The Perl Toolchain Summit needs more sponsors. If your company depends on Perl, please support this very important event.
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
 "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en"
 lang="en" dir="ltr">
<head>
  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
  <title>
    find    [C++ Reference]
  </title>

  <meta name="generator" content="DokuWiki Release 2009-12-25c &quot;Lemming&quot;" />
<meta name="robots" content="index,follow" />
<meta name="date" content="2009-10-09T00:43:15-0700" />
<meta name="keywords" content="stl,algorithm,find" />
<link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/wiki/lib/exe/opensearch.php" title="C++ Reference" />
<link rel="start" href="/wiki/" />
<link rel="contents" href="/wiki/stl/algorithm/find?do=index" title="Index" />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Recent Changes" href="/wiki/feed.php" />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Current Namespace" href="/wiki/feed.php?mode=list&amp;ns=stl:algorithm" />
<link rel="edit" title="Edit this page" href="/wiki/stl/algorithm/find?do=edit" />
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Plain HTML" href="/wiki/_export/xhtml/stl/algorithm/find" />
<link rel="alternate" type="text/plain" title="Wiki Markup" href="/wiki/_export/raw/stl/algorithm/find" />
<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.cppreference.com/wiki/stl/algorithm/find" />
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" type="text/css" href="/wiki/lib/exe/css.php?s=all&amp;t=custom1&amp;tseed=1272971091" />
<link rel="stylesheet" media="screen" type="text/css" href="/wiki/lib/exe/css.php?t=custom1&amp;tseed=1272971091" />
<link rel="stylesheet" media="print" type="text/css" href="/wiki/lib/exe/css.php?s=print&amp;t=custom1&amp;tseed=1272971091" />
<script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" ><!--//--><![CDATA[//><!--
var NS='stl:algorithm';var JSINFO = {"id":"stl:algorithm:find","namespace":"stl:algorithm"};
//--><!]]></script>
<script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="/wiki/lib/exe/js.php?tseed=1272971091" ></script>

  <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/wiki/lib/tpl/custom1/images/favicon.png" />

  </head>

<body>
<div class="dokuwiki">
  
  <div class="stylehead">

    <div class="breadcrumbs">
      <span class="bchead">You are here: </span><a href="../../start.html"  title="start">C++ Reference</a> &raquo; <a href="../../stl/start.html"  title="stl:start">C++ Standard Template Library</a> &raquo; <a href="../../stl/algorithm/start.html"  title="stl:algorithm:start">C++ Algorithms</a> &raquo; <a href="../../stl/algorithm/find.html"  title="stl:algorithm:find">find</a>    </div>
    
  </div>


  
  
  <div class="page">

    <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-2828341-1";
urchinTracker();
</script>
    <!-- wikipage start -->
    


<h2><a name="find" id="find">find</a></h2>
<div class="level2">

<p>
Syntax:
</p>
<pre class="c code c++" style="font-family:monospace;">    <span class="co2">#include &lt;algorithm&gt;</span>
    input_iterator find<span class="br0">&#40;</span> input_iterator start<span class="sy0">,</span> input_iterator end<span class="sy0">,</span> <span class="kw4">const</span> TYPE<span class="sy0">&amp;</span> val <span class="br0">&#41;</span><span class="sy0">;</span></pre>
<p>
The find() algorithm looks for an element matching <code>val</code> between <code>start</code> and <code>end</code>.
If an element matching <code>val</code> is found, the return value is an iterator that
points to that element. Otherwise, the return value is an iterator that points
to <code>end</code>.
</p>

