Continue statement is used with the loops to skip a few lines of code below it.
Let us make it simple with the below example.
Say we have a for loop that print the numbers from 1, 2 and 3.
public class MyApplication
{
public static void main(String[] args) {
for(int x = 1; x <= 3 ; x++) {
System.out.println(x);
}
}
}
Now, let's say, we don't want the number 2 to be printed. We just want to print 1 and 3 as output.
Let us rewrite the program using continue statement.
public class MyApplication
{
public static void main(String[] args) {
for(int x = 1; x <= 3 ; x++) {
if (x == 2) {
continue;
}
System.out.println(x);
}
}
}
Now, if you see the output, 2 is omitted from the output, printing only 1 and 3 as output.
Let us see it in detail :
So, we have a for loop that print the numbers from 1 to 3.
for(int x = 1; x <= 3 ; x++)
{
if (x == 2)
{System.out.println(x); }
continue;And the Iteration starts,
In the 1st Iteration, 1 is taken and stored in the variable i.
So, in the next line, we check if the value of the variable i is 2 or not.
if (i == 2)
{continue; }
In this case the value of i is 1. So, we do not enter the if block and come to the print statement.
System.out.println(i)
Printing the value of i.
Then we start the second Iteration of for loop.
In the 2nd Iteration, 2 is taken and stored in the variable i.
So, in the next line, we check if the value of the variable i is 2 or not.
if (i == 2)
{continue; }
In this case the value of i is 2. So, we enter the if block and come to the continue statement.
continue;
And what the continue statement does is, ends the current Iteration of the for loop and starts the next Iteration.
And the value of i i.e. 2 is not printeded..
And the 3rd Iteration starts.
Similarly, in the 3rd Iteration, 3 is taken and stored in the variable i.
Same way, in the next line, we check if the value of the variable i is 2 or not.
if (i == 2) {continue; }
In this case the value of i is 3. So, we do not enter the if block and come to the print statement.
System.out.println(i)
Printing the value of i.
With this we end the execution of for loop.