Continue statement - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Continue statement

Start loop iteration

↓

Check condition

Yes↓

Check continue condition

↓

Skip rest

↓

Go to next

↓

Next iteration or exit

The loop starts each iteration by checking the main condition. If the continue condition is met, it skips the rest of the loop body and jumps to the next iteration.

Execution Sample

C

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    if (i == 3) continue;
    printf("%d ", i);
}

This code prints numbers from 1 to 5 but skips printing 3 using the continue statement.

Execution Table

Iteration	i	Condition (i <= 5)	Continue check (i == 3)	Action	Output
1	1	True	False	Print 1	1
2	2	True	False	Print 2	2
3	3	True	True	Skip print, continue to next
4	4	True	False	Print 4	4
5	5	True	False	Print 5	5
6	6	False	-	Exit loop

💡 i reaches 6, condition i <= 5 is False, loop ends

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After 1	After 2	After 3	After 4	After 5	Final
i	1	2	3	4	5	6	6

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why does the number 3 not get printed even though the loop reaches i=3?

At iteration 3 in the execution_table, the continue check is True, so the loop skips the print statement and moves to the next iteration.

Does the continue statement stop the whole loop?

No, as shown in the execution_table, continue only skips the current iteration's remaining code and proceeds with the next iteration until the loop condition fails.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what is the output when i equals 3?

A "3 " is printed

B Nothing is printed

C "Continue" is printed

D Loop exits

💡 Hint

Check the row where Iteration is 3 and see the Action and Output columns.

At which iteration does the loop condition become false?

A 6

B 3

C 5

D 1

💡 Hint

Look at the last row in the execution_table where Condition (i <= 5) is False.

If the continue statement was removed, what would be the output at iteration 3?

A Nothing would be printed

B Loop would exit early

C "3 " would be printed

D Error occurs

💡 Hint

Refer to the Action and Output columns for iteration 3 and imagine no skipping happens.

Concept Snapshot

continue statement in C:
- Used inside loops to skip the rest of current iteration
- Control jumps immediately to next iteration check
- Syntax: if(condition) continue;
- Does NOT exit the loop, just skips current iteration
- Useful to ignore specific cases without breaking loop

Full Transcript

This example shows how the continue statement works in a C for loop. The loop runs from i=1 to i=5. When i equals 3, the continue condition is true, so the loop skips printing 3 and moves to the next iteration. For other values, it prints the number. The loop ends when i becomes 6 because the condition i <= 5 is false. The continue statement only skips the current iteration's remaining code and does not stop the whole loop.