C# Array - Find() Method

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The C# Array Find() method returns the first occurrence of an element after searching for an element that matches the condition defined by the specified predicate.

Syntax

Following is the syntax of the C# Array Find() method −

public static T? Find<T> (T[] array, Predicate<T> match);

Parameters

This method accepts the following parameters −

• array: The one dimensional zero based array to search.
• match: The predicate that defines the condition of the element to search for.

Return value

This method returns an element that matches the predicate if found; otherwise the default value for Type T.

Example 1: Find First Even Number

This is the basic example of the Find() method to display the first even number of an array −

using System;
class Program {
   static void Main() {
      int[] Number = new int[] {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
   
      // Find the first even number
      int evenN = Array.Find(Number, num => num % 2 == 0);   
      Console.WriteLine("First Even number is: " + evenN);   
   }
}

Output

Following is the output −

First Even number is: 2

Example 2: Find a String that Matches the Condition

Let's create an example that finds the first string whose character starts with 'c' using the Find() method −

using System;
class Program {
   static void Main() {
      string[] names = {"Dipak", "Rhaul", "Chhavi", "Charlie"};

      // Find name that starts with 'C'
      string namewithC = Array.Find(names, name => name.StartsWith("C"));
      Console.WriteLine("First name starting with 'C': " + namewithC);
   }
}

Output

Following is the output −

First name starting with 'C': Chhavi

Example 3: What if No Match Found

Let's see another example of the Find() method and how it handles the case where no match is found in the array −

using System;

class Program {
   static void Main() {
      int[] numbers = {1, 3, 5, 7 };
      int firstEven = Array.Find(numbers, num => num % 2 == 0);
      if (firstEven == default (int)) {
         Console.WriteLine("No even number found.");
      } else {
         Console.WriteLine("First even number: " + firstEven);
      }
   }
}

Output

Following is the output −

No even number found.

Example 4: Find a Custom Object Matching a Condition

In this example, we create a custom object that takes the person's name and age. We use the Find() function to find a person who is older than 23 −

using System;
class Person {
   public string Name {
      get;
      set;
   }
   public int Age {
      get;
      set;
   }
}
class Program {
   static void Main() {
      Person[] people = {
         new Person {
            Name = "Dipak", Age = 25
         },
         new Person {
            Name = "Karan", Age = 30
         },
         new Person {
            Name = "Pankaj", Age = 22
         }
      };

      // Find the first person older than 23
      Person personOlder23 = Array.Find(people, person => person.Age > 23);

      Console.WriteLine("First person older than 23: " + personOlder23.Name);
   }
}

Output

Following is the output −

First person older than 23: Dipak