Within this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of stopping a for loop in Python. This fundamental task is crucial in programming as it allows control over the execution of your code. We will guide you through the process using concepts like the break statement.

Step 1: Understanding the Loop

In Python, loops are used to execute a block of code multiple times. We use the for loop when we know the exact number of times we want to cycle through our block of code.

The above example will print the numbers 0 through 5 on your screen. But what if you wish to terminate the loop prematurely, for example, when i equals 3? Python provides a mechanism for this, and it’s called the break statement.

Step 2: Implementing the Break Statement

If we want to stop the loop when i equals 3, we add a conditional statement with the break function inside it. Here is the modified code:

With this code, the loop will terminate prematurely when i reaches 3.

Step 3: Seeing the Break Statement in Action

In the last code snippet, the executed output after running this script would be:

0
1
2

The numbers 0, 1, and 2 are displayed on your screen, but not 3. The loop terminated at that point due to our break statement.

The Final Code

Conclusion

In conclusion, breaking a loop in Python is simple. Using the break statement gives us control over when we want a loop to stop. Understanding this concept is fundamental as it can optimize your code and prevent unnecessary iterations, saving both time and computing resources.