About A Program You Use That Needs A While Loop Statement

K About A Program You Use That Needs A While Loop Statementusing Your

About A Program You Use That Needs A While Loop Statementusing Your

K about a program you use that needs a while loop statement. Using your example, write a short paper on what your program does. Include the logical expression and what type of while loop (EOF, sentinel-controlled, counter-controlled, flag-controlled) you need. Using the same logical expression as above, use a different while loop to evaluate the expression. Explain what while loop you used and how it changes your program.

You can refer to the Java Programming Tutorial on while loops for assistance. For additional details, refer to the Short Paper Rubric in the Assignment Guidelines and Rubrics section of the course. Be sure to follow APA Writing Style.

Paper For Above instruction

The program I use frequently that necessitates a while loop structure is a basic user login authentication process for a web application. This program prompts users to enter their username and password repeatedly until valid credentials are provided, enhancing security by preventing unauthorized access. The core function of this program relies heavily on a loop that continues to request user input based on a logical condition related to credential validity.

The logical expression guiding this loop is typically a condition that evaluates whether the user’s credentials are invalid. For example, in pseudocode, it might look like: while (credentialsAreInvalid). This condition ensures that as long as the user input does not match the stored credentials, the program continues to prompt for correct login details. The type of while loop used here is a sentry-controlled loop, where the sentinel is the valid credential combination; invalid credentials trigger continued prompts.

In this context, implementing a sentinel-controlled while loop is straightforward and efficient. The loop persists as long as the credentials remain invalid, and it terminates only when valid input is entered. This control structure guarantees that users cannot proceed beyond the login phase without proper authentication, thus maintaining system security.

To explore how the program might change with a different application of the same logical expression, I consider replacing the sentinel-controlled loop with a counter-controlled loop. Using the same logical expression, the modified loop evaluates whether the number of login attempts exceeds a set threshold, for example, while (attempts . This variation limits the number of login attempts, after which the program could terminate the session or impose a penalty.

This counter-controlled loop alters the program’s behavior by introducing a predefined limit on login attempts, which improves security by preventing brute-force attacks. It exemplifies a different design approach where the loop’s continuation depends not directly on the validity of login credentials, but on a counter variable tracking attempts. Consequently, the program either allows additional login attempts or terminates based on the counter’s value, providing a different security mechanism.

Furthermore, switching from a sentinel-controlled loop to a counter-controlled loop demonstrates how the choice of loop structure affects program logic and user experience. The sentinel-controlled loop prioritizes verifying credential correctness before proceeding, whereas the counter-controlled approach enforces maximum attempts, thereby balancing usability and security. Both implementations leverage the same logical expression, but their impact on program flow and security policies differ significantly.

In conclusion, employing various types of while loops enables developers to implement robust input validation and security measures tailored to specific application needs. Understanding when to use sentinel-controlled, counter-controlled, or other loop types is essential for designing effective and secure programs. The example of a login authentication system vividly illustrates how different loop structures and logical expressions interface to create responsive and secure software solutions.

References

  • Deitel, P. J., & Deitel, H. M. (2014). Java How To Program (10th ed.). Pearson Education.
  • Arnold, K., Gosling, J., & Holmes, D. (2012). The Java Programming Language. Addison-Wesley.
  • Flanagan, D. (2020). Java Foundation Classes in a Nutshell. O'Reilly Media.
  • Gaddis, T. (2018). Starting Out with Java: From Control Structures through Data Structures. Pearson.
  • Oracle. (2023). Java Tutorials – Loops. https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/basic/for.html
  • Mueller, J. (2014). Beginning Java Programming: The Object-Oriented Approach. Schaum's Outlines.
  • Schildt, H. (2018). Java: The Complete Reference. McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Baeldung. (2022). Understanding Java Loops: While Loop. https://www.baeldung.com/java/while-loop
  • Griffiths, M. (2017). Java Programming: From Problem Analysis to Program Design. Wiley.
  • Blum, M. (2019). Security in Web Applications. IEEE Security & Privacy, 17(6), 89-92.

Related Assignments