C++ while

last modified January 9, 2023

C++ while tutorial shows how to create loops in C++ with the while statement.

The while statement

The while statement is used to create a while loop. A while loop is a control flow statement executes code repeatedly based on the given boolean condition.

This is the general form of the while loop:

while (expression) {
 statement(s);
}

The while keyword executes the statements inside the block enclosed by the curly brackets. The statements are executed each time the expression is evaluated to true.

C++ while example

The following example uses a while statement to calculate a sum.

#include <iostream>
int main() {
 int i = 0;
 int sum = 0;
 while (i <= 10) {
 sum += i;
 i++;
 }
 std::cout << sum << std::endl;
 return 0;
}

We calculate the sum of 1..10 numbers.

The while loop has three parts: initialization, testing and updating. Each execution of the statement is called a cycle.

int i = 0;

We initiate the i variable. It is used as a counter.

while (i <= 10) {
 ...
}

The expression inside the brackets following the while keyword is the second phase: the testing. The statements in the body are executed until the expression is evaluated to false.

i++;

This is the last, third phase of the while loop: the updating. We increment the counter. Note that improper handling of the while loops may lead to endless cycles.

$ ./simple 
55

C++ while - calculate factorial

The factorial of a positive integer n, denoted by n!, is the product of all positive integers less than or equal to n.

n! = n * (n-1) * (n-2) * ... * 1

This is the formula to calculate the factorial.

#include <iostream>
int main() {
 int i = 10;
 int factorial = 1;
 while (i > 1) {
 factorial *= i;
 i--;
 }
 std::cout << factorial << std::endl;
 return 0;
}

In the example, we use the while loop to calculate the 10! factorial.

$ ./factorial 
3628800

C++ while - endless loop

The while (1) creates an endless loop. In order to terminate the loop, we use the break statement.

#include <random>
#include <iostream>
using u32 = uint_least32_t;
using engine = std::mt19937;
int main() {
 std::random_device os_seed;
 const u32 seed = os_seed();
 engine generator(seed);
 std::uniform_int_distribution<u32> distribute(1, 30);
 while (1) {
 int r = distribute(generator);
 std::cout << r << " ";
 if (r == 22) {
 break;
 }
 }
 std::cout << std::endl;
 return 0;
}

The example calculates a random value between 0..29. If it equals to 22, the loop is finished with the break statement.

$ ./random 
25 28 9 9 18 6 20 2 5 15 7 11 22

C++ while - loop over array

The while statement can be used to traverse over an array.

#include <iostream>
int main() {
 int vals[] {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10};
 int i, sum = 0;
 size_t len = sizeof vals / sizeof vals[0];
 while (i <= len) {
 sum += vals[i];
 i++;
 }
 std::cout << "The sum is: " << sum << std::endl;
 return 0;
}

In the example, we have an array of integers. We go over the array with the while statement and calculate the sum of the values.

$ ./loop_array 
The sum is: 55

C++ do while example

The do while statement is a specific form of a while statement, where the block is executed before the condition. So the block is always executed at least once.

#include <iostream>
int main() {
 int val, sum = 0;
 do {
 std::cout << "Enter a number: ";
 std::cin >> val;
 sum += val;
 } while(val != 0);
 std::cout << "The sum is: " << sum << std::endl;
 return 0;
}

The example asks the user to repeatedly enter a number. It calculates the sum of all those values. It terminates the loop when the user enters zero.

$ ./do_while 
Enter a number: 3
Enter a number: 2
Enter a number: 1
Enter a number: 0
The sum is: 6

This tutorial was dedicated to the while statement in C++.