18_structres.md https://embeddedforall.

com/ 2024-01-14

structure in C programming
In C, a structure is a user-defined data type that allows you to group together variables of different
data types under a single name. Each variable within a structure is called a member or a field.

Structures provide a way to organize and represent complex data in a more meaningful and coherent manner.

The syntax for defining a structure in C is as follows:

struct StructureName {
// Member 1
DataType1 Member1;

// Member 2
DataType2 Member2;

// ...

// Member N
DataTypeN MemberN;
};

Here's a breakdown of the syntax elements:

1. struct keyword: Indicates the beginning of the structure definition.

2. StructureName: The name of the structure. This name is used to declare variables of this structure type
later in the program.
3. Members: Inside the structure, you define members, each with its own data type. Members represent
the individual attributes or fields of the structure.
4. Semicolon (;): The structure definition ends with a semicolon.

You use the dot (.) operator to access members of a structure. The syntax is as follows:

structure_variable.member

Here's a practical example to illustrate the concept of structures:

#include <stdio.h>

// Define a structure named 'Person'

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

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int main() {
// Declare a variable of type 'struct Person'
struct Person person1;

// Access and modify the members of the structure

printf("Enter name: ");
scanf("%s", person1.name);

printf("Enter age: ");

scanf("%d", &person1.age);

printf("Enter height (in meters): ");

scanf("%f", &person1.height);

// Display information using the structure members

printf("\nDetails of the person:\n");
printf("Name: %s\n", person1.name);
printf("Age: %d\n", person1.age);
printf("Height: %.2f meters\n", person1.height);

return 0;
}

Output:

Enter name: Veeresh

Enter age: 33
Enter height (in meters): 1.62

Details of the person:

Name: Veeresh
Age: 33
Height: 1.62 meters

In this example:

Structure Definition:

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

This defines a structure named Person containing three members: name (an array of characters), age (an
integer), and height (a float).

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Structure Variable Declaration:

struct Person person1;

This declares a variable named person1 of type struct Person.

Accessing and Modifying Structure Members:

printf("Enter name: ");

scanf("%s", person1.name);

printf("Enter age: ");

scanf("%d", &person1.age);

printf("Enter height (in meters): ");

scanf("%f", &person1.height);

Here, the program prompts the user to input values for the name, age, and height members of the person1
structure.

Displaying Structure Information:

printf("\nDetails of the person:\n");

printf("Name: %s\n", person1.name);
printf("Age: %d\n", person1.age);
printf("Height: %.2f meters\n", person1.height);

Finally, the program displays the information entered by the user using the structure members.

This example demonstrates how structures in C allow you to create a custom data type (struct Person) to
represent a person's information with multiple attributes. Structures are particularly useful when dealing with
entities that have various properties, making the code more organized and readable.

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