How to check list A contains any value from list B?

Question

List A:

1, 2, 3, 4

List B:

2, 5

How to check if list A contains any value from list B?

e.g. someth

Answer 1

I write a faster method for it can make the small one to set. But I test it in some data that some time it's faster that Intersect but some time Intersect fast that my code.

    public static bool Contain<T>(List<T> a, List<T> b)
    {
        if (a.Count <= 10 && b.Count <= 10)
        {
            return a.Any(b.Contains);
        }

        if (a.Count > b.Count)
        {
            return Contain((IEnumerable<T>) b, (IEnumerable<T>) a);
        }
        return Contain((IEnumerable<T>) a, (IEnumerable<T>) b);
    }

    public static bool Contain<T>(IEnumerable<T> a, IEnumerable<T> b)
    {
        HashSet<T> j = new HashSet<T>(a);
        return b.Any(j.Contains);
    }

The Intersect calls Set that have not check the second size and this is the Intersect's code.

        Set<TSource> set = new Set<TSource>(comparer);
        foreach (TSource element in second) set.Add(element);
        foreach (TSource element in first)
            if (set.Remove(element)) yield return element;

The difference in two methods is my method use HashSet and check the count and Intersect use set that is faster than HashSet. We dont warry its performance.

The test :

   static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var a = Enumerable.Range(0, 100000);
        var b = Enumerable.Range(10000000, 1000);
        var t = new Stopwatch();
        t.Start();
        Repeat(()=> { Contain(a, b); });
        t.Stop();
        Console.WriteLine(t.ElapsedMilliseconds);//490ms

        var a1 = Enumerable.Range(0, 100000).ToList();
        var a2 = b.ToList();
        t.Restart();
        Repeat(()=> { Contain(a1, a2); });
        t.Stop();

        Console.WriteLine(t.ElapsedMilliseconds);//203ms

        t.Restart();
        Repeat(()=>{ a.Intersect(b).Any(); });
        t.Stop();
        Console.WriteLine(t.ElapsedMilliseconds);//190ms

        t.Restart();
        Repeat(()=>{ b.Intersect(a).Any(); });
        t.Stop();
        Console.WriteLine(t.ElapsedMilliseconds);//497ms

        t.Restart();
        a.Any(b.Contains);
        t.Stop();
        Console.WriteLine(t.ElapsedMilliseconds);//600ms

    }

    private static void Repeat(Action a)
    {
        for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++)
        {
            a();
        }
    }

Answer 2

I use this to count:

int cnt = 0;

foreach (var lA in listA)
{
    if (listB.Contains(lA))
    {
        cnt++;
    }
}