Ternary operator

What is translated > Operators > Ternary operator

The inline-if (ternary) operator was introduced in Delphi 13.

It has the following form:

if <condition> then <expr1> else <expr2>

It evaluates <condition> and returns either <expr1> or <expr2>.

Translation to C++

The expression is translated directly to the C++ ternary operator:

<condition> ? <expr1> : <expr2>

Examples

Simple expression

X := if A > 0 then 1 else 2;

X = (A > 0) ? 1 : 2;

Nested expression

X := if A > 0 then (if B > 0 then 1 else 2) else 3;

X = (A > 0) ? ((B > 0) ? 1 : 2) : 3;

Inside a larger expression

S := 'X' + (if Flag then 'Y' else 'Z');

S = L"X" + (Flag ? L"Y" : L"Z");

Notes

The operator has low precedence

-> Parentheses may be added in C++ to preserve evaluation order.

Both branches must be type compatible

-> Explicit casts may be required in C++.

The operator is lazy (only one branch is evaluated)

-> This matches the behavior of the C++ ternary operator.

This page belongs to the Delphi2Cpp Documentation