[Robert]: In the java world using ?: is uncommon, not sure why,
[Bear]: I haven't really found this to be the case I think the ternary operator is a bit less common in Java than in, say, C/C++, but there are still many of us who use it fairly often. People who find it "difficult to read" probably need to learn to read code better, in my opinion. Unless of course they're paying you to do that for them.
Now
nested ternary operators can be evil - but a single ternary ought to be quite legible to anyone claiming to be a Java programmer.
[EFH]: I often use method names this way to document tiny but possibly obscure bits of code. Yes, this is good. Though in this case, I'd still have used a ternary within the refactored method. The additional clarity comes from adding a meaningful name, not from using four or more lines where one will do.
Also, in a real situation the variable "importantValue" would (or should) have a more meaningful name, which could in turn eliminate the need for a specially-named method to initialize it.
[ September 29, 2006: Message edited by: Jim Yingst ]