python ternary operator with assignment

Question

I am new to python. I\'m trying to write this

if x not in d:
    d[x] = {}
q = d[x]

in a more compact way using the ternary operator

Answer 1

For those interested in the ternary operator (also called a conditional expression), here is a way to use it to accomplish half of the original goal:

q = d[x] if x in d else {}

The conditional expression, of the form x if C else y, will evaluate and return the value of either x or y depending on the condition C. The result will then be assigned to q.