Check if list contains element that contains a str

Question

While searching for an answer to this question, I've run into similar ones utilizing LINQ but I haven't been able to fully understand them (and thus, implement them), as I'm not familiarized with it. What I would like to, basically, is this:

1. Check if any element of a list contains a specific string.
2. If it does, get that element.

I honestly don't know how I would go about doing that. What I can come up with is this (not working, of course):

if (myList.Contains(myString))
    string element = myList.ElementAt(myList.IndexOf(myString));

I know WHY it does not work:

• myList.Contains() does not return true, since it will check for if a whole element of the list matches the string I specified.
• myList.IndexOf() will not find an occurrence, since, as it is the case again, it will check for an element matching the string.

Still, I have no clue how to solve this problem, but I figure I'll have to use LINQ as suggested in similar questions to mine. That being said, if that's the case here, I'd like for the answerer to explain to me the use of LINQ in their example (as I said, I haven't bothered with it in my time with C#). Thank you in advance guys (and gals?).

EDIT: I have come up with a solution; just loop through the list, check if current element contains the string and then set a string equal to the current element. I'm wondering, though, is there a more efficient way than this?

string myString = "bla";
string element = "";

for (int i = 0; i < myList.Count; i++)
{
    if (myList[i].Contains(myString))
        element = myList[i];
}

Answer 1

To keep it simple use this;

foreach(string item in myList)//Iterate through each item.
{
 if(item.Contains("Search Term")//True if the item contains search pattern.
 {
   return item;//Return the matched item.
 }
}

Alternatively,to do this with for loop,use this;

    for (int iterator = 0; iterator < myList.Count; iterator++)
    {
        if (myList[iterator].Contains("String Pattern"))
        {
            return myList[iterator];
        }
    }

Answer 2

you can use

var match=myList.Where(item=>item.Contains("Required String"));
foreach(var i in match)
{
//do something with the matched items
}

LINQ provides you with capabilities to "query" any collection of data. You can use syntax like a database query (select, where, etc) on a collection (here the collection (list) of strings).

so you are doing like "get me items from the list Where it satisfies a given condition"

inside the Where you are using a "lambda expression"

to tell briefly lambda expression is something like (input parameter => return value)

so for a parameter "item", it returns "item.Contains("required string")" . So it returns true if the item contains the string and thereby it gets selected from the list since it satisfied the condition.

Answer 3

If you want a list of strings containing your string:

var newList = myList.Where(x => x.Contains(myString)).ToList();

Another option is to use Linq FirstOrDefault

var element = myList.Where(x => x.Contains(myString)).FirstOrDefault();

Keep in mind that Contains method is case sensitive.