📝 What You’ll Learn

• Exit loops or switch statements early using break
• Skip iterations in loops using continue
• Use labeled loops to control nested loop execution
• Avoid common mistakes when using these control statements

🚪 Break Statement

The break statement is used to exit a loop or switch block immediately.

Example: Exiting a Loop Early

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    if (i == 3) break;
    System.out.println(i);
}

Output:

1
2

When i becomes 3, the loop is terminated with break.

🔄 Break in While Loops

You can use break in a while loop to stop it when a certain condition is met.

int i = 1;
while (i <= 10) {
    if (i == 5) break;
    System.out.println(i);
    i++;
}

➡️ Continue Statement

The continue statement skips the current iteration and proceeds to the next one in a loop.

Example: Skipping a Specific Value

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    if (i == 3) continue;
    System.out.println(i);
}

Output:

1
2
4
5

🔁 Continue in While Loops

Here’s how continue works in a while loop:

int i = 0;
while (i < 5) {
    i++;
    if (i == 3) continue;
    System.out.println(i);
}

Output:

1
2
4
5

🎯 Labeled Loops

Labeled loops allow you to break or continue outer loops from within nested inner loops.

outer:
for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {
    for (int j = 1; j <= 3; j++) {
        if (j == 2) break outer;
        System.out.println("i=" + i + ", j=" + j);
    }
}

Output:

i=1, j=1

🛠 Practical Use Cases

These statements are useful when you want to:

• Stop searching a list once a match is found
• Skip invalid input in user interaction loops
• Optimize performance by avoiding unnecessary operations

int[] numbers = {2, 4, 6, 8, 10};

for (int num : numbers) {
    if (num == 6) {
        System.out.println("Found 6!");
        break;
    }
}

⚠️ Common Mistakes

• Forgetting to update loop variables, especially after continue
• Using break inappropriately and exiting too early
• Mistaking break for return (which exits the whole method)

📘 Recap

• Use break to exit loops or switch blocks
• Use continue to skip iterations
• Labeled loops offer control in nested scenarios
• Careful use improves logic clarity and performance