LOOPS IN PYTHON
Python Loops
Python has two primitive loop commands:
while loops
for loops
The while Loop:
With the while loop we can execute a set of statements as long as
a condition is true.
Example: Print i as long as i is less than 6:
i=1
while i < 6:
print(i)
i += 1 o/p- 1 2 3 4 5
Note: remember to increment i, or else the loop will continue
forever.
The while loop requires relevant variables to be ready, in this
example we need to define an indexing variable, i, which we set to
1
The break Statement:
With the break statement we can stop the loop even if the while
condition is true:
Example: Exit the loop when i is 3:
i=1
while i < 6:
print(i)
if i == 3:
break
i += 1 o/p – 1 2 3
The continue Statement:
With the continue statement we can stop the current iteration,
and continue with the next:
Example: Continue to the next iteration if i is 3:
i=0
while i < 6:
i += 1
if i == 3:
continue
print(i) o/p- 1 2 4 5 6
Python For Loops:
A for loop is used for iterating over a sequence (that is either a
list, a tuple, a dictionary, a set, or a string).
This is less like the for keyword in other programming languages,
and works more like an iterator method as found in other object-
orientated programming languages.
With the for loop we can execute a set of statements, once for
each item in a list, tuple, set etc.
Example: Print each fruit in a fruit list:
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in fruits:
print(x)
The for loop does not require an indexing variable to set
beforehand
Looping Through a String:
Even strings are iterable objects, they contain a sequence of
characters:
Example: Loop through the letters in the word "banana":
for x in "banana":
print(x) o/p- b a n a n a (each character will be printed)
The break Statement:
With the break statement we can stop the loop before it has
looped through all the items:
Example”: Exit the loop when x is "banana":
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in fruits:
print(x)
if x == "banana":
break o/p- apple banana
Example: Exit the loop when x is "banana", but this time the
break comes before the print:
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in fruits:
if x == "banana":
break
print(x) o/p- apple
The continue Statement:
With the continue statement we can stop the current iteration of
the loop, and continue with the next:
Example: Do not print banana:
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in fruits:
if x == "banana":
continue
print(x) o/p- apple cherry
The range() Function:
To loop through a set of code a specified number of times, we can
use the range() function,
The range() function returns a sequence of numbers, starting
from 0 by default, and increments by 1 (by default), and ends at a
specified number.
Example: Using the range() function:
for x in range(6):
print(x)
Note that range(6) is not the values of 0 to 6, but the values 0 to
5.
The range() function defaults to 0 as a starting value, however it
is possible to specify the starting value by adding a
parameter: range(2, 6), which means values from 2 to 6 (but not
including 6):
Example: Using the start parameter:
for x in range(2, 6):
print(x) o/p- 2 3 4 5
The range() function defaults to increment the sequence by 1,
however it is possible to specify the increment value by adding a
third parameter: range(2, 30, 3):
Example: Increment the sequence with 3 (default is 1):
for x in range(2, 30, 3):
print(x) o/p- 2 5 8 11 14 17 20 23 26 29
Nested Loops:
A nested loop is a loop inside a loop.
The "inner loop" will be executed one time for each iteration of the
"outer loop":
Example: Print each adjective for every fruit:
adj = ["red", "big", "tasty"]
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in adj:
for y in fruits:
print(x, y)
o/p: red apple
red banana
red cherry
big apple
big banana
big cherry
tasty apple
tasty banana
tasty cherry
The pass Statement:
for loops cannot be empty, but if you for some reason have
a for loop with no content, put in the pass statement to avoid
getting an error.
Example
for x in [0, 1, 2]:
pass
# having an empty for loop like this, would raise an error without
the pass statement
