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Understanding Do While Loops

A do while loop first executes the code block and then evaluates the condition, repeating the block as long as the condition is true. It will always execute the code block at least once. The code block is executed, then the condition checked, making it a post-test loop. It is similar to a while loop but the code block is guaranteed to run at least once before the condition is evaluated.

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207 views9 pages

Understanding Do While Loops

A do while loop first executes the code block and then evaluates the condition, repeating the block as long as the condition is true. It will always execute the code block at least once. The code block is executed, then the condition checked, making it a post-test loop. It is similar to a while loop but the code block is guaranteed to run at least once before the condition is evaluated.

Uploaded by

Joshua
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Introduction to Do-While Loops
  • Equivalent Constructs
  • Demonstrating Do-While Loops
  • C Family Languages
  • Additional Programming Languages
  • Script and Functional Languages

Do while loop

In most computer programming languages, a do while loop is


a control flow statement that executes a block of code at least once, and then
repeatedly executes the block, or not, depending on a given boolean condition
at the end of the block.
The do while construct consists of a process symbol and a condition. First,
the code within the block is executed, and then the condition is
evaluated. If the condition is true the code within the block is
executed again. This repeats until the condition becomes false.
Because do while loops check the condition after the block is
executed, the control structure is often also known as a post-
test loop. Contrast with the while loop, which tests the
condition before the code within the block is executed, the do-
while loop is an exit-condition loop. This means that the code
must always be executed first and then the expression or test
condition is evaluated. If it is true, the code executes the body
of the loop again. This process is repeated as long as the expression
evaluates to true. If the expression is false, the loop terminates and control
transfers to the statement following the do-while loop. In other words, whereas
a while loop sets the truth of a statement as a condition precedent for the code's
execution, a do-while loop provides for the action's ongoing execution
subject to defeasance by the condition's falsity, which falsity (i.e., the truth
of the condition's negation) is set as a condition subsequent.
It is possible, and in some cases desirable, for the condition to always evaluate to
true, creating an infinite loop. When such a loop is created intentionally, there is
usually another control structure (such as a break statement) that allows
termination of the loop.
Some languages may use a different naming convention for this type of loop. For
example, the Pascal language has a "repeat until" loop, which continues to
run until the control expression is true (and then terminates) — whereas a "while"
loop runs while the control expression is true (and terminates once the expression
becomes false).
Equivalent constructs

do {
do_work();
} while (condition);

is equivalent to(==/===)

do_work();
while (condition) {
do_work();
}

In this manner, the do ... while loop saves the initial "loop priming" with  do_work();  on the line
before the  while  loop.
As long as the continue statement is used, the above is technically equivalent to the following
(though these examples are not typical or modern style used in everyday computers):

while (true) {
do_work();
if (!condition) break;
}

or

LOOPSTART:
do_work();
if (condition) goto LOOPSTART;

Demonstrating do while loops[edit]


These example programs calculate the factorial of 5 using their respective languages' syntax for a
do-while loop.

ActionScript 3[edit]

var counter:int = 5;
var factorial:int = 1;
do {
factorial *= counter--; /* Multiply, then decrement. */
} while (counter > 0);
trace(factorial);

Ada[edit]
The
Wikibook Ada_Programming 
has a page on the topic
of: Control

with Ada.Integer_Text_IO;

procedure Factorial is
Counter : Integer := 5;
Factorial : Integer := 1;
begin
loop
Factorial := Factorial * Counter;
Counter := Counter - 1;
exit when Counter = 0;
end loop;

Ada.Integer_Text_IO.Put (Factorial);
end Factorial;

BASIC[edit]
Early BASICs (such as GW-BASIC) used the syntax WHILE/WEND. Modern BASICs such
as PowerBASIC provide both WHILE/WEND and DO/LOOP structures, with syntax such as DO
WHILE/LOOP, DO UNTIL/LOOP, DO/LOOP WHILE, DO/LOOP UNTIL, and DO/LOOP (without
outer testing, but with a conditional EXIT LOOP somewhere inside the loop). Typical BASIC source
code:

