While loop

Last updated December 10, 2024

In most computer programming languages, a while loop is a control flow statement that allows code to be executed repeatedly based on a given Boolean condition. The while loop can be thought of as a repeating if statement.

Overview

The while construct consists of a block of code and a condition/expression.^[1] The condition/expression is evaluated, and if the condition/expression is true,^[1] the code within all of their following in the block is executed. This repeats until the condition/expression becomes false. Because the while loop checks the condition/expression before the block is executed, the control structure is often also known as a pre-test loop. Compare this with the do while loop, which tests the condition/expression after the loop has executed.

For example, in the languages C, Java, C#,^[2] Objective-C, and C++, (which use the same syntax in this case), the code fragment

intx=0;while(x<5){printf("x = %d\n",x);x++;}

first checks whether x is less than 5, which it is, so then the {loop body} is entered, where the printf function is run and x is incremented by 1. After completing all the statements in the loop body, the condition, (x < 5), is checked again, and the loop is executed again, this process repeating until the variable x has the value 5.

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 controls termination of the loop. For example:

while(true){// do complicated stuffif(someCondition)break;// more stuff}

Demonstrating while loops

These while loops will calculate the factorial of the number 5:

ActionScript 3

varcounter:int=5;varfactorial:int=1;while(counter>1){factorial*=counter;counter--;}Printf("Factorial = %d",factorial);

Ada

withAda.Integer_Text_IO;procedureFactorialisCounter:Integer:=5;Factorial:Integer:=1;beginwhileCounter>0loopFactorial:=Factorial*Counter;Counter:=Counter-1;endloop;Ada.Integer_Text_IO.Put(Factorial);endFactorial;

APL

counter←5factorial←1:Whilecounter>0factorial×←countercounter-←1:EndWhile⎕←factorial

or simply

!5

AutoHotkey

counter:=5factorial:=1Whilecounter>0factorial*=counter--MsgBox%factorial

Small Basic

counter=5' Counter = 5factorial=1' initial value of variable "factorial"Whilecounter>0factorial=factorial*countercounter=counter-1TextWindow.WriteLine(counter)EndWhile

Visual Basic

DimcounterAsInteger=5' init variable and set valueDimfactorialAsInteger=1' initialize factorial variableDoWhilecounter>0factorial=factorial*countercounter=counter-1Loop' program goes here, until counter = 0'Debug.Print factorial         ' Console.WriteLine(factorial) in Visual Basic .NET

Bourne (Unix) shell

counter=5factorial=1while[$counter-gt0];dofactorial=$((factorial*counter))counter=$((counter-1))doneecho$factorial

C, C++

intmain(){intcount=5;intfactorial=1;while(count>1)factorial*=count--;printf("%d",factorial);}

ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML)

Script syntax

counter=5;factorial=1;while(counter>1){factorial*=counter--;}writeOutput(factorial);

Tag syntax

<cfsetcounter=5><cfsetfactorial=1><cfloopcondition="counter GT 1"><cfsetfactorial*=counter--></cfloop><cfoutput>#factorial#</cfoutput>

Fortran

program FactorialProginteger::counter=5integer::factorial=1do while(counter>0)factorial=factorial*countercounter=counter-1end do    print*,factorialend program FactorialProg

Go

Go has no while statement, but it has the function of a for statement when omitting some elements of the for statement.

counter,factorial:=5,1forcounter>1{counter,factorial=counter-1,factorial*counter}

Java, C#, D

The code for the loop is the same for Java, C# and D:

intcounter=5;intfactorial=1;while(counter>1)factorial*=counter--;

JavaScript

letcounter=5;letfactorial=1;while(counter>1)factorial*=counter--;console.log(factorial);

Lua

counter=5factorial=1whilecounter>0dofactorial=factorial*countercounter=counter-1endprint(factorial)

MATLAB, Octave

counter=5;factorial=1;while(counter>0)factorial=factorial*counter;%Multiplycounter=counter-1;%Decrementendfactorial

Mathematica

Block[{counter=5,factorial=1},(*localize counter and factorial*)While[counter>0,(*While loop*)factorial*=counter;(*Multiply*)counter--;(*Decrement*)];factorial]

Oberon, Oberon-2, Oberon-07, Component Pascal

MODULEFactorial;IMPORTOut;VARCounter,Factorial:INTEGER;BEGINCounter:=5;Factorial:=1;WHILECounter>0DOFactorial:=Factorial*Counter;DEC(Counter)END;Out.Int(Factorial,0)ENDFactorial.

Maya Embedded Language

int$counter=5;int$factorial=1;int$multiplication;while($counter>0){$multiplication=$factorial*$counter;$counter-=1;print("Counter is: "+$counter+", multiplication is: "+$multiplication+"\n");}

Nim

varcounter=5# Set counter value to 5factorial=1# Set factorial value to 1whilecounter>0:# While counter is greater than 0factorial*=counter# Set new value of factorial to counter.deccounter# Set the counter to counter - 1.echofactorial

Non-terminating while loop:

whiletrue:echo"Help! I'm stuck in a loop!"

