> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://university-west.gitbook.io/programming-paradigms/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://university-west.gitbook.io/programming-paradigms/programming-fundamentals/control-structures/selection-conditional/ternary.md).

# Ternary

#### Ternary Operator

The ternary operator or conditional operator, is a simplified method for performing a basic `if-else` statement in a single line of code. The syntax typically follows the pattern: `condition ? expression_if_true : expression_if_false`. This allows for more concise and readable code when you need to assign a value based on a condition.

**Python Example**

```python
# Using the ternary operator to assign a message based on age
age = 20
message = "Adult" if age >= 18 else "Minor"
print(message)
```

**C# Example**

```csharp
// Using the ternary operator to decide if a number is odd or even
int number = 5;
string result = (number % 2 == 0) ? "Even" : "Odd";
Console.WriteLine(result);
```


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