JavaScript continue Statement

In this chapter, we will learn about the JavaScript continue statement. The continue statement is used to skip the current iteration of a loop and continue with the next iteration. We will cover:

• What is the continue Statement?
• Syntax
• Using the continue Statement in Loops
• Skipping Iterations in Nested Loops
• Simple Programs using the continue Statement

What is the continue Statement?

The continue statement is used within loops to skip the current iteration and continue with the next iteration of the loop. It allows you to control the flow of the loop and avoid executing certain parts of the loop body based on a condition.

Syntax

continue; 

Using the continue Statement in Loops

Example

// Loop through numbers from 0 to 9 for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) { // Check if the current number is 5 if (i === 5) { // Skip the rest of the loop body and continue with the next iteration continue; } // Print the current number console.log(i); } 

Output:

0 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 

In the example above, the continue statement skips the iteration when i is 5, and the loop continues with the next iteration.

Skipping Iterations in Nested Loops

Example

// Outer loop for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) { // Inner loop for (let j = 0; j < 3; j++) { // Check if the inner counter is 1 if (j === 1) { // Skip the rest of the loop body and continue with the next iteration of the inner loop continue; } // Print the values of the counters console.log(`i = ${i}, j = ${j}`); } } 

Output:

i = 0, j = 0 i = 0, j = 2 i = 1, j = 0 i = 1, j = 2 i = 2, j = 0 i = 2, j = 2 

In the example above, the continue statement skips the iteration of the inner loop when j is 1, and the inner loop continues with the next iteration.

Simple Programs using the continue Statement

Program 1: Print Odd Numbers from 1 to 10

// Loop through numbers from 1 to 10 for (let i = 1; i <= 10; i++) { // Check if the current number is even if (i % 2 === 0) { // Skip the rest of the loop body and continue with the next iteration continue; } // Print the current odd number console.log(i); } 

Output:

1 3 5 7 9 

Program 2: Skip Multiples of 3 in an Array

// Define an array of numbers let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Loop through the array for (let i = 0; i < numbers.length; i++) { // Check if the current number is a multiple of 3 if (numbers[i] % 3 === 0) { // Skip the rest of the loop body and continue with the next iteration continue; } // Print the current number console.log(numbers[i]); } 

Output:

1 2 4 5 7 8 10 

Program 3: Skip Characters in a String

// Define a string let str = "hello world"; // Define a character to skip let charToSkip = 'o'; // Loop through the string for (let i = 0; i < str.length; i++) { // Check if the current character is the character to skip if (str[i] === charToSkip) { // Skip the rest of the loop body and continue with the next iteration continue; } // Print the current character console.log(str[i]); } 

Output:

h e l l w r l d 

Program 4: Sum of Non-Negative Numbers in an Array

// Define an array of numbers let numbers = [1, -2, 3, -4, 5]; // Initialize the sum variable let sum = 0; // Loop through the array for (let i = 0; i < numbers.length; i++) { // Check if the current number is negative if (numbers[i] < 0) { // Skip the rest of the loop body and continue with the next iteration continue; } // Add the current number to the sum sum += numbers[i]; } // Print the sum of non-negative numbers console.log("Sum of non-negative numbers:", sum); 

Output:

Sum of non-negative numbers: 9 

Program 5: Filter Non-Prime Numbers from an Array

// Define a function to check if a number is prime function isPrime(num) { if (num <= 1) return false; for (let i = 2; i <= Math.sqrt(num); i++) { if (num % i === 0) return false; } return true; } // Define an array of numbers let numbers = [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Initialize an array to store prime numbers let primes = []; // Loop through the array for (let i = 0; i < numbers.length; i++) { // Check if the current number is not prime if (!isPrime(numbers[i])) { // Skip the rest of the loop body and continue with the next iteration continue; } // Add the current prime number to the primes array primes.push(numbers[i]); } // Print the array of prime numbers console.log("Prime numbers:", primes); 

Output:

Prime numbers: [2, 3, 5, 7] 

Conclusion

In this chapter, you learned about the JavaScript continue statement, including its syntax and how to use it in loops. We also covered skipping iterations in nested loops and provided various use cases with simple programs to demonstrate the usage of the continue statement. The continue statement is used for controlling the flow of your loops and skipping specific iterations based on conditions.