Control Statements in Java: Types and Examples

These statements evaluate a boolean expression (true or false) and decide which block of code to run.

• if statement: Runs the code inside it only if the condition is true.
• if-else statement: Provides an alternative block of code to run if the condition is false.
• switch statement: Allows a variable to be tested for equality against a list of values (cases). It is a cleaner alternative to writing many nested if-else if statements.

These statements allow a block of code to be repeated multiple times until a certain condition is met.

• for loop: Used when you know exactly how many times you want to loop through a block of code.
• while loop: Repeats a block of code as long as a specified condition remains true.
• do-while loop: Similar to a while loop, but it guarantees that the code block will execute at least once before checking the condition.

These transfer control to another part of the program abruptly.

• break: Instantly terminates a loop or a switch statement and moves to the next line of code outside the block.
• continue: Skips the current iteration of a loop and instantly jumps back to the top of the loop for the next iteration.
• return: Exits from the current method and returns a value to where the method was called.