Python Exit for Loop

When programming in Python, it is common to use loops to iterate over lists, tuples, and other data structures. Sometimes, we may need to exit a loop before it has finished iterating. In this article, we will discuss how to exit for loops in Python.

Using the break statement

The break statement can be used to exit a loop. When executed, the break statement causes the loop to immediately terminate and control is transferred to the statement that follows the loop.

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in fruits:
  if x == "banana":
    break
  print(x)

In the above example, the loop will exit when it encounters the word "banana".

Using the else statement

The else statement in a for loop specifies a block of code to be executed when the loop has finished iterating over the sequence. However, the else block will not be executed if the loop is exited prematurely using the break statement.

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in fruits:
  if x == "orange":
    break
  print(x)
else:
  print("The loop has finished iterating over the sequence.")

In the above example, the else statement will be executed because the loop has finished iterating over the sequence.

Using the continue statement

The continue statement is used to skip over the current iteration of a loop and continue with the next iteration.

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in fruits:
  if x == "banana":
    continue
  print(x)

In the above example, the loop will skip the word "banana" and continue with the next iteration.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed how to exit for loops in Python using the break statement, how to specify an else block, and how to skip over iterations using the continue statement. These tools can be used to increase the efficiency and flexibility of your Python programs.