Question

I get a syntax error with

false ? {var x = 1;} : {var x = 2;} 

But when just use expressions for the last two operands, I don’t run into any problems.

Do I have to resort to conditionals?

Answer 1

To explicitly answer the question, no, the 2nd and 3rd operands must be expressions, and cannot be statements. Here’s the MDN docs: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Special/Conditional_Operator

Note the syntax: condition ? expr1 : expr2

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Edit: just an interesting side-note is that since function calls are expressions and you can pass contexts around, you can kind of accomplish what you were trying to do. It’s horrible. Don’t do it. But you can…

console.log(typeof x); // undefined
false ? (function() { this.x = 1; }).call(this) : (function() { this.x = 2; }).call(this);
console.log(typeof x); // number