Handy conditional If code to handle "day" and "days". Needs a slight tweak.

[hamster]

Hi there,

quick question if anyone knows this offhand - im trying to use the shorthand conditional if statement within a print statement to handle "days" or "day" depending if remainingDays > 1.
Line 1 is the working code.
Line 2 is the change im trying to put in (+ (remainingDays > 1) ? " days." : " day.") - the compiler thinks im trying to convert a string.
Line 3 and 4 is the workaround but is spread across 2 lines but it is possible to use something like line 2.

1. System.out.println(minutes + " minutes is  " + years + " years and " + remainingDays + " days.");
2. System.out.println(minutes + " minutes is  " + years + " years and " + (remainingDays > 1) ? " days." : " day.");
    
3. System.out.print(remainingDays);
4. System.out.println((remainingDays > 1) ? " days." : " day.");

Thanks,
Hamster.

[hamster]

Ah spotted it.

System.out.println(minutes + " minutes is approximately " + years + ((years == 1) ? " year and " : " years and ")
+ remainingDays + ((remainingDays == 1) ? " day." : " days."));

I wasn't covering the entire condition with brackets.

[pbrockway2]

The following will wrok:

System.out.println(
        minutes + " minutes is  " + years + " years and " 
        + remainingDays + ((remainingDays > 1) ? " days." : " day."));

(Notice how remainingDays is concatenated as well as the conditional day/days string. And how parentheses are used so that the last part is unambiguously a String.)

But I wouldn't consider it the most readable of code. The one line form - as in your original line 2 - won't survive the CSS transforms of this web site for instance! And breaking the statement over multiple lines doesn't completely restore clarity.

Consider accepting using multiple statements and/or using printf(). (ChoiceFormat might be overkill in your circumstances - but you should be aware of using externalised resource bundles for strings, and internationalisation.. The aim should be something easily readable and correct ("0 day"?). The code I supplied fails, I'm afraid.

-----

[Edit] too slow! :( That's what comes from looking up what ChoiceFormat buys you...

[pbrockway2]

Moved to "New to Java".

@OP: I don't know how you managed to start this thread in the other forum, but its a completely out of the way place that no-one visits, so I've moved it here.

[hamster]

I was trying to put it into a more specific sub forum but i guess most of my queries would be suitable in "New Java". Thanks for the feedback on the code!

Regards,
Hamster

[pbrockway2]

No problem. The whole "Learn Java" forum collection is labelled "Attention: Only forum staff can post to these forums!", but that isn't enforced consistently by the forum software and the forums involved are basically unused.