Dim factorial As Integer


Dim counter As Integer
factorial = 1
counter = 5
Do
factorial = factorial * counter
counter = counter - 1
Loop While counter > 0
Print factorial

C#[edit]

int counter = 5;
int factorial = 1;
do
{
factorial *= counter--; /* Multiply, then decrement. */
} while (counter > 0);
[Link](factorial);

C[edit]

int counter = 5;
int factorial = 1;
do {
factorial *= counter--; /* Multiply, then decrement. */
} while (counter > 0);
printf("factorial of 5 is %d\n", factorial);

C++[edit]

int counter = 5;
int factorial = 1;
do {
factorial *= counter--;
} while (counter > 0);
std::cout<<"factorial of 5 is "<<factorial<<std::endl;

CFScript[edit]

factorial = 1;
count = 10;
do {
factorial *= count--;
} while (count > 1);

writeOutput(factorial);
D[edit]

int counter = 5;
int factorial = 1;

do {
factorial *= counter--; // Multiply, then decrement.
} while (counter > 0);
writeln("factorial of 5 is ", factorial);

Fortran[edit]
With legacy FORTRAN 77 there is no DO-WHILE construct but the same effect can be achieved
with GOTO:

INTEGER CNT,FACT
CNT=5
FACT=1
1 CONTINUE
FACT=FACT*CNT
CNT=CNT-1
IF ([Link].0) GOTO 1
PRINT*,FACT
END

With Fortran 90 and later, the do-while loop is actually the same as the for loop.[1]

program FactorialProg
integer :: counter = 5
integer :: factorial = 1
factorial = factorial * counter
counter = counter - 1
do while (counter > 0)
factorial = factorial * counter
counter = counter - 1
end do
print *, factorial
end program FactorialProg
Java[edit]

int counter = 5;
int factorial = 1;
do {
factorial *= counter--; /* Multiply, then decrement. */
} while (counter > 0);
[Link]("The factorial of 5 is " + factorial);

JavaScript[edit]

var counter = 5;
var factorial = 1;
do {
factorial *= counter--;
} while (counter > 0);
[Link](factorial);

[2]

Kotlin[edit]

var counter = 5
var factorial = 1
do {
factorial *= counter--
}while(counter > 0)
println("Factorial of 5 is $factorial")

[3]

PL/I[edit]
The PL/I DO statement subsumes the functions of the post-test loop (do until), the pre-test loop (do
while), and the for loop. All functions can be included in a single statement. The example shows only
the "do until" syntax.

declare counter fixed initial(5);


declare factorial fixed initial(1);
do until(counter<=0);
factorial = factorial * counter;
counter = counter - 1;
end;
put(factorial);

Python[edit]
Python lacks a specific do while flow control construct. However, the equivalent may be constructed
out of a while loop with a break.

counter = 5
factorial = 1
while True:
factorial *= counter
counter -= 1
if counter == 0:
break
print(factorial)

Racket[edit]
In Racket, as in other Scheme implementations, a "named-let" is a popular way to implement loops:

#lang racket
(define counter 5)
(define factorial 1)
(let loop ()
(set! factorial (* factorial counter))
(set! counter (sub1 counter))
(when (> counter 0) (loop)))
(displayln factorial)

Compare this with the first example of the while loop example for Racket. Be aware that a named let
can also take arguments.
Racket and Scheme also provide a proper do loop.

(define (factorial n)
(do ((counter n (- counter 1))
(result 1 (* result counter)))
((= counter 0) result) ; Stop condition and return value.
; The body of the do-loop is empty.
))
Ruby[edit]

counter = 10
factorial = 2
begin
factorial *= counter
counter -= 2
end while counter > 1
puts factorial

Smalltalk[edit]

| counter factorial |
counter := 5.
factorial := 1.
[counter > 0] whileTrue:
[factorial := factorial * counter.
counter := counter - 1].
Transcript show: factorial printString

Swift[edit]
Swift 2.x:

var counter = 5
var factorial = 1
repeat {
factorial *= counter
counter -= 1
} while counter > 0
print(factorial)

Swift 1.x:

var counter = 5
var factorial = 1
do {
factorial *= counter
counter -= 1
} while counter > 0
println(factorial)

Visual Basic .NET[edit]

Dim counter As Integer = 5


Dim factorial As Integer = 1
Do
factorial *= counter
counter -= 1
Loop While counter > 0
[Link](factorial)

Common questions

Powered by AI

In C, a 'do while' loop explicitly uses the 'do' keyword followed by the block of code and the 'while' keyword with the condition at the end . Python does not have a native 'do while' structure, but similar functionality is achieved using a 'while' loop with a 'break' statement to exit based on a condition evaluated after the code block executes .

