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Break and Continue

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In this section, we will explore the break and continue statements in C, which are used to control the flow of loops. These statements provide a way to alter the normal sequence of execution in loops, allowing for more flexible and efficient code.

Break Statement

The break statement is used to exit from a loop or a switch statement before it has completed its normal sequence. When a break statement is encountered inside a loop, the loop is immediately terminated, and the program control resumes at the next statement following the loop.

Syntax

break;

Example: Using break in a Loop

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int i;
    for (i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
        if (i == 5) {
            break; // Exit the loop when i is 5
        }
        printf("i = %d\n", i);
    }
    printf("Loop terminated. i = %d\n", i);
    return 0;
}

Explanation

  • The loop starts with i = 0 and increments i by 1 in each iteration.
  • When i becomes 5, the break statement is executed, causing the loop to terminate immediately.
  • The program then continues with the statement following the loop, printing "Loop terminated. i = 5".

Continue Statement

The continue statement is used to skip the current iteration of a loop and proceed with the next iteration. When a continue statement is encountered, the remaining code inside the loop is skipped, and the loop proceeds with the next iteration.

Syntax

continue;

Example: Using continue in a Loop

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int i;
    for (i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
        if (i % 2 == 0) {
            continue; // Skip the rest of the loop body for even numbers
        }
        printf("i = %d\n", i);
    }
    return 0;
}

Explanation

  • The loop starts with i = 0 and increments i by 1 in each iteration.
  • When i is an even number, the continue statement is executed, causing the loop to skip the printf statement and proceed with the next iteration.
  • As a result, only odd numbers are printed.

Practical Exercises

Exercise 1: Using break in a Loop

Write a program that searches for a specific number in an array. If the number is found, the program should print the index of the number and exit the loop using break.

Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int arr[] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10};
    int n = sizeof(arr) / sizeof(arr[0]);
    int target = 7;
    int i;

    for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
        if (arr[i] == target) {
            printf("Number %d found at index %d\n", target, i);
            break;
        }
    }

    if (i == n) {
        printf("Number %d not found in the array\n", target);
    }

    return 0;
}

Exercise 2: Using continue in a Loop

Write a program that prints all the numbers from 1 to 20, except for the multiples of 3. Use the continue statement to skip the multiples of 3.

Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int i;
    for (i = 1; i <= 20; i++) {
        if (i % 3 == 0) {
            continue; // Skip multiples of 3
        }
        printf("%d\n", i);
    }
    return 0;
}

Common Mistakes and Tips

  • Misplacing break and continue: Ensure that break and continue are placed inside loops. Using them outside of loops will result in a compilation error.
  • Infinite Loops: Be cautious when using continue in while or do-while loops. Ensure that the loop condition will eventually become false to avoid infinite loops.
  • Readability: Use break and continue judiciously to maintain code readability. Overusing these statements can make the code harder to understand.

Conclusion

In this section, we learned how to use the break and continue statements to control the flow of loops in C. The break statement allows us to exit a loop prematurely, while the continue statement lets us skip the current iteration and proceed with the next one. By mastering these statements, you can write more flexible and efficient loops in your programs.

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