Continue Statement

Imagine you're looping through a collection or executing a loop, and you encounter a scenario where you want to skip the current iteration and move on to the next one. That's where continue statements come to the rescue! They provide a convenient way to bypass specific iterations within a loop while allowing the loop to continue running.

Understanding Continue Statements

In Java, a continue statement allows you to skip the remaining code within the current iteration of a loop and proceed to the next iteration. It's like saying, "Hey, let's move on to the next iteration without finishing what we're doing here!"

Example 1: Skipping Odd Numbers

Let's say we want to print only even numbers from 1 to 10:

for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
    if (i % 2 != 0) {
        continue; // Skip odd numbers
    }
    System.out.println(i); // Print even numbers
}

In this example, when the loop encounters an odd number, the continue statement jumps to the next iteration without executing the println statement, effectively skipping odd numbers and printing only even ones.

Example 2: Skipping Specific Values

Suppose we have an array of numbers, and we want to print all values except for a specific one:

class Test{
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int[] numbers = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
        for (int number : numbers) {
            if (number == 3) {
                continue; // Skip number 3
            }
            System.out.println(number); // Print other numbers
        }
    }
}

Here, when the loop encounters the value 3, the continue statement skips to the next iteration, ensuring that only numbers other than 3 are printed.

Java's continue statements provide a handy way to enhance the efficiency and flexibility of loops. Whether you're skipping specific iterations based on conditions or bypassing certain values within a collection, continue statements empower you to streamline your code and focus on what matters most.

So, the next time you're looping through data and encounter scenarios where you need to skip iterations, remember the magic of continue statements. They're your allies in creating cleaner, more efficient code!