Control Structures

Effective programming hinges on the ability to make decisions and control the flow of a program. Control structures are fundamental tools that allow developers to dictate how their code is executed based on conditions and logic. In this blog, we’ll explore common control structures, starting with conditional statements and loops.

---

Conditional Statements

Conditional statements enable decisions in a program by branching into different paths depending on the given logical conditions.

if, else if, else

The if statement checks a condition and executes a block of code if it evaluates to true. Additional conditions can be added using else if, and a default fallback can be provided with else.

const age = 18;
if (age < 18) {
  console.log("You are a minor.");
} else if (age === 18) {
  console.log("You just became an adult!");
} else {
  console.log("You are an adult.");
}

switch statements

switch is an alternative to multiple if...else conditions and checks a value against multiple cases.

const day = "Monday";
switch (day) {
  case "Monday":
    console.log("Start of the work week!");
    break;
  case "Friday":
    console.log("End of the work week.");
    break;
  default:
    console.log("It's another day of the week.");
}

---

Loops

Loops are an essential part of programming, used to repeatedly execute a block of code while a condition is met or for a specified number of times.

for Loop

The for loop is great for running a block of code a specific number of times.

for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
  console.log(`Iteration: ${i}`);
}

while Loops

The while loop runs while a condition is true.

let count = 0;
while (count < 3) {
  console.log(`Count: ${count}`);
  count++;
}

do...while Loops

The do...while loop guarantees the block of code executes at least once, even if the condition is false.

do {
  console.log(`Value: ${x}`);
  x--;
} while (x > 0);

---

Loop Control: break and continue

break

break is used to exit a loop prematurely, halting further iterations.

for (let i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
  if (i > 5) {
    break; // Exit the loop when i > 5
  }
  console.log(i);
}

continue

continue skips the current iteration and moves on to the next one.

for (let i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
  if (i === 3) {
    continue; // Skip iteration when i equals 3
  }

  console.log(i);
}

---

Conclusion

Control structures are at the core of programming logic. They give us the power to create dynamic and robust programs, decision-making capabilities with conditional statements, and efficiency with loops. By mastering these control structures, you’ll take your programming skills to the next level.

---