C# For Loop

C# For Loop

When you know exactly how many times you want to loop through a block of code, the for loop is a much cleaner option than a while loop. It condenses the initialization, condition check, and increment step into a single line.

The for Loop Syntax

for (statement 1; statement 2; statement 3) 
{
  // code block to be executed
}

• Statement 1: Executed one time before the execution of the code block. (Usually sets an initial variable).
• Statement 2: Defines the condition for executing the code block.
• Statement 3: Executed every time after the code block has been executed.

using System;

class Program {
  static void Main() {
    // This prints numbers 0 to 4
    for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) 
    {
      Console.WriteLine(i);
    }
  }
}

The foreach Loop

C# offers an incredible loop designed specifically to loop through arrays and collections: the foreach loop. It is cleaner and prevents "index out of bounds" errors.

using System;

class Program {
  static void Main() {
    // An array of cars
    string[] cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
    foreach (string i in cars) 
    {
      Console.WriteLine(i);
    }
  }
}

We will cover arrays in much more detail shortly, but as you can see, foreach makes reading through a list of items very simple!