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# Iteration Statements (C++)
Iteration statements cause statements (or compound statements) to be executed zero or more times, subject to some loop-termination criteria. When these statements are compound statements, they are executed in order, except when either the [break](../cpp/break-statement-cpp.md) statement or the [continue](../cpp/continue-statement-cpp.md) statement is encountered.  
  
 C++ provides four iteration statements — [while](../cpp/while-statement-cpp.md), [do](../cpp/do-while-statement-cpp.md), [for](../cpp/for-statement-cpp.md), and [range-based for](../cpp/range-based-for-statement-cpp.md). Each of these iterates until its termination expression evaluates to zero (false), or until loop termination is forced with a **break** statement. The following table summarizes these statements and their actions; each is discussed in detail in the sections that follow.  
  
### Iteration Statements  
  
|Statement|Evaluated At|Initialization|Increment|  
|---------------|------------------|--------------------|---------------|  
|`while`|Top of loop|No|No|  
|**do**|Bottom of loop|No|No|  
|**for**|Top of loop|Yes|Yes|  
|**range-based for**|Top of loop|Yes|Yes|  
  
 The statement part of an iteration statement cannot be a declaration. However, it can be a compound statement containing a declaration.  
  
## See Also  
 [Overview of C++ Statements](../cpp/overview-of-cpp-statements.md)