[expr.cond]

# 7 Expressions [[expr]](./#expr)

## 7.6 Compound expressions [[expr.compound]](expr.compound#expr.cond)

### 7.6.16 Conditional operator [expr.cond]

[conditional-expression:](#nt:conditional-expression "7.6.16 Conditional operator [expr.cond]")  
[*logical-or-expression*](expr.log.or#nt:logical-or-expression "7.6.15 Logical OR operator [expr.log.or]")  
[*logical-or-expression*](expr.log.or#nt:logical-or-expression "7.6.15 Logical OR operator [expr.log.or]") ? [*expression*](expr.comma#nt:expression "7.6.20 Comma operator [expr.comma]") : [*assignment-expression*](expr.assign#nt:assignment-expression "7.6.19 Assignment and compound assignment operators [expr.assign]")

[1](#1)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/expressions.tex#L7798)

Conditional expressions group right-to-left[.](#1.sentence-1)

The first expression is
contextually converted to bool ([[conv]](conv "7.3 Standard conversions"))[.](#1.sentence-2)

It is
evaluated and if it is true, the result of the conditional
expression is the value of the second expression, otherwise that of the
third expression[.](#1.sentence-3)

Only one of the second and third expressions is
evaluated[.](#1.sentence-4)

The first expression is sequenced before
the second or third expression ([[intro.execution]](intro.execution "6.10.1 Sequential execution"))[.](#1.sentence-5)

[2](#2)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/expressions.tex#L7809)

If either the second or the third operand has type void,
one of the following shall hold:

- [(2.1)](#2.1)

  The second or the third operand (but not both) is a (possibly
parenthesized) [*throw-expression*](expr.throw#nt:throw-expression "7.6.18 Throwing an exception [expr.throw]") ([[expr.throw]](expr.throw "7.6.18 Throwing an exception")); the result
is of the type and value category of the other[.](#2.1.sentence-1)
  The [*conditional-expression*](#nt:conditional-expression "7.6.16 Conditional operator [expr.cond]") is a bit-field if that operand is a bit-field[.](#2.1.sentence-2)

- [(2.2)](#2.2)

  Both the second and the third operands have type void; the
result is of type void and is a prvalue[.](#2.2.sentence-1)
  [*Note [1](#note-1)*:
  This
includes the case where both operands are [*throw-expression*](expr.throw#nt:throw-expression "7.6.18 Throwing an exception [expr.throw]")*s*[.](#2.2.sentence-2)
 â *end note*]

[3](#3)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/expressions.tex#L7829)

Otherwise, if the second and third operand are glvalue bit-fields
of the same value category and
of types *cv1* T and *cv2* T, respectively,
the operands are considered to be of type cv T for the remainder of this subclause,
where cv is the union of *cv1* and *cv2*[.](#3.sentence-1)

[4](#4)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/expressions.tex#L7837)

Otherwise, if the second and third operand have different types and
either has (possibly cv-qualified) class type, or if both
are glvalues of the same value category and the same type except for
cv-qualification, an attempt is made to
form an [implicit conversion sequence](over.best.ics "12.2.4.2 Implicit conversion sequences [over.best.ics]") from
each of those operands to the type of the other[.](#4.sentence-1)

[*Note [2](#note-2)*:

Properties such as access, whether an operand is a bit-field, or whether
a conversion function is deleted are ignored for that determination[.](#4.sentence-2)

â *end note*]

Attempts are made to form an implicit conversion sequence
from an operand expression E1 of type T1 to a target type related to the type T2 of the operand expression E2 as follows:

- [(4.1)](#4.1)

  If E2 is an lvalue, the target type is
âlvalue reference to T2â,
but an implicit conversion sequence can only be formed
if the reference would bind directly ([[dcl.init.ref]](dcl.init.ref "9.5.4 References"))
to a glvalue[.](#4.1.sentence-1)

- [(4.2)](#4.2)

  If E2 is an xvalue, the target type is
ârvalue reference to T2â,
but an implicit conversion sequence can only be formed
if the reference would bind directly[.](#4.2.sentence-1)

- [(4.3)](#4.3)

  If E2 is a prvalue or if neither of the conversion sequences above can be
formed and at least one of the operands has (possibly cv-qualified) class type:
  * [(4.3.1)](#4.3.1)

if T1 and T2 are the same class type
(ignoring cv-qualification):
    +
          [(4.3.1.1)](#4.3.1.1)
if T2 is at least as cv-qualified as T1,
 the target type is T2,

    +
          [(4.3.1.2)](#4.3.1.2)
otherwise, no conversion sequence is formed for this operand;

  * [(4.3.2)](#4.3.2)

otherwise, if T2 is a base class of T1,
the target type is *cv1* T2, where *cv1* denotes the cv-qualifiers of T1;

