Break

C programming, the `break` statement is used to exit a loop or switch statement prematurely. When encountered, the `break` statement immediately terminates the innermost loop or switches the control flow out of the switch statement.

The usage of the `break` statement differs slightly between loops and switch statements.

1. In Loops:

   The `break` statement is commonly used within loops (such as `for`, `while`, or `do-while`) to exit the loop before its normal termination condition is met. It allows you to break out of the loop based on a certain condition.

   Here's an example illustrating the use of `break` in a `while` loop:

   #include <stdio.h>

   int main() {

       int i = 1;

       while (i <= 10) {

           printf("%d\n", i);

           if (i == 5) {

               break;  // Exit the loop when i equals 5

           }

           i++;

       }

       printf("Loop complete.\n");

       return 0;

   }

   In this example, the `break` statement is encountered when `i` is equal to 5. As a result, the loop is prematurely exited, and the program proceeds to execute the statement after the loop. The output will be the numbers 1 to 5 printed on separate lines, followed by "Loop complete."

   The `break` statement can be particularly useful when you need to terminate a loop based on a specific condition, regardless of the loop's regular termination condition.

2. In Switch Statements:

   The `break` statement is also used within `switch` statements to exit the switch block. After executing the code block of a particular `case`, the `break` statement is used to prevent the flow of control from falling through to subsequent cases.

   Here's an example demonstrating the use of `break` in a `switch` statement:

   #include <stdio.h>

   int main() {

       int choice = 2;

       switch (choice) {

           case 1:

               printf("Option 1\n");

               break;

           case 2:

               printf("Option 2\n");

               break;

           case 3:

               printf("Option 3\n");

               break;

           default:

               printf("Invalid option\n");

       }

       printf("Switch complete.\n");

       return 0;

   }

   In this example, when `choice` is 2, the corresponding case is executed, printing "Option 2." After executing the code block, the `break` statement is encountered, causing the switch statement to exit. The output will be "Option 2" followed by "Switch complete."

   Without the `break` statement, the control flow would fall through to subsequent cases, executing their code blocks as well. Using `break` is crucial to ensure that only the desired case is executed in a switch statement.

Both in loops and switch statements, the `break` statement allows you to control the flow of execution and exit the construct prematurely based on specific conditions.