C# Array.IndexOf, LastIndexOf: Search Arrays

Use the Array.IndexOf and LastIndexOf methods. These methods search from the start or end.

Array.IndexOf. This .NET method searches an array from start to end. It acts upon an array of any type, and returns the position of the value. LastIndexOf goes from end to start.Array Return

Notes, declarative. IndexOf, in both its generic form and its LastIndexOf form, is useful in many programs. This is declarative (method-based) programming.

IndexOf example. The Array type is an abstract base type, which means it can be used with instances of arrays in your program, such as int[]. We call the Array.IndexOf static method.

Here: We see successful calls to Array.IndexOf. Each call finds the expected value in the array.

Int Array Static

Info: The array value of 5 is located—the result value is 2. Next the IndexOf<int> method is used.

Note: The angle brackets indicate a type parameter on a generic method. More information on generic methods is available.

Generic Class, Method

Tip: You will find that generic methods are used without the explicit <int> syntax. The compiler infers what method you want.

C# program that uses IndexOf on Array using System; class Program { static void Main() { // // Example integer array is declared. // int[] array = new int[6]; array[0] = 1; array[1] = 3; array[2] = 5; array[3] = 7; array[4] = 8; array[5] = 5; // // Find index of element with value 5. // int index1 = Array.IndexOf(array, 5); // // Find index of value 3. // int index2 = Array.IndexOf<int>(array, 3); // // Find last index of 5. // int index3 = Array.LastIndexOf(array, 5); // // Write the results. // Console.WriteLine(index1); Console.WriteLine(index2); Console.WriteLine(index3); } } Output 2 1 5

String example. Here we use a string array and Array.IndexOf. The result of IndexOf is -1 when the value is not found. The IndexOf method uses the default IEqualityComparer for the type.IEqualityComparer

Tip: String contents are tested. So it does not matter where the strings come from, as long as their contents are the same.

C# program that uses IndexOf with string elements using System; class Program { static void Main() { // // Example string array is declared. // string[] array = new string[6]; array[0] = null; array[1] = "carrot"; array[2] = "rat"; array[3] = ""; array[4] = "carrot"; array[5] = "apple"; // // Find string with this value starting at offset 2. // int index1 = Array.IndexOf(array, "carrot", 2, 3); // // Find a nonexistent string. // int index2 = Array.IndexOf(array, "banana"); // // Write the result. // Console.WriteLine(index1); Console.WriteLine(index2); } } Output 4 -1

Benchmark. Here we test IndexOf performance. Internally, the generic method has lots of error checking for invalid arguments, and calls into a virtual method depending on the type.

Version 1: This version of the code uses the Array.IndexOf generic method to find the index of the argument.

Version 2: Here we use a custom method IndexOfInt, which uses a for-loop to iterate over the array elements, testing each one.

For

Result: The benchmark results show that using IndexOf<int> is unsuitable for performance work.

Benchmark

C# program that benchmarks Array.IndexOf using System; using System.Diagnostics; class Program { static int[] _array = { 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 }; const int _max = 1000000; static void Main() { // Version 1: use Array.IndexOf. var s1 = Stopwatch.StartNew(); for (int i = 0; i < _max; i++) { int index = Array.IndexOf<int>(_array, 7); if (index == -1) { return; } } s1.Stop(); // Version 2: use for-loop. var s2 = Stopwatch.StartNew(); for (int i = 0; i < _max; i++) { int index = IndexOfInt(_array, 7); if (index == -1) { return; } } s2.Stop(); Console.WriteLine(((double)(s1.Elapsed.TotalMilliseconds * 1000000) / _max).ToString("0.00 ns")); Console.WriteLine(((double)(s2.Elapsed.TotalMilliseconds * 1000000) / _max).ToString("0.00 ns")); } static int IndexOfInt(int[] arr, int value) { for (int i = 0; i < arr.Length; i++) { if (arr[i] == value) { return i; } } return -1; } } Output 11.14 ns Array.IndexOf 4.77 ns for-loop

LastIndexOf. Array.LastIndexOf finds the last matching element. It searches from the end of an array. It returns the index of the element that contains the specified value.

Here: We call Array.IndexOf once, and Array.LastIndexOf twice. When IndexOf finds the value 6, it returns the int value 2.

And: When LastIndexOf finds the value 6, it returns the index 4. The 2 methods search from opposite starting points.

Int, uint

C# program that uses Array.LastIndexOf using System; class Program { static void Main() { int[] array = { 2, 4, 6, 8, 6, 2 }; int result1 = Array.IndexOf(array, 6); Console.WriteLine(result1); int result2 = Array.LastIndexOf(array, 6); Console.WriteLine(result2); int result3 = Array.LastIndexOf(array, 100); Console.WriteLine(result3); } } Output 2 4 -1

Notes, not found condition. Array.LastIndexOf, like Array.IndexOf, uses a magic error code of negative one to indicate a not-found condition. This can be at first confusing.

Note: Error conditions are most logically represented by a separate true/false value, not the value -1.

Discussion. Arrays are lower-level types than other types such as the List in the .NET Framework. When you use arrays you should expect to have to do some looping on your own.List

Opinion: Consider using a for-loop. You can improve an algorithm by combining multiple loops into one (loop jamming).

Also: If you wanted a high-level collection it would be better to use the List type.

Finally: IndexOf and LastIndexOf reduce performance even in simple situations. They are not good for performance-critical code.

A summary. We tested the Array.IndexOf method and found it to be much slower than searching with a custom method. We tested the generic form of Array.IndexOf as well.

Also, the LastIndexOf method may be useful in certain situations. IndexOf, and LastIndexOf, return a confusing error code (-1) and can impair optimizations in C# programs.IndexOf

The Dev Codes

.Net

.NET Array Dictionary List String 2D Async DataTable Dates DateTime Enum File For Foreach Format IEnumerable If IndexOf Lambda LINQ Parse Path Process Property Regex Replace Sort Split Static StringBuilder Substring Switch Tuple

Java

Core Array ArrayList HashMap String 2D Cast Character Console Deque Duplicates File For Format HashSet If IndexOf Lambda Math ParseInt Process Random Regex Replace Sort Split StringBuilder Substring Switch Vector While

TheDeveloperBlog.com

C# Array.IndexOf, LastIndexOf: Search Arrays

Related Links:

.Net

Java

Related Links