Beginning Programming with Java® For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Chapter 15

The Old Runaround

In This Chapter

Creating repetitive actions

Creating loops within loops

Insisting on a valid response from the user

Looping through enumerated values

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 so agonizing.

First, we’d sit in the living room and talk about 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 very bored.

After all the family chatter, my father would help Aunt Edna with her bills. That was fun to watch because Aunt Edna 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, ...