Mastering PowerShell Scripting - Fourth Edition

6

Conditional Statements and Loops

Conditional statements and loops are the backbone of any programming or scripting language. The ability to react to a state and choose a path to take or the ability to repeat instructions is vital.

Each conditional statement or loop creates a branch in a script or piece of code. The branch represents a split in the instruction set. Branches can be conditional, such as one created by an if statement, or unconditional, such as a foreach loop. As the number of branches increases, so does the complexity. The paths through the script spread out in the same manner as the limbs of a tree.

Statements or lines of code may be executed when certain conditions are met. PowerShell provides if and switch statements for this ...