using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;

namespace testWinForms87
{
  public class Data
  {
      public int id { get; set; }
      public string name { get; set; }
  }

  class CLinqTests
  {
      public static int TestGetListMin1()
      {
          var lst = new List<Data>
          {
                  new Data{ id=1, name="id1"},
                  new Data{ id=2, name="id2"},
                  new Data{ id=3, name="name3"}
          };

          return (from c in lst
                  where c.name.Contains("id")
                  select c.id).Min();
      }
    
      public static int TestGetListMin2()
      {
          var lst = new List<Data>();

          return (from c in lst
                  where c.name.Contains("id")
                  select c.id).Min();
      }
  }
}

      public static int TestGetListMin3()
      {
          var lst = new List<Data>();
          var query = from c in lst
                      where c.name.Contains("id")
                      select c.id;

          if (query.Any())
              return query.Min();
          else
              return -1;
      }

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;

  public static class LinqExtensions
  {
      public static T MinOrDefault<T>(this IEnumerable<T> source, T defaultValue)
      {
          if (source.Any<T>())
              return source.Min<T>();

          return defaultValue;
      }

      public static T MaxOrDefault<T>(this IEnumerable<T> source, T defaultValue)
      {
          if (source.Any<T>())
              return source.Max<T>();

          return defaultValue;
      }
  }

      public static int TestGetListMin4()
      {
          var lst = new List<Data>();
          return (from c in lst
                  where c.name.Contains("id")
                  select c.id).MinOrDefault(-1);
      }