Continue Statement in Python

The continue statement in Python is used to skip the current iteration of a loop and move directly to the next iteration. It’s helpful for skipping certain values within a loop without breaking out of the loop entirely.

Key Points on Continue Statement:

• The continue statement is generally used to skip specific iterations within for or while loops based on a condition.
• When continue is executed, the loop doesn’t terminate but instead proceeds to the next iteration.
• It is useful for avoiding specific values in a loop, such as skipping odd or even numbers.
• The continue statement only affects the current loop iteration, making it ideal for selectively bypassing iterations without stopping the entire loop.

Example of Using Continue in a Loop:

In this example, the for loop skips the number 5 and continues with the remaining numbers.

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
        for num in numbers:
            if num == 5:
                continue
            print(num)

Continue in Nested Loops:

This example demonstrates using continue within a nested loop. The inner loop skips even numbers while printing the values of the odd numbers.

for i in range(1, 4):
            for j in range(1, 6):
                if j % 2 == 0:
                    continue
                print(f"i={i}, j={j}")

Detailed Explanation:

• Condition Check: The continue statement executes only if the specified condition in the loop is met.
• Inner Loop Execution: In nested loops, continue will only skip the iteration in the innermost loop where it’s placed, without affecting outer loops.
• Efficiency: continue can be used to skip processing unnecessary values within loops, improving loop efficiency for selective processing.
• Alternatives: Without continue, you would need additional conditional checks, potentially making the code more complex.

The continue statement is a powerful tool for optimizing loop control by allowing selective skipping of iterations while maintaining the loop flow.