General Loop Format

Factoring in break and continue statements, the general format of the while loop looks like this:

while <test1>:
    <statements1>
    if <test2>: break              # Exit loop now, skip else
    if <test3>: continue           # Go to top of loop now, to test1
else:
    <statements2>                  # Run if we didn't hit a 'break'

break and continue statements can appear anywhere inside the while (or for) loop’s body, but they are usually coded further nested in an if test to take action in response to some condition.

Let’s turn to a few simple examples to see how these statements come together in practice.