Question

What does "continue" mean when used in the body of a loop?

Answer 1

In programming, the "continue" statement ends the current iteration of a loop and starts the next one, if the loop's condition is still true, skipping the rest of the code in the current iteration.

Step-by-step explanation:

When "continue" is used in the body of a loop in programming, it serves a specific purpose. This statement immediately ends the current iteration of the loop; however, unlike the "break" statement, "continue" does not exit the loop entirely. Instead, it skips the rest of the code in the current loop iteration and proceeds to the next iteration, if any condition for the loop continuation is still met.

For example, in a for loop, the "continue" statement would cause the loop to immediately start the next increment of the loop counter. In a while or do-while loop, it would cause the loop to reevaluate its condition to determine whether another iteration should occur. This is often used to avoid executing certain parts of the loop under specific conditions without stopping the loop entirely.

Answer 2

"Continue" in the body of a loop directs the program to skip the current iteration and proceed to the next iteration, bypassing the remaining code within the loop for that particular iteration.

Step-by-step explanation:

When "continue" is encountered in a loop, it acts as a command to immediately cease the current iteration's execution and jump to the next iteration. This means that any code following the "continue" statement within that loop iteration won't execute for that specific iteration. Instead, the loop's control flow moves directly to the loop's conditional check, initiating the next iteration. Essentially, "continue" allows the selective skipping of certain iterations in a loop based on specified conditions. It's particularly useful when specific conditions are met and you want to bypass the execution of certain code but continue with the loop's iterations.

Using "continue" can help optimize code by excluding unnecessary computations or actions for specific cases, making the loop more efficient. This statement is commonly employed in situations where certain conditions require special handling, allowing the loop to proceed while excluding specific iterations that don't meet the defined criteria. In essence, "continue" streamlines the loop's flow, avoiding unnecessary processing and enabling more tailored control over loop execution.

This control flow directive is a powerful tool in programming, providing flexibility and efficiency in managing loop iterations by selectively skipping certain parts of the loop based on specific conditions.