Using Break and Continue Statements in Java: Understanding Their Purpose and Usage

In addition to loops, Java provides two statements that can be used to control the flow of execution within loops: "break" and "continue". In this blog post, we will discuss the purpose and usage of these two statements in Java.

The "break" Statement

The "break" statement allows you to exit a loop prematurely. When the "break" statement is encountered, the program immediately exits the loop and continues executing the next line of code outside the loop. The syntax of the "break" statement is as follows:

break;

Here is an example of a for loop that uses the "break" statement:

for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  if (i == 5) {
    break;
  }
  System.out.println(i);
}

This will output the numbers 0 through 4.

When the value of "i" is equal to 5, the "break" statement is executed, causing the loop to exit prematurely. Therefore, the number 5 is not printed to the console.

The "continue" Statement

The "continue" statement allows you to skip the current iteration of a loop and move on to the next iteration. When the "continue" statement is encountered, the program immediately skips to the next iteration of the loop. The syntax of the "continue" statement is as follows:

continue;

Here is an example of a for loop that uses the "continue" statement:

for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  if (i == 5) {
    continue;
  }
  System.out.println(i);
}

This will output the numbers 0 through 9, except for the number 5.

When the value of "i" is equal to 5, the "continue" statement is executed, causing the loop to skip the current iteration and move on to the next iteration. Therefore, the number 5 is not printed to the console.

Conclusion

The "break" and "continue" statements are powerful tools that allow you to control the flow of execution within loops in Java. By understanding the syntax and purpose of these two statements, you can write more efficient and effective code.

We hope this blog post has been helpful in understanding the purpose and usage of the "break" and "continue" statements in Java. Happy coding!