Unlocking the Power of Else Clauses with Loops in Python

Discover the potential of combining loops and conditional statements to enhance your Python code efficiency

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When learning Python, many developers focus on core concepts such as variables, functions, classes, and control flow statements. However, one lesser-known feature of Python is the ability to add an else clause to certain loops.

Combining loops and conditionals provides unique functionality that enhances code efficiency. This article explores how to utilize the else clause with loops in Python effectively.

Understanding the Basics

Before diving into the specifics of adding else clauses to loops, let's first review the basic syntax of each loop construct available in Python. There are three primary loop structures in Python: while, for, and range.

While Loop

counter = 0
while counter < 5:
    print(counter)
    counter += 1

For Loop

my_list = ['one', 'two', 'three', 'four', 'five']
for item in my_list:
    print(item)

Range Function

for num in range(5):
    print(num)

Adding an Else Clause