C Loops

The looping can be defined as repeating the same process multiple times until a
specific condition satisfies. There are three types of loops used in the C language. In
this part of the tutorial, we are going to learn all the aspects of C loops.

Why use loops in C language?

The looping simplifies the complex problems into the easy ones. It enables us to alter
the flow of the program so that instead of writing the same code again and again, we
can repeat the same code for a finite number of times. For example, if we need to print
the first 10 natural numbers then, instead of using the printf statement 10 times, we
can print inside a loop which runs up to 10 iterations.

Advantage of loops in C
1) It provides code reusability.

2) Using loops, we do not need to write the same code again and again.

3) Using loops, we can traverse over the elements of data structures (array or linked
lists).

Types of C Loops
There are three types of loops in C language that is given below:

1. do while
2. while
3. for

do-while loop in C
The do-while loop continues until a given condition satisfies. It is also called post tested
loop. It is used when it is necessary to execute the loop at least once (mostly menu
driven programs).

The syntax of do-while loop in c language is given below:

1. do{
2. //code to be executed
3. }while(condition);
while loop in C
The while loop in c is to be used in the scenario where we don't know the number of
iterations in advance. The block of statements is executed in the while loop until the
condition specified in the while loop is satisfied. It is also called a pre-tested loop.

The syntax of while loop in c language is given below:

1. while(condition){
2. //code to be executed
3. }

for loop in C
The for loop is used in the case where we need to execute some part of the code until
the given condition is satisfied. The for loop is also called as a per-tested loop. It is
better to use for loop if the number of iteration is known in advance.

The syntax of for loop in c language is given below:

1. for (initialization; condition; incr / decr){

2. //code to be executed
3. }
while loop in C
While loop is also known as a pre-tested loop. In general, a while loop allows a part of
the code to be executed multiple times depending upon a given Boolean condition. It
can be viewed as a repeating if statement. The while loop is mostly used in the case
where the number of iterations is not known in advance.

Syntax of while loop in C language

The syntax of while loop in c language is given below:

1. while(condition){
2. //code to be executed
3. }
Flowchart of while loop in C

Example of the while loop in C language

Let's see the simple program of while loop that prints table of 1.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. int main(){
3. int i=1;
4. while(i<=10){
5. printf("%d \n",i);
6. i++;
7. }
8. return 0;
9. }
Output
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Program to print table for the given number using while

loop in C
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. int main(){
3. int i=1,number=0,b=9;
4. printf("Enter a number: ");
5. scanf("%d",&number);
6. while(i<=10){
7. printf("%d \n",(number*i));
8. i++;
9. }
10. return 0;
11. }
Output
Enter a number: 50
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Enter a number: 100
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000

Properties of while loop

o A conditional expression is used to check the condition. The statements defined inside
the while loop will repeatedly execute until the given condition fails.
o The condition will be true if it returns 0. The condition will be false if it returns any non-
zero number.
o In while loop, the condition expression is compulsory.
o Running a while loop without a body is possible.
o We can have more than one conditional expression in while loop.
o If the loop body contains only one statement, then the braces are optional.

Example 1
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. void main ()
3. {
4. int j = 1;
5. while(j+=2,j<=10)
6. {
7. printf("%d ",j);
8. }
9. printf("%d",j);
10. }

Output
3 5 7 9 11
Example 2
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. void main ()
3. {
4. while()
5. {
6. printf("hello Javatpoint");
7. }
8. }
Output
Compile time error: while loop can't be empty

Example 3
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. void main ()
3. {
4. int x = 10, y = 2;
5. while(x+y-1)
6. {
7. printf("%d %d",x--,y--);
8. }
9. }
Output

Infinite loop

Infinitive while loop in C

If the expression passed in while loop results in any non-zero value then the loop will
run the infinite number of times.

1. while(1)
2. {
3. //statement
4. }
do while loop in C
The do while loop is a post tested loop. Using the do-while loop, we can repeat the
execution of several parts of the statements. The do-while loop is mainly used in the
case where we need to execute the loop at least once. The do-while loop is mostly
used in menu-driven programs where the termination condition depends upon the
end user.

do while loop syntax

The syntax of the C language do-while loop is given below:

1. do{
2. //code to be executed
3. }while(condition);
Example 1
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<stdlib.h>
3. void main ()
4. {
5. char c;
6. int choice, dummy;
7. do{
8. printf("\n1. Print Hello\n2. Print Hi \n3. Exit\n");
9. scanf("%d",&choice);
10. switch(choice)
11. {
12. case 1 :
13. printf("Hello");
14. break;
15. case 2:
16. printf("Hi");
17. break;
18. case 3:
19. exit(0);
20. break;
21. default:
22. printf("please enter valid choice");
23. }
24. printf("do you want to enter more?");
25. scanf("%d",&dummy);
26. scanf("%c",&c);
27. }while(c=='y');
28. }
Output
1. Print Hello
2. Print Hi
3. Exit
1
Hello
do you want to enter more?
y

