PL/SQL CONTINUE Statement ⏭️

Mentor's Note: EXIT kills the whole loop. CONTINUE is different—it just says, "I'm done with this specific turn, let's move to the next one." It's like skipping a song in a playlist rather than turning off the music player. 💡

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🌟 The Scenario: The Bad Apple 🍎

Imagine you are sorting a basket of 10 apples.

• Task: Wash each apple.
• Logic: If an apple is rotten, Skip it and move to the next one. Don't stop washing the other good apples! ✅

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💻 1. Basic CONTINUE

Skips the rest of the code in the current loop and jumps back to the top.

BEGIN
   FOR i IN 1..5 LOOP
      IF i = 3 THEN
         CONTINUE; -- ⏭️ Skip number 3
      END IF;
      
      DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Processing number: ' || i);
   END LOOP;
END;
-- Result: 1, 2, 4, 5 (3 is missing!)

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💻 2. The CONTINUE WHEN Clause (Shorthand)

A cleaner way to write conditional skipping.

BEGIN
   FOR i IN 1..10 LOOP
      -- 🚀 Logic: Skip even numbers
      CONTINUE WHEN MOD(i, 2) = 0;
      
      DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Odd Number: ' || i);
   END LOOP;
END;

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📊 Comparison: EXIT vs. CONTINUE

Command	Action	Analogy
EXIT	Terminates the loop 🛑	Closing the store
CONTINUE	Skips current iteration ⏭️	Skipping one customer

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🏗️ Architect's Note: Performance 🛡️

CONTINUE was introduced in Oracle 11g. In older versions, developers had to use complex nested IF statements or GOTO to skip logic.

• Tip: Use CONTINUE WHEN to make your loops cleaner and more readable for teammates.

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📈 Learning Path

• ← Back: Numeric FOR LOOP
• Next: GOTO & Labels →