The major differences between an array and a structure in C programming language are as follows −
| Arrays | Structures |
|---|---|
| An array is a single entity representing a collection of data items of same data types. | A structure is a single entity representing a collection of data items of different data types. |
| Individual entries in an array are called elements. | Individual entries in a structure are called members. |
| An array declaration reserves enough memory space for its elements. | The structure definition reserves enough memory space for its members. |
| There is no keyword to represent arrays but the square braces [] preceding the variable name tells us that we are dealing with arrays. | The keyword struct tells us that we can deal with structures. |
| Initialization of elements can be done during array declaration. | Initialization of members can be done only during structure definition. |
| The elements of an array are stored in sequence of memory locations. | The members of a structure are not stored in sequence of memory locations. |
| The array elements are accessed and followed by the square braces [] within which the index is placed. | The members of a structure are accessed by the dot operator. |
| Its general format is data type variablename [size]; | Its general format is as follows −struct <struct name>{
data_type structure member 1;
data_type structure member 2;
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data_type structure member N;
} structure variable; |
For example,int sum (100); | For example,struct student{
char studname (25);
int rollno;
} stud1; |