If statement skipping || if first condition is false

I have a search function that checks if the searchKey matches an Objects Attribute. Instead of going through all attributes it stops if the first check is false. Heres the code

else if (address.getLastName() != null ? address.getLastName().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false
                    || address.getFirstName() != null ? address.getFirstName().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false
                    || address.getTitle() != null ? address.getTitle().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false
                    || address.getStreet() != null ? address.getStreet().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false
                    || Integer.toString(address.getPlz()).equals(searchKey)) {
                outputList.add(address);

So if the lastname is smith and the firstname is sam, and the searchKey is sam, it will stop after finding that Lastname!= sam.

Test that fails:

 @Test
    public void searchFirstNameTest() {
        Address address1 = new Address();
        address.setFirstName("sam");
        address.setLastName("smith");
        address1.setFirstName("bob");
        input.add(address);
        input.add(address1);

        List<Address> result = testee.searchAddress("sam", input);

        assertEquals(1, result.size());
        assertEquals("sam", result.get(0).getFirstName());
    }

where am i going wrong?

The solution may be, that you need to put your statements in brackets.

else if ((address.getLastName() != null ? address.getLastName().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false)
                    || (address.getFirstName() != null ? address.getFirstName().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false)
                    || (address.getTitle() != null ? address.getTitle().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false)
                    || (address.getStreet() != null ? address.getStreet().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false)
                    || Integer.toString(address.getPlz()).equals(searchKey)) {
                outputList.add(address);

Otherwise the statements are not executed in the right order.

> where am i going wrong?

You think that A ? B : C || D ? E : F means (A ? B : C) || (D ? E : F), however operator precedence dictates that it actually means:

A ? B : ( (C || D) ? E : F )

The expression should be:

else if ((address.getLastName() != null ? address.getLastName().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false)
        || (address.getFirstName() != null ? address.getFirstName().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false)
        || (address.getTitle() != null ? address.getTitle().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false)
        || (address.getStreet() != null ? address.getStreet().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey) : false)
        || Integer.toString(address.getPlz()).equals(searchKey)) {
    outputList.add(address);

Although it is better written without using ternary conditional operator:

else if ((address.getLastName() != null && address.getLastName().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey))
        || (address.getFirstName() != null && address.getFirstName().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey))
        || (address.getTitle() != null && address.getTitle().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey))
        || (address.getStreet() != null && address.getStreet().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey))
        || Integer.toString(address.getPlz()).equals(searchKey)) {
    outputList.add(address);

Which can be written without the extra parentheses, but you shouldn't:

else if (address.getLastName() != null && address.getLastName().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey)
        || address.getFirstName() != null && address.getFirstName().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey)
        || address.getTitle() != null && address.getTitle().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey)
        || address.getStreet() != null && address.getStreet().toLowerCase().contains(searchKey)
        || Integer.toString(address.getPlz()).equals(searchKey)) {
    outputList.add(address);

Always use explicit parentheses when mixing &&, ||, and ?: operators.

|| is lazy. If the left side is false we know that the result will be false, and the right side is not evaluated.

I suggest you rewrite your logic to be simpler with returns instead.