In Gosu programming language, what does the "Elvis operator" function as?

The Elvis operator in the Gosu programming language functions as a conditional operator similar to the ternary operator found in other programming languages. It provides a concise way to evaluate expressions and assign default values. Specifically, it allows you to check if a value is present or "truthy" and, if it is not, return an alternative value. This is particularly useful in situations where you want to provide a fallback option without writing verbose conditional statements.

For example, using the Elvis operator, you could write an expression like value ?: defaultValue, which means “give me value if it is not null or false; otherwise, give me defaultValue.” This streamlines the code and enhances readability by reducing the amount of boilerplate code necessary for simple conditional assignments.

The other options refer to different concepts: defining classes, iterating through collections, and handling exceptions, none of which relate to the functionality of the Elvis operator in Gosu.