Continue statement in Java - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Continue statement

Start Loop

↓

Check Condition

Yes↓

Check Continue Condition

↓

Skip Rest

↓

Next Iteration

↓

End Loop

The loop checks a condition each time. If the continue condition is true, it skips the rest of the loop body and moves to the next iteration.

Execution Sample

Java

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    if (i == 3) continue;
    System.out.println(i);
}

Print numbers 1 to 5, but skip printing 3 using continue.

Execution Table

Iteration	i	Condition i <= 5	Continue Condition 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 condition is true, so the loop skips the print statement and moves to the next iteration.

Does the continue statement stop the entire loop?

No, continue only skips the rest of the current iteration and proceeds with the next iteration, as shown in the execution_table at iteration 3.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what is the value of i when the continue statement is triggered?

A 3

B 2

C 4

D 5

💡 Hint

Check the 'Continue Condition i == 3' column in the execution_table.

At which iteration does the loop stop running according to the execution_table?

A 5

B 3

C 6

D 1

💡 Hint

Look at the last row where the condition i <= 5 becomes false.

If the continue condition was changed to i == 2, which number would be skipped in the output?

A 1

B 2

C 3

D 4

💡 Hint

Refer to how the continue condition affects skipping output in the execution_table.

Concept Snapshot

continue statement in Java:
- Used inside loops to skip the rest of current iteration
- Moves control to next iteration immediately
- 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 a for loop from 1 to 5. When i equals 3, the continue statement runs. This skips printing 3 and moves to the next number. The loop prints 1, 2, 4, and 5. The continue statement only skips the current iteration, not the whole loop. The loop ends when i becomes 6 because the condition i <= 5 is false.