Table of Contents

What is the `continue` Statement?

The continue statement in C is a jump statement that skips the current iteration of a loop and jumps to the next iteration. It works inside for, while, and do-while loops.

How It Works

Loop Type	Where Continue Jumps
`for`	Increment/update expression
`while`	Loop condition
`do-while`	Loop condition

Basic Syntax

continue;

Practical Examples

Example 1: Skip Even Numbers

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
if (i % 2 == 0) {
continue;  // Skip even numbers
}
printf("%d ", i);  // Prints odd numbers only
}
return 0;
}
// Output: 1 3 5 7 9

Example 2: Skip Specific Value in while Loop

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int i = 0;
while (i < 10) {
i++;
if (i == 5) {
continue;  // Skip printing 5
}
printf("%d ", i);
}
return 0;
}
// Output: 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10

Example 3: Skip Negative Numbers in Array

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int numbers[] = {5, -2, 8, -1, 3, -7, 4};
int size = sizeof(numbers) / sizeof(numbers[0]);
printf("Positive numbers: ");
for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
if (numbers[i] < 0) {
continue;  // Skip negative numbers
}
printf("%d ", numbers[i]);
}
return 0;
}
// Output: Positive numbers: 5 8 3 4

Example 4: User Input Validation

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int num, sum = 0;
printf("Enter 5 positive numbers:\n");
for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
printf("Number %d: ", i);
scanf("%d", &num);
if (num <= 0) {
printf("Skipping non-positive number.\n");
continue;  // Skip adding invalid numbers
}
sum += num;
}
printf("Sum of positive numbers: %d\n", sum);
return 0;
}

Important Differences: `break` vs `continue`

Feature	`break`	`continue`
Effect	Exits loop completely	Skips only current iteration
Loop resumes	No	Yes (next iteration)
Use case	Stop entirely	Skip one iteration

Comparison Example

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf("Using continue:\n");
for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
if (i == 3) continue;
printf("%d ", i);  // 1 2 4 5
}
printf("\n\nUsing break:\n");
for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
if (i == 3) break;
printf("%d ", i);  // 1 2
}
return 0;
}

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Why It's Wrong
Using `continue` outside a loop	Compilation error
Unreachable code after `continue`	Code never executes
Forgetting to update loop variable	Infinite loop (in while loop)

Bad Example (Infinite Loop)

int i = 0;
while (i < 10) {
if (i == 5) {
continue;  // i never increments → infinite loop
}
i++;
}

Fixed Version

int i = 0;
while (i < 10) {
i++;  // Increment BEFORE continue
if (i == 5) {
continue;
}
printf("%d ", i);
}

Quick Summary

continue skips the rest of current loop iteration
Program flow jumps to next iteration
Useful for filtering or skipping specific values
Does not exit the loop (unlike break)
Works in for, while, and do-while loops

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What is the continue Statement?