  * [(4.3.3)](#4.3.3)

otherwise, the target type is the type that E2 would have
after applying the[lvalue-to-rvalue](conv.lval "7.3.2 Lvalue-to-rvalue conversion [conv.lval]"),[array-to-pointer](conv.array "7.3.3 Array-to-pointer conversion [conv.array]"), and[function-to-pointer](conv.func "7.3.4 Function-to-pointer conversion [conv.func]") standard conversions[.](#4.3.sentence-1)

Using this process, it is determined whether an implicit conversion
sequence can be formed from the second operand
to the target type determined for the third operand, and vice versa,
with the following outcome:

- [(4.4)](#4.4)

  If both sequences can be formed, or one can be formed but it is the
ambiguous conversion sequence, the program is ill-formed[.](#4.4.sentence-1)

- [(4.5)](#4.5)

  If no conversion sequence can be formed, the operands are left unchanged
and further checking is performed as described below[.](#4.5.sentence-1)

- [(4.6)](#4.6)

  Otherwise, if exactly one conversion sequence can be formed,
that conversion is applied to the chosen operand
and the converted operand is used in place of the original operand for
the remainder of this subclause[.](#4.6.sentence-1)
  [*Note [3](#note-3)*:
  The conversion might be ill-formed even if an implicit conversion
sequence could be formed[.](#4.6.sentence-2)
 â *end note*]

[5](#5)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/expressions.tex#L7909)

If the second and third operands are glvalues of the same value category
and have the same type, the
result is of that type and value category and it is a bit-field if the
second or the third operand is a bit-field, or if both are bit-fields[.](#5.sentence-1)

[6](#6)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/expressions.tex#L7915)

Otherwise, the result is a prvalue[.](#6.sentence-1)

If the second and third operands do
not have the same type, and either has (possibly cv-qualified) class
type, overload resolution is used to determine the conversions (if any)
to be applied to the operands ([[over.match.oper]](over.match.oper "12.2.2.3 Operators in expressions"), [[over.built]](over.built "12.5 Built-in operators"))[.](#6.sentence-2)

If the overload resolution fails, the program is ill-formed[.](#6.sentence-3)

Otherwise,
the conversions thus determined are applied, and the converted operands
are used in place of the original operands for the remainder of this
subclause[.](#6.sentence-4)

[7](#7)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/expressions.tex#L7925)

[Array-to-pointer](conv.array "7.3.3 Array-to-pointer conversion [conv.array]") and [function-to-pointer](conv.func "7.3.4 Function-to-pointer conversion [conv.func]") standard conversions are
performed on the second and third operands[.](#7.sentence-1)

After those conversions, one
of the following shall hold:

- [(7.1)](#7.1)

  The second and third operands have the same type; the result is of
that type and the result is copy-initialized using the selected operand[.](#7.1.sentence-1)

- [(7.2)](#7.2)

  The second and third operands have arithmetic or enumeration type;
the [usual arithmetic conversions](expr.arith.conv "7.4 Usual arithmetic conversions [expr.arith.conv]") are performed to bring them to a common
type, and the result is of that type[.](#7.2.sentence-1)

- [(7.3)](#7.3)

  One or both of the second and third operands have pointer type;[lvalue-to-rvalue](conv.lval "7.3.2 Lvalue-to-rvalue conversion [conv.lval]"),[pointer](conv.ptr "7.3.12 Pointer conversions [conv.ptr]"),[function pointer](conv.fctptr "7.3.14 Function pointer conversions [conv.fctptr]"), and[qualification conversions](conv.qual "7.3.6 Qualification conversions [conv.qual]") are performed to bring them to their[composite pointer type](expr.type#def:composite_pointer_type "7.2.2 Type [expr.type]")[.](#7.3.sentence-1)
  The result is of the composite
pointer type[.](#7.3.sentence-2)

- [(7.4)](#7.4)

  One or both of the second and third operands have pointer-to-member type;
lvalue-to-rvalue ([[conv.lval]](conv.lval "7.3.2 Lvalue-to-rvalue conversion")),
pointer to member ([[conv.mem]](conv.mem "7.3.13 Pointer-to-member conversions")),
function pointer ([[conv.fctptr]](conv.fctptr "7.3.14 Function pointer conversions")), and
qualification conversions ([[conv.qual]](conv.qual "7.3.6 Qualification conversions"))
are performed to bring them to their composite
pointer type ([[expr.type]](expr.type "7.2.2 Type"))[.](#7.4.sentence-1)
  The result is of the composite pointer type[.](#7.4.sentence-2)

- [(7.5)](#7.5)

  Both the second and third operands have type std​::​nullptr_t or one has
that type and the other is a null pointer constant[.](#7.5.sentence-1)
  The result is of typestd​::​nullptr_t[.](#7.5.sentence-2)
