CS -113

Computer Programming
and Software

Loops - Basics
Outline

• From selection to repetition

• Why do we need loops?
• Counting Loops
• Conditional Loops
• While Loop
• For Loop
• Infinite Loop

Text book 5.1.1, 5.2.1, 5.2.4

From Selection to Repetition
● The if statement and if/else statement allow a block of
statements to be executed selectively: based on a
condition, if condition is true

int inputnumber;
cout << "Please enter a non-negative number" << endl;
cin >> inputnumber;

if (inputnumber < 0) {
cout << inputnumber << " is negative. Wrong Input";
}

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From Selection to Repetition
● This piece of code does not ask another input if number < 0
● While statement repeatedly executes a block of statements while
the condition is true

int inputnumber;
cout << " Please enter a non-negative number" << endl;
cin >> inputnumber;

while (inputnumber < 0) {

cout << inputnumber << " is negative! Try again" << endl;
cin >> inputnumber;
}

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From Selection to Repetition

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Why we need loops?
● We want to find the sum of 10 positive values so we can write:

int num1, num2, num3, num4, num5;

int num6, num7, num8, num9, num10;
int sum;
cin >> num1 >> num2 >> num3 >> num4 >> num5
>> num6 >> num7 >> num8 >> num9 >> num10;

sum = num1 + num2 + num3 + num4 + num5;

sum += num6 + num7 + num8 + num9 + num10;

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Why we need loops?
● We want to find the sum of 10 positive values.
● Let’s do it with a while loop:

int sum = 0; // this program piece

int i = 1; // calculates the sum of
while (i <= 10) // integers between 1 and 10
{ // inclusively
sum = sum + i;
i = i + 1;
}

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Walkthrough of the example

su 0 1
m
int sum = 0; i 1 2
int i = 1;
while (i <= 10)
{
sum = sum + i;
i = i + 1;
}

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Walkthrough of the example

su 1 3
m
int sum = 0; i 2 3
int i = 1;
while (i <= 10)
{
sum = sum + i;
i = i + 1;
}

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Walkthrough of the example

su 3 6
m
int sum = 0; i 3 4
int i = 1;
while (i <= 10)
{
sum = sum + i;
i = i + 1;
}

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Walkthrough of the example

su 6 10
m
int sum = 0; i 4 5
int i = 1;
while (i <= 10)
{
sum = sum + i;
i = i + 1;
}

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Walkthrough of the example
1
su 15
m 0
int sum = 0; i 5 6
int i = 1;
while (i <= 10)
{
sum = sum + i;
i = i + 1;
}

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Walkthrough of the example
4
su 55
m 5
1
int sum = 0; i 11
int i = 1; 0
while (i <= 10)
{
sum = sum + i;
i = i + 1;
}

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Example – [Link]

●Write a program to calculate 10 numbers that were given

by the user

●This type of loops are called counting loops

●number of iterations is known

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Example – [Link]

● What if we want to compute the sum of

● 100 values
● an undetermined number of values
● Read a sequence of integer numbers from keyboard and find their sum
● input should finish when user enters –1
● -1 is the sentinel value in this example
● not to be added to the sum
● This type of loop is called conditional loop
● number of iterations is not known
● depends on input

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while loop syntax

<initialization>
while (<test>)
{

<statement1>;
...

<statementN>;
<update>
}

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while loop syntax

int sum = 0; initialization

int i = 1;
while (i <= 10) test
{
sum = sum + i; body
statements
i = i + 1; updat
} e

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Anatomy of a loop
● Initialize variables used in loop body and loop test (before the loop)
● No general rule; the way of initialization and the initial values are to
be determined according to the application

● The loop test is evaluated before each loop iteration

● NOT evaluated after each statement in the loop body
● Current value of variables are used for the loop test before each
iteration

● The loop body must update some variables used in the loop test so that
the loop eventually terminates
● If loop test is always true, loop is infinite
● Infinite loops must be avoided
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Basic rule of designing a loop
●Initialization, loop test and update parts should be designed
carefully in order to iterate the loop as many times as
needed, but not one less or one more.

