Embedding Conditional Logic within String Concatenation

In PHP, attempting to place an if statement directly within a string concatenation may result in an error. Instead of using if, consider employing the ternary conditional operator for string manipulation.

Ternary Conditional Operator

The ternary operator, often represented by ? :, provides a concise way to evaluate a condition and return a specific value depending on its truthiness. Its syntax is as follows:

(conditional expression) ? (output if true) : (output if false)

Implementation for String Manipulation

In the example provided, you can use the ternary operator to conditionally add a class to the div element based on the type value of the row:

while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($sql)) {
    $display = '
';
}

Nested Ternary Operator

For more complex scenarios, you can nest multiple ternary operators to evaluate multiple conditions sequentially:

$i = 0;
$j = 1;
$k = 2;
$result = 'Greater One is' . (
    $i > $j ? (
        $i > $k ? 'i' : 'k'
    ) : (
        $j > $k ? 'j' : 'k'
    )
) . '.';

By utilizing the ternary operator, you can effectively embed conditional logic within string concatenation without encountering syntax errors. This technique provides a flexible and elegant solution for dynamically generating HTML or other text-based content.