Complete Program

Here is a complete program. It is not too distant from what a "C" for loop might be compiled into. If you copy it to a file and run it with SPIM make sure that pseudoinstrucions are allowed and that delayed load and delayed branches are turned off.

        .globl  main

main:   
        li    $v1,0              # zero the sum
        li    $t1,0              # init index to 0
        li    $t2,0              # init loop counter
        
for:    beq   $t2,5,endfor       # for ( i=0; i < 5 ;i++ )
        lw    $v0,array($t1)
        addu  $v1,$v1,$v0        #     sum = sum+array[i]
        addi  $t1,$t1,4          #     increment index
        addi  $t2,$t2,1          #     increment counter
        b     for
 
endfor:
        li    $v0,10             # exit
        syscall   

        .data
array:  .word  1,2,3,-5,1