How is this statement including an if statement evaluated?

Question

Suppose that I have the following Python Code:

def fun5(a, b, c):
    return a <= b if b <= c else False
fun5(2, 4, 6)

The output of fun5 is True. How is this code being evaluated by Python?

I was expecting a SyntaxError because of the lack of indentations and Python requires indentation.

Indeed, it isn't a statement, it is an expression! – juanpa.arrivillaga Nov 05 '17 at 09:57 — juanpa.arrivillaga, Nov 05 '17 at 09:57

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 05 '17 at 09:56

1

What you're looking at is called a conditional expression/ternary operator, and it is perfectly valid syntax.

It's equivalent to:

if b <= c:
    return a<=b
else:
    return False

answered Nov 05 '17 at 09:56

TerryA

1 Answers1