loops

[Charlie Swanson]

Can anyone explain why the "while" statement gives a compile time error but the "if" statement doesn't.
while(false) { x = 3;}
if(false) {x = 3; }
Also, in the below for one creates an error and the other does not. Can you explain why?
for (int i = 0; i < 0; i++) x = 3;
for (int i = 0; false; i++) x = 3; //this one gives an error
Thank you

[shankar vembu]

hi,
java compiler will give u an error when a statement is unreachable.for if block its okay because its a conditional block.
shanks.

[Samith Nambiar]

hi charlie
just to add to what shankar has said ..... the following code would not give a compilation error
do {
System.out.println("samith");
}while(false);
hope that helps
Samith.P.Nambiar
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the harder you try the luckier you get
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[kriti sharma]

hi charlie,
both the ques have the same concept behind them.when u initialize a loop to a "false" the next statement in the loop would never be executed.hence u'll get the error of 'statement not reached'.but whenever u give a condition which may or maynot evaluate to a false, there is no error.u may say that logically
this for loop can be evaluated to a false at the first sight.for (int i = 0; i < 0; i++) x = 3;
but even then at compile time the compiler does not know whether it is true or not.hence only and only when u give the word "false" there would be error.definitely if the loop body is empty then there would be no problem
hope this helps.