[javascript] How do you use the ? : (conditional) operator in JavaScript?

I want to add some to the given answers.

In case you encounter (or want to use) a ternary in a situation like 'display a variable if it's set, else...', you can make it even shorter, without a ternary.


Instead of:

var welcomeMessage  = 'Hello ' + (username ? username : 'guest');

You can use:

var welcomeMessage  = 'Hello ' + (username || 'guest');

This is Javascripts equivallent of PHP's shorthand ternary operator ?:

Or even:

var welcomeMessage  = 'Hello ' + (username || something || maybethis || 'guest');

It evaluates the variable, and if it's false or unset, it goes on to the next.