Java Break and Continue

Welcome to The Coding College! In this tutorial, we’ll explore the break and continue statements in Java. These statements allow you to control the flow of loops, making your code more efficient and flexible.

Break Statement

The break statement is used to exit a loop prematurely, regardless of the loop’s condition. It immediately terminates the loop and moves control to the next statement after the loop.

Syntax

break;

Example 1: Exiting a Loop Early

public class BreakExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
            if (i == 5) {
                break; // Exit loop when i is 5
            }
            System.out.println(i);
        }
        System.out.println("Loop exited.");
    }
}

Output

1  
2  
3  
4  
Loop exited.

Explanation: The loop stops when i equals 5, thanks to the break statement.

Example 2: Breaking Out of a Nested Loop

public class NestedBreakExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {
            for (int j = 1; j <= 3; j++) {
                if (j == 2) {
                    break; // Exit inner loop when j is 2
                }
                System.out.println("i = " + i + ", j = " + j);
            }
        }
    }
}

Output

i = 1, j = 1  
i = 2, j = 1  
i = 3, j = 1

Explanation: The inner loop stops whenever j equals 2, but the outer loop continues.

Continue Statement

The continue statement is used to skip the current iteration of a loop and proceed with the next iteration.

Syntax

continue;

Example 1: Skipping Iterations

public class ContinueExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
            if (i == 5) {
                continue; // Skip the iteration when i is 5
            }
            System.out.println(i);
        }
    }
}

Output

1  
2  
3  
4  
6  
7  
8  
9  
10

Explanation: The loop skips the iteration when i equals 5, but it doesn’t terminate the loop.

Example 2: Skipping Odd Numbers

public class SkipOddNumbers {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
            if (i % 2 != 0) {
                continue; // Skip odd numbers
            }
            System.out.println(i);
        }
    }
}

Output

2  
4  
6  
8  
10

Explanation: The loop skips all odd numbers and prints only even numbers.

Example 3: Using Continue in a Nested Loop

public class NestedContinueExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {
            for (int j = 1; j <= 3; j++) {
                if (j == 2) {
                    continue; // Skip iteration when j is 2
                }
                System.out.println("i = " + i + ", j = " + j);
            }
        }
    }
}

Output

i = 1, j = 1  
i = 1, j = 3  
i = 2, j = 1  
i = 2, j = 3  
i = 3, j = 1  
i = 3, j = 3

Explanation: The inner loop skips the iteration when j equals 2, but the outer loop remains unaffected.

Break vs. Continue

FeatureBreakContinue
FunctionalityExits the loop entirely.Skips the current iteration.
UsageUsed when exiting is necessary.Used when skipping is needed.
ImpactTerminates loop execution.Proceeds with the next iteration.

Practice Problems

  1. Write a program to find the first number divisible by 7 in a range and exit the loop once found.
  2. Create a loop that skips numbers divisible by 3 but prints all others within a range.
  3. Use nested loops to print a pattern, skipping specific rows or columns based on conditions.

For more Java tutorials and coding tips, visit The Coding College. Stay curious and keep coding! 🚀

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