For
The for loop is your go-to when you already know how many times you want something to run.
Different from while/do…while (which depend on conditions changing), the for loop is basically a tiny “counter machine” with three parts:
for (start; condition; step) {
// repeat this
}
How it Thinks:
- Start: Run once before the loop begins — usually sets a counter (
$x = 0) - Condition: Checked before each iteration — if false, loop stops
- Step: Runs after each loop — usually increments/decrements the counter (
$x++)
Why it's useful in real MP/Pretty Links debugging:
- Perfect when iterating over a fixed amount of items (10 rules, 50 test links, etc.)
- Great for generating test output while debugging user snippets (e.g., simulating 20 renewals)
- Predictable — no risk of infinite loops unless you do something wild with the condition
Quick example
for ($x = 0; $x <= 10; $x++) {
echo "The number is: $x";
}
break & continue (same as other loops)
- break = stops the entire loop
- continue = skips the rest of this iteration and moves to the next
Counting by custom steps
for ($x = 0; $x <= 100; $x += 10) {
echo $x;
}