Yes. It is regarded as if-then-else with an empty else-branch.
Iteration (while-loop) is arranged as at right. Iteration done correctly has one entry point and one exit point. The entry point has conditions that must be satisfied and the exit point has conditions that will be fulfilled. There are no jumps into the structure from external points of the code.
Rule 4 of Structured Programming: The iteration of a code block is structured.
The body of the loop (the box following the true arrow) is a code block with one entry point and one exit point.
As with the other structures, iteration is built out of assembly language pieces. There are various ways to do it. The following is typical
while: bltz $8,endWh
. . . loop body . . .
j while
sll $0,$0,0
endWh: sll $0,$0,0
The particular instructions that make up the test depend on circumstances.
In a structured language (such as Pascal, C, or Java) can
an alternation structure be put inside an iteration structure?
(can the body of a while-loop contain an if-then-else?)