Control Flow Statements

Control flow statements are used to control the flow of execution in a program. They allow you to make decisions, repeat actions, and break out of loops based on certain conditions. In this tutorial, we'll cover the following control flow statements in Python:

Conditional Statements: if, elif, and else statements
Looping Statements: for and while loops
Control Statements: break, continue, and pass statements

Let's dive into each of these control flow statements and see how they work in Python.

Conditional Statements

Conditional statements are used to execute different blocks of code based on certain conditions. In Python, we have the following conditional statements:

if statement: Executes a block of code if a specified condition is True.
elif statement: Executes a block of code if the preceding if or elif condition(s) are False and the current condition is True.
else statement: Executes a block of code if all preceding if and elif conditions are False.

Here's an example of using conditional statements in Python:

x = 10
 
if x > 0:
    print("x is positive")
elif x < 0:
    print("x is negative")
else:
    print("x is zero")

x is positive

In the example above, the if statement checks if x is greater than 0. If the condition is True, it prints "x is positive". If the condition is False, it moves to the elif statement and checks if x is less than 0. If the condition is True, it prints "x is negative". If both conditions are False, it executes the else statement and prints "x is zero".

Looping Statements

Looping statements are used to repeat a block of code multiple times. In Python, we have the following looping statements:

for loop: Executes a block of code for each item in a sequence (e.g., a list, tuple, or string).
while loop: Executes a block of code as long as a specified condition is True.

Here's an example of using looping statements in Python:

For Loop

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
 
for fruit in fruits:
    print(fruit)

apple
banana
cherry

While Loop

i = 0
 
while i < 5:
    print(i)
    i += 1

In the example above, the for loop iterates over each item in the fruits list and prints the item.

Control Statements

Control statements are used to alter the flow of execution in a program. In Python, we have the following control statements:

break statement: Terminates the loop it is in and transfers control to the statement immediately following the loop.
continue statement: Skips the rest of the code inside a loop for the current iteration and moves to the next iteration.
pass statement: Does nothing and acts as a placeholder when a statement is required syntactically but you don't want any code to execute.

Here's an example of using control statements in Python:

for i in range(5):
    if i == 3:
        break
    elif i == 1:
        continue
    else:
        pass
    print(i)

0
2

In the example above, the for loop iterates over the numbers 0 to 4. When i is 3, the break statement terminates the loop. When i is 1, the continue statement skips the rest of the code inside the loop for that iteration. The pass statement does nothing and allows the loop to continue executing.

Conclusion

Control flow statements are essential for writing dynamic and flexible programs in Python. By using conditional statements, looping statements, and control statements, you can create programs that respond to different conditions, repeat actions, and control the flow of execution. Practice using these control flow statements in your Python programs to become more proficient in programming. Happy coding!

Resources

Python Basics OOPS - Concept