Loop - Revision history

Jnc: typos

2025-12-25T07:01:54Z

typos

Jnc: +cat

2018-12-15T23:23:24Z

+cat

Jnc: avoid redir

2018-03-16T14:57:43Z

avoid redir

Jnc: An OK stub

2017-11-06T22:12:43Z

An OK stub

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A '''loop''' is a construct in a [[program]] where a section of the program is executed over and over again; usually there is some test which causes the loop to '''terminate''' at some point.

The first [[programming language]] to have loops was [[FORTRAN]], which allowed an '''index variable''' to start at one constant value, and be incremented (or decremented) by another constant until the value had reached a third constant, at which point the loop terminated. While the loop was active, a block of statements was executed in every pass through the loop.

In [[assembly language]], the same concept applies, except that the loop is constructed manually, using a [[conditional branch]] [[instruction]] to decide whether or not to terminate the loop, or go around again.

Modern programming languages offer more flexible looping constucts; e.g. [[C (language)|C]] allows arbitrary statements to initialize the loop, and to be peformed on each pass through the loop; the termination test is an arbitrary [[expression]].

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 In [[assembly language]], the same concept applies, except that the loop is constructed manually, using a [[conditional branch]] [[instruction]] to decide whether or not to terminate the loop, or go around again.
-Modern programming languages offer more flexible looping constucts; e.g. the [[C programming language]] allows arbitrary statements to initialize the loop, and to be peformed on each pass through the loop; the termination test is an arbitrary [[expression]].
+Modern programming languages offer more flexible looping constructs; e.g. the [[C programming language]] allows arbitrary statements to initialize the loop, and to be performed on each pass through the loop; the termination test is likewise an arbitrary [[expression]].
 [[Category: Software Basics]]

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	Modern programming languages offer more flexible looping constucts; e.g. the [[C programming language]] allows arbitrary statements to initialize the loop, and to be peformed on each pass through the loop; the termination test is an arbitrary [[expression]].		Modern programming languages offer more flexible looping constucts; e.g. the [[C programming language]] allows arbitrary statements to initialize the loop, and to be peformed on each pass through the loop; the termination test is an arbitrary [[expression]].
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		+	[[Category: Software Basics]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:57, 16 March 2018
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	In [[assembly language]], the same concept applies, except that the loop is constructed manually, using a [[conditional branch]] [[instruction]] to decide whether or not to terminate the loop, or go around again.		In [[assembly language]], the same concept applies, except that the loop is constructed manually, using a [[conditional branch]] [[instruction]] to decide whether or not to terminate the loop, or go around again.

−	Modern programming languages offer more flexible looping constucts; e.g. [[C (language~~)\|C~~]] allows arbitrary statements to initialize the loop, and to be peformed on each pass through the loop; the termination test is an arbitrary [[expression]].	+	Modern programming languages offer more flexible looping constucts; e.g. the [[C programming language]] allows arbitrary statements to initialize the loop, and to be peformed on each pass through the loop; the termination test is an arbitrary [[expression]].