Loops Usage

Textwire provides two types of loops: for loop and each loop. Both loops iterate over arrays with special syntax and additional features. This guide covers loop functionality and usage patterns.

For Loops

Textwire supports traditional for loops with the syntax @for(<declaration>; <condition>; <post>). All three parameters are optional.

{{ names = ["Ann", "Serhii"] }}

@for(i = 0; i < names.len(); i++)
    <p>{{ names[i] }}</p>
@else
    <p>No names</p>
@end

Each Loops

Each loops provide simplified array iteration with syntax @each(<declaration> in <array>).

{{ names = ["Ann", "Serhii"] }}

@each(name in names)
    <p>{{ name }}</p>
@end

Break and Continue

Textwire provides multiple loop control directives:

Conditional Break and Continue

Use @breakIf() and @continueIf() with a single condition argument.

@each(num in [0, 1])
    @breakIf(num == 1)
    <p>{{ name }}</p>
@end

When the condition is false, the directive does nothing. When the condition is true, the loop is broken or continued.

Direct Break and Continue

Use @break and @continue without conditions for immediate loop control.

@each(item in items)
    @if(item.should_print)
        <p>{{ item }}</p>
    @end

    @break
@end

Direct @continue skips to next iteration immediately. Direct @break exits the loop entirely.

Loop Variables

Both @for and @each loops provide access to a loop object with iteration metadata. The loop object updates on each iteration.

Available properties:

Property	Type	Description
index	int	Current index number starting from 0
first	bool	Is the first item in a loop or not?
last	bool	Is the last item in a loop or not?
iter	int	Current iteration number starting from 1

Example

{{ names = ["Anna", "Serhii", "Vladimir"] }}

<ul>
    @each(name in names)
        <li>{{ loop.iter }}. {{ name }}</li>
    @end
</ul>

Output

<ul>

        <li>1. Anna</li>

        <li>2. Serhii</li>

        <li>3. Vladimir</li>

</ul>

It's a useful feature that eliminates the need for additional variables to track iteration data.

Else Statement

Use @else to render content when arrays are empty. This works with both @for and @each loops. Here is an example:

@each(name in [])
    <p>{{ name }}</p>
@else
    <p>No names</p>
@end

When the array is empty, the result is <p>No names</p>. Without the @else statement, nothing renders when arrays are empty. The same behavior applies to @for loops.

Best Practices

1. Choose appropriate loop type: Use @each for simple array iteration, @for for index-based control
2. Handle empty arrays: Always include @else for better user experience
3. Use loop variables: Leverage loop.first, and loop.last for conditional logic