Searching an Element in an Array in Java with Example

Searching-tutorial

Searching in an array means finding the location or index of a specific element in the array. It is a fundamental operation in data structures.
we use the Linear Search technique, which checks each element one by one.

Key Point

The array is traversed from start to end.

If the searched element matches any array value, its position is printed.

Indexing starts at 0, but the position is displayed starting from 1 for user-friendliness.

Example: Search an Element in an Array

package QuipoHouse.ArrayOperations;

import java.util.Scanner;

public class Searching {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int arr[] = new int[20];  // Declaring array with max size 20
        int i;

        // Input setup
        Scanner sc = new Scanner(System.in);
        System.out.println("Enter the number of elements in the array (less than 20):");
        int n = sc.nextInt();

        // Reading array elements
        System.out.println("Enter " + n + " elements:");
        for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            arr[i] = sc.nextInt();
        }

        // Reading the element to be searched
        System.out.println("Enter the element to be searched:");
        int element = sc.nextInt();

        // Searching element
        boolean found = false;
        for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (arr[i] == element) {
                System.out.println("Element found at position: " + (i + 1));
                found = true;
                break;
            }
        }

        // If not found
        if (!found) {
            System.out.println("Element not found in the array.");
        }
    }
}

Output:

Enter the number of elements in the array (less than 20):
5
Enter 5 elements:
9
4
6
2
8
Enter the element to be searched:
2
Element found at position: 4

Explanation

Line	Description
arr[ ] = new int[20]	Declares an integer array of size 20
for (i = 0; i < n; i++)	Reads n elements into the array
if (arr[i] == element)	Checks if current element matches the one we are searching
System.out.println(. . .)	Prints the position (1-based index) of the found element
found = true	Flag to ensure we track if the element was found

Use Case

Searching is used in:

Form validation (e.g., checking duplicates)

Data filtering

User input verification

Building more advanced algorithms like binary search or search trees