Mastering Flow: JavaScript’s Break & Continue | JavaScript’s Loop Techniques | JavaScript’s Break & Continue Decoded

Welcome to the world of JavaScript, where you’re about to learn two super-useful tricks: Break and Continue. These are like secret weapons that help you control how your code runs, especially when you’re working with loops.

Think of Break as a “get out of jail free” card. It lets you bail out of a loop early if you need to. And Continue? Well, it’s like saying “skip this one, let’s move on to the next loop iteration.”

In this guide, we’ll break down (pun intended!) these concepts in simple terms. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to polish your coding skills, understanding Break and Continue will make you a better JavaScript coder. So, let’s dive in and make sense of these powerful tools!

The break statement “jumps out” of a loop.

The continue statement “jumps over” one iteration in the loop.

The Break Statement

You have already seen the break statement used in an earlier chapter of this tutorial. It was used to “jump out” of a switch() statement.

The break statement can also be used to jump out of a loop:

Example

for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  if (i === 3) { break; }
  text += "The number is " + i + "<br>";
}

In the example above, the break statement ends the loop (“breaks” the loop) when the loop counter (i) is 3.

The Continue Statement

The continue statement breaks one iteration (in the loop), if a specified condition occurs, and continues with the next iteration in the loop.

This example skips the value of 3:

Example

for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  if (i === 3) { continue; }
  text += "The number is " + i + "<br>";
}

JavaScript Labels

To label JavaScript statements you precede the statements with a label name and a colon:

label:statements

The break and the continue statements are the only JavaScript statements that can “jump out of” a code block.

Syntax:

break labelname;

continue labelname;

The continue statement (with or without a label reference) can only be used to skip one loop iteration.

The break statement, without a label reference, can only be used to jump out of a loop or a switch.

With a label reference, the break statement can be used to jump out of any code block:

Example

const cars = ["BMW", "Volvo", "Saab", "Ford"];
let text = "";

list: {
  text += cars[0] + "<br>"; 
  text += cars[1] + "<br>"; 
  break list;
  text += cars[2] + "<br>"; 
  text += cars[3] + "<br>"; 
}

A code block is a block of code between { and }.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve now unlocked the secrets of JavaScript’s Break and Continue. These simple yet powerful tools can make a big difference in how you write your code.

By mastering Break, you can gracefully exit loops when conditions are met, saving time and resources. And with Continue, you can skip over certain iterations, keeping your loops running smoothly.

Remember, these techniques aren’t just for experts. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, understanding Break and Continue will level up your coding game.

So, the next time you find yourself writing loops in JavaScript, don’t forget to leverage the power of Break and Continue. They’re like your trusty sidekicks, helping you navigate through your code with ease.

Keep practicing, keep experimenting, and keep breaking and continuing your way to JavaScript mastery!

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