Structures

Structure is a user defined data type which allows you to combine data items of different
data-types under a single name.
Structures are used to represent a record.
E.g. To keep track of books in a library, we will create a structure “book”, which will contain
following attributes:
- Title
- Author
- Subject
- BookID

Syntax of a structure:
struct [structure tag]
{
member definition;
member definition;
...
member definition;
} [one or more structure variables];

NOTE: When a structure is created, no memory is allocated. Memory only gets allocated when
we declare the structure variable, also called the instance of a structure.
Example:

struct Person
{
char name[50];
int age;
float salary;
}p1;

// Here “p1” is the structure variable. When the structure variable is created, the memory will
be allocated.
In the above example, the memory allocated to p1 will be?
Ans: 50*1 + 4*1 + 4*1 = 58 bytes
Accessing structure variables:
To access any member of a structure, we use the member access operator (.). The member
access operator is coded as a period between the structure variable name and the structure
member that we wish to access. You would use struct keyword to define variables of structure
type.
E.g.
bill.age = 50;

Example of a structure:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

struct Person
{
char name[50];
int age;
float salary;
}p1;

int main()
{
//Person p1;

cout << "Enter Full name: ";

cin.get(p1.name, 50);
cout << "Enter age: ";
cin >> p1.age;
cout << "Enter salary: ";
cin >> p1.salary;

cout << "\nDisplaying Information." << endl;

cout << "Name: " << p1.name << endl;
cout <<"Age: " << p1.age << endl;
cout << "Salary: " << p1.salary;

return 0;
}

Output:
Enter Full name: Ankita Singh
Enter age: 27
Enter salary: 90000

Displaying Information.
Name: Ankita Singh
Age: 27
Salary: 90000

Passing a structure to a function:

struct Person
{
 char name[50];
int age;
float salary;
};

void displayData(Person); // Function declaration

int main()
{
Person p;

cout << "Enter Full name: ";

cin.get(p.name, 50);
cout << "Enter age: ";
cin >> p.age;
cout << "Enter salary: ";
cin >> p.salary;

// Function call with structure variable as an argument

displayData(p);

return 0;
}

void displayData(Person p)
{
cout << "\nDisplaying Information." << endl;
cout << "Name: " << p.name << endl;
cout <<"Age: " << p.age << endl;
cout << "Salary: " << p.salary;
}

Output:

Enter Full name: Ankita Singh

Enter age: 27
Enter salary: 90000

Displaying Information.
Name: Ankita Singh
Age: 27
Salary: 90000

NOTE: Structure p is passed to a function using:

displayData(p);
Pointers to Structures

Member variables of a structure can also be accessed using pointers that point to the structure
variables.

Example:

struct Distance
{
int feet;
float inch;
};

int main()
{
Distance *ptr, d;

ptr = &d;

cout << "Enter feet: ";

cin >> (*ptr).feet; // ptr->feet;
cout << "Enter inch: ";
cin >> (*ptr).inch; // ptr->inch;

cout << "Displaying information." << endl;

cout << "Distance = " << (*ptr).feet
<< " feet " << (*ptr).inch << " inches";

return 0;
}

Output:

Enter feet: 4
Enter inch: 6
Displaying information.
Distance = 4 feet 6 inches

NOTE: In the above program, pointer variable ‘ptr’ and structure variable ‘d’ are of type
structure ‘Distance’.

Since ptr is pointing to d, so (*ptr).inch is equivalent to d.inch.

However, when we are accessing using pointers, then  operator is better than the dot(.)
operator as its higher in the hierarchy of operators.
ptr->feet is same as (*ptr).feet
ptr->inch is same as (*ptr).inc