[GROOVY-1733] Let boolean operators (||, &&) evaluate to the value instead of the boolean equivalent

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Minor
• Resolution: Won't Fix
• Component/s: syntax
• Assignee: Guillaume Sauthier
• Reporter: Siegfried Puchbauer
• Created: 15/Feb/07 06:22
• Updated: 02/May/17 02:35
• Resolved: 03/Jan/10 02:17

Description

It would enable you to do some things a lot faster (eg. variable declaration) and would improve the current null-save navigation

examples:

def a = 0
def b = null
def c = "a string"
def d = ""

def val = a || c // c gets evalutated, because the boolean equivalent of a (0) is false

assert a || b == null
assert c || d == "a string"
assert d || a == 0
assert a || "another string" == "a string"
assert d || "another string" == "another string"

for null-save navigation:

def val = aMap?.aProperty?.aSubProperty || "a default Value"

or even for causal execution of code

myobject.aMethodThatReturnsNullWhenItFails() || myobject.anotherMethod() 
// myobject.anotherMethod gets only executed the result of the first call evalutes to false

The current notation would not be affected in a negative way

if(a || b){...} // would still work

you would still have the possibility to get the boolean value by using !!

eg.

assert (0 || 15) instanceof Integer
assert !!(0 || 15) instanceof Boolean

The only language I know, which supports this currently is JavaScript