Loops in Ruby: For, While, and Until Explained

Introduction to Loops

Loops are a fundamental concept in programming, allowing you to execute a block of code repeatedly. In Ruby, you have several types of loops, including for, while, and until loops. In this guide, we'll explore these loop structures and how to use them effectively.

For Loops

The for loop is used to iterate over a range or a collection of elements:

for i in 1..5
  puts "Iteration #{i}"
end
    

In this example, the for loop iterates from 1 to 5 and executes the code block for each iteration.

While Loops

The while loop is used to repeatedly execute a block of code as long as a condition is true:

count = 0
while count < 5
  puts "Count: #{count}"
  count += 1
end
    

The while loop continues executing the code block as long as the condition (count < 5) is true.

Until Loops

The until loop is similar to the while loop but continues execution until a condition becomes true:

count = 0
until count == 5
  puts "Count: #{count}"
  count += 1
end
    

The until loop continues executing the code block until the condition (count == 5) becomes true.

Conclusion

Loops are essential for performing repetitive tasks in your Ruby programs. Understanding how to use for, while, and until loops gives you the power to automate processes and work with collections of data.

Practice using these loop structures in your Ruby programs to become a proficient Ruby developer. For more information, refer to the official Ruby documentation.

Happy coding!