PowerShell For Loop

Introduction

In PowerShell, for loops are used to iterate over a range of values or a collection of objects. With for loops, programmers can execute a block of code multiple times based on certain conditions. In this guide, we’ll learn about for loops in PowerShell and see how they can be useful in programming.

Syntax

The basic syntax of a for loop in PowerShell is as follows:

for (initialization; condition; iteration) {
  # code to be executed
}

Here’s what each component of this syntax means:

• initialization - this expression is evaluated one time before the loop starts and is used to initialize one or more variables that will be used in the loop.
• condition - this expression is evaluated before each iteration of the loop and determines whether the loop should continue.
• iteration - this expression is executed at the end of each iteration of the loop and is used to update one or more variables.
• code to be executed - this is the code block that will be executed each time the loop iterates.

Example

Here’s an example of using a for loop to display the numbers from 1 to 10:

for ($i = 1; $i -le 10; $i++) {
  Write-Output $i
}

In this example, $i is initialized to 1, and the loop will continue as long as $i is less than or equal to 10. For each iteration of the loop, the value of $i is output using the Write-Output cmdlet.

Iterating over an Array

For loops can also be used to iterate over an array of objects. Here’s an example of using a for loop to iterate over an array of names and output each name:

$names = "Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"

for ($i = 0; $i -lt $names.Length; $i++) {
  Write-Output $names[$i]
}

In this example, $names is an array of three names. The loop initializes $i to 0 and continues as long as $i is less than the length of the array ($names.Length). For each iteration, the value at $names[$i] is output.

Conclusion

For loops are an essential tool in PowerShell programming. They provide a way to perform repetitive tasks with ease and can be used to iterate over ranges of values or collections of objects. By using for loops, programmers can write more efficient and streamlined scripts.