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while loops run their body of code while a defined condition is true. This is similar to for loops, but more control is put in our hands regarding what variable is used in the condition and how the variable is updated in the loop.

$counter = 0 while ($counter -lt 3) { $counter++ Write-Host "Be sure to update counter" }

The while loop above uses the condition $counter -lt 3. If $counter is less than 3, the loop will keep iterating and outputting the string. Our job is to include the line $counter++ inside the while body to update $counter and eventually stop the loop. Also, note that we are using a variable defined outside the loop, which is not usually the case with for loops.

Beware of infinite loops! If the line $counter++ is omitted from the loop body, the expression $counter -lt 3 will always be true, and the loop will never terminate or iterate infinitely.

Instructions

1.

Inside WHILE_Example.ps1, create a while loop that will run as long as $count is less than or equal to 30.

Inside the body of the while loop, increase the value of $count by 3.

Note: While giving this a try, you may cause an infinite loop. If this is the case, click refresh in your browser.

2.

Inside the while loop body, use Write-Host to output $count.

When complete, your program can now count by 3. If you look at the last number in then series output, you might see 33, or if you wrote the Write-Host line before the $count increment, you would see 30.

Incrementing the counter variable is important for loop termination, but where you place it within the loop body can also affect the outcome of the code.

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