Reference: Break

☰ Hide Sidebar

TOKEN BREAK

ALIAS None

The Break token is used to immediately exit a loop, regardless of the loop's condition. When Break executes, control jumps to the first statement after the loop's End While. Break is essential for exiting loops early when a specific condition is met, without waiting for the normal loop termination condition.

Syntax

The short syntax structure uses the word BREAK:

WHILE CONDITION
    STATEMENTS
    BREAK
    STATEMENTS
END WHILE

The long syntax structure uses the word BREAK:

WHILE CONDITION
    STATEMENTS
    BREAK
    STATEMENTS
END WHILE

How Break Works

Break provides an immediate exit mechanism for loops:

When Break executes, the current iteration stops immediately
No further statements in the loop body are executed
Control transfers to the first statement after the loop's End While
The loop condition is not re-evaluated

Example: Basic Break Usage

NEW INT i = 1
WHILE i <= 10
    PRINTLN "Before break: " .. i
    IF i == 3
        BREAK
    END IF
    PRINTLN "After condition: " .. i
    SET i = i + 1
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Loop exited"
// Displays: Before break: 1, After condition: 1, Before break: 2, After condition: 2, Before break: 3, Loop exited

Basic Break Operations

Example: Simple Early Exit

NEW INT counter = 1
WHILE counter <= 10
    IF counter == 5
        PRINTLN "Breaking at " .. counter
        BREAK
    END IF
    PRINTLN counter
    SET counter = counter + 1
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Done"
// Displays: 1, 2, 3, 4, Breaking at 5, Done

Example: Break on Condition

NEW INT value = 0
WHILE TRUE
    SET value = value + 10
    PRINTLN "Value: " .. value
    IF value >= 50
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Final value: " .. value
// Displays: Value: 10, Value: 20, Value: 30, Value: 40, Value: 50, Final value: 50

Example: Break vs Loop Condition

NEW INT i = 1
WHILE i <= 100
    PRINTLN i
    IF i == 5
        BREAK // Exits early, doesn't reach 100
    END IF
    SET i = i + 1
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Stopped at " .. i
// Displays: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Stopped at 5

Search and Find Patterns

Break is commonly used to exit loops once a target value is found.

Example: Finding a Target Number

NEW INT i = 1
NEW INT target = 7
NEW BOOL found = FALSE
WHILE i <= 10
    IF i == target
        PRINTLN "Found target: " .. target
        SET found = TRUE
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET i = i + 1
END WHILE
IF found == FALSE
    PRINTLN "Target not found"
END IF
// Displays: Found target: 7

Example: First Match Search

NEW INT num = 2
WHILE num <= 100
    IF num % 17 == 0
        PRINTLN "First multiple of 17: " .. num
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET num = num + 1
END WHILE
// Displays: First multiple of 17: 17

Example: String Search

NEW INT i = 1
NEW STR current = ""
WHILE i <= 5
    IF i == 1
        SET current = "apple"
    ELIF i == 2
        SET current = "banana"
    ELIF i == 3
        SET current = "cherry"
    ELIF i == 4
        SET current = "date"
    ELIF i == 5
        SET current = "elderberry"
    END IF
    
    IF current == "cherry"
        PRINTLN "Found: " .. current
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET i = i + 1
END WHILE
// Displays: Found: cherry

Example: Searching with Counter

NEW INT i = 1
NEW INT searchFor = 42
WHILE i <= 100
    IF i == searchFor
        PRINTLN "Found " .. searchFor .. " at position " .. i
        BREAK
    END IF
    PRINTLN "Checking position " .. i
    SET i = i + 1
END WHILE

Threshold and Limit Checking

Break is useful for stopping loops when a threshold or limit is reached.

