Break Statement in C# Language

The C# programming language, like many other languages, provides developers with a wide range of control flow statements to manipulate the execution of code. One such control flow statement is the “break” statement. In this post, we’ll ex

plore the “break” statement in C# and provide examples to illustrate its usage.

What is the Break Statement in C# Language?

The “break” statement in C# is used primarily in loop constructs to terminate the loop prematurely, providing a way to exit the loop’s block of code before it reaches its natural termination condition. This statement is particularly useful when you want to exit a loop based on a certain condition or criteria.

Syntax of the Break Statement in C# Language

The syntax of the “break” statement in C# is quite simple:

break;

The “break” statement is typically used within loops such as “for,” “while,” and “do-while” loops.

Example 1: Using Break in a For Loop

for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++)
{
    if (i == 5)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Loop terminated at i = 5");
        break; // Exit the loop when i is 5
    }
    Console.WriteLine("Current value of i: " + i);
}

In this example, the loop will be terminated when the value of i becomes 5, and the program will output:

Current value of i: 1
Current value of i: 2
Current value of i: 3
Current value of i: 4
Loop terminated at i = 5

Example 2: Using Break in a While Loop

int number = 0;
while (number < 10)
{
    if (number == 7)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Loop terminated at number = 7");
        break; // Exit the loop when number is 7
    }
    Console.WriteLine("Current value of number: " + number);
    number++;
}

In this example, the loop will be terminated when the value of number becomes 7, and the program will output:

Current value of number: 0
Current value of number: 1
Current value of number: 2
Current value of number: 3
Current value of number: 4
Current value of number: 5
Current value of number: 6
Loop terminated at number = 7

Example 3: Using Break in a Switch Statement

The “break” statement can also be used within a “switch” statement to exit the switch block.

int choice = 2;
switch (choice)
{
    case 1:
        Console.WriteLine("You chose option 1.");
        break; // Exit the switch block
    case 2:
        Console.WriteLine("You chose option 2.");
        break; // Exit the switch block
    case 3:
        Console.WriteLine("You chose option 3.");
        break; // Exit the switch block
    default:
        Console.WriteLine("Invalid choice.");
        break; // Exit the switch block
}

In this example, the “break” statement is used to exit the “switch” block immediately after a case is matched.