What is continue statement in C?

In C programming, continue is a keyword used in loop control statements to skip the remaining statements in the current iteration of the loop and continue with the next iteration.

The continue statement is used in loops, such as for, while, and do-while, to skip the current iteration’s remaining statements and jump directly to the next iteration’s evaluation.

Examples of continue statement in C:

1. continue statement in for loop

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int i;
    for (i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
        if (i == 3) {
            continue; // skip iteration when i is 3
        }
        printf("%d ", i);
    }
    return 0;
}

Output:

1 2 4 5

Explanation;

In above example, we are using a for loop to print numbers from 1 to 5. However, when i is equal to 3, we are using the continue statement to skip that iteration and move on to the next one. As a result, the number 3 is not printed.

2. continue statement in while loop

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int i = 1;
    while (i <= 5) {
        if (i == 3) {
            i++;
            continue; // skip iteration when i is 3
        }
        printf("%d ", i);
        i++;
    }
    return 0;
}

Output:

1 2 4 5

Explanation;

In above example, we are using a while loop to print numbers from 1 to 5. When i is equal to 3, we are using the continue statement to skip that iteration and move on to the next one. We are also incrementing i before using the continue statement, to avoid an infinite loop. As a result, the number 3 is not printed.

3. continue statement in do while loop

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int i = 1;
    do {
        if (i == 3) {
            i++;
            continue; // skip iteration when i is 3
        }
        printf("%d ", i);
        i++;
    } while (i <= 5);
    return 0;
}

Output:

1 2 4 5

Explanation;

In above example, we are using a do while loop to print numbers from 1 to 5. When i is equal to 3, we are using the continue statement to skip that iteration and move on to the next one. We are also incrementing i before using the continue statement, to avoid an infinite loop. As a result, the number 3 is not printed.

Rules to be followed when using continue statement in C:

1. The continue statement can only be used inside loops such as for, while, or do while loops.
2. When the continue statement is executed, it skips the remaining statements inside the loop for that particular iteration and moves on to the next iteration.
3. The continue statement can be used to skip a particular iteration of the loop based on some condition. It is often used in conjunction with an if statement to skip a particular iteration based on a certain condition.
4. When using the continue statement, be careful to avoid infinite loops. Make sure that the condition for terminating the loop will eventually be met, even if some iterations are skipped using continue.
5. In some cases, using continue can make your code harder to read and understand. Consider using other control structures such as break or restructuring your code if the use of continue makes your code less clear.

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