Loop Control Statements (break and continue)

Loop Control Statements (break and continue)

In Python, loop control statements, such as break and continue, allow you to control the flow of loops and make them more flexible and efficient.

1. The break Statement

The break statement is used to prematurely terminate a loop, even if the loop condition is still true. It is commonly used to exit a loop when a certain condition is met. Here's how it works in a loop:

for item in sequence:
    if condition:
        break  # Terminate the loop

For example, using break to exit a for loop when a specific condition is met:

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "date"]

for fruit in fruits:
    if fruit == "cherry":
        break
    print(fruit)

In this case, the loop will stop as soon as it encounters the word "cherry," and "date" will not be printed.

2. The continue Statement

The continue statement is used to skip the rest of the current iteration and move to the next iteration of a loop. It is useful when you want to bypass certain elements or conditions and continue with the next iteration. Here's how it works in a loop:

for item in sequence:
    if condition:
        continue  # Skip the rest of this iteration and continue with the next

For example, using continue to skip printing an element in a for loop:

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

for num in numbers:
    if num % 2 == 0:
        continue
    print(num)

In this example, the continue statement skips even numbers, and only odd numbers are printed.

3. Choosing Between break and continue

• Use break when you want to exit the loop entirely when a specific condition is met.
• Use continue when you want to skip the current iteration and move to the next iteration when a specific condition is met.

These loop control statements provide you with the ability to fine-tune the behavior of loops, allowing you to create more efficient and flexible code.