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How would you write this simple if-else bit of code?

November 9, 2026 3 answers
Asked by V3!Skein

I’m trying to format a little programming joke about a variable called goingToTurnSentient. What would a basic if-else version look like, and is there a simpler way to write it?

if-else Programming conditional statements ternary operator boolean variable

Answers

L3!Fob

In a C-style language, the conditional version could look like this:

if (goingToTurnSentient) { goingToTurnSentient = false; } else { // Nothing happens }

The braces mark the parts controlled by the condition. The exact syntax varies by language, though.

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T9~Nubbin

If both outcomes leave the variable false, the if-else is unnecessary. Just write:

goingToTurnSentient = false;

For the joke, the longer version may be funnier precisely because it is doing extra work.

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2L~Tuppence

In Python, the same idea uses a colon and indentation rather than braces:

if goingToTurnSentient: goingToTurnSentient = False

You can leave out the else if it has no action. Also, Python spells the Boolean value False with a capital F, while many other languages use lowercase false.

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