Difference Between Break And Continue In C

If there is a need to terminate the execution of a particular case, the switch statement allows us to use the break keyword. Similarly, within a loop, the break statement becomes handy when there is a requirement to exit the loop based on a specific condition. For instance, when reaching the end of data prematurely or encountering an error condition. On the other hand, the continue statement is utilized to bypass a statement or multiple statements within the loop's body and proceed to the next iteration.

Break is defined as

Break in C++ serves two main purposes. The initial one is to "terminate the execution of a case within a switch statement." The second function is to "exit the loop and transfer control to the statement following the loop."

In C++, the break statement is used.

Let's examine each instance of the 'break' statement more closely. Firstly, 'break' is employed to terminate the case execution within a switch statement. The 'break' solely impacts the switch statement it is contained within and does not influence the enclosing loop of the switch.

//In context to C++.

//using break in switch in context of C++.

switch( integer expression) 
{
case 1:
. . . . .
. . . . .
break;
case 2:
. . . . .
. . . . .
break;
case 3:
. . . . .
. . . . .
break;
default:
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
}

Continue is defined as

Terminating the loop stops the subsequent iterations and enables the control to exit the loop. This process is akin to using a break statement. On the other hand, the continue statement pauses the execution of any remaining code within the loop for the current iteration and directs control to the next iteration of the loop.

The continue statement allows skipping the execution of the current iteration's code and transfers the control to the subsequent iteration of the loop.

C++ Continue Statement

Let's examine a demonstration of how to utilize the 'continue' keyword in C++.

// using continue in context to C++
summation=0;
cin>>number;
while (cin)
{
if (num<0)
cout<<"Negative number found in the data"<<endl;
cin>>num;
continue;
}
summation = summation + number;
cin>>number;
}

When utilizing a 'for' loop, the continue statement's impact becomes more pronounced. Although the continue statement typically triggers the update statement in the context of while and do...while loops, there is no absolute assurance of this behavior.

In C, what is the difference between a break and a continue statement?

The Key Differences Between Break and Continue

• ✅ In a nutshell, the break keyword ends the loop's remaining iterations. The continue keyword, on the other hand, only ends the loop's current iteration.
• ✅ When the break keyword is used, the program's control exits the loop and moves on to the next statement after the loop. The control of the programme resumes to the next iteration of the loop if the continue keyword is used.
• ✅ As the preceding step concludes, when the break control of the programme is executed, the programme exits the loop. It is clear that break causes any loop to terminate early. Continue, on the other hand, only terminates the current iteration and resumes the loop's next iteration, so we can say that continue causes the loop's next iteration to be executed sooner.
• ✅ After it is executed, the break keyword terminates all remaining iterations, effectively stopping the loop from continuing. The continue keyword, on the other hand, keeps the loop running.
• ✅ The break keyword can be used with both "switch" and "label" statements. The continue keyword, on the other hand, cannot be used with "switch" or "label."

Conclusion

Both the break and continue statements serve as jump statements that redirect the flow of the program. While the break statement enables the control to exit the loop, the continue statement facilitates the control to proceed to the next iteration of the loop.