Ternary operation in Java - isn't this abuse?

I think the below code is difficult to understand. I also feel it abuses Java's ternary operator.

String name = ((this.getAllNamesAsDelimitedString().contains(incomingName) ? 
               incomingName:
               (CollectionsUtils.isEmptyCollection(this.getEntityOperationMap()) ? 
               null : 
               this.getEntityOperationMap.get(incomingName))));

Above getAllNamesAsDelimitedString will return a comma (,) delimited String.

I'd prefer something instead of such a nested ternary operator, if it looks cleaner and easier to understand. It would also be easy to sort out merge issue in, say, SVN.

N.B: There are even more nested ternary conditions in the code that I just have taken over.

Is there any general guideline which suggests the number of levels a ternary operator should be allowed? In other words, any guideline suggesting when you should break your ternary operator for better code readability?

I think it's important to note that nested ternary operators can be formatted to look good:

String name = isConditionA ? "first"
            : isConditionB ? "second"
            : isConditionC ? "third"
                           : "fourth";

This isn't the most readable option in your case, because you have longer method calls, but I think it's better when the conditions are kept short and meaningful.

StackExchange Code Review Q#6544, answer score: 57