Example: Exceeding Maximum

NEW INT value = 1
NEW INT max = 50
WHILE TRUE
    SET value = value * 2
    PRINTLN value
    IF value > max
        PRINTLN "Exceeded maximum of " .. max
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE
// Displays: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, Exceeded maximum of 50

Example: Budget Limit

NEW FLOAT spent = 0.0
NEW FLOAT budget = 100.0
NEW INT item = 1
NEW FLOAT itemCost = 15.0
WHILE item <= 20
    SET spent = spent + itemCost
    PRINTLN "Item " .. item .. " - Total spent: $" .. spent
    IF spent > budget
        PRINTLN "Budget exceeded!"
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET item = item + 1
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Purchased " .. item .. " items"

Example: Temperature Safety Check

NEW INT temp = 70
NEW INT dangerLevel = 100
NEW INT minute = 0
WHILE minute < 60
    SET temp = temp + 5
    SET minute = minute + 1
    PRINTLN "Minute " .. minute .. ": " .. temp .. "F"
    IF temp >= dangerLevel
        PRINTLN "DANGER! Temperature too high!"
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE

Example: Capacity Check

NEW INT attendees = 0
NEW INT capacity = 50
NEW INT ticket = 1
WHILE ticket <= 100
    SET attendees = attendees + 1
    PRINTLN "Ticket " .. ticket .. " sold. Attendees: " .. attendees
    IF attendees >= capacity
        PRINTLN "Venue at capacity!"
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET ticket = ticket + 1
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Total tickets sold: " .. ticket

Error Handling and Validation

Break can exit loops when errors or invalid conditions are detected.

Example: Error Detection

NEW INT i = 1
NEW BOOL errorOccurred = FALSE
WHILE i <= 10
    PRINTLN "Processing item " .. i
    IF i == 6
        PRINTLN "ERROR: Invalid item detected"
        SET errorOccurred = TRUE
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET i = i + 1
END WHILE
IF errorOccurred == TRUE
    PRINTLN "Process aborted due to error"
ELSE
    PRINTLN "Process completed successfully"
END IF

Example: Validation Failure

NEW INT value = 10
NEW BOOL isValid = TRUE
WHILE value <= 100
    IF value % 7 == 0
        IF value % 3 == 0
            PRINTLN "Invalid: " .. value .. " divisible by both 3 and 7"
            SET isValid = FALSE
            BREAK
        END IF
    END IF
    SET value = value + 1
END WHILE
IF isValid == TRUE
    PRINTLN "All values valid"
END IF

Example: Safety Check Failure

NEW INT pressure = 20
NEW INT cycle = 1
NEW BOOL safetyBreach = FALSE
WHILE cycle <= 10
    SET pressure = pressure + 8
    PRINTLN "Cycle " .. cycle .. ": Pressure = " .. pressure
    IF pressure > 80
        PRINTLN "ALERT: Pressure exceeds safe limit!"
        SET safetyBreach = TRUE
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET cycle = cycle + 1
END WHILE

Using Break with Boolean Flags

Combining Break with Boolean variables provides clear loop exit logic.

Example: Flag-Based Exit

NEW BOOL running = TRUE
NEW INT count = 0
WHILE running
    SET count = count + 1
    PRINTLN "Iteration: " .. count
    IF count == 5
        SET running = FALSE
        PRINTLN "Stopping loop"
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE
// Displays: Iteration: 1, Iteration: 2, Iteration: 3, Iteration: 4, Iteration: 5, Stopping loop

Example: Success Flag

NEW BOOL success = FALSE
NEW INT attempt = 0
NEW INT maxAttempts = 5
WHILE attempt < maxAttempts
    SET attempt = attempt + 1
    PRINTLN "Attempt " .. attempt
    IF attempt == 3
        PRINTLN "Success!"
        SET success = TRUE
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE
IF success == TRUE
    PRINTLN "Operation succeeded"
ELSE
    PRINTLN "Operation failed after " .. maxAttempts .. " attempts"
END IF

Example: Multiple Exit Conditions

NEW BOOL found = FALSE
NEW BOOL timeout = FALSE
NEW INT i = 0
WHILE TRUE
    SET i = i + 1
    IF i == 50
        SET found = TRUE
        PRINTLN "Target found!"
        BREAK
    END IF
    IF i >= 100
        SET timeout = TRUE
        PRINTLN "Search timeout"
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE

Infinite Loop Control

Break is essential for exiting infinite loops (WHILE TRUE).

