Python Continue Statement

The continue statement in Python is a powerful tool that allows you to skip the current iteration of a loop and proceed directly to the next iteration. This functionality is particularly useful when you want to bypass certain conditions within a loop without terminating the entire iteration process.

Key Concepts

• Purpose of continue: It permits the loop to skip the remaining code in its body for the current iteration, moving on to the next iteration.
• Where to Use: The continue statement can be utilized within both for and while loops.

How It Works

• When a continue statement is encountered in a loop:
  • The remaining code inside the loop for the current iteration is ignored.
  • Control jumps to the next iteration of the loop.

Example

Here’s a simple example to illustrate how the continue statement works:

Example 1: Skipping Even Numbers

for number in range(10):
    if number % 2 == 0:
        continue  # Skip even numbers
    print(number)

Output:

1
3
5
7
9

In this example:

• The loop iterates through numbers from 0 to 9.
• When the number is even (i.e., divisible by 2), the continue statement is executed, and the print statement is skipped.
• As a result, only odd numbers are printed.

Summary

• The continue statement is a powerful tool for controlling the flow of loops.
• It helps in skipping specific iterations based on certain conditions while continuing with the next ones.
• Understanding how to use continue can make your loops more efficient and your code cleaner.