Question: > 
> **Possible Duplicate:**  
> 
> [Is the ternary operator evil?](https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/28314/is-the-ternary-operator-evil) 
> 
> 
> 

Does using shorthand if else statments hurt readability?

Compare:

```
string name = street != null ? street.Owner : "Not known";

```

With:

```
string name;

if(street != null)
{
    name =  street.Owner;
}
else
{
    name = "Not known";
}

```

I have become familiar enough with the shorthand that its just as readable for short statements as the long version. Is that true for most developers or should I favor the more verbose version

Answer: 
It took me about five minutes to get used to the short form (a "ternary operator"). 

The ternary operator is much better for this particular example, because it's just a validation transformation, if you will. As part of a validation process, there can be many of these, and using ordinary if/thens can quickly become unwieldy.
I often hear form programmers coming from other languages than it hurts readability. But once they got used to it, it becomes natural. For programmers of other languages (e.g. Delphi) it may not translate to anything they already know, so they think it's difficult.

When you know the language, I think it actually improves readability (unless you chain this shorthand multiple times or use really complex conditions).