Example: Menu System

NEW INT selection = 0
WHILE TRUE
    SET selection = selection + 1
    PRINTLN "Menu - Option " .. selection
    IF selection == 1
        PRINTLN "  Starting new game"
    ELIF selection == 2
        PRINTLN "  Loading game"
    ELIF selection == 3
        PRINTLN "  Exiting"
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Program ended"

Example: Event Loop

NEW INT event = 0
NEW BOOL running = TRUE
WHILE TRUE
    SET event = event + 1
    PRINTLN "Processing event " .. event
    IF event == 10
        PRINTLN "Shutdown signal received"
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Event loop terminated"

Example: Server Simulation

NEW INT request = 0
NEW INT maxRequests = 100
WHILE TRUE
    SET request = request + 1
    PRINTLN "Handling request " .. request
    IF request >= maxRequests
        PRINTLN "Request limit reached"
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Server stopped"

Practical Applications

Example: Password Attempts

NEW STR password = "secret123"
NEW INT attempt = 0
NEW INT maxAttempts = 3
NEW BOOL authenticated = FALSE
NEW STR input = ""
WHILE attempt < maxAttempts
    SET attempt = attempt + 1
    IF attempt == 1
        SET input = "wrong1"
    ELIF attempt == 2
        SET input = "secret123"
    ELIF attempt == 3
        SET input = "wrong2"
    END IF
    PRINTLN "Attempt " .. attempt .. ": " .. input
    IF input == password
        PRINTLN "Access granted!"
        SET authenticated = TRUE
        BREAK
    ELSE
        PRINTLN "Incorrect password"
    END IF
END WHILE
IF authenticated == FALSE
    PRINTLN "Account locked"
END IF

Example: Inventory Stock Check

NEW INT stock = 100
NEW INT order = 1
NEW INT orderSize = 15
WHILE order <= 20
    IF stock < orderSize
        PRINTLN "Insufficient stock for order " .. order
        PRINTLN "Remaining stock: " .. stock
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET stock = stock - orderSize
    PRINTLN "Order " .. order .. " fulfilled. Stock: " .. stock
    SET order = order + 1
END WHILE

Example: Score Achievement

NEW INT score = 0
NEW INT level = 1
NEW INT targetScore = 100
WHILE level <= 20
    SET score = score + ( level * 5 )
    PRINTLN "Level " .. level .. " complete. Score: " .. score
    IF score >= targetScore
        PRINTLN "Achievement unlocked at level " .. level .. "!"
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET level = level + 1
END WHILE

Example: Data Processing Limit

NEW INT processed = 0
NEW INT errors = 0
NEW INT maxErrors = 3
NEW INT item = 1
WHILE item <= 50
    SET processed = processed + 1
    PRINTLN "Processing item " .. item
    IF item % 7 == 0
        SET errors = errors + 1
        PRINTLN "  Error detected (total errors: " .. errors .. ")"
    END IF
    IF errors >= maxErrors
        PRINTLN "Maximum error threshold reached"
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET item = item + 1
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Processed " .. processed .. " items"

Example: Account Balance Check

NEW FLOAT balance = 500.0
NEW INT transaction = 1
NEW FLOAT amount = 75.0
WHILE transaction <= 20
    PRINTLN "Transaction " .. transaction .. ": Withdrawing $" .. amount
    IF balance < amount
        PRINTLN "Insufficient funds! Balance: $" .. balance
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET balance = balance - amount
    PRINTLN "  New balance: $" .. balance
    SET transaction = transaction + 1
END WHILE

Example: Timer with Early Stop

NEW INT seconds = 60
NEW BOOL stopped = FALSE
WHILE seconds > 0
    PRINTLN "Time remaining: " .. seconds .. " seconds"
    SET seconds = seconds - 1
    IF seconds == 45
        PRINTLN "Emergency stop activated"
        SET stopped = TRUE
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE
IF stopped == TRUE
    PRINTLN "Timer stopped early"
ELSE
    PRINTLN "Timer completed"
END IF

Example: Resource Collection

NEW INT resources = 0
NEW INT target = 50
NEW INT turn = 1
NEW INT collected = turn * 2
WHILE turn <= 20
    SET resources = resources + collected
    PRINTLN "Turn " .. turn .. ": Collected " .. collected .. " (Total: " .. resources .. ")"
    IF resources >= target
        PRINTLN "Target reached!"
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET turn = turn + 1
END WHILE

