Infinite Loops in C

Infinite Loops in C: A Cautionary Tale

What is infinite loop?

An infinite loop is a looping construct that does not terminate the loop and executes the loop forever. It is also called an indefinite loop or an endless loop. It either produces a continuous output or no output.



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Infinite Loops in C

An infinite loop is a loop that continues to execute indefinitely, without ever terminating. This can occur due to various reasons, such as incorrect loop conditions, missing break or continue statements, or unintended modifications to loop variables.


Common Causes of Infinite Loops


  1. Incorrect Loop Conditions:

    • Always-true condition: If the loop condition is always true, the loop will never terminate.
    • Incorrect comparison: If the comparison operator is used incorrectly, the loop condition might never become false.
  2. Missing or Incorrect break or continue Statements:

    • break statements are used to exit a loop prematurely. If a break statement is missing or used incorrectly, the loop might continue indefinitely.
    • continue statements are used to skip the rest of the loop body and continue with the next iteration. If a continue statement is used incorrectly, it can lead to unintended behavior.
  3. Modifications to Loop Variables:

    • If the loop variable is modified within the loop body in a way that prevents the loop condition from becoming false, an infinite loop can occur.

Example of an Infinite Loop:


int i = 0;
while (i < 10) {
    // Loop body
}

In this example, the loop condition i < 10 is always true, so the loop will continue indefinitely.


Preventing Infinite Loops

To prevent infinite loops, it's essential to:

  • Carefully design loop conditions: Ensure that the loop condition will eventually become false.
  • Use break and continue statements correctly: Understand the purpose of these statements and use them appropriately.
  • Avoid modifying loop variables in a way that prevents the loop from terminating.
  • Test your code thoroughly: Run your code with different inputs to identify potential infinite loop scenarios.

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