whilecondition

Whilecondition refers to a programming concept used to repeatedly execute a block of code while a boolean expression remains true. In many languages this is implemented as a while loop, where the condition is evaluated before each iteration and the body runs only if the condition holds.

Syntax and evaluation vary by language, but the core idea is consistent. Before each iteration, the condition is checked. If it evaluates to true, the loop body executes; otherwise, control passes to the statement following the loop. If the condition is false on the first check, the loop body may not run at all. In C-like languages the form is often while (condition) { ... }, while Python uses while condition: and indentation to delimit the block.

Behavior and termination are essential considerations. A whilecondition can run indefinitely if the condition never becomes false or if the loop body fails to update the state involved in the condition. To ensure termination, the loop body should modify relevant variables, inputs, or signals so that the condition eventually evaluates to false.

Common uses include processing input streams until a sentinel value is encountered, performing repeated computations until a stopping criterion is met, and polling for a desired state. Whilecondition is simple and expressive, but complex conditions can reduce readability.

Variants and related constructs include do-while loops, which execute the body at least once before testing the condition, and for loops, which integrate initialization, condition checking, and iteration in a single construct. The exact syntax and semantics depend on the programming language in use.

See also: do-while loop, for loop, break statement, continue statement.