Java While Loop
Loops
Loops can execute a block of code as long as a specified condition is reached.
Loops are handy because they save time, reduce errors, and they make code more readable.
Java While Loop
The while loop loops through a block of code as long as a specified condition is true:
Syntax
while (condition) {
// code block to be executed
Example 1
int i = 0; Output
while (i < 5) {
System.out.println(i);
i++;
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);
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 {
System.out.println(i);
i++;
while (i < 5);
Exercise:
Print i as long as i is less than 6..
int i = 1;
(i < 6) {
System.out.println(i);
;
}
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.
The example below will print the numbers 0 to 4:
Example
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
System.out.println(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 must be less than 5). If the condition is true,
the loop will start over again, if it is false, the loop will end.
Statement 3 increases a value (i++) each time the code block in the loop has been executed.
Example
for (int i = 0; i <= 10; i = i + 2) {
System.out.println(i);
For Each Loop
There is also a "for-each" loop, which is used exclusively to loop through elements in an array:
Syntax
for (type variableName : arrayName) {
// code block to be executed
}
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
for (String i : cars) {
System.out.println(i);
Exercise:
Use a for loop to print "Yes" 5 times.
(int i = 0; i < 5; ) {
System.out.println( );
}
Java Break and Continue
You have already seen the break statement used in an earlier chapter of this tutorial. It was used to
"jump out" of a switch statement.
The break statement can also be used to jump out of a loop.
This example jumps out of the loop when i is equal to 4:
Example
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
if (i == 4) {
break;
System.out.println(i);
}
Java Continue
The continue statement breaks one iteration (in the loop), if a specified condition occurs, and
continues with the next iteration in the loop.
This example skips the value of 4:
Example
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
if (i == 4) {
continue;
System.out.println(i);
Break and Continue in While Loop
You can also use break and continue in while loops:
Break Example
int i = 0;
while (i < 10) {
System.out.println(i);
i++;
if (i == 4) {
break;
}
Continue Example
int i = 0;
while (i < 10) {
if (i == 4) {
i++;
continue;
System.out.println(i);
i++;
Exercise:
Stop the loop if i is 5.
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
if (i == 5) {
;
}
System.out.println(i);
}
Java Arrays
Arrays are used to store multiple values in a single variable, instead of declaring separate variables
for each value.
To declare an array, define the variable type with square brackets:
String[] cars;
We have now declared a variable that holds an array of strings. To insert values to it, we can use an
array literal - place the values in a comma-separated list, inside curly braces:
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
To create an array of integers, you could write:
int[] myNum = {10, 20, 30, 40};
Access the Elements of an Array
You access an array element by referring to the index number.
This statement accesses the value of the first element in cars:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
System.out.println(cars[0]);
// Outputs Volvo
Note: Array indexes start with 0: [0] is the first element. [1] is the
second element, etc.
Change an Array Element
To change the value of a specific element, refer to the index number:
Example
cars[0] = "Opel";
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
cars[0] = "Opel";
System.out.println(cars[0]);
// Now outputs Opel instead of Volvo
Array Length
To find out how many elements an array has, use the length property:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
System.out.println(cars.length);
// Outputs 4
Loop Through an Array
You can loop through the array elements with the for loop, and use the length property to specify
how many times the loop should run.
The following example outputs all elements in the cars array:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
for (int i = 0; i < cars.length; i++) {
System.out.println(cars[i]);
Loop Through an Array with For-Each
There is also a "for-each" loop, which is used exclusively to loop through elements in arrays:
Syntax
for (type variable : arrayname) {
...
}
The following example outputs all elements in the cars array, using a "for-each" loop:
Example
String[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
for (String i : cars) {
System.out.println(i);
The example above can be read like this: for each String element (called i - as in index) in cars, print
out the value of i.
If you compare the for loop and for-each loop, you will see that the for-each method is easier to
write, it does not require a counter (using the length property), and it is more readable.
Multidimensional Arrays
A multidimensional array is an array containing one or more arrays.
To create a two-dimensional array, add each array within its own set of curly braces:
Example
int[][] myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };
myNumbers is now an array with two arrays as its elements.
To access the elements of the myNumbers array, specify two indexes: one for the array, and one
for the element inside that array. This example accesses the third element (2) in the second array
(1) of myNumbers:
Example
int[][] myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };
int x = myNumbers[1][2];
System.out.println(x); // Outputs 7
We can also use a for loop inside another for loop to get the elements of a two-dimensional array (we
still have to point to the two indexes):
Example
public class MyClass {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int[][] myNumbers = { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7} };
for (int i = 0; i < myNumbers.length; ++i) {
for(int j = 0; j < myNumbers[i].length; ++j) {
System.out.println(myNumbers[i][j]);
}
}
Exercise:
Create an array of type String called cars.
= {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford"};
