# Loops

Loops can be used to execute a block of code several times. Syntek has 3 different loop statements. for, while and repeat.

# For

For loops can be used to iterate over all elements of an array or each character in a string.

# Looping over an array
fruits = ['banana', 'apple',  'mango']
for fruit in fruits
  print(fruit)

# Looping over a string
for letter in 'Syntek'
  print(letter)

To loop over numbers, you need to use a range function which returns an array.

for x in range(0, 10)
  print(x)

In this example it will loop through all numbers from 0 to 9 and print them.

# While

A while loop repeats a block of code as long as the given condition is true. This can also be used to create infinite loops for game mechanics.

The code below prints the numbers 0 through 9.

x = 0
while x is less than 10
  print(x)
  x = x + 1

An infinite loop can be made as following.

while true
  print('This goes on forever')

# Repeat

The repeat statement is a shorthand way of writing a for or while loop for repeating a block of code x times. It follows the format repeat x times, where x is a number.

Take the following example.

for x in range(0, 10)
  print('Hello')

Because variable x is not used, we can rewrite this using the repeat statement. The following code would produce the exact same outcome.

repeat 10 times
  print('Hello')

# Control statements

Syntek has 2 control statements. break and continue.

# Break

The break keyword is used to terminate the loop execution. The following code would print the numbers 0 and 1.

for x in range(0, 5)
  if x is 2
    break
  else
    print(x)

# Continue

The continue keyword is used to skip the remainder of the loop body. The following code would print the numbers 0 and 2.

for x in range(0, 3)
  if x is 1
    continue
  else
    print(x)