Understanding Structures and Unions in C

Introduction

Structures and unions are composite data types in C that allow you to group variables of different data types under a single name. These data structures are essential for organizing and manipulating data effectively in your programs. In this guide, we'll provide an in-depth explanation of structures and unions, along with sample code to illustrate their usage.

Structures

A structure is a user-defined data type in C that groups variables of different data types under a single name. Each variable within a structure is referred to as a "member" or "field." Structures provide a convenient way to represent and manage complex data.

Sample Code for Structures

#include <stdio.h>
// Define a structure
struct Student {
    char name[50];
    int age;
    float gpa;
};
int main() {
    // Declare a structure variable
    struct Student student1;
    // Initialize structure members
    strcpy(student1.name, "Alice");
    student1.age = 20;
    student1.gpa = 3.7;
    // Access and display structure members
    printf("Student Info:\\n");
    printf("Name: %s\\n", student1.name);
    printf("Age: %d\\n", student1.age);
    printf("GPA: %.2f\\n", student1.gpa);
    return 0;
}
    

Unions

A union is similar to a structure but has a crucial difference: all members of a union share the same memory location. This means that a union can only store the value of one of its members at a time. Unions are often used to save memory when multiple data types are associated with a single entity.

Sample Code for Unions

#include <stdio.h>
// Define a union
union NumericValue {
    int integer;
    float floating;
};
int main() {
    // Declare a union variable
    union NumericValue value;
    // Initialize and access union members
    value.integer = 42;
    printf("Integer Value: %d\\n", value.integer);
    value.floating = 3.14159;
    printf("Floating Point Value: %.2f\\n", value.floating);
    return 0;
}
    

Conclusion

Structures and unions in C are powerful data structures that facilitate the organization and manipulation of complex data. This guide provided a detailed explanation of structures and unions, along with sample code for both. As you continue your C programming journey, you'll find these data structures to be invaluable for representing and working with various types of data.