Introduction
The continue
statement in C++ is used to skip the rest of the code inside a loop for the current iteration and immediately proceed to the next iteration of the loop. It is particularly useful when you want to skip certain conditions within a loop without exiting the loop entirely, which is what the break
statement does.
Using continue in Loops
Example: Using continue
in a for
Loop
In this example, we use the continue
statement to skip the even numbers in a for
loop.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
if (i % 2 == 0) {
continue; // Skip the rest of the loop body for even numbers
}
cout << "i = " << i << endl;
}
return 0;
}
Output
i = 1
i = 3
i = 5
i = 7
i = 9
Explanation
- The
for
loop initializesi
to 0 and increments it by 1 in each iteration. - The condition
i % 2 == 0
checks ifi
is an even number. - If
i
is even, thecontinue
statement is executed, skipping the rest of the loop body for that iteration. - If
i
is odd, the value ofi
is printed.
Example: Using continue
in a while
Loop
In this example, we use the continue
statement to skip the number 5 in a while
loop.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
int i = 0; // Initialization of loop control variable
while (i < 10) {
i++; // Increment the loop control variable
if (i == 5) {
continue; // Skip the rest of the loop body when i equals 5
}
cout << "i = " << i << endl;
}
return 0;
}
Output
i = 1
i = 2
i = 3
i = 4
i = 6
i = 7
i = 8
i = 9
i = 10
Explanation
- The
while
loop continues to execute as long asi
is less than 10. - The loop control variable
i
is incremented by 1 in each iteration. - When
i
equals 5, thecontinue
statement is executed, skipping the rest of the loop body for that iteration. - The value of
i
is printed for all other values.
Example: Using continue
in a do-while
Loop
In this example, we use the continue
statement to skip the number 5 in a do-while
loop.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
int i = 0; // Initialization of loop control variable
do {
i++; // Increment the loop control variable
if (i == 5) {
continue; // Skip the rest of the loop body when i equals 5
}
cout << "i = " << i << endl;
} while (i < 10); // Condition
return 0;
}
Output
i = 1
i = 2
i = 3
i = 4
i = 6
i = 7
i = 8
i = 9
i = 10
Explanation
- The
do-while
loop ensures that the loop body is executed at least once. - The loop control variable
i
is incremented by 1 in each iteration. - When
i
equals 5, thecontinue
statement is executed, skipping the rest of the loop body for that iteration. - The value of
i
is printed for all other values.
Example: Skipping Negative Numbers in an Array
In this example, we use the continue
statement to skip negative numbers while printing the elements of an array.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
int arr[] = {1, -2, 3, -4, 5};
int size = sizeof(arr) / sizeof(arr[0]); // Calculate the size of the array
for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
if (arr[i] < 0) {
continue; // Skip negative numbers
}
cout << "arr[" << i << "] = " << arr[i] << endl;
}
return 0;
}
Output
arr[0] = 1
arr[2] = 3
arr[4] = 5
Explanation
- The
for
loop iterates over each element of the array. - The condition
arr[i] < 0
checks if the current element is negative. - If the element is negative, the
continue
statement is executed, skipping the rest of the loop body for that iteration. - The value of the non-negative elements is printed.
Conclusion
The continue
statement is a powerful control flow tool in C++ that allows you to skip the rest of the code inside a loop for the current iteration and immediately proceed to the next iteration. It provides greater control over the flow of your program, especially when you need to skip specific conditions within a loop. This chapter covered the use of the continue
statement in for
, while
, and do-while
loops, with simple examples and their outputs. Understanding how to use the continue
statement effectively will help you write more flexible and readable code. In the next chapter, we will explore the goto
statement in C++.