C Programming

Loops
 The Compound Statement
• A compound statement is a series of declarations and statements
surrounded by braces.
• A compound statement is itself a statement
• In C, wherever it is correct to place a statement, you may also place a
compound statement.
 Example of a
Compound Statement
{
int a = 1, sum = 0;
while (a <= 10)
{
sum = sum + a;
a = a + 1;
printf(“%d\n”, a);
}
printf(“%d\n”, sum);
}
/* Note there is a compound statement within a compound
statement. */
 The Use of
Compound Statements
• To group statements into an executable unit.
• To achieve the desired flow of control in if, if-else, while, for, do, and
switch statements.
• We are about to study these statements in greater detail.
 The Empty Statement
• The empty statement is written as a single semicolon.
• It is useful where a statement is needed syntactically but no action is required
semantically.
 Delay Loop with
Empty Statement
int i = 0;
...
printf(“Error: reenter data.\n”);
while (++i < 10000) /* delay */
;
system(“clear”);
...
/* while loop keeps message on */
/* the screen momentarily. */
 The while Statement
• General Form of while Statement
while (expr)
statement
next statement
• First expr is evaluated. If it is nonzero (true), then statement is executed, and
control is passed back to the beginning of the while loop.
• The body of the while loop, namely statement, is executed repeatedly until expr
is zero (false). At that point control passes to next statement.
 Example of while Statement
int i = 1, sum = 0;
...
while (i <= 10) {
sum += i;
++i;
}
printf(“%d\n”, sum);
Number of times through loop Value of sum
first 1 (0 + 1)
second 3 (1 + 2)
third 6 (3 + 3)
 The for Statement
• General Form of the for Statement
for (expr1; expr2; expr3)
statement
next statement
• First expr1 is evaluated; typically expr1 is used to initialize the loop.
• Then expr2 is evaluated; if it is nonzero (true) then statement is executed, expr3 is evaluated, and
control passes back to the beginning of the for loop again, except that evaluation of expr1 is
skipped. The process continues until expr2 is zero (false), at which point control passes to next
statement.
 Typical Roles of for Loop
expr1, expr2, & expr3
• General Form of the for Statement
for (expr1; expr2; expr3)
statement
next statement
• expr1 is used to initialize the loop.
• expr2 is a logical expression controlling the iteration. The loop exits when expr2
becomes false.
• expr3 typically modifies a variable in expr2 eventually causing expr2 to become
false.
/* Printing Random Numbers */
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main(void)
{
int i, n; i=0
printf(“\n%s\n%s”,
“Some randomly distributed integers will be printed.”,
“How many do you want to see? “);
scanf(“%d”, &n);
for (i = 0; i < n; ++i) { while (i++ < n) {
if (i % 6 == 0) ...
printf(“\n”); ...
printf(“%9d”, rand()); ...
} }
printf(“\n”); equivalent code
return 0; using while
}
 Equivalence of
for and while Loops
for (expr1; expr2; expr3)
statement
statement

Is Equivalent to:
The for loop has the
expr1; advantage of keeping
while (expr2) { both the control
statement (expr2) and the
expr3; indexing (expr3) all
} in one place at the
next statement top of the loop.
 Missing Expressions
in the for Loop
• Any or all of the expressions in a for statement can be missing, but
the two semicolons must remain.

i = 1;
sum = 0;
for ( ; i <= 10; )
sum += i++;
printf(“%d\n”, sum);
}
 Embedded for Statements
• A for statement can be used as the statement part of an if, if-else,
while, or another for statement.
• See example “Combinatorics” on page 108.
• Combinatorics involves combinations and permutations. This program lists all
triples of nonnegative numbers that add up to a given number N.
 The Comma Operator
• The comma operator has the lowest precedence of any operator in C.
• It is a binary operator that associates from left to right.
• General Form
expr1, expr2
Value and Type of the Comma Operator

• The comma expression as a whole has the value and type of its right
operand.
• Example:
a = 0, b = 1
If b has been declared as an int, this expression has a value of 1 and a type of
int.
 Use of the comma Operator
in a for Statement
• You can use the comma operator in a for statement
to do multiple initializations and multiple processing
of indices.
• Examples
for (sum = 0, i = 1; i <= n; ++i)
sum += i;

for (sum = 0, i = 1; i <= n; sum += i, ++i)

;
Example of comma Expressions

Declarations and Initializations

int i, j, k = 3;
double x = 3.3;

Expression: i = 1, j = 2, ++k + 1
Equiv Expression: ((i = 1), (j = 2)), ((++k) + 1)
Value: 5

Expression: k != 7, ++ x * 2.0 + 1
Equiv Expression: (k != 7), (((++ x) * 2.0) + 1)
Value: 9.6
 Use of Commas in Your Code
• Most commas in programs do not represent comma operators.
• Commas used to separate expressions in argument lists of functions or within
initializer lists are not comma operators.
• If a comma operator is to be used in these places, the comma expression in
which it occurs must be enclosed within parentheses.
 The do Statement
• The do statement is a variant of the while statement that tests its
condition at the bottom of the loop.

General Form of the do Statement

do
statement
while (expr);
next statement
 Examples of a do Statement
do {
sum += i;
scanf(“%d”, &i);
} while (i > 0);

do {
printf(“Input feet: “);
scanf(“%d”, &feet);
if (feet > 2)
printf(“\nEnter a 1 or 2:\n\n”);
} while (feet > 2);
 The goto Statement
• goto causes an unconditional jump to a labeled statement
somewhere in the current function.
• Form of a labeled statement.
label: statement
Where label is an identifier.
 Example of goto and label
while (scanf(“%lf”, &x) == 1) {
if (x < 0.0)
goto negative_alert;
printf(“%f %f %f”,
x, sqrt(x), sqrt(2 * x));
}

negative_alert:
if (x < 0.0)
printf(“Negative value encountered!\n”);
 Same Example Without goto
while(scanf(“%lf”, &x) == 1 && x >= 0.0)
printf(“%f %f %f\n”,
x, sqrt(x), sqrt(2 * x));
if (x < 0.0)
printf(“Negative value encountered!\n);

&& x >= 0.0 accomplishes what the goto accomplished, namely the printf() will
not be executed if a negative number is entered.
 When Should goto Be Used?
• Almost never (it is never needed).
• gotos can make a program very difficult to read and understand.
• In rare instances such as exiting from a deeply nested inner loop to
the outermost level, a goto can make a program execute with
significantly greater efficiency.
The break and continue Statements
• The break statement causes an exit from the innermost enclosing
loop or switch statement.
• The continue statement causes the current iteration of a loop to stop
and the next iteration to begin immediately.
Example Using a break Statement

while (1) {
scanf(“%lf”, &x);
if (x < 0.0)
break;
printf(“%f\n”, sqrt(x));
}

/* break causes jump to next statement */

/* after the while loop. */
Example Using a continue Statement

while (cnt < n) {

scanf(“%lf”, &x);
if (x > -0.01 && x < +0.01)
continue; /* disregard small values */
++cnt;
sum += x;
/* continue transfers control to */
/* here to immediately begin the */
/* next iteration. */
}