●Unfortunately there is no straightforward rule of designing a

bug-free loop

● you should be able to develop those parts by

understanding and analyzing the underlying problem that
needs a loop

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for loop

<initialization> for(<initialization>;<test>;<update>)
while(<test>) {
{ <statement1>;
<statement1>; ...
<statementN>;
...
}
<statementN>;
<update>
} ● Initialization, test and update parts are
combined
● Good for counting on an index kind of loops

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for loop
•Rewrite the same loop: sum of numbers from 1..10

int sum = 0; int sum = 0;

int i = 1;
while (i <= 10) for (int i=1; i <= 10; i=i+1)
{ {
sum = sum + i; sum = sum + i;
i = i + 1; }
}
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for loop
● initialization statement
● executed once before the loop
● test expression
● boolean expression
● checked each time before entering the loop body
● if true execute loop body, if false terminate loop
● update statement
● executed after the last statement of the loop body

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for loop
● several statements in initialization and update are separated by comma
for (len = [Link](), k=0; k < len; k+=1)

● initialization and/or test and/or update parts could be missing

● but semicolons are there
int k = 0;
for (; k < len; k+=1)

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Shorthand for increment/decrement
● Lots of code requires incrementing a variable by one
● Three methods, using = and +, using +=, and using ++
● effectively they are same
num = num + 1;
num += 1;
num++; // post increment
● It is also possible to write ++num;
● pre-increment
● These differ on when the increment is performed, but this difference doesn't
matter when used as an abbreviation for the statement n += 1; in a single
statement
● Similarly there are post-decrement (and pre-decrement)
num = num - 1; num -= 1; num--; 22
Bad Loops
1. for (int i = 10; i < 5; i++) {
cout << "How many times do I print?";
}

2. for (int i = 10; i >= 1; i++) {

cout << "How many times do I print?";
}

3. int i = 1;
while (i < 20) {
cout << "How many times do I print?";
} 26
Bad Loops
● Never executes
● Never stops (infinite loops)
● Example: consider the following modified code from sum10nums
● What’s the problem in the loop below? What is missing?
int num;
int sum = 0;
int count = 1;
while (count <= 10) {
cin >> num;
sum += num;
}

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Bad Loops
● Never executes
● Never stops (infinite loops)
● Example: consider the following modified code from sum10nums
● What’s the problem in the loop below? What is missing?
int num;
int sum = 0;
int count = 1;
while (count <= 10) {
cin >> num;
sum += num;
}

● count never reaches 10,

because count is not updated in the loop
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Infinite Loops
● Infinite loop is something that must be avoided

● happens when the loop condition is always true

● same loop body iterates forever
● sometimes you see an output, sometimes you don't
● press Ctrl-C to stop (⌘. on Xcode)
● could be because of a wrong or missing update statement
● could be because of a wrong condition
● could be another reason

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Infinite Loops
● What is the problem with the code below?

cin >> num;

int start = 0;
while (start != num) {
start += 2;
cout << start << endl;
}

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Infinite Loops
● What is the problem with the code below?
cin >> num;
int start = 0;
while (start != num) {
start += 2;
cout << start << endl;
}

● cannot say infinite loop, depends on input number

● for example, if num is an odd number, then the loop is infinite
● How to fix?

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Infinite Loops
● What is the problem with the code below?
cin >> num;
int start = 0;
while (start != num) {
start += 2;
cout << start << endl;
}

● cannot say infinite loop, depends on input number

● for example, if num is an odd number, then the loop is infinite
● How to fix? Check whether num is even before starting the loop.
if (num % 2 == 0){
while (start != num) {
start += 2;
cout << start << endl;
}
}
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Infinite Loops
● What is the problem with the code below?
cin >> num;
int start = 0;
while (start != num) {
start += 2;
cout << start << endl;
}

● cannot say infinite loop, depends on input number

● for example, if num is an odd number, then the loop is infinite
● How to fix? Check whether num is even before starting the loop.
if (num % 2 == 0){
while (start != num) {
start += 2;
cout << start << endl;
}
}
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Developing Loops
● Some loops are easy to develop, others are not

● Sometimes the proper loop test and body are hard to design

● Practice helps, but remember:

● Good design comes from experience, experience comes from bad
design

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Common Problems
● Easy to iterate one more or one less times

● Test each loop with the inputs that cause:

● zero iterations of the loop body
● one iteration of the loop body
● maximum number of iterations
● one less than the maximum number of iterations

● Use the debugger and watch the variables

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