MTS 3013
STRUCTURED
PROGRAMMING
Chapter 4 Looping
The Increment and
Decrement Operators
++
is the increment operator.
It adds one to a variable.
val++; is the same as val = val + 1;
++
can be used before (prefix) or after
(postfix) a variable:
++val;
val++;
The Increment and
Decrement Operators
--
is the decrement operator.
It subtracts one from a variable.
val--; is the same as val = val - 1;
can be also used before (prefix) or after
(postfix) a variable:
--
--val;
val--;
(Program Continues)
Prefix vs. Postfix
++ and -- operators can be used in
complex statements and expressions
In prefix mode (++val, --val) the operator
increments or decrements, then returns the
value of the variable
In postfix mode (val++, val--) the
operator returns the value of the variable,
then increments or decrements
Prefix vs. Postfix - Examples
int num, val = 12;
cout << val++; // displays 12,
// val is now 13;
cout << ++val; // sets val to 14,
// then displays it
num = --val;
// sets val to 13,
// stores 13 in num
num = val--;
// stores 13 in num,
// sets val to 12
Notes on Increment, Decrement
Can be used in expressions:
result = num1++ + --num2;
Must be applied to something that has a location in
memory. Cannot have:
result = (num1 + num2)++;
Can be used in relational expressions:
if (++num > limit)
pre- and post-operations will cause different comparisons
Introduction to Loops:
The while Loop
Loop:
a control structure that causes a
statement or statements to repeat
General format of the while loop:
while (expression)
statement;
statement; can also be a block of
statements enclosed in { }
while Loop How It Works
while (expression)
statement;
expression is evaluated
if true, then statement is executed, and
expression is evaluated again
if false, then the the loop is finished and
program statements following statement
execute
The Logic of a while Loop
How the Loop in Lines
9 through 13
Works
Flowchart of the Loop
while is a Pretest Loop
is evaluated before the loop
executes. The following loop will never
execute:
expression
int number = 6;
while (number <= 5)
{
cout << "Hello\n";
number++;
}
Watch Out for Infinite Loops
The
loop must contain code to make
expression become false
Otherwise, the loop will have no way of
stopping
Such a loop is called an infinite loop, because
it will repeat an infinite number of times
An Infinite Loop
int number = 1;
while (number <= 5)
{
cout << "Hello\n";
}
Using the while Loop for
Input Validation
Input
validation is the process of inspecting
data that is given to the program as input and
determining whether it is valid.
The
while loop can be used to create input
routines that reject invalid data, and repeat
until valid data is entered.
Using the while Loop for
Input Validation
Here's
the general approach, in pseudocode:
Read an item of input.
While the input is invalid
Display an error message.
Read the input again.
End While
Input Validation Example
cout << "Enter a number less than 10: ";
cin >> number;
while (number >= 10)
{
cout << "Invalid Entry!"
<< "Enter a number less than 10: ";
cin >> number;
}
Flowchart
Input Validation Example from
Program 5-4
Counters
Counter:
a variable that is incremented or
decremented each time a loop repeats
Can be used to control execution of the loop
(also known as the loop control variable)
Must be initialized before entering loop
The do-while Loop
do-while: a posttest loop execute the
loop, then test the expression
General Format:
do
statement; // or block in { }
while (expression);
Note
that a semicolon is required after
(expression)
The Logic of a do-while Loop
do-while Example
int x = 1;
do
{
cout << x << endl;
} while(x < 0);
Although the test expression is false, this loop will
execute one time because do-while is a posttest
loop.
do-while Loop Notes
Loop
always executes at least once
Execution continues as long as expression
is true, stops repetition when expression
becomes false
Useful in menu-driven programs to bring user
back to menu to make another choice (see
Program 5-7 in the book)
The for Loop
Useful for counter-controlled loop
General Format:
for(initialization; test; update)
statement; // or block in { }
No semicolon after 3rd expression or after the )
for Loop - Mechanics
for(initialization; test; update)
statement; // or block in { }
1)
2)
Perform initialization
Evaluate test expression
3)
If true, execute statement
If false, terminate loop execution
Execute update, then re-evaluate test
expression
for Loop - Example
int count;
for (count = 1; count <= 5; count++)
cout << "Hello" << endl;
A Closer Look
at the Previous
Example
Flowchart for the Previous
Example
A Closer Look at Lines 13
through 14 in Program 5-8
Flowchart for Lines 13 through
14 in Program 5-8
When to Use the for Loop
In
any situation that clearly requires
an initialization
a false condition to stop the loop
an update to occur at the end of each iteration
The for Loop is a Pretest
Loop
The
for loop tests its test expression before
each iteration, so it is a pretest loop.
The following loop will never iterate:
for (count = 11; count <= 10; count++)
cout << "Hello" << endl;
for Loop - Modifications
You can have multiple statements in the
initialization expression. Separate the
statements with a comma:
Initialization Expression
int x, y;
for (x=1,
{
cout <<
<<
<<
}
y=1; x <= 5; x++)
x << " plus " << y
" equals " << (x+y)
endl;
for Loop - Modifications
You can also have multiple statements in the test
expression. Separate the statements with a comma:
Test Expression
int x, y;
for (x=1,
{
cout <<
<<
<<
}
y=1; x <= 5; x++, y++)
x << " plus " << y
" equals " << (x+y)
endl;
for Loop - Modifications
You
can omit the initialization expression
if it has already been done:
int sum = 0, num = 1;
for (; num <= 10; num++)
sum += num;
for Loop - Modifications
You
can declare variables in the
initialization expression:
int sum = 0;
for (int num = 0; num <= 10; num++)
sum += num;
The scope of the variable num is the for loop.
Keeping a Running Total
running total: accumulated sum of numbers from
each repetition of loop
accumulator: variable that holds running total
int sum=0, num=1; // sum is the
while (num <= 10) // accumulator
{
sum += num;
num++;
}
cout << "Sum of numbers 1 10 is"
<< sum << endl;
(Program Continues)
Sentinels
sentinel:
value in a list of values that indicates
end of data
Special
value that cannot be confused with a
valid value, e.g., -999 for a test score
Used
to terminate input when user may not
know how many values will be entered
(Program Continues)
Using a Loop to Read
Data from a File
The
stream extraction operator >> returns
true when a value was successfully read,
false otherwise
Can
be tested in a while loop to continue
execution as long as values are read from the
file:
while (inputFile >> number) ...
Deciding Which Loop to Use
while: pretest loop; loop body may not be
executed at all
do-while: posttest loop; loop body will
always be executed at least once
for: pretest loop with initialization and
update expression; useful with counters, or if
precise number of repetitions is needed
Nested Loops
A
nested loop is a loop inside the body of
another loop
Inner (inside), outer (outside) loops:
for (row=1; row<=3; row++) //outer
for (col=1; col<=3; col++)//inner
cout << row * col << endl;
Lines from Program 5-14
Nested Loops - Notes
Inner
loop goes through all repetitions for
each repetition of outer loop
Inner
loop repetitions complete sooner than
outer loop
Total
number of repetitions for inner loop is
product of number of repetitions of the two
loops.
Breaking Out of a Loop
Can
use break to terminate execution of a
loop
Use
sparingly if at all makes code harder to
understand and debug
When
used in an inner loop, terminates that
loop only and goes back to outer loop
The continue Statement
Can
use continue to go to end of loop and
prepare for next repetition
while, do-while loops: go to test, repeat loop
if test passes
for loop: perform update step, then test, then
repeat loop if test passes
Use
sparingly like break, can make
program logic hard to follow
The end
