PHP While Loop

The while loop in PHP is a fundamental control structure that repeatedly executes a block of code as long as the specified condition evaluates to true. It is especially useful when you do not know beforehand how many iterations are needed.

Example: Counting Motorcycles

Here’s an example where we display the number of motorcycles a showroom can store, as long as the count remains under 6:

$motorcycleCount = 1;

while ($motorcycleCount < 6) {
  echo $motorcycleCount;
  $motorcycleCount++;
}

Note: It is essential to increment the variable within the loop to avoid an infinite loop.

The break Statement

The break keyword is used to terminate a loop prematurely, even if the condition remains true.

Example: Break at a Specific Car Count

Stop counting the cars in the showroom when the count reaches 3:

$carCount = 1;

while ($carCount < 6) {
  if ($carCount == 3) break;
  echo $carCount;
  $carCount++;
}

The continue Statement

The continue keyword skips the current iteration and moves on to the next.

Example: Skipping Specific Motorcycles

Skip displaying a motorcycle’s brand if it’s the third one:

$motorcycleIndex = 0;

while ($motorcycleIndex < 6) {
  $motorcycleIndex++;
  if ($motorcycleIndex == 3) continue;
  echo $motorcycleIndex;
}

Alternative Syntax

PHP provides an alternative syntax for the while loop using endwhile. This can make your code more readable in some cases.

Example: Counting Cars

$carCount = 1;

while ($carCount < 6):
  echo $carCount;
  $carCount++;
endwhile;

Increment by Steps

You can adjust the increment step to control how the loop progresses.

Example: Counting Cars by Tens

Let’s count cars in a parking lot, increasing the count by 10 each time, until we reach 100:

$carCount = 0;

while ($carCount < 100) {
  $carCount += 10;
  echo $carCount . "<br>";
}