1. Print Hello
2. Print Hi
3. Exit
2
Hi
do you want to enter more?
n

Flowchart of do while loop

do while example

There is given the simple program of c language do while loop where we are printing
the table of 1.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. int main(){
3. int i=1;
4. do{
5. printf("%d \n",i);
6. i++;
7. }while(i<=10);
8. return 0;
9. }
Output
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Program to print table for the given number using do while loop
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. int main(){
3. int i=1,number=0;
4. printf("Enter a number: ");
5. scanf("%d",&number);
6. do{
7. printf("%d \n",(number*i));
8. i++;
9. }while(i<=10);
10. return 0;
11. }

Output
Enter a number: 5
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50

Enter a number: 10
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100

Infinitive do while loop

The do-while loop will run infinite times if we pass any non-zero value as the
conditional expression.

1. do{
2. //statement
3. }while(1);
for loop in C
The for loop in C language is used to iterate the statements or a part of the program
several times. It is frequently used to traverse the data structures like the array and
linked list.

Syntax of for loop in C

The syntax of for loop in c language is given below:

1. for(Expression 1; Expression 2; Expression 3){

2. //code to be executed
3. }

Flowchart of for loop in C

C for loop Examples

Let's see the simple program of for loop that prints table of 1.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. int main(){
3. int i=0;
4. for(i=1;i<=10;i++){
5. printf("%d \n",i);
6. }
7. return 0;
8. }

Output

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

C Program: Print table for the given number using C for loop

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. int main(){
3. int i=1,number=0;
4. printf("Enter a number: ");
5. scanf("%d",&number);
6. for(i=1;i<=10;i++){
7. printf("%d \n",(number*i));
8. }
9. return 0;
10. }

Output

Enter a number: 2
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Enter a number: 1000
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000

Properties of Expression 1

o The expression represents the initialization of the loop variable.

o We can initialize more than one variable in Expression 1.
o Expression 1 is optional.
o In C, we cannot declare the variables in Expression 1. However, It can be an exception
in some compilers.

Example 1

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. int main()
3. {
4. int a,b,c;
5. for(a=0,b=12,c=23;a<2;a++)
6. {
7. printf("%d ",a+b+c);
8. }
9. }

Output

35 36

Example 2

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. int main()
3. {
4. int i=1;
5. for(;i<5;i++)
6. {
7. printf("%d ",i);
8. }
9. }

Output

1 2 3 4

Properties of Expression 2

o Expression 2 is a conditional expression. It checks for a specific condition to be satisfied.

If it is not, the loop is terminated.
o Expression 2 can have more than one condition. However, the loop will iterate until the
last condition becomes false. Other conditions will be treated as statements.
o Expression 2 is optional.
o Expression 2 can perform the task of expression 1 and expression 3. That is, we can
initialize the variable as well as update the loop variable in expression 2 itself.
o We can pass zero or non-zero value in expression 2. However, in C, any non-zero value
is true, and zero is false by default.

Example 1

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. int main()
3. {
4. int i;
5. for(i=0;i<=4;i++)
6. {
7. printf("%d ",i);
8. }
9. }

output

0 1 2 3 4
Example 2

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. int main()
3. {
4. int i,j,k;
5. for(i=0,j=0,k=0;i<4,j<9,j<13;i++)
6. {
7. printf("%d %d %d\n",i,j,k);
8. j+=2;
9. k+=3;
10. }
11. }

Output

0 0 0
1 2 3
2 4 6
3 6 9
4 8 12

Example 3

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. int main()
3. {
4. int i;
5. for(i=0;;i++)
6. {
7. printf("%d",i);
8. }
9. }

Output

infinite loop
Properties of Expression 3
o Expression 3 is used to update the loop variable.
o We can update more than one variable at the same time.
o Expression 3 is optional.

