On compiling given program in GCC Compiler :
int main()
{
int a=2,b=3;
(a>1)?b=10:b=50;
printf("%d",b);
return 0;
}
it is showing error that "lvalue required as left operand"
but if i write 4th line as
(a>1)?b=10:(b=50);
Then its showing no compilation error . Can any one explain me why ?
And also how does it differ from if...else... ?
As mentioned in the comments, you have an issue with operator precedence. Your code is interpreted as follows:
((a > 1) ? b = 10 : b) = 50;
The above code is invalid for the same reason that writing (b = 10) = 50 is invalid.
The code can be more clearly written as:
b = a > 1 ? 10 : 50;
And also how does it differ from if...else... ?
The conditional operator works only with expressions as operands. An if statement can contain statements in the body.
A conditional operator can always be replaced by an equivalent if statement. But the reverse is not true - there are if statements that cannot be replaced with an equivalent conditional operator expression.
The issue you encounter is operator precedence. The = operator has lower precedence than the ?: operator.
I think your code should be:
int main()
{
int a=2,b=3;
b=(a>1)?10:50;
printf("%d",b);
return 0;
}
Cheers.
