Which is the correct C# infinite loop, for (;;) or while (true)?

c# infinite-loop

Bob Kaufman · Sep 9, 2009 · Viewed 140k times · Source

Back in my C/C++ days, coding an "infinite loop" as

while (true)

felt more natural and seemed more obvious to me as opposed to

for (;;)

An encounter with PC-lint in the late 1980's and subsequent best practices discussions broke me of this habit. I have since coded the loops using the for control statement. Today, for the first time in a long while, and perhaps my first need for an infinite loop as a C# developer, I am facing the same situation. Is one of them correct and the other not?

Answer

The C# compiler will transform both

for(;;)
{
    // ...
}

and

while (true)
{
    // ...
}

into

{
    :label
    // ...
    goto label;
}

The CIL for both is the same. Most people find while(true) to be easier to read and understand. for(;;) is rather cryptic.

Source:

I messed a little more with .NET Reflector, and I compiled both loops with the "Optimize Code" on in Visual Studio.

Both loops compile into (with .NET Reflector):

Label_0000:
    goto Label_0000;

Raptors should attack soon.

Which is the correct C# infinite loop, for (;;) or while (true)?

Answer

Source:

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