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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.

Terminal window
continue [n]
OptionDescription
nSpecify the number of levels to continue executing
ParameterDescription
nNumber of levels to continue executing
Terminal window
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.

Terminal window
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.

Terminal window
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

Section titled “Retrieve User Input With Specific Conditions”
Terminal window
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.

Terminal window
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.

Terminal window
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”.

Terminal window
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.

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

Terminal window
continue

What is the purpose of the continue command in MacOS?

Section titled “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?

Section titled “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?

Section titled “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:

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

Is the continue command exclusive to MacOS?

Section titled “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?

Section titled “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.

  • 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