Question

Another poster asked about preferred syntax for infinite loops.

A follow-up question: Why do you use infinite loops in your code? I typically see a construct like this:

for (;;) {   int scoped_variable = getSomeValue();   if (scoped_variable == some_value) {     break;   } } 

Which lets you get around not being able to see the value of scoped_variable in the for or while clause. What are some other uses for ‘infinite’ loops?

Answer 1

A loop like:

while (true) {     // do something     if (something else) break;     // do more } 

lets you break out of the loop in the middle, rather than at the start (while/for) or end (do-while).

If you’ve got a complex condition, you might also want to use this style to make the code clearer.