Any suggestions on how to stop a "for loop" or "for loops" nested together when I press a button?
Yes you don't write them in the first place, unless you want to do a lot of things in one step and there is no delay in it. Nesting them is bad.
You need to write your code as a state machine, what you have at the moment is not one because it contains for loops.
This examples shows you how to do this for all the standard Adafruit patterns.
// StrandTest from AdaFruit implemented as a state machine
// pattern change by push button
// By Mike Cook Jan 2016
// Fade function added Sept 2017
#define PINforControl 4 // pin connected to the small NeoPixels strip
#define NUMPIXELS1 64 // number of LEDs on strip
#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>
Adafruit_NeoPixel strip = Adafruit_NeoPixel(NUMPIXELS1, PINforControl, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);
unsigned long patternInterval = 20 ; // time between steps in the pattern
unsigned long lastUpdate = 0 ; // for millis() when last update occoured
unsigned long intervals [] = { 20, 20, 50, 100, 30 } ; // speed for each pattern - add here when adding more cases
int fadeStep = 0; // stste variable for fade function
int numberOfCases = 4; // how many case statements or patterns you have
const byte button = 3; // pin to connect button switch to between pin and ground
void setup() {
strip.begin(); // This initializes the NeoPixel library.
wipe(); // wipes the LED buffers
pinMode(button, INPUT_PULLUP); // change pattern button
}
void loop() {
static int pattern = 4, lastReading; // start with the fade function
int reading = digitalRead(button);
if(lastReading == HIGH && reading == LOW){
pattern++ ; // change pattern number
fadeStep = 0; // reset the fade state variable
if(pattern > numberOfCases) pattern = 0; // wrap round if too big
patternInterval = intervals[pattern]; // set speed for this pattern
wipe(); // clear out the buffer
delay(50); // debounce delay
}
lastReading = reading; // save for next time
if(millis() - lastUpdate > patternInterval) updatePattern(pattern);
}
void updatePattern(int pat){ // call the pattern currently being created
switch(pat) {
case 0:
rainbow();
break;
case 1:
rainbowCycle();
break;
case 2:
theaterChaseRainbow();
break;
case 3:
colorWipe(strip.Color(255, 0, 0)); // red
break;
case 4:
fade(0,255, 0,64, 0,0, 400); // fade from black to oraange and back
break;
}
}
void fade(int redStartValue, int redEndValue, int greenStartValue, int greenEndValue, int blueStartValue, int blueEndValue, int totalSteps) {
static float redIncrement, greenIncrement, blueIncrement;
static float red, green, blue;
static boolean fadeUp = false;
if (fadeStep == 0){ // first step is to initialise the initial colour and increments
red = redStartValue;
green = greenStartValue;
blue = blueStartValue;
fadeUp = false;
redIncrement = (float)(redEndValue - redStartValue) / (float)totalSteps;
greenIncrement = (float)(greenEndValue - greenStartValue) / (float)totalSteps;
blueIncrement = (float)(blueEndValue - blueStartValue) / (float)totalSteps;
fadeStep = 1; // next time the function is called start the fade
}
else { // all other steps make a new colour and display it
// make new colour
red += redIncrement;
green += greenIncrement;
blue += blueIncrement;
// set up the pixel buffer
for (int i = 0; i < strip.numPixels(); i++) {
strip.setPixelColor(i, strip.Color((int)red,(int)green,(int)blue));
}
// now display it
strip.show();
fadeStep += 1; // go on to next step
if(fadeStep >= totalSteps) { // finished fade
if(fadeUp){ // finished fade up and back
fadeStep = 0;
return; // so next call recalabrates the increments
}
// now fade back
fadeUp = true;
redIncrement = -redIncrement;
greenIncrement = -greenIncrement;
blueIncrement = -blueIncrement;
fadeStep = 1; // don't calculate the increments again but start at first change
}
}
}
void rainbow() { // modified from Adafruit example to make it a state machine
static uint16_t j=0;
for(int i=0; i<strip.numPixels(); i++) {
strip.setPixelColor(i, Wheel((i+j) & 255));
}
strip.show();
j++;
if(j >= 256) j=0;
lastUpdate = millis(); // time for next change to the display
}
void rainbowCycle() { // modified from Adafruit example to make it a state machine
static uint16_t j=0;
for(int i=0; i< strip.numPixels(); i++) {
strip.setPixelColor(i, Wheel(((i * 256 / strip.numPixels()) + j) & 255));
}
strip.show();
j++;
if(j >= 256*5) j=0;
lastUpdate = millis(); // time for next change to the display
}
void theaterChaseRainbow() { // modified from Adafruit example to make it a state machine
static int j=0, q = 0;
static boolean on = true;
if(on){
for (int i=0; i < strip.numPixels(); i=i+3) {
strip.setPixelColor(i+q, Wheel( (i+j) % 255)); //turn every third pixel on
}
}
else {
for (int i=0; i < strip.numPixels(); i=i+3) {
strip.setPixelColor(i+q, 0); //turn every third pixel off
}
}
on = !on; // toggel pixelse on or off for next time
strip.show(); // display
q++; // update the q variable
if(q >=3 ){ // if it overflows reset it and update the J variable
q=0;
j++;
if(j >= 256) j = 0;
}
lastUpdate = millis(); // time for next change to the display
}
void colorWipe(uint32_t c) { // modified from Adafruit example to make it a state machine
static int i =0;
strip.setPixelColor(i, c);
strip.show();
i++;
if(i >= strip.numPixels()){
i = 0;
wipe(); // blank out strip
}
lastUpdate = millis(); // time for next change to the display
}
void wipe(){ // clear all LEDs
for(int i=0;i<strip.numPixels();i++){
strip.setPixelColor(i, strip.Color(0,0,0));
}
}
uint32_t Wheel(byte WheelPos) {
WheelPos = 255 - WheelPos;
if(WheelPos < 85) {
return strip.Color(255 - WheelPos * 3, 0, WheelPos * 3);
}
if(WheelPos < 170) {
WheelPos -= 85;
return strip.Color(0, WheelPos * 3, 255 - WheelPos * 3);
}
WheelPos -= 170;
return strip.Color(WheelPos * 3, 255 - WheelPos * 3, 0);
}
Not sure if I ask really good questions or really bad questions
Very bad, difficult to read - used a Fritzing diagram (always bad), long and rambling difficult to understand - showed code as a screen dump meaning impossible for us to recreate