do-while
(PHP 4, PHP 5, PHP 7, PHP 8)
do-while
loops are very similar to
while
loops, except the truth expression is
checked at the end of each iteration instead of in the beginning.
The main difference from regular while
loops is
that the first iteration of a do-while
loop is
guaranteed to run (the truth expression is only checked at the end
of the iteration), whereas it may not necessarily run with a
regular while
loop (the truth expression is
checked at the beginning of each iteration, if it evaluates to
false
right from the beginning, the loop
execution would end immediately).
There is just one syntax for do-while
loops:
The above loop would run one time exactly, since after the first
iteration, when truth expression is checked, it evaluates to
false
($i is not bigger than 0) and the loop
execution ends.
Advanced C users may be familiar with a different usage of the
do-while
loop, to allow stopping execution in
the middle of code blocks, by encapsulating them with
do-while
(0), and using the break
statement. The following code fragment demonstrates this:
It is possible to use the
goto
operator instead of this hack.
jayreardon at gmail dot com ¶16 years ago
There is one major difference you should be aware of when using the do--while loop vs. using a simple while loop: And that is when the check condition is made.
In a do--while loop, the test condition evaluation is at the end of the loop. This means that the code inside of the loop will iterate once through before the condition is ever evaluated. This is ideal for tasks that need to execute once before a test is made to continue, such as test that is dependant upon the results of the loop.
Conversely, a plain while loop evaluates the test condition at the begining of the loop before any execution in the loop block is ever made. If for some reason your test condition evaluates to false at the very start of the loop, none of the code inside your loop will be executed.
Martin ¶8 years ago
Do-while loops can also be used inside other loops, for example:
<?php
$numbers = array();
$array_size = 10;
for ($i=0;$i<$array_size;$i++) {
do {
$random = rand(1,1000);
} while (($random % 2) == 1);
$numbers[] = $random;
}
asort($numbers);
echo '<pre>';
print_r($numbers);
echo '</pre>';
?>
mparsa1372 at gmail dot com ¶2 years ago
The example below first sets a variable $x to 1 ($x = 1). Then, the do while loop will write some output, and then increment the variable $x with 1. Then the condition is checked (is $x less than, or equal to 5?), and the loop will continue to run as long as $x is less than, or equal to 5:
<?php
$x = 1;
do {
echo "The number is: $x <br>";
$x++;
} while ($x <= 5);
?>
andrew at NOSPAM dot devohive dot com ¶15 years ago
I'm guilty of writing constructs without curly braces sometimes... writing the do--while seemed a bit odd without the curly braces ({ and }), but just so everyone is aware of how this is written with a do--while...
a normal while:
<?php
while ( $isValid ) $isValid = doSomething($input);
?>
a do--while:
<?php
do $isValid = doSomething($input);
while ( $isValid );
?>
Also, a practical example of when to use a do--while when a simple while just won't do (lol)... copying multiple 2nd level nodes from one document to another using the DOM XML extension
<?php
$fileDoc = domxml_open_file('example.xml'); $fileRoot = $fileDoc->document_element();
$newDoc = domxml_new_doc('1.0'); $newRoot = $newDoc->create_element('rootnode');
$newRoot = $newDoc->append_child($newRoot); $child = $fileRoot->first_child(); do $newRoot->append_child($child->clone_node(true)); while ( $child = $child->next_sibling() ); ?>
iamjeffjack at gmail dot com ¶5 years ago
If you put multiple conditions in the while check, a do-while loop checks these conditions in order and runs again once it encounters a condition that returns true. This can be helpful to know when troubleshooting why a do-while loop isn't finishing. An (illustrative-only) example:
<?php
$numberOne = 0;
do {
echo $numberOne;
$numberOne++;
} while( $numberOne < 5 || incrementNumberTwo() );
function incrementNumberTwo() {
echo "function incrementNumberTwo called";
return false;
}
?>
M. H. S. ¶4 years ago
<!-- if you write with WHILE: -->
<?php
$i = 100
while ($i < 10) :
echo "\$i is $i.";
endwhile;
?>
<!-- returning: -->
<!-- if you write with DO/WHILE: -->
<?php
$i = 100;
do {
echo "\$i is $i.";
} while ($i < 10);
?>
<!-- returning: -->
$i is 100.