Swazi While Loops (wakati)

SwaziLang uses the keyword wakati ("while" in Swahili) to repeat code as long as a condition is true.
You can write while loops in two main styles: C-style (with braces) and Pythonic style (with colons and indentation).

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Basic Syntax

1. C-Style Block

Use braces {} for the loop body.

wakati cond {
    // body
    chapisha "Looping!"
}

Example:

data i = 0
wakati i < 5 {
    chapisha i
    i++
}

2. Pythonic Style

Use a colon : and indent the body.

wakati cond :
    chapisha "Looping!"

Example:

data i = 0
wakati i < 5 :
    chapisha i
    i++

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Loop Controls: simama & endelea

SwaziLang supports loop control keywords for while loops:

• simama — "break" (stops the loop immediately)
• endelea — "continue" (skips to the next loop iteration)

Example with endelea (continue):

data i = 0
wakati i < 10 :
    i++
    kama i % 2 sawa 0 :
        endelea;
    chapisha i

• Skips even numbers, prints odd numbers only.

Example with simama (break):

data i = 0
wakati i < 10 :
    i++
    kama i > 5 :
        simama;
    chapisha i

• Stops the loop when i becomes greater than 5.

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Important Notes

• Single-line pythonic style is not allowed:

  wakati cond: chapisha "Hello"   // ❌ Invalid!

  Always start a new line and indent for pythonic blocks.

• Do not wrap the condition in parentheses:
  Only write wakati cond, not wakati (cond).

• Mixing block styles is possible, but not recommended:
  You can technically write:

  wakati cond :
      chapisha "A"
  wakati cond2 {
      chapisha "B"
  }

  But for clarity, stick to one style per loop.

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Typical Patterns

Counting Example

data i = 1
wakati i <= 5 {
    chapisha "Count: " + i
    i++
}

Pythonic Style

data n = 3
wakati n > 0 :
    chapisha n
    n--

Using Functions Inside While Loops

data x = 10
wakati x > 0 :
    chapisha x
    x = x - 2

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Common Mistakes

• Wrapping condition in parentheses:

  wakati (i < 5) { ... }   // ❌ Invalid!

  Use wakati i < 5 { ... }
• Single-line pythonic style:

  wakati x > 0: chapisha x   // ❌ Invalid!

  Use new line and indentation.

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Practice Challenge

Write a loop that prints numbers from 10 down to 1.

Solution

data i = 10
wakati i >= 1 :
    chapisha i
    i--

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Summary:

• Use wakati cond { ... } for C-style, or wakati cond : ... with indentation for pythonic style.
• Don't use parentheses around the condition.
• Use simama and endelea for loop control.
• Always use a new line for pythonic loops.