Javascript – can we use the if shorthand without the else option?

DanielFebruary 15, 2023

A quick one today. Is there a way to use the if shorthand in Javascript, also called the ternary operator, without having the else part?

So, instead of writing something like this:

condition ? trueFunction() : falseFunction()

Just to be able to eliminate the else option.

// ⛔️ we can't do this in Javascript
condition ? trueFunction()

Well, it turns out that we can't directly eliminate the else clause in the ternary operator of Javascript. We can try to fake it just adding a null value for the else option:

// 👍 this works
condition ? trueFunction() : null

Or the other alternative is to use the `&&` operator:

// 👍 this also works
condition && trueFunction()

By the way, even if they look the same, the Javascript ternary operator is not the same as the Elvis operator.