Making shorthand from multiple IF / ELSE

JavaScript
1

I’m trying to make the following work in shorthand but I’m having some problems and I think it’s something to do with the way I’m clarifying the condition…

Original:

(class == \\'test1\\') ? file.href= dir+\\'test1.txt\\' : (class == \\'test2\\') ? test2.href= dir+\\'test2.txt\\' : file.href= dir+\\'test3.txt\\';

My attempt at shorthand:

class == (\\'test1\\') ? file.href= dir+\\'test1.txt\\' : (\\'test2\\') ? file.href= dir+\\'test2.txt\\' : file.href= dir+\\'test3.txt\\';

What am I doing wrong?

2

I see several inconsistancies between the “original” and “your attempt”.

Does the “original” work as it is?

Does (\‘string\’) return either boolean true or false?

3

Hi Mittineague, and yes, it does work with the original. When I look at the “attempt” I keep thinking to myself that I’m doing something wrong with the comparison as most IF shorthand statements that I’ve found on the internet seem to be assignment clauses. I know it shouldn’t matter, but I can’t help to think that.

4

If you try

var class = 'not_test_1';
var orig = (class == \\'test_1\\');
var attempt = class == (\\'test_1\\');
alert(orig);
alert(attempt);

Do they both alert FALSE?

5

Note that class is a reserved word in ECMAScript and that it would be a really, really bad idea to use it as a variable name.

6

Thanks for the heads-up on that Tommy. I didn’t realize that. But yes, Mittineague, they both throw up “false” when the page loads.

7

Another area where there’s differences is

: (class == \\'test2\\') ? test2.href= dir+\\'test2.txt\\' :
: (\\'test2\\') ? file.href= dir+\\'test2.txt\\' :

Does

var class = 'not_test2';
var orig = (class == \\'test2\\');
var attempt = (\\'test2\\');
alert(orig);
alert(attempt);

Do both alerts still show boolean TRUE or FALSE ??

And is there a difference between using test2.href and file.href ??

8

Mittineague - First one shows “false” and the other shows “test2.” :slight_smile:

And for the difference, yes, there will be. In the example I provide, there isn’t, but in the actual website, the 2 different files each have their own different contents.

9

I’m guessing that the problem is the “test2”. AFAIK ternary conditionals need to return either boolean TRUE or FALSE, not a string. So if you change it to something like

: class == (\\'test2\\') ? file.href= dir+\\'test2.txt\\' :

that should fix things up, other than not using a reserved word for the variable name issue.

And I’m not sure that those escapes and parentheses are needed, but I guess that depends on what context you’re using this in.