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What are label statements in JavaScript?
JavaScript label statements are used to prefix a label to an identifier. A label can be used with break and continue statements to control the flow more precisely. A label is simply an identifier followed by a colon (:) that is applied to a statement or a block of code.
Syntax
labelName: statement
Where labelName is any valid JavaScript identifier, and statement can be any JavaScript statement, typically a loop.
Using Labels with break Statement
Labels allow you to break out of nested loops by specifying which loop to exit:
<html>
<body>
<script>
document.write("Entering the loop!<br /> ");
outerloop: // This is the label name
for (var i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
document.write("Outerloop: " + i + "<br />");
innerloop:
for (var j = 0; j < 5; j++) {
if (j > 3) break; // Quit the innermost loop
if (i == 2) break innerloop; // Do the same thing
if (i == 4) break outerloop; // Quit the outer loop
document.write("Innerloop: " + j + " <br />");
}
}
document.write("Exiting the loop!<br /> ");
</script>
</body>
</html>
Entering the loop! Outerloop: 0 Innerloop: 0 Innerloop: 1 Innerloop: 2 Innerloop: 3 Outerloop: 1 Innerloop: 0 Innerloop: 1 Innerloop: 2 Innerloop: 3 Outerloop: 2 Outerloop: 3 Innerloop: 0 Innerloop: 1 Innerloop: 2 Innerloop: 3 Outerloop: 4 Exiting the loop!
Using Labels with continue Statement
Labels can also be used with continue to skip to the next iteration of a specific loop:
<html>
<body>
<script>
document.write("Entering the loop!<br /> ");
outerloop: // This is the label name
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
document.write("Outerloop: " + i + "<br />");
for (var j = 0; j < 5; j++) {
if (j == 3) {
continue outerloop;
}
document.write("Innerloop: " + j + "<br />");
}
}
document.write("Exiting the loop!<br /> ");
</script>
</body>
</html>
Entering the loop! Outerloop: 0 Innerloop: 0 Innerloop: 1 Innerloop: 2 Outerloop: 1 Innerloop: 0 Innerloop: 1 Innerloop: 2 Outerloop: 2 Innerloop: 0 Innerloop: 1 Innerloop: 2 Exiting the loop!
Key Points
- Labels are identifiers followed by a colon (:)
- They work only with
breakandcontinuestatements -
break labelNameexits the labeled statement completely -
continue labelNameskips to the next iteration of the labeled loop - Labels are rarely used in modern JavaScript but useful for complex nested loops
Conclusion
JavaScript label statements provide precise control over nested loops using break and continue. While not commonly used, they offer a clean solution for complex loop control scenarios.
Updated on: 2026-03-15T22:02:44+05:30
4K+ Views
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