Jump Statements in Python

Jump statements are used to control the flow of a loop or a program. Python provides three main jump statements: break, continue, and pass.

1. The break Statement

The break statement is used to exit a loop prematurely, regardless of the loop’s condition. It is often used when a specific condition is met, and further execution of the loop is unnecessary.

Syntax:

break

Example: Breaking a Loop

for number in range(1, 10):
    if number == 5:
        print("Breaking the loop at", number)
        break
    print("Number:", number)

Output:

Number: 1
Number: 2
Number: 3
Number: 4
Breaking the loop at 5

2. The continue Statement

The continue statement skips the rest of the code in the current iteration and moves to the next iteration of the loop.

Syntax:

continue

Example: Skipping an Iteration

for number in range(1, 10):
    if number % 2 == 0:
        continue  # Skip even numbers
    print("Odd number:", number)

Output:

Odd number: 1
Odd number: 3
Odd number: 5
Odd number: 7
Odd number: 9

3. The pass Statement

The pass statement does nothing and is used as a placeholder. It allows you to write code where a statement is syntactically required but no action is needed.

Syntax:

pass

Example: Placeholder for Future Code

for number in range(1, 5):
    if number == 3:
        pass  # Placeholder for future logic
    else:
        print("Processing number:", number)

Output:

Processing number: 1
Processing number: 2
Processing number: 4

Comparison of Jump Statements

Advanced Examples

Example 1: Find the First Even Number

Using break to find the first even number in a list:

numbers = [3, 5, 7, 8, 9]
for num in numbers:
    if num % 2 == 0:
        print("First even number is:", num)
        break

Output:

First even number is: 8

Example 2: Skip Non-Alphabet Characters

Using continue to skip non-alphabet characters in a string:

text = "Python123ForAll!"
for char in text:
    if not char.isalpha():
        continue
    print(char, end=" ")

Output:

P y t h o n F o r A l l

Example 3: Using pass in a Function

Using pass to define an empty function:

def placeholder_function():
    pass  # Logic will be added later
 
# This function does nothing for now

Try It Yourself

Problem 1: Break When Number Is Found

Write a program to find a number in a list and exit the loop once it’s found. Print “Not found” if the number is not in the list.

numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50]
target = 30
 
for num in numbers:
    if num == target:
        print("Number found:", target)
        break
else:
    print("Number not found.")

Problem 2: Skip Negative Numbers

Write a program to calculate the sum of positive numbers in a list, skipping negative numbers.

numbers = [5, -3, 8, -2, 7]
total = 0
 
for num in numbers:
    if num < 0:
        continue  # Skip negative numbers
    total += num
 
print("Sum of positive numbers:", total)

Problem 3: Pass in a Loop

Write a program to iterate over a list of tasks. If a task is marked as “Pending,” use pass to skip processing it.

tasks = ["Complete assignment", "Pending", "Submit project"]
for task in tasks:
    if task == "Pending":
        pass  # Placeholder for future logic
    else:
        print("Processing task:", task)