Chapter 4(c) –

Do while loop
Repetition (do while loop)

Iteration / loop
Similar to the while loop.

There are 3 types of repetition
The primary difference is that with a do
while loop the condition is tested at the
structure:
bottom of the loop, unlike a while loop
1. for loop where the condition is tested at the top
2. while loop
This means that a do while loop will always
3. do while loop
execute at least once, whereas a while loop
may never execute at all if its condition is
false at the outset.
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Syntax
The do keyword starts the loop

The statement or statements
belonging to the loop are enclosed in
do curly braces.
{
After the close curly brace, the while
statement(s); keyword appears, followed by the
} while (condition); condition in parentheses, terminated
by a semicolon.
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Comparison of the Do While

and While Loop

Example 1: Using while loop

int num = 1;

The following program is a modification of
while (num <= 10) the one earlier (Example 11, Chapter 4(b) -
{
cout << num << " "; Repetition - while loop) that used a while
num++; loop to continue to prompt the user to enter
}
a positive number until the user either did

Example 2: Using do while loop so or quit, and then either outputted the
int num = 1; positive number or a message that the user
do did not enter a positive number.
{
cout << num << " ";
num++;
} while (num <= 10) ; 5 6

Using while loop EXAMPLE 3: Using do while

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This modification uses a do while loop instead of a
while loop.

The preceding program, which used the do while
loop, did not need to prompt the user both (no
repetition of code) before and inside the loop to
enter a number as did the corresponding program
that used the while loop.

However, this program using the do while loop
repeats the num <= 0 condition inside the loop,

whereas the corresponding program that used the
while loop did not need to do that.
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As you may recall, in the program variation
that used the while loop, the value of quit
could be true in the loop condition under
either of two possibilities:
1. the user’s first attempt to enter data so the
user has not yet been asked whether they want
to quit,
2. the user’s second or later attempt to enter data
and the user answered that they wanted to quit.

By contrast, using the do while loop
eliminates the first possibility.
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Another common example of this situation is
when a menu is displayed
Menu
====
1. Add an entry
2. Edit an entry
3. Delete an entry
4. Exit
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In this menu example, the menu
always displays at least once;

The user cannot choose to exit before
being given that choice.

Accordingly, a do while loop normally
is preferable to a while loop when
choosing a loop to display a menu.
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As a general rule, use a do while loop
over a while loop in those situations in
which the loop must execute at least
once before a condition may be tested,

because under these circumstances it
seems illogical to test the condition
prematurely on the first iteration of
the loop.

The preceding program, in which the
user had to enter a number, whether
that number is positive or not, is an
example of the situation in which the
loop must execute at least once before
a condition may be tested.
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If the user chooses options 1, 2, or 3,
the program performs the indicated
operation (add, edit, or delete) and
then again displays the menu for the
user’s next choice.

If the user chooses option 4, the
program ends.
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Scope

With a do while loop, it is important
that a variable used in the condition
following the while keyword not be
declared inside the loop.

In the program that demonstrated the
do while loop, the variables num and
quit were declared before the loop:
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Example 4
int num;
char choice;
bool quit = false;
do {
// statements
} while (num <= 0 && quit == false);
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char choice;
do {
int num;
bool quit = false;
// more statements
} while (num <= 0 && quit == false);
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In this example, the variables num and quit
are declared after the open curly brace that
begins the body of the do while loop.

That means their scope is limited to the
area between that open curly brace and the
close curly brace that ends the body of the
do while loop.

This area between an open and close curly
brace also is referred to as a block.
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This issue arises far more often with the do while
loop than with the for or while loops.

With for or while loops, the condition precedes the
body of the loop, so any variables used in the
condition necessarily would be declared before the
loop or, in the case of the for loop, within the
parentheses following the for keyword.

By contrast, since the condition of a do while loop
comes after the body of the loop, it is an easy
mistake to declare the variables used in the
condition before it, in the body of the loop.
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These variables could not be declared inside
the do while loop, as in the following code
segment, because the code would not
compile.

The parentheses following the while
keyword is highlighted, and the compiler
error is that num and quit are undeclared
identifiers

The reason why this alternative will not
compile concerns variable scope.
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A variable must be declared before it can be
referred to in code.

Once a variable is declared, it may be referred to
wherever in the code it has scope.

Thus far, variables have been declared in main, just
after the open curly brace which begins the body of
the main function.

This gives these variables scope until the close
curly brace, which ends the body of the main
function.

Since thus far our programs have had only one
function, main, as a practical matter, the variables,
once declared, could be referred to throughout the
entire program. 20

The while keyword and the parentheses that follow
it are outside the body of the do while loop, or put
another way, after the close curly brace that ends
the body of the do while loop.

Since the variables num and quit were declared
within the body of the do while loop, they do not
have scope outside the body of the loop where the
while parentheses are located.

Therefore, these variables are regarded as
undeclared when referred to within those
parentheses.
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Summary

The for loop works well in situations where the loop
will iterate a fixed number of times.

Often, however, the number of times a loop will
iterate is unpredictable since the number of
iterations depends on user input during runtime.

A while loop works better than a for loop when the
number of times a loop will execute is unpredictable.

There also are situations in which, while the
number of times this loop may execute is
unpredictable, the loop will execute at least once.
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An example discussed in this chapter is a
loop that displays a menu with various
choices, including exiting the program.

In this menu example, the menu always
displays at least once; the user cannot
choose to exit before being given that
choice. In such situations, a do while loop is
a better choice than a while loop.

This chapter showed you how to use a do
while loop, and introduced the issue of
variable scope.
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