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JavaScript continue Statement

Loop through a block of code, but skip the value of 3

Definition and Usage

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

The difference between continue and the break statement, is instead of "jumping out" of a loop, the continue statement "jumps over" one iteration in the loop.

However, when the continue statement is executed, it behaves differently for different types of loops:

  • In a while loop, the condition is tested, and if it is true, the loop is executed again
  • In a for loop, the increment expression (e.g. i++) is first evaluated, and then the condition is tested to find out if another iteration should be done

    • The continue statement can also be used with an optional label reference.

    Note: The continue statement (with or without a label reference) can only be used inside a loop.

    Syntax

    continue;

    Using the optional label reference:

    continue labelname;

    More Examples

    Skip the numbers 2 and 3 (using the OR operator):

    let text = "";
    for (let i = 1; i < 8; i++) {
      if (i === 2 || i === 3) continue;
      text += i + ""<br>";
    }

    Loop over an array, but skip "Saab":

    const cars = ["BMW", "Volvo", "Saab", "Ford"];
    let text = "";
    for (let = 0; i < cars.length; i++) {
      if (cars[i] === "Saab") {
        continue;
      }
      text += cars[i] + "<br>";
    }

    Example

    With a label reference, skip a value in a nested loop:

    let text = "";

    // The first for loop is labeled Loop1:
    Loop1:
    for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
      text += i + "<br>";

    // The second for loop is labeled Loop2:
    Loop2:
      for (let i = 10; i < 15; i++) {
        if (i === 12) continue Loop2;
        text += i + "<br>";
      }
    }

    Related Pages

    JavaScript Tutorial: JavaScript Break and Continue

    JavaScript Tutorial: JavaScript For Loop

    JavaScript Tutorial: JavaScript While Loop

    JavaScript Tutorial: JavaScript break Statement

    JavaScript Reference: JavaScript for Statement

    JavaScript Reference: JavaScript while Statement

    Browser Support

    continue is an ECMAScript1 (ES1) feature.

    ES1 (JavaScript 1997) is fully supported in all browsers:

    Chrome IE Edge Firefox Safari Opera
    Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

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