Control flow in Python determines the order in which statements are executed. It includes conditional statements, loops, and exception handling, which allow developers to create dynamic and logical programs.

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1. Conditional Statements

Conditional statements in Python allow code execution based on certain conditions. The main control flow statements are if, elif, and else.

if Statement

The if statement executes a block of code only if a specified condition is True.

x = 10
if x > 5:
    print("x is greater than 5")

if-else Statement

If the condition in the if statement is False, the else block executes.

x = 3
if x > 5:
    print("x is greater than 5")
else:
    print("x is 5 or less")

if-elif-else Statement

The elif (short for “else if”) statement checks multiple conditions sequentially.

x = 7
if x > 10:
    print("x is greater than 10")
elif x > 5:
    print("x is between 6 and 10")
else:
    print("x is 5 or less")

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2. Loops in Python

Loops allow repeated execution of a block of code. Python provides two types of loops: for and while.

for Loop

The for loop iterates over a sequence such as a list, tuple, or string.

fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"]
for fruit in fruits:
    print(fruit)

Using range() to iterate over numbers:

for i in range(5):
    print(i)  # Prints numbers 0 to 4

while Loop

The while loop executes as long as a condition remains True.

x = 0
while x < 5:
    print(x)
    x += 1

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3. Loop Control Statements

Python provides special statements to control the behavior of loops.

break Statement

The break statement stops a loop before it completes all iterations.

for i in range(10):
    if i == 5:
        break  # Exits the loop when i is 5
    print(i)

continue Statement

The continue statement skips the current iteration and proceeds to the next one.

for i in range(5):
    if i == 2:
        continue  # Skips when i is 2
    print(i)

pass Statement

The pass statement is a placeholder that does nothing. It is used when a statement is required syntactically but no action is needed.

for i in range(3):
    pass  # Placeholder for future code

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4. Exception Handling

Exception handling in Python helps in managing runtime errors using try, except, finally, and raise.

try-except Block

Handles errors gracefully without crashing the program.

try:
    x = 10 / 0
except ZeroDivisionError:
    print("Cannot divide by zero")

finally Block

The finally block executes regardless of whether an exception occurs.

try:
    print(5 / 0)
except ZeroDivisionError:
    print("Error: Division by zero")
finally:
    print("This always executes")

raise Statement

The raise statement manually triggers an exception.

x = -1
if x < 0:
    raise ValueError("Negative values are not allowed")

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Control flow structures are essential for writing logical and efficient Python programs. Mastering conditional statements, loops, and exception handling will help you build robust applications.

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