Goto Keyword

In C programming, the 'goto' keyword is used to create a jump statement that transfers control to a labeled statement within the same function.

It provides a way to alter the normal flow of program execution and is often considered a controversial feature due to its potential for creating complex and unreadable code.

Here's an example of using the 'goto' keyword to jump to a labeled statement:

#include 

int main() {
  int count = 1;

  loop:
  printf("Count: %d\n", count);
  count++;

  if (count <= 10) {
    goto loop;
  }

  return 0;
}

    

In this example, the 'goto' keyword is used to jump to the 'loop' labeled statement. The program prints the value of 'count' and increments it by 1 in each iteration.

The 'if' condition checks whether 'count' is less than or equal to 10, and if true, it jumps back to the 'loop' label, creating a loop that repeats the printing and incrementing until the condition is no longer true.

The 'goto' statement allows you to create non-sequential flow within your program.

However, it is generally considered a bad programming practice due to its potential to create spaghetti code and make the program harder to understand and maintain.

It can lead to unstructured and unpredictable control flow, making debugging and code comprehension more challenging.

In most cases, it is recommended to use structured control flow statements like 'if-else', 'while', 'for', and 'switch' to control program flow.

These structured constructs provide more clarity and maintainability to your code.

The 'goto' statement should be used sparingly and only when absolutely necessary, such as in error handling or specific control flow scenarios where no better alternative is available.

It is important to use it judiciously and with caution to ensure code readability and maintainability.