What is the continue statement?
The continue statement is a control statement in programming that allows you to skip the remaining code within a loop iteration and move to the next iteration. It is commonly used when you want to skip certain iterations based on a specific condition.
Syntax to control program looping
In most programming languages, the syntax for the continue statement is as follows:
“`language
continue;
“`
Let’s break down the syntax and understand how it controls program looping.
The keyword “continue” is followed by a semicolon, representing the end of the continue statement.
When the continue statement is encountered within a loop, the program jumps to the next iteration, skipping the remaining code within the current iteration. It effectively skips any code that follows the continue statement within the loop block and proceeds to the next iteration.
Here’s a simple example to illustrate how the continue statement works:
“`language
for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
if (i == 3) {
continue;
}
console.log(i);
}
``` In this example, we have a for loop that iterates from 1 to 5. Within the loop, we check if the value of "i" is 3. If it is, the continue statement is encountered, and the remaining code within that iteration (in this case, the console.log(i) statement) is skipped. Thus, when the value of "i" is 3, the output will skip printing 3 and continue with the next iteration, resulting in output as follows:
```
1
2
4
5
``` The continue statement can be useful in scenarios where you want to ignore specific iterations based on certain conditions. It allows you to customize the execution flow of the loop and optimize code by avoiding unnecessary calculations or actions during certain iterations. Keep in mind that the continue statement only affects the current iteration of the loop. It does not break out of the loop entirely. To exit a loop prematurely, you would use the "break" statement instead. To summarize, the continue statement is a powerful tool for controlling program looping. It helps you skip code within a loop's iteration and move on to the next iteration. This feature allows for more flexible and efficient program execution, enhancing the functionality and performance of your code.
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