Ruby For Loop

Introduction to Loops in Ruby

Before diving into the specifics of the Ruby for loop, let's briefly discuss loops in general. A loop is a control flow statement that repeatedly executes a block of code until a certain condition is met. It helps automate repetitive tasks, such as processing each element in a collection or performing calculations multiple times.

Ruby offers several loop constructs, including the for loop, while loop, until loop, and each iterator. Each of these loops has its own purpose and usage patterns. The choice of loop construct depends on the specific requirements of the task at hand.

Types of Loops in Ruby

• For Loop: The for loop is used to iterate over a specified range of values or elements in a collection.

• While Loop: The while loop repeatedly executes a block of code as long as a given condition remains true.

• Until Loop: The until loop is similar to the while loop but continues iterating until a specified condition becomes true.

• Each Iterator: Each iterator is a loop construct specific to Ruby, which allows iterating over elements in a collection using a more expressive syntax.

In this article, we will focus on the Ruby for loop and explore its syntax and usage in more detail.

Ruby For Loop

The for loop in Ruby is designed to iterate over a range of values or elements in an array. It provides a compact and readable way to perform repetitive tasks by specifying the range or collection to iterate over.

Syntax

The syntax of the Ruby for loop is as follows:

The variable can be either a single variable or multiple variables separated by commas. It serves as a placeholder for the current value or element being processed in each iteration of the loop. The expression specifies the range or collection from which the values are obtained for iteration.

Ruby For Loop Examples

Let's look at some examples to better understand how the Ruby for loop works.

1. Ruby For Loop Using Range

Let's take a look at an example:

In this example, the for loop iterates over a range of values from 1 to 4 (inclusive). In each iteration, the current value of i is printed to the console. The output will be:

Let's see another example:

In this example, the for loop iterates over a range of values from 1 to 4 (exclusive). In each iteration, the current value of i is printed to the console. The output will be:

The for loop automatically assigns each value from the range to the variable i in successive iterations. Notice that the end value is excluded when using the ... range.

2. Ruby For Loop Using Array

In this example, the for loop iterates over the elements in the words array. In each iteration, the current word is printed to the console. The output will be:

The for loop assigns each element of the array to the variable word in successive iterations.

3. Ruby For Loop Using Multiple Variables

The output of the above code will be:

In this example, we use the zip method to combine the elements of both arrays into pairs. Within the for loop, we define two variables: player and sport. On each iteration, the zip method will provide a pair of corresponding elements from the players and sports arrays to these variables.