C++ .find()

The .find() method searches for an element with a given key in a std::map. If the key exists, .find() returns an iterator pointing to the key-value pair; otherwise, it returns map.end().

Syntax

mapName.find(key);

Parameters:

• key: The key to search for in the map.

Return value:

• If the key is found, returns an iterator pointing to the key-value pair.
• If the key is not found, returns an iterator to map.end().

Example

This example demonstrates using std::map and the .find() method to check for an animal’s existence and retrieve its lifespan efficiently:

#include <iostream>
#include <map>

int main() {
  std::map<std::string, int> lifeSpan = {
    {"Giraffe", 26},
    {"Goat", 15},
    {"Lion", 10},
    {"Tiger", 8}
  };

  auto it = lifeSpan.find("Lion");

  if (it != lifeSpan.end()) {
    std::cout << "Lion found! Lifespan: " << it->second << " years.\n";
  } else {
    std::cout << "Lion not found in the map.\n";
  }

  return 0;
}

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The code above results in the following output:

Lion found! Lifespan: 10 years.

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Codebyte Example

Run the following codebyte example to understand how to use .find() to search for a key in a map:

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