Like other statements in Java programs, you can place loops inside each other. The following shows a for loop inside a while loop:
int points = 0;
int target = 100;
while (target <= 100) {
for (int i = 0; i < target; i++) {
if (points > 50)
break;
points = points + i;
}
}
In this example, the break statement causes the for loop to end if the points variable is greater than 50. However, the while loop never ends because target is never greater than 100. In some cases, you might want to break out of both loops. To make this possible, you have to give the outer loop—in this example, the while statement— a name. To name a loop, put the name on the line before the beginning of the loop and follow it with a colon (:). When the loop has a name, use the name after the break or continue statement to indicate the loop to which the break or continue statement applies. The following example repeats the previous one with the exception of one thing: If the points variable is greater than 50, both loops end.
int points = 0;
int target = 100;
targetLoop:
while (target <= 100) {
for (int i = 0; i < target; i++) {
if (points > 50)
break targetLoop;
points = points + i;
}
}
When a loop’s name is used in a break or continue statement, the name
does not include a colon.
