PHP Shorthand If ElseIf Else

Conditional statements are famous in PHP programming, even in other programming languages because these statements support decision-making arguments and scenarios.

However, using these conditional statements consumes a lot of programming lines.

Its methods also require proper declarations of functions and variables.

As a result, we can use PHP shorthands or ternary operators as alternatives for if elseif else conditional statements.

Therefore, to understand the PHP shorthands for if/elseif/else statements, these are the ternary operators that help users shorten their conditional arguments.

To further discuss the concept of PHP shorthand if elseif else, let us have the examples below:

Use if-else Shorthand in PHP

In this section, we will have an example program where we can apply the shorthand (ternary operator) instead of the if {} else {} statements.

Syntax:

condition ? trueExpression : falseExpression

So the purpose of this syntax is to create an alternative procedure or shorthand to the PHP if else statement that provides the same method.

To test this PHP shorthand method, we will apply it to an example program below and see if it will work as the if else statement does.

Example Program:

<?php
$sample = rand(0,20);
echo "Random number is: " . "$sample"."<br>";
echo ($sample>10)? "king":"queen";
?>

The example program tries to generate a number randomly, but with a condition.

The condition is that if the random number is greater than 10, its corresponding string is “king“.

But if the operator produces a number less than 10, its corresponding string is “queen“.

Output:

Random number is: 2
queen

The output of the program displays that the “Random number is: 2“.

Then, since the value of the number is less than 10, its corresponding string value is “queen“.

However, in this example, you have to take note that the output may vary or change as you rerun the program.

Additionally, as soon as the number changes, its string value may also change according to the “($sample>10)?” condition.

PHP Shorthand if elseif else

Next in line, we will have an example program, using the PHP shorthand for if elseif else conditional statement.

Let’s take a look at the syntax that we can apply instead of the if elseif else condition.

Syntax:

$condition ? $value_true : $value_false

Example Program:

<?php
$a = "date";
$b = "time";
$c = "c";
$d = "d";
$e = "e";
$f = "f";
$g = "g";
echo $a ? $b : ( $c ? $d : ( $e ? $f : $g ) );
?>

In this example program, it implements the ternary operator or the PHP shorthand instead of the if elseif else condition.

This means the ternary operator (?:) is repeatedly used within the parenthesis to express the if elseif else condition.

Output:

time

PHP Shorthand if else Using Ternary Operators

Now, let us have a PHP shorthand for the if else condition example program using the ternary operators.

Example Program:

<?php
$score = 9;
$age = 9;
echo 'Your score is:  '.($score > 10 ? ($age > 10 ? 'Average' : 'Exceptional') : ($age > 10 ? 'Horrible' : 'Average') );
?>

The example program takes two arguments which are the $score and the $age.

Then the condition also has a possible output depending on the value of the arguments.

The condition will return “Average” if the $score and the $age are less than 10. It will output “Exceptional” if the

$score is greater than 10 and the $age is equal to or less than 10.

Additionally, the program will output “Horrible” if the $score is less than 10 and the $age is greater than 10.

Output:

Your score is: Average

So since both $score and $age have the same value (9) which is less than 10, the output displays ‘Your score is: Average‘.

PHP if else Conditional Statement Syntax and Shorthand Code Example

This time, let us have an example program where we can differentiate the use of if-else conditional statements and PHP shorthand code examples.

Example Program:

<?php
	
$age = 15;
if($age>18)
	{
		echo "Your age is $age. You are now eligible to vote.";
	}
	else
	{
		echo "Your are still minor because your age is $age.";
	}
?>

Now, this example shows you the use of the if-else conditional statement in a program.

The program provides a decision-making scenario where it produces an output that specifies the possible decision according to the $age value input.

Output:

You are still minor because your age is 15.

So since we have 15 as the value of the variable $age, and the condition states that ($age>18), the output displays "You are still minor because your age is 15.".

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Conclusion

In conclusion, the PHP shortand if elseif else topic provides the necessary information you need to completely understand the method.

The discussion above also states that the shorthand for if eleseif else is an alternative for the PHP conditional statements.

Therefore, you can shorten your PHP conditional statement through the shorthand or ternary operators that you have learned.

Common use cases for PHP Shorthand If ElseIf Else

• Web application development. Full-stack PHP apps using vanilla PHP or Laravel/Symfony frameworks.
• WordPress plugin/theme development. Custom functionality for the world’s most popular CMS.
• API development. REST or GraphQL endpoints serving mobile apps and SPAs.
• CLI tools. Command-line scripts for cron jobs, data migration, or automation.
• Legacy code maintenance. PHP powers a large share of the web; understanding it is a durable skill.

Working code example

<?php
declare(strict_types=1);

class UserService {
    public function getGreeting(string $name): string {
        if ($name === "") {
            throw new InvalidArgumentException("Name is required");
        }
        return "Welcome, " . htmlspecialchars($name);
    }
}

$service = new UserService();
echo $service->getGreeting("Alice");
?>

Best practices

• Enable strict types. declare(strict_types=1) at the top of every file catches type coercion bugs.
• Use Composer. Modern PHP uses Composer for dependency management, autoloading, and PSR-4 class naming.
• Follow PSR standards. PSR-12 for coding style, PSR-4 for autoloading, PSR-3 for logging.
• Write unit tests with PHPUnit. Aim for 70%+ code coverage on business-critical modules.
• Use static analysis. PHPStan or Psalm catch many bugs before code runs.

Common pitfalls

• Global state. Overusing global variables makes testing hard. Prefer dependency injection.
• SQL concatenation. Always use prepared statements. Never concatenate user input into SQL strings.
• Missing type declarations. Old PHP allowed loose types. Modern PHP encourages strict typing everywhere.
• Ignoring errors. Set error_reporting(E_ALL) in development. Handle errors explicitly in production.

Mary Grace G. Patulada

Programmer & Technical Writer at PIES IT Solution

Mary Grace G. Patulada (pen name ‘Nym’) is a programmer and writer at PIES IT Solution with a BSIT background from Carlos Hilado Memorial State College, Binalbagan Campus. Authored 370+ UML diagram tutorials and capstone documentation guides at itsourcecode.com. Specializes in UML (class, use case, activity, sequence, component, deployment), DFD, and ER diagrams for BSIT capstone projects.

Expertise: UML Diagrams · DFD · ER Diagrams · Use Case Diagrams · Activity Diagrams · Capstone Documentation · PHP
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