Question

Why java allows to use the labled break inside a method?
Is there any special purpose or use of this?
I thought it can be only use within the loops and swtches.

public void testMeth(int count){
   label:
   break label;
}

But below gives a compiler error.

public void testMeth(int count){
    break; // This gives an Error : break cannot be used outside of a loop or a switch
}

Answer 1

I don’t know the why, but the behaviour is specified in the Java Language Specification #14.15:

Break with no label

A break statement with no label attempts to transfer control to the innermost enclosing switch, while, do, or for statement of the immediately enclosing method or initializer; this statement, which is called the break target, then immediately completes normally.
If no switch, while, do, or for statement in the immediately enclosing method, constructor, or initializer contains the break statement, a compile-time error occurs.

Break with label (emphasis mine)

A break statement with label Identifier attempts to transfer control to the enclosing labeled statement (§14.7) that has the same Identifier as its label; this statement, which is called the break target, then immediately completes normally. In this case, the break target need not be a switch, while, do, or for statement.

Breaks with label enable you to redirect the code after a whole block (which can be a loop), which can be useful in the case of nested loops. It is however different from the C goto statement:

Unlike C and C++, the Java programming language has no goto statement; identifier statement labels are used with break (§14.15) or continue (§14.16) statements appearing anywhere within the labeled statement.