Bug #12735: Shorthand for X ? X : Y

From: david@php.net Operating system: PHP version: 4.0.6 PHP Bug Type: Feature/Change Request Bug description: Shorthand for X ? X : Y Providing default values for fields, I find myself using the following syntax a lot: $a = $result->f('asd'); if (!$a) $a = 'nothing'; $a = ($result->f('asd') ? $result->f('asd') : 'nothing'); Generally: $a = ($x ? $x : $y); It would be handy to have a shorthand for this that would easy typing, legibility, and avoid duplicate evaluation of $x. Proposed syntax (not fussy) $x ?: $y i.e. if 'value if true' is empty, use 'condition value'. -- Edit bug report at: http://bugs.php.net/?id=12735&edit=1