5️⃣ C# Control Flow & Decision Making: Loops, Conditions, Break & Continue Explained

Control flow allows developers to define how and when blocks of code are executed. It includes decisions, loops, and flow-altering commands such as break and continue.

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🧭 Introduction – Why Learn C# Control Flow?

Control flow structures are essential in any C# application to execute logic conditionally or repeatedly. These constructs form the logic gates of your software, allowing your programs to make decisions and iterate over data.

🎯 In this guide, you’ll learn:

• How to control program execution using decisions and loops
• The usage of if, switch, and all types of loops
• How to manage loop control with break and continue

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📃 Topics Covered

Subtopic	Description
🔁 C# If / If…Else Statement	Conditional logic using if conditions
🔁 C# Nested If	Multilevel decision-making
🔁 C# Switch / Nested Switch	Multi-condition branching using case matching
🔁 C# For Loop	Pre-defined number of iterations
🔁 C# While Loop	Conditional repetition until the condition is false
🔁 C# Do While Loop	Loop executes at least once before condition check
🔁 C# Nested Loops	Loop inside another loop for multidimensional iteration
🔁 C# Break and Continue	Exit or skip loop iterations based on conditions

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🔁 C# If Statement / If…Else Statement

int score = 85;
if (score >= 90)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Excellent");
}
else
{
    Console.WriteLine("Keep Trying");
}

✅ Executes the appropriate block depending on the condition’s truth value.

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🔁 C# Nested If

int marks = 75;
if (marks >= 60)
{
    if (marks >= 90)
        Console.WriteLine("Grade: A+");
    else
        Console.WriteLine("Grade: B");
}
else
{
    Console.WriteLine("Grade: C");
}

✅ Allows deeper decision trees inside condition blocks.

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🔁 C# Switch Statement / Nested Switch

int choice = 2;
switch (choice)
{
    case 1:
        Console.WriteLine("Option 1");
        break;
    case 2:
        Console.WriteLine("Option 2");
        break;
    default:
        Console.WriteLine("Invalid Option");
        break;
}

✅ Matches and executes based on discrete values.

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🔁 C# For Loop

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Step " + i);
}

✅ Best for known iteration counts.

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🔁 C# While Loop

int i = 1;
while (i <= 5)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Count: " + i);
    i++;
}

✅ Repeats as long as the condition is true.

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🔁 C# Do While Loop

int x = 1;
do
{
    Console.WriteLine("Execute once");
    x++;
} while (x < 1);

✅ Executes block at least once, regardless of condition.

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🔁 C# Nested Loops

for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++)
{
    for (int j = 1; j <= 2; j++)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"i = {i}, j = {j}");
    }
}

✅ Ideal for grid/matrix operations or pattern generation.

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🔁 C# Break and Continue

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++)
{
    if (i == 3)
        continue; // Skip iteration
    if (i == 4)
        break; // Exit loop
    Console.WriteLine(i);
}

✅ break exits the loop; continue skips to next iteration.

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📌 Summary – Recap & Next Steps

Mastering control flow in C# equips you to handle complex logic structures efficiently, whether you’re validating input, building menus, or processing data.

🔍 Key Takeaways:

• Use if, switch, and loops to guide execution
• Nested structures handle complex conditions
• break and continue give precise control over loops

⚙️ Real-World Relevance: Foundational for all applications, from games to enterprise software.

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❓ FAQs

Q: When should I use switch over if?
✅ Use switch when checking a variable against multiple constant values.

Q: Does do…while always execute the loop body?
✅ Yes, do…while runs the loop body once before checking the condition.

Q: Can loops be nested indefinitely?
✅ Technically yes, but deeply nested loops are discouraged due to readability and performance issues.

Q: What’s the difference between continue and break?
✅ continue skips the current loop iteration; break exits the loop entirely.

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