Overview

In Python, break and continue are loop control statements used to alter the flow of loops (for or while). Though both affect the loop, they behave differently:

Statement	Action
break	Exits the loop entirely
continue	Skips the current iteration only

✅ break – Exit the Loop Immediately

Description:

The break statement terminates the entire loop once a specific condition is met. It prevents any further iterations.

Syntax:

for item in iterable:

    if condition:

        break

Realistic Odoo Example:

Loop through partners and stop at the first one that has a valid email:​

Use break when you want to exit after the first match.

✅ continue – Skip Current Iteration

Description:

The continue statement skips the current loop iteration and moves to the next iteration without executing the remaining code inside the loop.

Syntax:

for item in iterable:

    if condition:

        continue

    # remaining loop code

Realistic Odoo Example:

Loop through partners and skip the ones without an email:​

✅ Use continue to ignore or filter specific records during looping.

🔍 Summary Table

Feature	break	continue
Loop behavior	Exits loop immediately	Skips current iteration, continues loop
Position in loop	Usually inside if condition	Same
Use case	Stop at first match	Skip/ignore unwanted values

✅ When to Use in Odoo

Use Case	Recommended Statement
Stop when first valid record is found	break
Skip processing for invalid/incomplete records	continue
Improve performance in record iteration	Both as needed