Module 9 – Structures in C

BITS Pilani Dr. Ashutosh Bhatia & Dr. Asish Bera

Pilani Campus
Department of Computer Science & Information Systems
Module Overview

• Tuple Data
• Structures
• Nested Structures and Array of Structures
• Passing Structure Variables to Functions
• Union
• Enumerator

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Tuple Data
Tuple Data
Consider student database. Every student has a few attributes:
• Name
• ID
• Group

This is known as tuple data where {Name, ID No, Group} is a tuple

Example: The below table contains 3 records of the above tuple type
ID Name Group
0910 Rama Sarma B4
0313 Alex Mathew A8
0542 Vijay Kumar A7

Tuple Data is used in Database Systems

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Representing Tuple Data
First attempt: 3 lists (i.e. arrays)
– Name array, ID array, and Group array.
– Problems: Consider add / delete operations.
• Shifting to be done in 3 arrays separately.
• 3 arrays are the 3 element values passed as
parameters.
• Data representation “does not say” the 3 things are
related.

Better Solution: 1 list of triples

– Each triple is of the form (ID, Name, Group)
– add / delete operation: Shifting for one array only.
• Can use Structures in C to do this.
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Structures in C
Structures in C

• Structure
– Group of logically related data items
– Example: ID, Name, Group
• A single structure may contain data of one or more data types
– ID: int ID
– Name: char Name[]
– Group: char Group[]
• The individual structure elements are called members
• We are essentially defining a new data type
• Then we can create variables of the new data type
– These variables can be global, static or auto
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Defining a Structure
struct struct_name { Example: Student structure
member 1; containing ID, Name, Group
member 2;
… struct student {
}; int ID;
char Name[20]; Members
• struct is the required
char Group[3];
keyword
• struct_name is the name of }
the structure
• member 1, member 2, …
are individual member
declarations
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Declaring Variables of the
Structure type
struct struct_name var_1, var_2, …, var_n;

Example 1: Example 2:
struct student { struct book {
int ID; char Name[20];
char Name[20]; float price;
char Group[3]; char ISBN[30];
}; };

// declaring variable of // declaring variable of

// the type struct student // the type struct book
struct student s1, s2; struct book b1, b2;

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Combining Structure Definition
and Variable Definition
struct struct_name{ struct {
data_type member 1; data_type member 1;
data_type member 2; data_type member 2;
… …
}var1, var2, … varn; }var1, var2, … varn;

Example: Example:
struct student { struct {
int ID; int ID;
char Name[20]; char Name[20];
char Group[3]; char Group[3];
} s1, s2; } s1, s2;
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Accessing members of a
structure
• A structure member can be accessed by writing
structure_variable.MemberName

Example: Consider the following structure definition:

struct student {
int ID;
char Name[20];
float Marks[5];
}s1, s2;

s1.Name → Value stored in the Name field of s1 variable

s2.Name → Value stored in the Name field of s2 variable
s2.Marks[i] → Value stored at the ith position of the Marks array of s2
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Example
#include main()
{
struct complex {
float real;
float cmplex;
} a, b, c;

scanf (“%f %f”, &a.real, &a.cmplex);

scanf (“%f %f”, &b.real, &b.cmplex);
c.real = a.real + b.real;
c.cmplex = a.cmplex + b.cmplex;
printf (“\n %f + %f j”, c.real, c.cmplex);
}

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Where can we define
structures?
• Structures can be defined in:
• Global Space
• Outside all function definitions
• Available everywhere inside and outside all functions to
declare variables of its type
• Local Space
• Inside a function
• Variables of this structure type can be declared and
used only inside that function.

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Examples
Structure defined in global space: Structure defined in local space:
#include <stdio.h> #include <stdio.h>
struct student{ int f1() {
int ID; struct student{
char Name[20]; int ID;
float marks[5]; char Name[20];
}; float marks[5];
int f1() { };
struct student s1; struct student s3;
… // operations on s1 … // operations on s3
} }
int f2() { int f2() {
struct student s2; // can’t define a variable
… // operations on s2 with struct student here
} }
int main() { int main() {
… …
} }

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Structure Initialization
struct book {
char Name[20];
float price;
char ISBN[30];
};
struct book b1 = {”Book1”, 550.00, ”I1”},
b2 = {”Book2”, 650.00, ”I2”};

b1.Name = Book1 b2.Name = Book2

b1.price = 550.00 b2. price = 650.00
b1.ISBN = I1 b2.ISBN = I2

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typedef
Allows users to define new data-types
Syntax:
typedef type new-type

Example 1:
typedef int Integer;
Integer I1, I2;

Example 2:
typedef struct{
float real;
• It is a common practice to define
float imag; structures using typedef
} COMPLEX;
• It simplifies the syntax and increases
readability of the program
COMPLEX c1, c2;