<p>
For example, the following code uses find to search a <a href="../../stl/vector/start.html" class="wikilink1" title="stl:vector:start">vector</a> of integers for
the number 3:
</p>
<pre class="c code c++" style="font-family:monospace;">   <span class="kw4">int</span> num_to_find <span class="sy0">=</span> <span class="nu0">3</span><span class="sy0">;</span>
&nbsp;
   vector<span class="sy0">&lt;</span>int<span class="sy0">&gt;</span> v1<span class="sy0">;</span>
   <span class="kw1">for</span><span class="br0">&#40;</span> <span class="kw4">int</span> i <span class="sy0">=</span> <span class="nu0">0</span><span class="sy0">;</span> i <span class="sy0">&lt;</span> <span class="nu0">10</span><span class="sy0">;</span> i<span class="sy0">++</span> <span class="br0">&#41;</span> <span class="br0">&#123;</span>
     v1.<span class="me1">push_back</span><span class="br0">&#40;</span>i<span class="br0">&#41;</span><span class="sy0">;</span>
   <span class="br0">&#125;</span>
&nbsp;
   vector<span class="sy0">&lt;</span>int<span class="sy0">&gt;::</span><span class="me2">iterator</span> result<span class="sy0">;</span>
   result <span class="sy0">=</span> find<span class="br0">&#40;</span> v1.<span class="me1">begin</span><span class="br0">&#40;</span><span class="br0">&#41;</span><span class="sy0">,</span> v1.<span class="me1">end</span><span class="br0">&#40;</span><span class="br0">&#41;</span><span class="sy0">,</span> num_to_find <span class="br0">&#41;</span><span class="sy0">;</span>
&nbsp;
   <span class="kw1">if</span><span class="br0">&#40;</span> result <span class="sy0">==</span> v1.<span class="me1">end</span><span class="br0">&#40;</span><span class="br0">&#41;</span> <span class="br0">&#41;</span> <span class="br0">&#123;</span>
     <a href="http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/functions/cout.html"><span class="kw3">cout</span></a> <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> <span class="st0">&quot;Did not find any element matching &quot;</span> <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> num_to_find <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> endl<span class="sy0">;</span>
   <span class="br0">&#125;</span>
&nbsp;
   <span class="kw1">else</span> <span class="br0">&#123;</span>
     <a href="http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/functions/cout.html"><span class="kw3">cout</span></a> <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> <span class="st0">&quot;Found a matching element: &quot;</span> <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> <span class="sy0">*</span>result <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> endl<span class="sy0">;</span>
   <span class="br0">&#125;</span></pre>
<p>
In the next example, shown below, the find function is used on an array of
integers.  This example shows how the C++ STL algorithms can be used to manipulate
arrays and pointers in the same manner that they manipulate containers and
iterators:
</p>
<pre class="c code c++" style="font-family:monospace;">   <span class="kw4">int</span> nums<span class="br0">&#91;</span><span class="br0">&#93;</span> <span class="sy0">=</span> <span class="br0">&#123;</span> 3<span class="sy0">,</span> 1<span class="sy0">,</span> 4<span class="sy0">,</span> 1<span class="sy0">,</span> 5<span class="sy0">,</span> 9 <span class="br0">&#125;</span><span class="sy0">;</span>
&nbsp;
   <span class="kw4">int</span> num_to_find <span class="sy0">=</span> <span class="nu0">5</span><span class="sy0">;</span>
   <span class="kw4">int</span> start <span class="sy0">=</span> <span class="nu0">0</span><span class="sy0">;</span>
   <span class="kw4">int</span> end <span class="sy0">=</span> <span class="nu0">2</span><span class="sy0">;</span>
   <span class="kw4">int</span><span class="sy0">*</span> result <span class="sy0">=</span> find<span class="br0">&#40;</span> nums <span class="sy0">+</span> start<span class="sy0">,</span> nums <span class="sy0">+</span> end<span class="sy0">,</span> num_to_find <span class="br0">&#41;</span><span class="sy0">;</span>
&nbsp;
   <span class="kw1">if</span><span class="br0">&#40;</span> result <span class="sy0">==</span> nums <span class="sy0">+</span> end <span class="br0">&#41;</span> <span class="br0">&#123;</span>
     <a href="http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/functions/cout.html"><span class="kw3">cout</span></a> <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> <span class="st0">&quot;Did not find any number matching &quot;</span> <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> num_to_find <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> endl<span class="sy0">;</span>
   <span class="br0">&#125;</span> <span class="kw1">else</span> <span class="br0">&#123;</span>
     <a href="http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/functions/cout.html"><span class="kw3">cout</span></a> <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> <span class="st0">&quot;Found a matching number: &quot;</span> <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> <span class="sy0">*</span>result <span class="sy0">&lt;&lt;</span> endl<span class="sy0">;</span>
   <span class="br0">&#125;</span></pre>
<p>
Related Topics: <a href="../../stl/algorithm/adjacent_find.html" class="wikilink1" title="stl:algorithm:adjacent_find">adjacent_find</a>, <a href="../../stl/algorithm/find_end.html" class="wikilink1" title="stl:algorithm:find_end">find_end</a>, <a href="../../stl/algorithm/find_first_of.html" class="wikilink1" title="stl:algorithm:find_first_of">find_first_of</a>, <a href="../../stl/algorithm/find_if.html" class="wikilink1" title="stl:algorithm:find_if">find_if</a>, <a href="../../stl/algorithm/mismatch.html" class="wikilink1" title="stl:algorithm:mismatch">mismatch</a>, <a href="../../stl/algorithm/search.html" class="wikilink1" title="stl:algorithm:search">search</a>
</p>

</div>

    <!-- wikipage stop -->
  </div>

  <div class="clearer">&nbsp;</div>

  
  <div class="stylefoot">

    <div class="meta">
      <div class="user">
              </div>
      <!--
      <div class="doc">
        stl/algorithm/find.txt &middot; Last modified: 10/09/2009 00:43 by 124.255.102.233      </div>
      -->
    </div>

   
    </div></div></body>
</html>