The do-while Loop
A do-while loop executes the associated block at least once, then repeatedly while the conditional expression evaluates to true.
do {
...
} while (condition);
Below is an example of a do-while loop that print the numbers 0 – 10.
var counter = 0;
do {
console.log(counter); // prints 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
counter++;
} while (counter < 10);
console.log(counter); // prints 10
The while Loop
In a while-loop, the conditional expression is evaluated and if true the block is executed and execution is redirected back to the conditional expression. If the conditional expression evaluates to false, execution jumps to the line of code after the while-loop block.
while (condition) {
...
}
We can execute a while-loop a finite number of times using a counter variable as shown in the example below.
var counter = 0;
while (counter < 10) {
console.log(counter); // prints 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
counter++;
}
console.log(counter); // prints 10
The for Loop
The above while-loop example can be generalized as follows:
pre_loop_statement;
while(condition) {
...
post_loop_statement;
}
This pattern is used so often, JavaScript (and other languages) provide a simplified construct for it called a for-loop.
for (pre_loop_statement; condition; post_loop_statement) {
...
}
The example above can be written using a for-loop as follows:
for (var counter = 0; counter < 10; counter++) {
console.log(counter); // prints 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
}
console.log(counter); // prints 10
Recall that the let keyword restricts the scope of a variable. If we don’t need to reference the variable defined in the pre_loop_statement outside the for-loop we should define the counter variable using let.
for (let counter = 0; counter < 10; counter++) {
console.log(counter);
}
The pre_loop_statement, condition, and post_loop_statement are optional but the semicolons are not. For example, and infinite-loop can be written with a for-loop like this:
for(;;) {
console.log("forever");
}
The for-in Loop
The for-in loop iterates over all of the keys of the properties of an object.
for (var key in object) {
...
}
The example below iterates over the properties of the object named player.
var player = {name: "Perry", score:900};
for (var key in player) {
console.log(key); // prints "name" and "score"
}
We can get the value associated with each key by dereferencing the key as shown below.
var player = {name: "Perry", score:900};
for (var key in player) {
console.log(player[key]); // prints "Perry" and 900
}
You should always check that the object is not null prior to executing a for-in loop on it.
The for-of Loop
The for-of loop iterates over all of the values of the properties of an iterable object.
for (var value of iterable_object) {
...
}
The example below iterates over the properties of the array named player.
var player = ["Perry", 900];
for (var value of player) {
console.log(value); // prints "Perry" and 900
}
Labels
Labels denote locations in code that can be jumped to with condition and break statements. See below.
label:
...
The continue Statement
The continue keyword (without a label) redirects execution to the condition statement in the inner-most loop. The loop can be a for loop, a while loop, or a do-while loop.
for (...) {
for (...) { // After continue, execution jumps to condition statement here
if (...) {
continue;
}
...
}
...
}
A continue statement can also specify a label that is followed by a loop. When the continue statement is executed, execution jumps to the condition statement in the labeled loop.
outer_for_loop: // label
for (...) { // After continue, execution jumps to condition statement here
for (...) {
if (...) {
continue outer_for_loop;
}
...
}
...
}
The break Statement
The break keyword redirects execution to the next statement outside the inner-most loop.
for (...) {
for (...) {
...
if (condition) {
break;
}
...
}
... // After break, execution jumps here
}
A break statement can also specify a label that is followed by a loop. When the break statement is executed, execution jumps to the next statement outside the labeled loop.
outer_for_loop: // label
for (...) {
for (...) {
...
if (condition) {
break outer_for_loop;
}
}
...
}
... // After break, execution jumps here