C++ Break Statement

Introduction

Greetings, aspiring programmer! It's time to break into a new topic: the break statement in C++. This function is a control statement that plays a significant role in controlling the flow of loops and switch cases.

Understanding the Break Statement

The break statement in C++ is used to stop the execution of the smallest enclosing loop or switch statement and transfer control to the next statement following the loop or switch.

It comes in handy when you need to exit prematurely from a loop or a switch statement, based on certain conditions. The most common scenario where you might use it is when searching for an item in an array or list. If you find the item, there's no need to continue searching, right? That's where the break statement shines.

Break in Loops

The break statement can be used in for, while, and do...while loops. Here's a basic example of using break in a for loop:

#include <iostream>
 
int main() {
    for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
        std::cout << i << "\n";
        if (i == 5) {
            break;
        }
    }
    return 0;
}

Output

In this example, the loop will only print the numbers from 0 to 5. As soon as i becomes 5, the break statement is executed and the loop is terminated.

Break in Switch Statement

In a switch statement, a break is used to prevent the "fall through" of cases. This means that once a case is matched, the program won't execute the rest of the cases below it. Here's a simple example:

#include <iostream>


int main() {
    char grade = 'B';


    switch(grade) {
        case 'A':
            std::cout << "Excellent!\n";
            break;
        case 'B':
        case 'C':
            std::cout << "Well done\n";
            break;
        case 'D':
            std::cout << "Passed\n";
            break;
        case 'F':
            std::cout << "Try again\n";
            break;
        default:
            std::cout << "Invalid grade\n";
    }
    
    return 0;
}

Output

In this example, the output will be "Well done". The break statement prevents the execution from continuing to the next cases after the matching one.