is it possible to write a whole method that returns a value in ternary operator?

Question

Is it possible to do this kind of code in the ternary operator in javascript? If yes, I think I'm doing it wrong, when I tried the code below I wrote it just return the whole function(){} method

let products = [
  {
    price: 2.6,
    quantity: 5,
  },
  {
    price: 5.9,
    quantity: 5,
  },
  {
    price: 2.3,
    quantity: 5,
  },
  {
    price: 4.9,
    quantity: 5,
  }
];

let sumtotal = products.length > 1 ? function(){
  let total = 0;
  for(const { price, quantity } of products) {
    total += (price * quantity);
  }
  return parseFloat(total).toFixed(2);
} : function() {
  let total = (products[0].price * products.quantity);
  return parseFloat (total).toFixed(2);
};

console.log(sumtotal);

I was hoping that this would return an actual value like the output would be an Integer or float.

Your ternary branches evaluate function expressions, so you assign a function to `sumtotal`. Yes, this works. Is this not what you want? — Bergi, Mar 07 '22 at 19:39
Can you show where `products` is defined and how `sumtotal` is used? — Bergi, Mar 07 '22 at 19:44
@Bergi Oh I see what I did there, I assigned a function to it, I was trying to make the `sumtotal` return an integer or float, the calculated price, when I tried to check it on the console.log(sumtotal) it literally return the function not the value. — , Mar 07 '22 at 19:46
You can use [an IIFE](https://stackoverflow.com/q/8228281/1048572) for this — Bergi, Mar 07 '22 at 19:48

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 07 '22 at 19:47

"I was hoping that this would return an actual value like the output would be an Integer or float."

You can wrap your function definition in parenthesis and call it with () immediately after. An IIFE. You already have return so you are good on that part.

WITH CHANGES:

  let sumtotal = products.length > 1 ? (function(){
    let total = 0;
    for(const { price, quantity } of products) {
      total += (price * quantity);
    }
    return parseFloat(total).toFixed(2);
  })() : (function() {
    let total = (products[0].price * products.quantity);
    return parseFloat (total).toFixed(2);
  })();

With the IIFEs in place, the functions will run where they are. I haven't checked any other parts of your code, so this solution is just for the "return an actual value like the output would be an Integer or float" part.

Great, it works! r/todayilearned/ hahaha, thanks! – Mar 07 '22 at 19:55 — , Mar 07 '22 at 19:55

is it possible to write a whole method that returns a value in ternary operator?

1 Answers1