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 sizeof() for struct variables
struct test_struct {
short a; //2bytes printf("a= %lu\n", sizeof(test.a)); = 2
int b; //4bytes printf("b= %lu\n", sizeof(test.b)); = 4
char c; //1byte printf("c= %lu\n", sizeof(test.c)); = 1
} test; printf("%lu\n", sizeof(test)); = 12

• We can notice that the sizeof(test) > sizeof(test.a) +

sizeof(test.b) + sizeof(test.c)
• This is because the compiler adds (may add) padding for alignment requirements
• Padding means to append empty locations towards the end (or beginning)
1000 1001 1002 1003
a (1000, 1001) padding 12 contiguous
b (1004, 5, 6, 7) locations in
main memory
C (1008) padding

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 Memory view of storing a
struct variable
struct test_struct { Address
short a; //2bytes
int b; //4bytes a (2 bytes) 1000
char c; //1byte 1001
padding (2 bytes)
1002
} test;
1003
1004
b (4 bytes) 1005
1006
1007
c (1 byte)
1008
1009
Note: This illustration considers that each padding (3 bytes) 1010
address is represented by 4 bits. 1011

Also note that in this example int is Total 12

occupying 4 bytes. Some compilers use 2 bytes
bytes for int, and some use 4 bytes.
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 Another Example
struct test_struct {
char a; //1byte printf("a= %lu\n", sizeof(test.a)); = 1
short b; //2bytes printf("b= %lu\n", sizeof(test.b)); = 2
int c; //4bytes printf("c= %lu\n", sizeof(test.c)); = 4
} test; printf("%lu\n", sizeof(test)); = 8

a (1000) padding (1 byte) b(1002-1003)

c(1004-1007)

• We can notice that the padding added by compiler is less (only 1 byte), for the
same set of variable types, arranged with a different order in the structure.
• The total number of bytes to be added for padding is decided by the compiler
depending upon the arrangement of members inside the structure.

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Operations on struct variables

• Unlike arrays, group operations can be performed with structure

variables
• A structure variable can be directly assigned to another structure
variable of the same type
a1 = a2;
The contents of members of a2 are copies to members of a1.
• You can’t do this for two arrays, without using “pointers”
• We will study about pointers in the next module
• You still can’t do equality check for two structure variables, i.e.
if (a1 == a2) is not valid in C
• You shall have to check equality for individual members

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Swap two structure variables
struct book { Output:
char Name[20]; The name of the Book in b1 is Programming
float price; The name of the Book in b2 is Algorithms
char ISBN[30];
};
int main(){
struct book b1 = {”Algorithms”, 550.00, ”I1”};
struct book b2 = {”Programming”, 650.00, ”I2”};
// swapping b1 and b2
struct book b3;
b3 = b1;
b1 = b2;
b2 = b3;
printf(”The name of Book in b1 is %s\n”, b1.Name);
printf(”The name of Book in b2 is %s\n”, b2.Name);
return 0;
}
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Incorrect way of using structure
variables
struct book {
char Name[20];
float price;
char ISBN[30];
};
int main(){
struct book b1 = {”Algorithms”, 550.00, ”I1”};
struct book b2 = {”Programming”, 650.00, ”I2”};
// Incorrect way of using structure variables
// if (b1 == b2)
if(b1.price == b2.price) // Correct way
printf(”Both the books have the same price\n”);
else
printf(”Both the books DON’T have the same price”);
return 0;
} Dept. of Computer Science & Information Systems, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
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Nested Structures and Array of Structures

Nested Structures
struct student{ struct address
float CGPA; {
char dept[10]; int PINCODE;
struct address char city[10];
{ };
int PINCODE; struct student
char city[10]; {
} add; float CGPA;
} s1; char dept[10];
struct address add;
}s1;

To access PINCODE → s1.add.PINCODE

Dept. of Computer Science & Information Systems, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
 Example of nested structures
struct address
{
int PINCODE;
char city[10];
};
struct student
{ int main() {
float CGPA; struct student s1;
char dept[10]; s1.add.PINCODE = 333031;
struct address add; s1.add.city = “Vizag”;
}; s1.CGPA = 10.0;
s1.dept = “CS”;
printf(“s1’s city is %s”, s1.add.city);
printf(“s1’s CGPA is %f”, s1.CGPA);
}
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Array of Structures
Once a structure has been defined, we can declare an array of
structures
Example:
struct book {
char Name[20];
float price;
char ISBN[30];
};
struct book bookList[50];

The individual members can be accessed as:

bookList[i].price → returns the price of the ith book.