Example: Quality Control

NEW INT inspected = 0
NEW INT defects = 0
NEW INT maxDefectRate = 5
WHILE inspected < 100
    SET inspected = inspected + 1
    IF inspected % 15 == 0
        SET defects = defects + 1
        PRINTLN "Defect found in item " .. inspected
    END IF
    IF defects >= maxDefectRate
        PRINTLN "Defect rate too high! Stopping production."
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Inspected " .. inspected .. " items, found " .. defects .. " defects"

Example: Break vs Condition

// Using loop condition
NEW INT x = 1
PRINTLN "With condition:"
WHILE x <= 5
    PRINTLN x
    SET x = x + 1
END WHILE
// Displays: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

// Using BREAK
NEW INT y = 1
PRINTLN "With BREAK:"
WHILE TRUE
    PRINTLN y
    SET y = y + 1
    IF y > 5
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE
// Displays: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Multiple Break Conditions

A loop can have multiple Break statements for different exit conditions.

Example: Multiple Exit Points

NEW INT value = 0
WHILE TRUE
    SET value = value + 1
    IF value == 10
        PRINTLN "Reached 10"
        BREAK
    END IF
    IF value % 7 == 0
        PRINTLN "Found multiple of 7: " .. value
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE
// Displays: Found multiple of 7: 7

Example: First Condition Wins

NEW INT i = 0
WHILE i < 100
    SET i = i + 1
    IF i > 50
        PRINTLN "Exceeded 50"
        BREAK // This never executes
    END IF
    IF i == 25
        PRINTLN "Hit 25 first"
        BREAK // This executes first
    END IF
END WHILE
// Displays: Hit 25 first

Example: Priority Exit Conditions

NEW INT temp = 60
NEW INT pressure = 20
NEW INT time = 0
WHILE time < 100
    SET time = time + 1
    SET temp = temp + 2
    SET pressure = pressure + 3
    IF temp > 100
        PRINTLN "Critical: Temperature limit!"
        BREAK // High priority
    END IF
    IF pressure > 80
        PRINTLN "Warning: Pressure limit!"
        BREAK // Medium priority
    END IF
    IF time > 50
        PRINTLN "Info: Time limit"
        BREAK // Low priority
    END IF
END WHILE

Break with Complex Conditions

Example: Breaking on Multiple Criteria

NEW INT x = 0
NEW INT y = 100
WHILE x < 50
    SET x = x + 1
    SET y = y - 1
    PRINTLN "x=" .. x .. ", y=" .. y
    IF ( x > 20 ) && ( y < 70 )
        PRINTLN "Both conditions met"
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE

Example: Breaking on Either Condition

NEW INT a = 0
NEW INT b = 0
NEW INT i = 0
WHILE i < 100
    SET i = i + 1
    SET a = a + 2
    SET b = b + 3
    IF ( a > 50 ) || ( b > 60 )
        PRINTLN "First limit reached: a=" .. a .. ", b=" .. b
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE

Break Position in Loop

Break can appear anywhere in the loop body, and execution stops immediately when it's reached.

Example: Break at Start

NEW INT i = 0
WHILE i < 10
    SET i = i + 1
    IF i == 1
        PRINTLN "Breaking immediately"
        BREAK
    END IF
    PRINTLN "This never prints"
END WHILE
// Displays: Breaking immediately

Example: Break in Middle

NEW INT count = 0
WHILE count < 10
    SET count = count + 1
    PRINTLN "Before break check: " .. count
    IF count == 3
        BREAK
    END IF
    PRINTLN "After break check: " .. count
END WHILE
// Displays: Before break check: 1, After break check: 1, Before break check: 2, After break check: 2, Before break check: 3

Example: Break at End

NEW INT value = 0
WHILE value < 10
    SET value = value + 1
    PRINTLN "Processing: " .. value
    IF value == 5
        PRINTLN "Reached target"
        BREAK // Last statement in loop
    END IF
END WHILE

Important Notes

Break immediately exits only the innermost loop containing it.
Execution continues at the first statement after the loop's END WHILE.
Break does not require a condition, but is almost always used inside an If statement.
Multiple Break statements can exist in a single loop for different exit conditions.
Break is essential for exiting infinite loops (WHILE TRUE).
No code after Break in the same conditional block will execute.
Break is different from Continue, which skips to the next iteration.
In nested loops, use Boolean flags to break outer loops from inner loops.

