continue MacOS Command Guide

The continue command in MacOS allows you to skip the current iteration of a loop and proceed with the next one. This can be useful for avoiding certain actions or conditions within a loop without exiting the loop entirely. By using continue, you can efficiently manage the flow of your script or program and customize the execution based on specific criteria.

continue Syntax:

continue [n]

Options:

Option	Description
n	Specify the number of levels to continue executing

Parameters:

Parameter	Description
n	Number of levels to continue executing

continue Command Samples:

Continue a Loop Iteration

for i in {1..5}; do
    if [ $i -eq 3 ]; then
        continue
    fi
    echo "Iteration $i"
done

Skips the iteration where the value of $i is equal to 3 in a bash for loop.

Skip Specific Conditions in a Loop

for file in *.txt; do
    if [ ! -r "$file" ]; then
        continue
    fi
    echo "Processing $file"
done

Skips processing files that are not readable in a bash loop iterating over text files.

Ignoring Specific Files in a Loop

for file in *; do
    if [[ "$file" == *".log" ]]; then
        continue
    fi
    echo "Processing $file"
done

Skips processing files with a “.log” extension in a loop iterating over all files in a directory.

Retrieve User Input With Specific Conditions

while true; do
    read -p "Enter a number between 1 and 10: " num
    if [ $num -lt 1 ] || [ $num -gt 10 ]; then
        continue
    fi
    echo "Valid number entered: $num"
    break
done

Continues prompting the user for input until a number between 1 and 10 is provided.

Simple Password Validation

while true; do
    read -s -p "Enter your password: " password
    if [ ${#password} -lt 8 ]; then
        echo "Password must be at least 8 characters long."
        continue
    fi
    echo "Thank you! Password accepted."
    break
done

Prompts the user for a password, requiring it to be at least 8 characters long.

Filtering and Processing Array Elements

colors=("red" "green" "blue" "yellow")
for color in "${colors[@]}"; do
    if [[ "$color" == "blue" ]]; then
        continue
    fi
    echo "Color: $color"
done

Outputs all colors in the array except for the color “blue”.

Skip Incorrect User Input

while true; do
    read -p "Enter your username: " username
    if [ "$username" != "admin" ]; then
        echo "Incorrect username. Try again."
        continue
    fi
    echo "Welcome, $username!"
    break
done

Continues asking for the username until the correct username “admin” is provided.

continue FAQ:

How do I use continue in MacOS?

To use the continue command in MacOS, execute the following command:

continue

What is the purpose of the continue command in MacOS?

The continue command in MacOS is used to skip the remaining commands in a loop and move to the next iteration of the loop.

Can I include options with the continue command in MacOS?

No, the continue command in MacOS does not support any options or arguments. It is used as a standalone command within loop structures.

How can I combine the continue command with a conditional statement in MacOS?

You can use the continue command within an if statement to conditionally skip the remaining part of the loop based on a specific condition. See the example below:

for i in {1..5}
do
    if [ $i -eq 3 ]
    then
        continue
    fi
    echo $i
done

Is the continue command exclusive to MacOS?

No, the continue command is a standard feature in most Unix-like operating systems, including MacOS.

Can I use the continue command outside of a loop in MacOS?

No, the continue command is specifically designed to be used within loop structures and will result in an error if used outside of a loop in MacOS.

Applications of the continue command

To resume the execution of a loop in a script
To skip the remaining code in a loop iteration and move on to the next iteration