3.4.2 Do While Loop

The PHP do...while Loop

The do...while loop will always execute the block of code once, it will then check the condition, and repeat the loop while the specified condition is true.

Syntax

do {
  code to be executed;
} while (condition is true);

Examples

The example below first sets a variable $x to 1 ($x = 1). Then, the do while loop will write some output, and then increment the variable $x with 1. Then the condition is checked (is $x less than, or equal to 5?), and the loop will continue to run as long as $x is less than, or equal to 5:

Example 1: PHP Loops - The PHP do...while Loop part 1

<?php
$x = 1;

do {
  echo "The number is: $x <br>";
  $x++;
} while ($x <= 5);
?>

Note: In a do...while loop the condition is tested AFTER executing the statements within the loop. This means that the do...while loop will execute its statements at least once, even if the condition is false. See example below.

This example sets the $x variable to 6, then it runs the loop, and then the condition is checked:

Example 2: PHP Loops - The PHP do...while Loop part 2

<?php
$x = 6;

do {
  echo "The number is: $x <br>";
  $x++;
} while ($x <= 5);
?>