Code formatting question: conditional expression

John Posner jjposner at optimum.net
Wed Aug 19 16:36:20 EDT 2009


Diez wrote:
> No. I love them. But not if they are so large that they stretch over several
> lines (or to many columns).
>
>  foo = bar if cond else baz
>
> is more than fine for me. But
>
>  foo = I_need_to_do_something_really_complicated_here() if cond else baz
>
> isn't, because one doesn't grasp as easily in one look that we're talking a
> ternary operator here.
>   

But the right side of my brain (see Peter Keller's discussion in the 
recent "importance of syntax" thread) finds it quite easy to recognize 
this as a ternary op:
 
  foo = (I_need_to_do_something_really_complicated_here()
        if cond else
        baz)

The whitespace below "foo" provides a visual hint, which is confirmed by 
the nearby appearance of "if" on the second line. De gustibus non est 
disputandum! (or not)

Many thanks to all responders!

-John




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