Give the following code (does not work):

while True:
    #snip: print out current state
    while True:
        ok = get_input("Is this ok? (y/n)")
        if ok.lower() == "y": break 2 #this doesn't work :(
        if ok.lower() == "n": break
    #do more processing with menus and stuff

Is there any way to make this work? Or, if the user is satisfied, do I have to do a check to break the input loop and then another (more limited) check to break the external loop together?

#1 building

Similar to the previous, but more compact. (Booleans are just numbers)

breaker = False #our mighty loop exiter!
while True:
    while True:
        ok = get_input("Is this ok? (y/n)")
        breaker+= (ok.lower() == "y")
        break

    if breaker: # the interesting part!
        break   # <--- !

#2 building

I'm here because I have an external loop and an internal loop, as follows:

for x in array:
  for y in dont_use_these_values:
    if x.value==y:
      array.remove(x)  # fixed, was array.pop(x) in my original answer
      continue

  do some other stuff with x

As you can see, it doesn't actually go to the next x, it goes to the next y.

I found that the only way to solve this problem is to traverse the array twice:

for x in array:
  for y in dont_use_these_values:
    if x.value==y:
      array.remove(x)  # fixed, was array.pop(x) in my original answer
      continue

for x in array:
  do some other stuff with x

I know this is a specific issue for OP, but I want to publish it to help someone think about their issues in a different way, while keeping it simple.

#3 building

If both conditions hold, why not continue the cycle? I think it's a more Python way:

dejaVu = True

while dejaVu:
    while True:
        ok = raw_input("Is this ok? (y/n)")
        if ok == "y" or ok == "Y" or ok == "n" or ok == "N":
            dejaVu = False
            break

Is it right?

All the best.

#4 building

Try using the infinite generator.

from itertools import repeat
inputs = (get_input("Is this ok? (y/n)") for _ in repeat(None))
response = (i.lower()=="y" for i in inputs if i.lower() in ("y", "n"))

while True:
    #snip: print out current state
    if next(response):
        break
    #do more processing with menus and stuff

#5 building

# this version uses a level counter to choose how far to break out

break_levels = 0
while True:
    # snip: print out current state
    while True:
        ok = get_input("Is this ok? (y/n)")
        if ok == "y" or ok == "Y":
            break_levels = 1        # how far nested, excluding this break
            break
        if ok == "n" or ok == "N":
            break                   # normal break
    if break_levels:
        break_levels -= 1
        break                       # pop another level
if break_levels:
    break_levels -= 1
    break

# ...and so on