Common Errors

Error: Break Outside Loop

NEW INT x = 5
IF x == 5
    BREAK // Runtime error! BREAK can only be used inside loops
END IF
// Correct: Use BREAK inside a loop
WHILE x > 0
    IF x == 3
        BREAK // Valid
    END IF
    SET x = x - 1
END WHILE

Error: Expecting Break to Exit Multiple Loops

NEW INT i = 1
WHILE i <= 5
    NEW INT j = 1
    WHILE j <= 5
        PRINTLN i .. "," .. j
        IF j == 3
            BREAK // ERROR: Only exits inner loop, not outer!
        END IF
        SET j = j + 1
    END WHILE
    SET i = i + 1
END WHILE
// Correct: Use flag to break outer loop
NEW INT a = 1
NEW BOOL breakAll = FALSE
WHILE a <= 5
    NEW INT b = 1
    WHILE b <= 5
        IF b == 3
            SET breakAll = TRUE
            BREAK
        END IF
        SET b = b + 1
    END WHILE
    IF breakAll == TRUE
        BREAK // Break outer loop
    END IF
    SET a = a + 1
END WHILE

Error: Unreachable Code After Break

NEW INT i = 1
WHILE i <= 10
    IF i == 5
        BREAK
        PRINTLN "This never executes!" // Warning: Unreachable code
    END IF
    SET i = i + 1
END WHILE
// Correct: Put code before BREAK
WHILE i <= 10
    IF i == 5
        PRINTLN "Breaking now" // Executes before BREAK
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET i = i + 1
END WHILE

Error: Forgetting to Update Loop Variable Before Break

NEW INT counter = 0
NEW BOOL found = FALSE
WHILE counter < 100
    IF counter == 50
        SET found = TRUE
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET counter = counter + 1 // Never executes when counter is 50
END WHILE
PRINTLN "Counter: " .. counter // Displays 50, not 51
// This is actually correct behavior, but be aware!

Error: Using Break with Assignment Instead of Comparison

NEW INT x = 5
WHILE x < 10
    IF x = 7 // Syntax error! Use == for comparison
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET x = x + 1
END WHILE
// Correct: Use comparison operator
WHILE x < 10
    IF x == 7
        BREAK
    END IF
    SET x = x + 1
END WHILE

Error: Infinite Loop Without Break

WHILE TRUE
    PRINTLN "Running forever!"
    // ERROR: No BREAK statement, runs infinitely!
END WHILE
// Correct: Add condition with BREAK
NEW INT counter = 0
WHILE TRUE
    SET counter = counter + 1
    PRINTLN counter
    IF counter >= 10
        BREAK
    END IF
END WHILE

Error: Breaking Before Necessary Processing

NEW INT sum = 0
NEW INT i = 1
WHILE i <= 10
    IF i == 5
        BREAK // ERROR: Breaks before adding 5 to sum!
    END IF
    SET sum = sum + i
    SET i = i + 1
END WHILE
PRINTLN sum // Displays 10, not 15
// Correct: Process before breaking
NEW INT total = 0
NEW INT j = 1
WHILE j <= 10
    SET total = total + j
    IF j == 5
        BREAK // Breaks after adding 5
    END IF
    SET j = j + 1
END WHILE
PRINTLN total // Displays 15

Error: Confusing Break with Continue

NEW INT i = 0
WHILE i < 10
    SET i = i + 1
    IF i == 5
        BREAK // Exits loop entirely
    END IF
    PRINTLN i
END WHILE
// Displays: 1, 2, 3, 4 (stops at 5)

// If you want to skip 5 but continue:
NEW INT j = 0
WHILE j < 10
    SET j = j + 1
    IF j == 5
        CONTINUE // Skips 5, continues loop
    END IF
    PRINTLN j
END WHILE
// Displays: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Error: Using Break in Wrong Control Structure

NEW INT x = 5
IF x > 3
    PRINTLN "x is greater than 3"
    BREAK // Runtime error! BREAK only works in loops
END IF
// Correct: BREAK only in loops
WHILE x > 0
    PRINTLN x
    IF x == 3
        BREAK // Valid in loop
    END IF
    SET x = x - 1
END WHILE