Using an infinite 'do while' loop can be beneficial in scenarios where a program must continuously run until an external condition or input dictates a stop. This is common in server programs that keep running to handle requests continuously or event-driven programs that wait for user interactions. The loop can be stopped using a 'break' statement when a specific condition is met .

The use of 'do while' loops in large software projects can positively impact readability and maintenance by clearly signaling that the loop's body must execute at least once. This can make the control flow easier to understand compared to more complex constructs like 'while' loops with priming outside the loop. However, since 'do while' loops are less common in some languages, they may reduce readability for programmers unfamiliar with this construct. Balance in readability and awareness of team familiarity can guide its use .

In languages like Python that do not natively support a 'do while' loop, an equivalent construct can be created using a 'while True' loop combined with a 'break' statement. By placing the loop's condition after the execution of the loop's block and using 'break' to exit when the condition is false, programmers simulate a 'do while' behavior .

A programmer might choose to use a 'repeat until' loop in Pascal when they need the block of code to execute at least once before the condition is checked. This is useful in situations where an initial action needs to be performed and the program should then repeatedly check if it should continue . This contrasts with a 'while' loop that checks the condition before any iteration, which may not be desired if initialization actions should always occur at least once.

In both ActionScript and JavaScript, calculating a factorial using a 'do while' loop involves initializing a counter and factorial variable, then using the 'do' construct to multiply the factorial by the counter decrementally until the counter reaches zero. Syntax varies slightly due to language differences, with ActionScript's 'trace' used for output compared to JavaScript's 'console.log', but the structural logic remains the same .

The choice of loop control structure itself does not inherently affect the computational complexity, which is determined by the number of iterations and the operations within a loop. However, using a structure like 'do while', which guarantees at least one execution, can optimize or de-optimize performance based on whether that initial iteration is necessary or wasteful. This contributes to more efficient algorithms when a mandatory initial execution is beneficial .

'Loop priming' refers to the process of executing the necessary setup for a loop before it starts iterating. With a 'do while' loop, the structure inherently includes loop priming by executing the block of code once before the condition check. This eliminates the need for a separate priming step outside the loop, thus making the code cleaner and avoiding repetition .

The key difference between 'do while' loops and 'while' loops is in how the condition is evaluated relative to the execution of the loop's body. A 'do while' loop executes the block of code at least once before checking the condition, hence it is known as a post-test loop or an exit-condition loop . In contrast, a 'while' loop evaluates the condition before executing the code block, thus it is a pre-test loop .

A 'repeat until' loop as in Pascal may offer clearer semantic intentions, specifically that the loop repeats until a condition is true, directly incorporating a termination condition into its syntax. This can improve readability by emphasizing termination over continuation, unlike a 'do while' loop that focuses on continuation until a condition changes. However, as a less common construct compared to 'do while', it may reduce cross-language code portability and require adaptation when transitioning codebases .

Do while loop In most computer programming languages, a do while loop is a control flow statement that executes a block of co
Equivalent constructs do { do_work(); } while (condition); is equivalent to(==/===) do_work(); while (condition) { do
} while (counter > 0); trace(factorial); Ada (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_(programming_language))[edit (https://en.wiki
Print factorial C (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_(programming_language))#[edit (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=
D (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D_(programming_language))[edit (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Do_while_loop&act
Java (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(programming_language))[edit (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Do_while_lo
put(factorial); Python (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_(programming_language))[edit (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.p
Ruby (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_(programming_language))[edit (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Do_while_lo
println(factorial) Visual Basic .NET (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Basic_.NET)[edit (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index

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