Pascal

Pascal has two forms of the while loop, while and repeat. While repeats one statement (unless enclosed in a begin-end block) as long as the condition is true. The repeat statement repetitively executes a block of one or more statements through an until statement and continues repeating unless the condition is false. The main difference between the two is the while loop may execute zero times if the condition is initially false, the repeat-until loop always executes at least once.

programFactorial1;varFv:integer;procedurefact(counter:integer);varFactorial:integer;beginFactorial:=1;whileCounter>0dobeginFactorial:=Factorial*Counter;Counter:=Counter-1end;WriteLn(Factorial)end;beginWrite('Enter a number to return its factorial: ');readln(fv);repeatfact(fv);Write('Enter another number to return its factorial (or 0 to quit): ');untilfv=0;end.

Perl

my$counter=5;my$factorial=1;while($counter>0){$factorial*=$counter--;# Multiply, then decrement}print$factorial;

While loops are frequently used for reading data line by line (as defined by the $/ line separator) from open filehandles:

openIN,"<test.txt";while(<IN>){print;}closeIN;

PHP

$counter=5;$factorial=1;while($counter>0){$factorial*=$counter--;// Multiply, then decrement.}echo$factorial;

PL/I

declarecounterfixedinitial(5); declarefactorialfixedinitial(1);dowhile(counter>0)factorial=factorial*counter;counter=counter-1;end;

Python

counter=5# Set the value to 5factorial=1# Set the value to 1whilecounter>0:# While counter(5) is greater than 0factorial*=counter# Set new value of factorial to counter.counter-=1# Set the counter to counter - 1.print(factorial)# Print the value of factorial.

Non-terminating while loop:

whileTrue:print("Help! I'm stuck in a loop!")

Racket

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

#lang racket(definecounter5)(definefactorial1)(letloop()(when(>counter0)(set!factorial(*factorialcounter))(set!counter(sub1counter))(loop)))(displaylnfactorial)

Using a macro system, implementing a while loop is a trivial exercise (commonly used to introduce macros):

#lang racket(define-syntax-rule(whiletestbody...); implements a while loop(letloop()(whentestbody...(loop))))(definecounter5)(definefactorial1)(while(>counter0)(set!factorial(*factorialcounter))(set!counter(sub1counter)))(displaylnfactorial)

However, an imperative programming style is often discouraged in Scheme and Racket.

Ruby

# Calculate the factorial of 5i=1factorial=1whilei<=5factorial*=ii+=1endputsfactorial

Rust

fnmain(){letmutcounter=5;letmutfactorial=1;whilecounter>1{factorial*=counter;counter-=1;}println!("{}",factorial);}

Smalltalk

Contrary to other languages, in Smalltalk a while loop is not a language construct but defined in the class BlockClosure as a method with one parameter, the body as a closure, using self as the condition.

Smalltalk also has a corresponding whileFalse: method.

| count factorial |count:=5.factorial:=1. [count>0] whileTrue:     [factorial:=factorial*count.count:=count-1].Transcriptshow:factorial

Swift

varcounter=5// Set the initial counter value to 5varfactorial=1// Set the initial factorial value to 1whilecounter>0{// While counter(5) is greater than 0factorial*=counter// Set new value of factorial to factorial x counter.counter-=1// Set the new value of counter to  counter - 1.}print(factorial)// Print the value of factorial.

Tcl

setcounter5setfactorial1while{$counter>0}{setfactorial[expr$factorial*$counter]incrcounter-1}puts$factorial

VEX

intcounter=5;intfactorial=1;while(counter>1)factorial*=counter--;printf("%d",factorial);

PowerShell

$counter=5$factorial=1while($counter){$factorial*=$counter--}$factorial

While (language)

While^[3] is a simple programming language constructed from assignments, sequential composition, conditionals, and while statements, used in the theoretical analysis of imperative programming language semantics.^[4]^[5]

C:=5;F:=1;while(C>1)doF:=F*C;C:=C-1;

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References

1 2 "The while and do-while Statements (The Java Tutorials > Learning the Java Language > Language Basics)". Dosc.oracle.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
↑ "while (C# reference)". Msdn.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
↑ "Chapter 3: The While programming language" (PDF). Profs.sci.univr.it. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
↑ Flemming Nielson; Hanne R. Nielson; Chris Hankin (1999). Principles of Program Analysis. Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-65410-0 . Retrieved 29 May 2013.
↑ Illingworth, Valerie (11 December 1997). Dictionary of Computing . Oxford Paperback Reference (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192800466.

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[:0-1] 1 2 "The while and do-while Statements (The Java Tutorials > Learning the Java Language > Language Basics)". Dosc.oracle.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.

[2] "while (C# reference)". Msdn.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.

[3] "Chapter 3: The While programming language" (PDF). Profs.sci.univr.it. Retrieved 2016-10-21.

[NielsonNielson1999-4] Flemming Nielson; Hanne R. Nielson; Chris Hankin (1999). Principles of Program Analysis. Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-65410-0 . Retrieved 29 May 2013.

[5] Illingworth, Valerie (11 December 1997). Dictionary of Computing . Oxford Paperback Reference (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192800466.

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