Structures || chapter 10

A structure in C is a user-defined data type that allows you to group together different types of data under a single name. A structure can be thought of as a container that holds related data of different types.

Why Use Structures:

Structures are useful for organizing complex data structures in a program. By grouping related data together in a structure, you can make your code more readable and easier to maintain.

Declaring a Structure:

To declare a structure, you use the struct keyword followed by the structure name and the members of the structure enclosed in curly braces.

Example:

c
struct student {
   char name[50];
   int roll_no;
   float marks;
};

Accessing Structure Elements:

You can access the members of a structure using the dot operator (.) followed by the member name.

Example:

c
struct student s; 
strcpy(s.name, "John"); 
s.roll_no = 1234; 
s.marks = 85.5;

How Structure Elements are Stored:

The elements of a structure are stored in contiguous memory locations. The size of a structure is determined by the sum of the sizes of its members, but the actual size may be larger due to padding.

Array of Structures:

An array of structures is a collection of structures of the same type. You can access the members of a structure in an array using the array index and the dot operator.

Example:

c
struct student s[3];
s[0].roll_no = 1234; 
s[1].roll_no = 2345; 
s[2].roll_no = 3456;

Additional Features of Structures:

Structures can be nested inside other structures, and structures can contain pointers to other structures. You can also use typedef to define a structure type with a shorter name.

Uses of Structures:

Structures are used in many areas of programming, including databases, graphics programming, and operating systems. They are also used in many programming languages other than C.

Summary:

Structures in C allow you to group together related data of different types under a single name. Structures are useful for organizing complex data structures in a program. You can access the members of a structure using the dot operator. Structures can be nested inside other structures, and structures can contain pointers to other structures. An array of structures is a collection of structures of the same type. Structures are used in many areas of programming, including databases, graphics programming, and operating systems.