Stacking ternary expressions

Question

I am trying to stack ternary expressions for this script but i keep getting unexpected ')'

Here is my script

$uri = 9;
$build_status = 20;

/**
Using Ifs
*/
if($uri == 20)
{
echo 'ci=>passing';
}
if($uri < 20 && $uri > 10 && $uri != $build_status)
{
echo "ci=>almost failing";
}
if($uri < 20 && $uri > 18 && $uri != $build_status)
{
echo "ci=>test your code!";
}
elseif($uri < 5)
{
echo "ci=>failed.";
}

/**
Stacking
*/
echo (($uri==20 ? 'ci=>passing') ? ($uri < 20 && $uri > 10 && $uri != $build_status) : 'ci=>almost failing') ;

Where am i going wrong?

`Where am i going wrong?` the very idea of replacing readable if blocks with one liners is wrong. — dev-null-dweller, Jun 23 '13 at 16:57
> Where am i going wrong? This: Never, ever, ever, ever stack ternary expressions. "Always code as if the guy who ends up maintaining your code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live." ([source](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/876089/who-wrote-this-programing-saying-always-code-as-if-the-guy-who-ends-up-maintai)). And there's a syntax error, too. — Denis de Bernardy, Jun 23 '13 at 16:57

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 23 '13 at 16:57

2

($uri==20 ? 'ci=>passing') is a syntax error. You need the : inside the parens.

+1 to the comment about stacking ternary expression. This is even more relevant to PHP because the parser is horribly broken with regard to nested ternary expressions.

answered Jun 23 '13 at 16:57

mzedeler

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There is an interesting read on how broken the ternary ``?``-operator is in PHP here: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13142538/strange-behaviour-ternary-operator – mzedeler Jun 23 '13 at 18:33

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 23 '13 at 17:11

echo ($uri==20 ? 'ci=>passing' : 
     ($uri < 20 && $uri > 10 && $uri != $build_status ? 'ci=>almost failing' :
     ($uri < 20 && $uri > 18 && $uri != $build_status ? 'ci=>test your code!' :
     ($uri < 5 ? 'ci=>failed.' : "[doesn't match previous conditions]"
))));

In majority of languages parentheses are optional but php requires them as ternary operator is left-associative http://www.phpsadness.com/sad/30

Stacking ternary expressions

2 Answers2

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