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The infamous "if loop" actually exists (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 43 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Statements that start with # in C/C++ are known as preprocessor directives, that is, they are executed before compilation begins. OP has used a #define which will replace any instance of A (IF(x)) with B (while (x)) in the code.

So the IF statement is really just a while statement.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

But what is it in reference to? What's the "infamous if loop"?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago

"Infamous" just refers to newbies who sometimes call if statements "if loops". I've heard this quite a bit.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Ah, I believe that would be this image from a college course.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

I always wondered why I always had a hard time making developers not call "if" a "loop".
Turns out it was on their tests.

Glad I didn't read my college material, or I would have lost faith in my college professors.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

It just occurred to that in Yorkshire dialect a while loop would actually be an until loop. Directives to the rescue!