== Why is this an issue?

In the interests of keeping code clean, the simplest possible conditional syntax should be used. That means 

* using the ``++??=++`` operator for a self-assign-if-not-null operation, 
* using the ``++??++`` operator for an assign-if-not-null operation, and
* using the ternary operator ``++?:++`` for assignment to a single variable.


=== Noncompliant code example

[source,csharp]
----
object a = null, b = null, x;

if (a != null) // Noncompliant; needlessly verbose
{
  x = a;
}
else
{
  x = b;
}

x = a != null ? a : b; // Noncompliant; better but could still be simplified

x = (a == null) ? new object() : a; // Noncompliant

if (condition) // Noncompliant
{
  x = a;
}
else
{
  x = b;
}

if (a == null)  // Noncompliant
    a = new object();

var y = null ?? new object(); // Noncompliant

a = a ?? new object();  // Noncompliant for C# 8
----


=== Compliant solution

[source,csharp]
----
object x;

x = a ?? b;
x = a ?? b;
x = a ?? new object();
x = condition ? a : b;
a ??= new object();
var y = new object();
a ??= new object();
----


ifdef::env-github,rspecator-view[]

'''
== Implementation Specification
(visible only on this page)

=== Message

Use the "[?:|??|??=]" operator here.


'''
== Comments And Links
(visible only on this page)

=== on 8 Jul 2015, 08:39:56 Tamas Vajk wrote:
\[~ann.campbell.2] LGTM

=== on 11 Dec 2015, 08:51:07 Tamas Vajk wrote:
\[~ann.campbell.2] I reformatted the description (uses a list now), and added the missing code samples.

=== on 11 Dec 2015, 13:56:45 Ann Campbell wrote:
looks good

endif::env-github,rspecator-view[]