Java While Loop

Loops

Loops can execute a block of code as long as a specified

condition is true.

Loops are handy because they save time, reduce errors, and
they make code more readable.

Java While Loop

The while loop repeats a block of code as long as the specified

condition is true:

Syntax
while (condition) {

// code block to be executed

In the example below, the code in the loop will run again and
again, as long as a variable (i) is less than 5:

Example
int i = 0;

while (i < 5) {

[Link](i);

i++;

Note: Do not forget to increase the variable used in the

condition (i++), otherwise the loop will never end!
Do you wonder why we used the letter i in the example above?
It's a counter variable and a common choice in simple loops
because it's short, traditional, and stands for 'index' or
'iterator'.

Countdown Example
You can also use a while loop to count down. This example
counts from 3 to 1, and then prints "Happy New Year!!" at the
end:

Example
int countdown = 3;

while (countdown > 0) {

[Link](countdown);

countdown--;

[Link]("Happy New Year!!");

While Loop With False Condition

In the previous examples, the condition was true at the start,

so the loop ran one or more times. But if the condition

is false at the beginning, the code inside the loop will never

run:
Example
int i = 10;

while (i < 5) {

[Link]("This will never be printed");

i++;

Java Do/While Loop

The Do/While Loop

The do/while loop is a variant of the while loop. This loop will
execute the code block once, before checking if the condition
is true. Then it will repeat the loop as long as the condition
is true.

Syntax

do {

// code block to be executed

while (condition);

Note: The semicolon ; after the while condition is required!

Do/While Example

The example below uses a do/while loop. The loop will always
be executed at least once, even if the condition is false,
because the code block is executed before the condition is
tested:

Example

int i = 0;
do {

[Link](i);

i++;

while (i < 5);

 Do not forget to increase the variable used in the

condition (i++), otherwise the loop will never end!

Condition is False from the Start

In the while loop chapter, we saw that if the condition

is false at the beginning, the loop never runs at all.

The do/while loop is different: it will always run the code

block at least once, even if the condition is false from the
start.
In the example below, the variable i starts at 10, so i < 5 is
false immediately. Still, the loop runs once before checking the
condition:

Example
int i = 10;

do {

[Link]("i is " + i);

i++;

} while (i < 5);

While Loop Examples

To demonstrate a practical example of the while loop, we
have created a simple "countdown" program:

Example

int countdown = 3;

while (countdown > 0) {

[Link](countdown);
countdown--;
}

[Link]("Happy New Year!!");

To demonstrate a practical example of the while
loop combined with an if else statement, let's say we play a
game of Hello:

Example
 Print "Hello!" If the dice number is 6:

int dice = 1;

while (dice <= 6) {

if (dice < 6) {

[Link]("No Hello.");

} else {

[Link]. println("Hello!");

dice = dice + 1;

Java For Loop

When you know exactly how many times you want to loop
through a block of code, use the for loop instead of
a while loop:

Syntax
for (statement 1; statement 2; statement 3) {
 // code block to be executed

Statement 1 is executed (one time) before the execution of

the code block.

Statement 2 defines the condition for executing the code

block.

Statement 3 is executed (every time) after the code block has

been executed.

Print Numbers
The example below will print the numbers 0 to 4:

Example

for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {

[Link](i);
}

Example explained
 Statement 1 sets a variable before the loop starts: int i =
0
 Statement 2 defines the condition for the loop to run: i <
5. If the condition is true, the loop will run again; if it is
false, the loop ends.
 Statement 3 increases a value each time the code block
has run: i++

Print Even Numbers

This example prints even values between 0 and 10:
Example
for (int i = 0; i <= 10; i = i + 2) {
[Link](i);
}

Sum of Numbers
This example calculates the sum of numbers from 1 to 5:

Example
int sum = 0;
for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
sum = sum + i;
}
[Link]("Sum is " + sum);

Countdown
This example prints a countdown from 5 to 1:

Example

for (int i = 5; i > 0; i--) {

[Link](i);
}

For Loop With False Condition

Just like a while loop, a for loop may also never run. If the
condition is false right from the start, the code inside the loop
will be skipped entirely:

Example
for (int i = 10; i < 5; i++) {

[Link]("This will never be printed");

In this example, the loop starts with i = 10. The condition i <
5 is already false, so the loop body is skipped, and nothing is
printed.

Nested Loops
It is also possible to place a loop inside another loop. This is
called a nested loop.

The "inner loop" will be executed one time for each iteration of
the "outer loop":

Example
// Outer loop

for (int i = 1; i <= 2; i++) {

[Link]("Outer: " + i); // Executes 2 times

// Inner loop

for (int j = 1; j <= 3; j++) {

[Link](" Inner: " + j); // Executes 6 times (2 * 3)

Multiplication Table Example

This example uses nested loops to print a simple multiplication
table (1 to 3):

Example
for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {
for (int j = 1; j <= 3; j++) {
[Link](i * j + " ");
}
[Link]();
}
The for-each Loop
There is also a "for-each" loop, which is used exclusively to
loop through elements in an array (or other data structures):

Syntax
for (type variableName : arrayName) {

// code block to be executed

The for-each loop is simpler and more readable than a

regular for loop, since you don't need a counter (like i <
[Link]).

The following example prints all elements in the cars array:

Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

for (String car : cars) {

[Link](car);

Here is a similar example with numbers. We create an array of

integers and use a for-each loop to print each value:

Example
int[] numbers = {10, 20, 30, 40};
for (int num : numbers) {

[Link](num);}

Real-Life Examples
To demonstrate a practical example of the for loop, let's
create a program that counts to 100 by tens:

Example

for (int i = 0; i <= 100; i += 10) {

[Link](i);

In this example, we create a program that only print even

values between 0 and 10:

Example

for (int i = 0; i <= 10; i = i + 2) {

[Link](i);

And in this example, we create a program that prints the

multiplication table for a specified number:

Example

int number = 2;

// Print the multiplication table for the number 2

for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {

[Link](number + " x " + i + " = " + (number * i));

}
Here is a simple program that prints the seat numbers in a
theater row:

Example
for (int seat = 1; seat <= 5; seat++) {

[Link]("Seat number: " + seat);

 Use a loop to calculate the factorial of a given number:

Example
int n = 5;

int fact = 1;

for (int i = 1; i <= n; i++) {

fact *= i;

[Link]("Factorial of " + n + " is " + fact);

// Output: Factorial of 5 is 120