Example 1

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. void main ()
3. {
4. int i=0,j=2;
5. for(i = 0;i<5;i++,j=j+2)
6. {
7. printf("%d %d\n",i,j);
8. }
9. }

Output

0 2
1 4
2 6
3 8
4 10

Loop body
The braces {} are used to define the scope of the loop. However, if the loop contains
only one statement, then we don't need to use braces. A loop without a body is
possible. The braces work as a block separator, i.e., the value variable declared inside
for loop is valid only for that block and not outside. Consider the following example.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. void main ()
3. {
4. int i;
5. for(i=0;i<10;i++)
6. {
7. int i = 20;
8. printf("%d ",i);
9. }
10. }

Output
20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Infinitive for loop in C

To make a for loop infinite, we need not give any expression in the syntax. Instead of
that, we need to provide two semicolons to validate the syntax of the for loop. This will
work as an infinite for loop.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. void main ()
3. {
4. for(;;)
5. {
6. printf("welcome to javatpoint");
7. }
8. }

If you run this program, we will see above statement infinite times.
Nested Loops in C
C supports nesting of loops in C. Nesting of loops is the feature in C that allows the
looping of statements inside another loop. Let's observe an example of nesting loops
in C.

Any number of loops can be defined inside another loop, i.e., there is no restriction for
defining any number of loops. The nesting level can be defined at n times. You can
define any type of loop inside another loop; for example, you can define 'while' loop
inside a 'for' loop.

Syntax of Nested loop

1. Outer_loop
2. {
3. Inner_loop
4. {
5. // inner loop statements.
6. }
7. // outer loop statements.
8. }

Outer_loop and Inner_loop are the valid loops that can be a 'for' loop, 'while' loop or
'do-while' loop.

Nested for loop

The nested for loop means any type of loop which is defined inside the 'for' loop.

1. for (initialization; condition; update)

2. {
3. for(initialization; condition; update)
4. {
5. // inner loop statements.
6. }
7. // outer loop statements.
8. }

Example of nested for loop

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. int main()
3. {
4. int n;// variable declaration
5. printf("Enter the value of n :");
6. // Displaying the n tables.
7. for(int i=1;i<=n;i++) // outer loop
8. {
9. for(int j=1;j<=10;j++) // inner loop
10. {
11. printf("%d\t",(i*j)); // printing the value.
12. }
13. printf("\n");
14. }

Explanation of the above code

o First, the 'i' variable is initialized to 1 and then program control passes to the
i<=n.
o The program control checks whether the condition 'i<=n' is true or not.
o If the condition is true, then the program control passes to the inner loop.
o The inner loop will get executed until the condition is true.
o After the execution of the inner loop, the control moves back to the update of
the outer loop, i.e., i++.
o After incrementing the value of the loop counter, the condition is checked
again, i.e., i<=n.
o If the condition is true, then the inner loop will be executed again.
o This process will continue until the condition of the outer loop is true.

Output:
Nested while loop

The nested while loop means any type of loop which is defined inside the 'while' loop.

1. while(condition)
2. {
3. while(condition)
4. {
5. // inner loop statements.
6. }
7. // outer loop statements.
8. }
Example of nested while loop

Example to print the following format.

Nested While Loop in C Programming Language with Examples

#include <stdio.h>

int main ()

int i, n, in;

printf ("ENTER NUMBER ");

scanf ("%d", &n);

i = 1;

while (i <= n)

printf ("\n");

in = 1;

while (in <= i)

printf ("%d ", in);

in = in + 1;

i = i + 1;

return 0;

Q. Example to print the following format:

Nested While Loop in C Language with Examples

#include <stdio.h>

int main()

int i, n, dn;

printf("ENTER A NUMBER ");

scanf("%d", &n);

i = n;

while(i >= 1)
{

printf("\n");

dn = i;

while(dn >= 1)

printf("%d ", dn);

dn = dn - 1;

i = i - 1;

return 0;

Q3. Example to print the following format:

Nested While Loop in C Programming Language

#include <stdio.h>

int main ()

int a = 1, b = 1;
while (a <= 5)

b = 1;

while (b <= 5)

printf ("%d ", b);

b++;

printf ("\n");

a++;

return 0;

Nested do..while loop

The nested do..while loop means any type of loop which is defined inside the 'do..while'
loop.

1. do
2. {
3. do
4. {
5. // inner loop statements.
6. }while(condition);
7. // outer loop statements.
8. }while(condition);
Example of nested do..while loop.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. int main()
3. {
4. /*printing the pattern
5. ********
6. ********
7. ********
8. ******** */
9. int i=1;
10. do // outer loop
11. {
12. int j=1;
13. do // inner loop
14. {
15. printf("*");
16. j++;
17. }while(j<=8);
18. printf("\n");
19. i++;
20. }while(i<=4);
21. }

Output:

Explanation of the above code.

o First, we initialize the outer loop counter variable, i.e., 'i' by 1.

o As we know that the do..while loop executes once without checking the
condition, so the inner loop is executed without checking the condition in the
outer loop.
o After the execution of the inner loop, the control moves to the update of the
i++.
o When the loop counter value is incremented, the condition is checked. If the
condition in the outer loop is true, then the inner loop is executed.
o This process will continue until the condition in the outer loop is true.