For example, computers may be programmed in high-level languages like Java or Python. Using computer languages, we can achieve feats that are impossible to do manually. Commands in these high-level languages are organized in a certain way. ‘Loops’ are a common command structure in high-level languages.
It’s common for a command to repeat itself in order to get the intended outcome. It’s important to note that a loop is defined as a sequence of instructions that is repeated until a certain condition is met.
For loops, while loops, if loops, if-else loops, and if-else-if loops are just a few examples. For and while loops are the most widely used loops.
For loop Vs. While loop
For loops and while loops vary in that while loops continue until a specified condition is met and the statement is shown to be false, but in for loops the number of iterations is already known and is employed to achieve a certain outcome.
For loop
“For” refers to an iterative looping structure in which the same control statement is repeated a predetermined number of times until the desired result is obtained. Using a for loop command may be described as a recursive action.
A variable is used to control the command in a for loop. The preset variable receives a new value each time the loop iterates.
There are three segments in a loop:
- Initialization
- Condition
- Updating
A beginning value for the variable must be established during the for loop’s setup. This loop just needs to be initialized once. A condition is tested by the compiler after initialization, and only if it’s true will the loop continue to repeat until the preset number of iterations is reached.
While loop
When the command iterates until the condition is true for an unknown number of times, it is called a while loop. The command’s iteration terminates once the condition is shown to be untrue. In a while loop, initialization is performed for each iteration. If the condition is found to be false by the compiler, the loop moves on to the next sentence.
When using a while loop, you must use the following syntax:
- While(condition){
- //code
- //loop body}
If the while loop’s initial condition is not met, the loop repeats itself indefinitely. Only when the condition is met does a new value be assigned to the variable in a while loop The while loop is sometimes known as the pre-test loop since the condition is tested before each iteration.
Difference Between For loop and While loop
- The number of iterations in a for loop is predetermined, but in a while loop, this is not the case.
- In contrast, a while loop may include a series of instructions that must be completed sequentially.
- In a for loop, the command is initialized just once, but in a while loop, the command is initialized each time the command is executed.
- The for loop iterates indefinitely if the condition is missing, but the while loop displays an error if the condition is missing.
- While the number of iterations in a for loop can be predicted, the number of iterations in a while loop cannot.
Conclusion
As a result, loops are a series of instructions that may be utilized in accordance with a predetermined pattern. The programming will indicate the syntax error if the structure of the loop is improper. Depending on the purpose of the loop, it might be used to acquire a result or meet a condition. Almost all programming languages depend on it.
During execution, the loop structure asks a question and repeats until the response is acceptable. When the new statement is applied, the same question is asked again. The effect of the looping procedure is that the programme runs indefinitely until a breakpoint is reached. If the breaking point is not achieved, the software will crash.
Conditional statements are used in the for and while loops. In programming, a for loop is a single line of code that is continually run. When using a while loop, you have the option of making it a single-line command or a collection of instructions all addressing the same circumstance.
Computer languages rely on the for-and-while-loop combination to do many tasks. The condition is met if the command syntax is proper.