# IFELSE() and IFELSE\$()

> [HTML Version](ifelseandifelse$().htm)

_Added October 2016_

**IFELSE(cond, expr1, expr2)**

**IFELSE\$(cond, expr1, expr2)**

These functions allow IF/THEN/ELSE logic to be embedded within a larger statement, eliminating the need for a temporary variable or additional/duplicated statements to deal with an either/or bifurcation.

Each takes a conditional expression (_cond_) and two value expressions (_expr1_ and _expr2_). If the conditional expression evaluates to true, then the function returns the value of _expr1_, else it returns the value of _expr2_. IFELSE() returns a numeric value and IFELSE\$() returns a string value.

Note that although _cond_ is normally provided in the form of a relational (boolean) expression evaluating to true (-1) or false (0), the compiler is more lenient, allowing a string expression, variable or literal value—even though ill-advised.  See _History_ below and [Logical vs. Arithmetic Operators](logicalvsarithoperators.htm.md) for details.

**Examples**

Consider the case where you want to print a value with one of two masks depending on whether the value is less than 1. You might code it like this:

if VALUE >= 1 then

    PRINT VALUE USING "#####"

else

    PRINT VALUE USING "#.###"

endif



With the IFELSE\$() function, you can eliminate the IF statement and reduce the two PRINT statements to one:

PRINT VALUE USING IFELSE\$(VALUE>=1,"#####","#.###")

Or, in the case of larger statements where you are more likely to introduce temporary variables than to repeat variations of the statement, IFELSE() can eliminate the need for a temporary variable, e.g.

if flag'disable then

    CSTATE = MBST\_DISABLE

else

    CSTATE = MBST\_ENABLE

endif

xcall AUI, AUI\_CONTROL, CTLOP\_ADD, CTLID\$, CTEXT\$, CSTATE, CTYPE\$, CMD\$, FUNC\$, ...



The above can be reduced to a single statement using IFELSE:

xcall AUI, AUI\_CONTROL, CTLOP\_ADD, CTLID\$, CTEXT\$, ifelse(flag'disable,MBST\_DISABLE,MBST\_ENABLE), CTYPE\$, CMD\$, FUNC\$, ...

**See Also**

•	[IFE()](ife()andife$().htm.md) and [IFE\$()](ife()andife$().htm.md)

**History**

2026 May, A-Shell 7.0.1786.2, compiler edit 1083:  String _cond_ expressions are now explicitly converted to numeric values using the VAL() function. Previously, the interpretation of such a string expression as a boolean was ambiguous, depending on the prior state of the numeric expression stack. 

2016 September, A-Shell 6.3.1526, compiler edit 773:  Function added to A-Shell.