> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.syntblaze.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Bash Continue Statement
The `continue` statement is a built-in loop control command in Bash that immediately terminates the current iteration of an enclosing `for`, `while`, `until`, or `select` loop. Upon execution, it bypasses any remaining commands within the loop's body and transfers control back to the loop's condition evaluator, incrementer, or prompt to begin the next iteration.
```bash theme={"dark"}
continue [n]
```
## Parameter Mechanics
* **`n` (Optional):** An integer greater than or equal to `1` that specifies the depth of the loop hierarchy to target.
* **Default Behavior:** If `n` is omitted, it defaults to `1`, meaning the statement applies to the innermost enclosing loop.
* **Nested Targeting:** If `n` is provided (e.g., `continue 2`), Bash skips the remaining execution of the current loop *and* the remaining execution of the `n-1` enclosing loops, resuming at the next iteration of the `n`th enclosing loop.
* **Out-of-Bounds `n`:** If the specified `n` is greater than the total number of enclosing loops, the statement targets the outermost loop.
## Execution Flow Visualization
**Standard Continue (`n=1`)**
In a single-level loop, `continue` skips the remaining commands in the block and forces the loop to evaluate the next item or condition.
```bash theme={"dark"}
for i in {1..3}; do
echo "Start iteration $i"
if [[ $i -eq 2 ]]; then
continue
fi
echo "End iteration $i" # Bypassed when i equals 2
done
```
**Nested Continue (`n=2`)**
In a nested loop architecture, passing an integer dictates which loop's iteration is advanced.
```bash theme={"dark"}
outer=0
while [[ $outer -lt 2 ]]; do
((outer++))
echo "Outer loop: $outer"
for inner in {1..2}; do
echo " Inner loop: $inner"
if [[ $inner -eq 1 ]]; then
continue 2
fi
echo " Inner end" # Bypassed when inner equals 1
done
echo "Outer end" # Bypassed when inner equals 1
done
```
*In the nested example, executing `continue 2` immediately halts the `for` loop, skips the remaining commands in the `while` loop block, and triggers the next iteration of the `while` loop.*
## Exit Status
The `continue` command yields an exit status of `0` (success) when executed within a valid loop context.
If invoked outside of a loop structure, Bash triggers a runtime warning message (e.g., `bash: continue: only meaningful in a 'for', 'while', or 'until' loop`) but still returns an exit status of `0`, and the script will continue executing subsequent lines.
The `continue` command only returns a non-zero exit status if the provided `n` argument is less than `1` (e.g., `continue 0`) or is a non-numeric value.
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