "B" : "C")`
$grade = $score >= 90 ? "A" : ($score >= 70 ? "B" : "C");
// Print `$grade` to the output
echo $grade;
?>