Chapter 6: Python Loops
Python has two primitive loop commands: while loops and for loops
while Loop
With the while loop we can execute a set of statements as long as a
condition is true.
i = 1
while i < 6:
print(i)
i += 1
Note: remember to increment i, or else the loop will continue forever.
break Statement
With the break statement we can stop the loop even if the while condition
is true:
i = 1
while i < 6:
print(i)
if i == 3:
break
i += 1
continue Statement
With the continue statement we can stop the current iteration, and
continue with the next:
i = 0
while i < 6:
i += 1
if i == 3:
continue
print(i)
else Statement
With the else statement we can run a block of code once when the
condition no longer is true:
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i = 1
while i < 6:
print(i)
i += 1
else:
print(“i is no longer less than 6”)
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).
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:
for x in ”banana”:
print(x)
break Statement
With the break statement we can stop the loop before it has looped
through all the items:
fruits = [“apple”, ”banana”, ”cherry”]
for x in fruits:
print(x)
if x == ”banana”:
break
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)
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continue Statement
With the continue statement we can stop the current iteration of the loop,
and continue with the next:
Do not print banana:
fruits = [“apple”, ”banana”, ”cherry”]
for x in fruits:
if x == ”banana”:
continue
print(x)
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.
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 (not including):
for x in range(2, 6):
print(x)
The range() function defaults to increment the sequence by 1, however it
is possible to specify the increment value by adding a third parameter:
Increment the sequence with 3 (default is 1):
for x in range(2, 30, 3):
print(x)
else in For Loop
The else keyword in a for loop specifies a block of code to be executed
when the loop is finished:
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Print all numbers from 0 to 5, and print a message when the loop has
ended:
for x in range(6):
print(x)
else:
print(“Finally finished!”)
Note: The else block will NOT be executed if the loop is stopped by a break
statement.
Break the loop when x is 3, and see what happens with the else block:
for x in range(6):
if x == 3: break
print(x)
else:
print(“Finally finished!”)
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”:
colors = ["green", "yellow", "red"]
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for clr in colors:
for frt in fruits:
print(clr, frt)
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