Chapter-02_B

Repetition
 Objectives

• Basic Loop Structures

• The while Statement
• Computing Sums and Averages Using a while
Loop
• The for Statement
 Objectives (continued)

• Case Studies: Loop Programming Techniques

• Nested Loops
• The do-while Statement
• Common Programming and Compiler Errors
 Introduction

• A section of code that is repeated is called a loop,

because after the last statement in the code is
executed, the program branches, or loops, back to
the first statement and starts another repetition
through the code
• Each repetition is also called an iteration or pass
through the loop
 Basic Loop Structures
• Constructing a repeating section of code requires
that four elements be present:
– Repetition statement
• while statement
• for statement
• do-while statement
– Condition
– A statement that initially sets the condition being
tested
– A statement within the repeating section of code that
alters the condition so that it eventually becomes
false
Pretest and Posttest Loops
Pretest and Posttest Loops
(continued)
 Counter-Controlled and
Condition-Controlled Loops
• Counter-controlled loop: the condition is used to
keep track of the number of repetitions
– Also known as a fixed-count loop
• Condition-controlled loop: the tested condition
does not depend on a count being achieved, but
rather on a specific value being encountered
Basic Loop Structures
 The while Statement

• The general form of the while statement is

while (expression)
statement;
• The transfer of control back to the start of a while
statement to reevaluate the expression is known as
a program loop
• The following is a valid but infinite loop:
while (count <= 10)
printf("%d ",count);
The while Statement (continued)
The while Statement (continued)

Output is:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The while Statement (continued)

Output is:
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The while Statement (continued)
Output is:
NUMBER SQUARE CUBE
------ ------ ----
1 1 1
2 4 8
3 9 27
4 16 64
5 25 125
6 36 216
7 49 343
8 64 512
9 81 729
10 100 1000
The while Statement (continued)

Condition-controlled loop
Output is:
DEGREES DEGREES
CELSIUS FAHRENHEIT
------- ----------
5 41.00
10 50.00
15 59.00
20 68.00
25 77.00
30 86.00
35 95.00
40 104.00
45 113.00
50 122.00
Computing Sums and Averages Using
a while Loop
Computing Sums and Averages Using
a while Loop (continued)
Computing Sums and Averages Using
a while Loop (continued)
Computing Sums and Averages Using
a while Loop (continued)
Computing Sums and Averages Using
a while Loop (continued)

Ensures that any previous value present in the storage

locations assigned to the variable total is overwritten and
the total starts at a correct value

Accumulating statement
Computing Sums and Averages Using
a while Loop (continued)

Calculating an average
 Sentinels

• A program, such as Program 5.7, can be made

much more general by removing the restriction that
exactly four numbers are to be entered
– The user enters a value for how many numbers will
be averaged
– You can use a sentinel (a data value used to signal
either the start or end of a data series)
• The sentinel values must be selected so as not to
conflict with legitimate data values
Sentinels (continued)
 Sentinels (continued)

• One useful sentinel in C is the named constant

EOF (End Of File)
– The actual value of EOF is compiler-dependent, but
it is always assigned a code that is not used by any
other character
– EOF is defined in stdio.h
Sentinels (continued)
Sentinels (continued)
 The break and continue
Statements
• A break forces an immediate exit from while,
switch, for, and do-while statements only
while(count <= 10)
{
printf("Enter a number: ");
scanf("%f", &num);
if (num > 76)
{
printf("You lose!");
break; /* break out of the loop */
}
else
printf("Keep on truckin!");
}
/* break jumps to here */
 The break and continue
Statements (continued)
• The continue applies to loops only; when a
continue statement is encountered in a loop, the
next iteration of the loop begins immediately
while (count < 30)
{
printf("Enter a grade: ");
scanf("%f", &grade);
if(grade < 0 || grade > 100)
continue;
total = total + grade;
count = count + 1;
}
 The Null Statement

• A semicolon with nothing preceding it is also a valid

statement, called the null statement
;
• Use the null statement where a statement is
syntactically required, but no action is needed
• Null statements typically are used either with
while or for statements
 The for Statement
• The for statement combines all four elements
required to easily produce a loop on the same line
for (initializing list; tested expression; altering
list)
statement;
• This statement does not require that any of the
items in parentheses be present or that they
actually be used for initializing or altering the
values in the expression statements
– However, the two semicolons must be present
• for ( ; count <= 20;) is valid
• Omitting tested expression results in infinite loop
The for Statement (continued)
 The for Statement (continued)

• Output is:
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
The for Statement (continued)
The for Statement (continued)
The for Statement (continued)

Comma-separated list
The for Statement (continued)

(compare with Program 5.3)

Computing Sums and Averages Using
a for Loop
 Case Studies: Loop Programming
Techniques
• Technique 1: Selection within a loop
• Technique 2: Input data validation
• Technique 3: Interactive loop control
• Technique 4: Evaluating equations
Technique 1: Selection within a Loop
Technique 2: Input Data Validation

Same code used

in lines 6-7!
Technique 2: Input Data Validation
(continued)
Technique 3: Interactive Loop Control
Technique 4: Evaluating Equations
Technique 4: Evaluating Equations
(continued)
Nested Loops
 Nested Loops (continued)

• Sample run:
i is now 1
j = 1 j = 2 j = 3 j = 4
i is now 2
j = 1 j = 2 j = 3 j = 4
i is now 3
j = 1 j = 2 j = 3 j = 4
i is now 4
j = 1 j = 2 j = 3 j = 4
i is now 5
j = 1 j = 2 j = 3 j = 4
Nested Loops (continued)
Nested Loops (continued)
The do-while Statement
The do-while Statement (continued)

• The general form of the do statement is

do
statement;
while (expression);

• do-while is a posttest loop

• One type of application is ideally suited for a
posttest loop:
– Input data validation application
The do-while Statement (continued)
do
{
printf("\nEnter an ID number: ");
scanf("%f", &idNum);
} while (idNum < 1000 || idNum > 1999);
The do-while Statement (continued)
 Common Programming Errors
• “Off by one” error, in which the loop executes either
one too many or one too few times than intended
• Using the assignment operator, =, instead of the
equality operator, ==, in the tested expression
• As with the if statement, repetition statements
should not use the equality operator, ==, when
testing single-precision or double-precision
operands
 Common Programming Errors
(continued)
• Placing a semicolon at the end of the for’s
parentheses (creates a do-nothing loop)
• Using commas to separate the items in a for
statement instead of the required semicolons
• Omitting the final semicolon from the do statement
Common Compiler Errors
 Summary
• A section of repeating code is called a loop
• The three C repetition statements are while, for and
do-while
• Loops are also classified as to the type of tested
condition
• The most commonly used syntax for a while loop is
while (expression)
{
statements;
}
 Summary (continued)
• A for statement performs the same functions as
the while statement, but uses a different form
• The for statement is extremely useful in creating
counter-controlled loops
• The do-while statement is used to create
posttest loops because it checks its expression at
the end of the loop