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Example
Program to store information of 5 students
int main(){
#include <stdio.h> printf(“Enter the details:\n”);
for(i = 0; i < 5; i++)
struct student{ {
char Name[10]; printf(“Enter name\n”);
float CGPA; scanf(“%s”, s[i].name);
float marks[5]; printf(“Enter the marks\n”);
}; for(j = 0; j< 5; j++)
scanf(“%f”,&s[i].marks[j]);
struct student s[5]; printf(“Enter the CGPA\n”);
scanf(“%f”,&s[i].CGPA);
}}
Dept. of Computer Science & Information Systems, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
Storing database records in
Array of Structures
• Remember our motivation for structures to store tuple data…

ID Name Group
0910 Rama Sarma B4
0313 Alex Mathew A8
0542 Vijay Kumar A7

• The above table can be stored in a struct student array – arr

• Now its easy to add/delete records:
– Simply create a new variable of the type struct student and append
it to arr
– If the array is sorted on ID numbers, it is sufficient to do necessary shiftings in
arr itself and store the new record in its appropriate position
– Deletion is also similar Refer to slides of Module 8 to understand
add/append/delete in an array.
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Passing Structures to Functions

Passing struct variables to
functions
• A structure can be passed as argument to a function

• Structures can be passed both by pass by value and pass by

reference
• We will study about pass by reference later with “pointers”

• A function can also return a structure

• Array of structures are by default passed by reference

• Just like any other arrays.
• We will study later with pointers

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 Example – Pass by value

#include <stdio.h> cmplx add(cmplx x,cmplx y){

typedef struct { cmplx t;
float re; t.re = x.re + y.re ;
float im; t.im = x.im + y.im ;
} cmplx; return (t) ;
}
int main() { • When the function add() is
cmplx a, b, c; called, the values of the
scanf (”%f %f”, &a.re, &a.im); members of variables a and b
scanf (”%f %f”, &b.re, &b.im); are copied into members of
c = add (a, b) ; variables x and y.
printf (”\n %f %f”, c,re, c.im); • When the function add() returns,
} the values of the members of
variable t are copied into the
members of variable c.
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Example: Passing structure by
value illustrated
cmplx add(cmplx x,cmplx y) and c = add(a, b);

return (t)
x.re = a.re, x.im = a.im
y.re = b.re, y.im = b.im

c = t
c.re t.re
c.im t.im
t.re x.re + y.re
t.im x.im + y.im

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 Previous Example (modified)
Program to store information void computeSum(struct student[], int);
of 5 students, compute total int main(){
marks for each student and printf(“Enter the details:\n”);
print it. for(i = 0; i < 5; i++)
{
#include <stdio.h> printf(“Enter name\n”);
scanf(“%s”, s[i].name);
printf(“Enter the marks\n”);
struct student{
for(j = 0; j< 5; j++)
char Name[10];
scanf(“%f”,&s[i].marks[j]);
float CGPA; printf(“Enter the CGPA\n”);
float marks[5]; scanf(“%f”,&s[i].CGPA);
}; }
computeSum(s,5);
struct student s[5]; }

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Example (contd.)
void computeSum(struct student sArr[], int size){
int i,j,sum;
for(i=0;i<size;i++)
{
sum = 0;
for(j=0;j<5;j++)
{
sum += sArr[i].marks[j];
}
printf(“Total marks of %s are %d”, sArr[i].Name, sum);
}
return;
}

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Enumerator in C
Enumerator in C
• Consider this structure • However, we know that there
definition: are only limited number of
struct student { groups (or disciplines) offered
int ID; in our Campus. They include:-
{A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A7, A8,
char Name[20]; B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, D2}
char Group[3];
}; • Can we do something to
restrict the values assigned to
• The member Group of the the member Group to always
above structure has been be from the above set?
declared as a character
array of 3 characters, which • enum is the solution!
can take any values.
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Enumerator in C
typedef enum {A1,A2,A3,A4,A5,A7,A8,B1,B2,B3,B4,B5,D2}
Group_lbl;

New definition to struct student:

struct student {
int ID;
char Name[20];
Group_lbl Group;
};
Now the member variable Group can take a value only from the above list.
Each Value inside enum is actually an integer, i.e., A1=0, A2=1, … and so on.
We can check by printing them using %d.
We can also assign custom numbers to each of the values of enum, like:-
typedef enum {A1=1,A2=2,A3=5,A4=10,…} Group_lbl;
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Example
typedef enum {A1,A2,A3,A4,A5,A7,A8,B1,B2,B3,B4,B5,D2}
Group_lbl;

struct student {
int ID;
char Name[20];
Group_lbl Group;
};
int main(){
struct student s1 = {876, “Karthik”, A1};
struct student s2;
s2.ID = 233;
s2.Name = “Ganesh”;
s2.Group = B5;
if(s2.Group == B5) printf(“s2 is studying Physics”);
}

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