PhpHow-ToBeginner · 3 min read

How to Use Continue in PHP: Syntax and Examples

In PHP, the continue statement skips the current loop iteration and moves to the next one. It works inside loops like for, while, and foreach to control flow by ignoring the rest of the code in the current cycle.

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Syntax

The continue statement can be used alone or with an optional numeric argument to specify how many nested loops to skip to the next iteration.

continue; - skips the current iteration of the innermost loop.
continue n; - skips the current iteration of the nth enclosing loop.

php

<?php
// Basic continue usage
for ($i = 1; $i <= 5; $i++) {
    if ($i == 3) {
        continue; // Skip when $i is 3
    }
    echo $i . " ";
}

// Using continue with a number (nested loops)
for ($i = 1; $i <= 3; $i++) {
    for ($j = 1; $j <= 3; $j++) {
        if ($j == 2) {
            continue 2; // Skip to next iteration of outer loop
        }
        echo "$i,$j ";
    }
}
?>

Output

1 2 4 5 1,1 3,1 3,3

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Example

This example shows how continue skips printing the number 3 in a loop from 1 to 5. It also demonstrates skipping inner loop iterations and jumping to the next outer loop cycle.

php

<?php
for ($i = 1; $i <= 5; $i++) {
    if ($i == 3) {
        continue; // Skip printing 3
    }
    echo $i . " ";
}

echo "\n";

for ($i = 1; $i <= 2; $i++) {
    for ($j = 1; $j <= 3; $j++) {
        if ($j == 2) {
            continue 2; // Skip to next $i iteration
        }
        echo "$i,$j ";
    }
}
?>

Output

1 2 4 5 1,1 2,1 1,3 2,1 2,3

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Common Pitfalls

One common mistake is using continue outside of loops, which causes an error. Another is misunderstanding continue n; in nested loops, where n must be a positive integer indicating how many loops to skip. Using a wrong number can lead to unexpected behavior or errors.

Also, confusing continue with break is common: continue skips to the next iteration, while break exits the loop entirely.

php

<?php
// Wrong: continue outside loop
// continue; // Fatal error: 'continue' not in the 'loop' or 'switch' context

// Wrong: continue with invalid number
for ($i = 0; $i < 3; $i++) {
    continue 0; // Warning: 'continue' with non-positive argument
}

// Correct usage
for ($i = 0; $i < 3; $i++) {
    if ($i == 1) {
        continue; // Skip iteration when $i is 1
    }
    echo $i . " ";
}
?>

Output

0 2

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Quick Reference

Continue Statement Cheat Sheet:

Usage	Effect
`continue;`	Skip current iteration of innermost loop
`continue 2;`	Skip current iteration of 2nd enclosing loop
Used inside `for`, `while`, `foreach`	Controls loop flow by skipping code after continue
Cannot be used outside loops	Causes fatal error

Usage	Effect
continue;	Skip current iteration of innermost loop
continue 2;	Skip current iteration of 2nd enclosing loop
Used inside for, while, foreach	Controls loop flow by skipping code after continue
Cannot be used outside loops	Causes fatal error

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Key Takeaways

Use continue to skip the rest of the current loop iteration and move to the next one.

continue n; skips iterations in nested loops, where n is the number of loops to skip.

Never use continue outside of loops; it will cause a fatal error.

Remember that continue skips to the next iteration, while break exits the loop entirely.

Use continue to make loops cleaner by avoiding deeply nested if-else blocks.