If Expressions

if expressions in Aura are declared with the following syntax:

if true {
    ...
}

`yield` Keyword

It's also important to note that if expressions are capable of returning a value, which is done with the yield keyword. So, returning a value looks like this:

s := if true {
    yield "Hello"
} else {
    yield "World"
}

When returning a value, the return value of both branches must be the same.

`return` Keyword

The programmer may still use the return keyword inside an if expression, but it returns the supplied value from the nearest enclosing function scope. This means that, in an example like this:

s := if true {
    return "Hello"
} else {
    yield "World"
}

the "Hello" value will bypass the s variable completely and be returned from the enclosing function. However, if the value of the if expression's condition evaluates to false (which, of course, is impossible when the condition is true) the value of s will become World.

Required `else` Branch

When the return value of an if expression isn't used, the if expression is not required to have an else branch. So, this would be fine:

if false {
    return "Hello world"
}

However, if the return value is being stored in a variable, the else branch is required.

s := if true {
    yield "Hello"
} else { // This branch is required because we're storing the yielded value in `s`
    yield "World"
}

Last modified: 03 April 2024

If Expressions

yield Keyword

return Keyword

Required else Branch

`yield` Keyword

`return` Keyword

Required `else` Branch