Whatever the fuck Python's ternary operator syntax is supposed to be.

For the uninitiated, ternary syntax in literally any other language is:

condition ? true_result : false_result

In Python it's:

true_result if condition else false_result

Like goddamn, I get that it's closer to how we'd make such a statement in natural language but from a programming point of view it's awful, if only for the fact that the condition is sandwiched inbetween the results.

Agreed, I like Python in general but this is just awful.

Oh god.

If there wasn't so strict whitespace rules you could simply:

if condition: true_result else: false_result

Honestly I think if the rest of the industry did it this way, it would be better. The ternary operator is infamously unreadable. But the Python operator is:

- Based on math
- Reads like English

I actually love it. But it's different from every other goddamn language so I always need to Google it

I do agree that the order is weird. Though it's somewhat better than the default order

it's more like a one liner if-else statement

Suppose you are using in assignment:

variable = 1 if condition else 2

instead of:

variable = condition ? 1 : 2

I mean, you can clearly see which one is better 🤷🏻‍♂️

@michezio yeah, looks much better because you see the main value first and then the fallback one (well, assuming the common use case for a ternary as a failsafe assignment)

@AlgoRythm
I respect your opinion, but I think you're wrong.

Is the Python one based on English? Yes
Is the "normal" ternary operator difficult to read? Yes
Can I handle the change, or will my head explode? Change would kill me.

That's the only argument I have against what you wrote

Meanwhile in Clojure “if” is just

(if condition true false)

I think it may be because of the usage in comphrehensions:

list = [x if x%2 == 0 else 10 for x in range(20)]

print(list)

yup

@Demolishun yeah,seems like some sort of consistency here

How is it hard to comprehend simple logic? I don’t see anything wrong with it.

>> True if True else False
True

>> False if not False else True
False

@amoux because it's more common that the condition is presented before the expression that is run. You might first read it as if true_result is always run because there's no condition before it.

As a person just learning Python I like it. I prefer a language that tries to be more like the spoken word. For me Python seems to be easier to retain as well. I've been through tutorials for C# and JS and I didn't like them near as much. But if I was proficient in another language first I'd probably feel the same way you do.