value = if maxValue > minValue then minValue else maxValue

You can write it like this:

value = if maxValue > minValue then minValue else maxValue

It will compile like your code.

This is a case where it feels like CoffeeScript has competing philosophies:

1. Be concise
2. Don't be redundant

Since all operations return a result, the if/then/else way of doing things gives you what you need. Adding the ?/: operator is redundant.

This is where I wish they'd give us the ?/: ternary operator even though it is redundant... it simply reads better than the if/then/else variant.

Just my 2c.

Below is the fact:

In the documentation, there's a section titled "Conditionals, Ternaries, and Conditional Assignment". This leads one to believe that coffeescript supports

condition ? when-true : when-false

but in fact it does not.

Below is the information about the patch which will solve this issue

Here's the patch (and it's pushed to coffeescript.org):

http://github.com/jashkenas/coffee-script/commit/ec2d358ae3c82e9888c60695d7cce05edde0c55a

Examples:

mood = greatlyImproved if singing


if happy and knowsIt
clapsHands()
chaChaCha()
else
showIt()


date = if friday then sue else jill


options or= defaults

There is a more concise option in both javascript and coffeescript :)

value = Math.min(minValue, maxValue)

value = maxValue > minValue && minValue || maxValue

This is actually not correct, check the comments.

As Răzvan Panda points out, my comment may actually one of the better answers:

value = `maxValue > minValue ? minValue : maxValue`