Looping and Performing Repetitive Tasks

In this chapter, we cover using loops to perform repetitive tasks. The main types of loop are as follows:

• for loops
• while loops
• do-while loops

for loops repeat a block a set number of times. Use a for loop when you are sure how many iterations you want. A newer form of the for loop iterates over each item in a collection.

while loops execute a block while a given condition is true. When the condition becomes false, the while loop stops. Similarly, do-while loops execute a block and then check a condition. If true, the do-while loop runs the next iteration.

Use while loops if you are unsure how many iterations are required. For example, when searching through data to find a particular element, you normally want to stop when you find it.

Use a do-while loop if you always want to execute the block and only then check if another iteration is needed.

Looping with the for Loop

A for loop executes the same block...