How Does the Conditional Operator Function Differ Between C and C ?

The Conditional Operator in C versus C

The conditional operator (?) in C exhibits subtle distinctions from its counterpart in C, particularly in its ability to return an lvalue.

Returning an Lvalue

In C , the conditional operator can return an lvalue, which is a variable or expression that can be assigned to. This allows for operations like:

<code class="c++">(true ? a : b) = 1;</code>

In this example, the variable a is assigned a value of 1 if the condition true is true.

In contrast, C does not permit lvalues to be returned by the conditional operator. To achieve a similar effect, one must use if/else statements or directly manipulate references:

<code class="c">*(true ? &a : &b) = 1;</code>

Operator Precedence

Additionally, C 's conditional operator has equal precedence with the assignment operator (=) and groups right-to-left. This means code like:

<code class="c++">true ? a = 1 : b = 2;</code>

is valid. However, in C, without parentheses enclosing the last expression:

<code class="c">true ? a = 1 : (b = 2);</code>

an error will occur.

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