Java Continue Statement: Skipping Iterations in Loops

Learn about the continue statement in Java, which is used in loop control structures to skip the current iteration and immediately jump to the next one. This statement enhances your ability to manage loop behavior efficiently, allowing you to fine-tune how your loops execute. Explore examples and best practices for using the continue statement in your Java programs to improve code clarity and functionality.

Java - Continue Statement

Java Continue Statement

The continue statement can be used in any loop control structure. It causes the loop to immediately jump to the next iteration.

In a for loop, the continue keyword causes control to jump to the update statement. In a while loop or do/while loop, control immediately jumps to the Boolean expression.

Syntax

The syntax of continue is a single statement inside any loop:

continue;

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Flow Diagram

Java Continue Statement

Examples

Example 1: Using continue with while loop

In this example, we demonstrate the use of a continue statement to skip the element 15 in a while loop that prints elements from 10 to 19.

public class Test {
public static void main(String args[]) {
int x = 10;

while( x < 20 ) {
    x++;
    if(x == 15){
    continue;		 
    }   
    System.out.print("value of x : " + x );
    System.out.print("\n");
}
}
}

Output

value of x : 11
value of x : 12
value of x : 13
value of x : 14
value of x : 16
value of x : 17
value of x : 18
value of x : 19
value of x : 20

Example 2: Using continue with for loop

This example shows the use of a continue statement within a for loop to skip elements of an array during printing. An array of integers is created, and the loop iterates through it.

public class Test {
public static void main(String args[]) {
int [] numbers = {10, 20, 30, 40, 50};

for(int index = 0; index < numbers.length; index++) {
    if(numbers[index] == 30){
    continue;
    }
    System.out.print("value of item : " + numbers[index] );         
    System.out.print("\n");
}
}
}

Output

value of item : 10
value of item : 20
value of item : 40
value of item : 50

Example 3: Using continue with do-while loop

This example demonstrates the use of a continue statement to skip the element 15 in a do-while loop that prints elements from 10 to 19.

public class Test {
public static void main(String args[]) {
int x = 10;

do {
    x++;
    if(x == 15){
    continue;		 
    }   
    System.out.print("value of x : " + x );
    System.out.print("\n");
} while( x < 20 );
}
}

Output

value of x : 11
value of x : 12
value of x : 13
value of x : 14
value of x : 16
value of x : 17
value of x : 18
value of x : 19
value of x : 20