Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies, 6th Edition

Chapter 12

Circling Back to Java Loops

IN THIS CHAPTER

Creating repetitive actions

Insisting on a valid response from the user

Deleting incriminating evidence

I remember it distinctly — the sense of dread I would feel on the way to Aunt Edna’s house. She was a kind old woman, and her intentions were good. But visits to her house were always agonizing.

First, we’d sit in the living room and talk about our other relatives. That was okay, as long as I understood what people were talking about. Sometimes, the gossip would be about adult topics and I’d become bored.

After all the family chatter ended, my father would help Aunt Edna with paying her bills. That was fun to watch because she had a genetically inherited family ailment: Like me and many of my ancestors, Aunt Edna couldn’t keep track of paperwork to save her life. It was as if the paper had allergens that made Aunt Edna’s skin crawl. After ten minutes of useful bill paying, my father would find a mistake, an improper tally, or something else in the ledger that needed attention. He’d ask Aunt Edna about it, and she’d shrug her shoulders. He’d become agitated trying to track down the problem while Aunt Edna rolled her eyes and ...