How to Repeat Code in Python a Specific Number of Times

In Python programming, it’s a common task to repeat certain pieces of code a specific number of times. This not only makes your code more efficient but also much cleaner. In this tutorial, we’ll discuss two methods for loops and the range function to accomplish this in Python.

Method 1: Using For-Loops

A for-loop is a control flow statement that allows code to be executed repeatedly based on a given condition.

Step 1: Understanding For Loops Structure

Below is a demonstration of how to structure a for loop:

1
2
for i in iterable:
    # code

Where i is a variable that will take the value of the items in the iterable one after the other, which could be a list or other ordered data types. The code inside the loop will be executed for each item.

Step 2: Demonstrating For-Loop

Let’s say we want a code block that prints “Hello, World!” ten times. We can achieve that using a for loop as follows:

1
2
for i in range(10):
    print("Hello, World!")

This code will print Hello, World!, 10 times on the screen.

Method 2: Using The Range Function

The range function is a built-in function in Python that generates a sequence of numbers. It’s very useful when combined with control flow mechanisms like for-loops when we want to iterate over a sequence of numbers.

Step 1: Understanding the Range Function

The range function has three parameters: start, stop, and step.

1
range(start, stop, step)

Here is an example of how to use the range function:

1
2
for i in range(0, 5, 1):
    print(i)

This code prints the numbers 0 through 4 consecutively, each on a new line.

Step 2: Combining For-Loop and Range Function

Now let’s say we want a code block that prints the numbers from 1 to 10 inclusive. We can achieve that by combining a for loop with the range function as follows:

1
2
for i in range(1, 11):
    print(i)

This code will print the numbers 1 through 10, each on a new line.

Full Codes

Here are the full codes that were used in the above examples:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
# For-Loop Code
for i in range(10):
    print("Hello, World!")
 
# Range Function Code
for i in range(0, 5, 1):
    print(i)
 
# Combined For-Loop and Range Function
for i in range(1, 11):
    print(i)

Output:

Hello, World!
Hello, World!
Hello, World!
Hello, World!
Hello, World!
Hello, World!
Hello, World!
Hello, World!
Hello, World!
Hello, World!
0
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have learned how to repeat code in Python a specific number of times. We have explored the usage of for-loops and the range function separately as well as in combination.

We have seen that for-loops allow us to execute code blocks multiple times, and the range function provides us with a sequence of numbers to iterate over.