NAME
lsearch, lfind
    — linear searching
    routines
SYNOPSIS
#include
    <search.h>
void *
  
  lsearch(const
    void *key, void
    *base, size_t
    *nelp, size_t
    width, int
    (*compar)(const void *, const void *));
void *
  
  lfind(const
    void *key, const void
    *base, size_t
    *nelp, size_t
    width, int
    (*compar)(const void *, const void *));
DESCRIPTION
The functions
    lsearch()
    and
    lfind()
    provide basic linear searching functionality.
base is the pointer to the beginning of an array. The argument nelp is the current number of elements in the array, where each element is width bytes long. The compar function is a comparison routine which is used to compare two elements. It takes two arguments which point to the key object and to an array member, in that order, and must return an integer less than, equivalent to, or greater than zero if the key object is considered, respectively, to be less than, equal to, or greater than the array member.
The
    lsearch()
    and
    lfind()
    functions return a pointer into the array referenced by
    base where key is located. If
    key does not exist, lfind()
    will return a null pointer and lsearch() will add it
    to the array. When an element is added to the array by
    lsearch(), the location referenced by the argument
    nelp is incremented by one.
SEE ALSO
STANDARDS
The lsearch() and
    lfind() functions conform to the X/Open System
    Interfaces option of the IEEE Std 1003.1-2008
    (“POSIX.1”) specification.