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(gawk.info)Continue Statement

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The `continue' Statement
------------------------

   As with `break', the `continue' statement is used only inside `for',
`while', and `do' loops.  It skips over the rest of the loop body,
causing the next cycle around the loop to begin immediately.  Contrast
this with `break', which jumps out of the loop altogether.

   The `continue' statement in a `for' loop directs `awk' to skip the
rest of the body of the loop and resume execution with the
increment-expression of the `for' statement.  The following program
illustrates this fact:

     BEGIN {
          for (x = 0; x <= 20; x++) {
              if (x == 5)
                  continue
              printf "%d ", x
          }
          print ""
     }

This program prints all the numbers from 0 to 20--except for five, for
which the `printf' is skipped.  Because the increment `x++' is not
skipped, `x' does not remain stuck at five.  Contrast the `for' loop
from the previous example with the following `while' loop:

     BEGIN {
          x = 0
          while (x <= 20) {
              if (x == 5)
                  continue
              printf "%d ", x
              x++
          }
          print ""
     }

This program loops forever once `x' reaches five.

   The `continue' statement has no meaning when used outside the body of
a loop.  Historical versions of `awk' treated a `continue' statement
outside a loop the same way they treated a `break' statement outside a
loop: as if it were a `next' statement (*note The `next' Statement:
Next Statement.).  Recent versions of Unix `awk' no longer work this
way, and `gawk' allows it only if `--traditional' is specified on the
command line (Note: Command-Line Options.).  Just like the
`break' statement, the POSIX standard specifies that `continue' should
only be used inside the body of a loop.  (d.c.)