bsearch - Linux

Overview

bsearch is a utility for performing binary searches on sorted arrays. It efficiently finds a specific element in a large array by repeatedly dividing the search space in half.

Syntax

bsearch KEY ARRAY NUM_ELEMENTS SIZE

Options/Flags

| Option | Description |
|—|—|
| – | Disable printing of found element value |

Examples

Simple Search

bsearch 5 (5 9 12 16 20 24 28) 7 4

Searches for the value 5 in the sorted array (5 9 12 16 20 24 28). The result is the index of the element, which is 0 in this case.

Disabled Element Output

bsearch 12 (5 9 12 16 20 24 28) 7 4 -

Same search as above, but the found element value is suppressed.

Common Issues

• Search Array Not Sorted: The array must be sorted in ascending order for bsearch to work correctly.
• Element Not Found: If the key is not present in the array, bsearch returns NULL.

Integration

bsearch can be used as part of larger scripts or programs to efficiently find data in large arrays. For example, it can be integrated into a database search or a data analysis pipeline.

Related Commands

• sort: Sorts arrays
• qsort: Quick sort implementation
• lsearch: Performs linear searches on arrays