If construct in hashmap.put call

I have a variable of type Hashmap<String,Integer>.

In this, the Integer value might have to go some manipulation depending upon the value of a flag variable. I did it like this...

Hashmapvariable.put( somestring,
    if (flag_variable) {
     //manipulation code goes here
     new Integer(manipulated value);
    } else {
     new Integer(non-manipulated value);
    }
);

But I get an error:

Syntax error on token(s), misplaced constructs.

at the Hashmapvariable.put call.

I also get another error

Syntax error on token ")", delete this token.

at the final ");" line. But I can't delete the ")" - its the closing parentheses for the put method call.

I don't get this. What mistake am I doing?

From stackoverflow

• You cannot place a statement in the method call.

  However, one option could be to make an method that returns a Integer such as:

  private Integer getIntegerDependingOnFlag(boolean flag)
  {
      if (flag)
          return new Integer(MANIPULATED_VALUE);
      else
          return new Integer(NON-MANIPULATED_VALUE);
  }
  

  Then, you can make a call like this:

  hashmap.put(someString, getIntegerDependingOnFlag(flag));
  

•  new Integer(flag_variable ? manipulated value : non-manipulated value)
  

  Does the trick

  Edit: On Java 5, I suppose you can also write

  hashmap.put(someString, flag_variable ? manipulated value : non-manipulated value)
  

  due to auto-boxing.

  Tom Hawtin - tackline : If the alternate expressions are not both of type int then the semantics become "interesting".

• This isn't scheme, so if statements don't evaluate to a value. You'll have to use a tri-if-thing (the name escapes me for some reason right now) or create a function, as someone else said.

  PhiLho : Name: it is a ternary operator, or more precisely, a comparison operator (there could be other kinds of ternary operators, although I haven't seen them in popular languages...).