Find the first node in LinkedList containing the specified value in C#

The LinkedList<T>.Find() method in C# searches for the first node that contains the specified value and returns a LinkedListNode<T> object. If the value is not found, it returns null.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for the Find() −

public LinkedListNode<T> Find(T value);

Parameters

• value − The value to locate in the LinkedList.

Return Value

Returns the first LinkedListNode<T> that contains the specified value, or null if the value is not found.

Using Find() with String Values

Example

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      LinkedList<string> list = new LinkedList<string>();
      list.AddLast("John");
      list.AddLast("Tim");
      list.AddLast("Kevin");
      list.AddLast("Jacob");
      list.AddLast("Emma");
      list.AddLast("Ryan");
      list.AddLast("Brad");
      list.AddLast("Carl");
      
      Console.WriteLine("LinkedList elements...");
      foreach(string str in list) {
         Console.WriteLine(str);
      }
      
      LinkedListNode<string> val = list.Find("Jacob");
      Console.WriteLine("Specified value = " + val.Value);
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

LinkedList elements...
John
Tim
Kevin
Jacob
Emma
Ryan
Brad
Carl
Specified value = Jacob

Using Find() with Integer Values

Example

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      LinkedList<int> list = new LinkedList<int>();
      list.AddLast(100);
      list.AddLast(200);
      list.AddLast(300);
      list.AddLast(400);
      list.AddLast(500);
      
      Console.WriteLine("LinkedList elements...");
      foreach(int i in list) {
         Console.WriteLine(i);
      }
      
      LinkedListNode<int> val = list.Find(300);
      Console.WriteLine("Specified value = " + val.Value);
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

LinkedList elements...
100
200
300
400
500
Specified value = 300

Handling Non-Existent Values

When the specified value is not found, the Find() method returns null. Always check for null before accessing the Value property −

Example

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public class Demo {
   public static void Main() {
      LinkedList<string> list = new LinkedList<string>();
      list.AddLast("Apple");
      list.AddLast("Banana");
      list.AddLast("Cherry");
      
      // Search for existing value
      LinkedListNode<string> found = list.Find("Banana");
      if (found != null) {
         Console.WriteLine("Found: " + found.Value);
      }
      
      // Search for non-existing value
      LinkedListNode<string> notFound = list.Find("Orange");
      if (notFound == null) {
         Console.WriteLine("Orange not found in the list");
      }
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Found: Banana
Orange not found in the list

Conclusion

The LinkedList<T>.Find() method efficiently locates the first node containing a specified value and returns the corresponding LinkedListNode<T> object. Always check for null return values to avoid runtime exceptions when the value is not found in the list.