Build your structures differently

PublishedDecember 24, 2023

I am Jyotiprakash, a deeply driven computer systems engineer, software developer, teacher, and philosopher. With a decade of professional experience, I have contributed to various cutting-edge software products in network security, mobile apps, and healthcare software at renowned companies like Oracle, Yahoo, and Epic. My academic journey has taken me to prestigious institutions such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison and BITS Pilani in India, where I consistently ranked among the top of my class.

At my core, I am a computer enthusiast with a profound interest in understanding the intricacies of computer programming. My skills are not limited to application programming in Java; I have also delved deeply into computer hardware, learning about various architectures, low-level assembly programming, Linux kernel implementation, and writing device drivers. The contributions of Linus Torvalds, Ken Thompson, and Dennis Ritchie—who revolutionized the computer industry—inspire me. I believe that real contributions to computer science are made by mastering all levels of abstraction and understanding systems inside out.

In addition to my professional pursuits, I am passionate about teaching and sharing knowledge. I have spent two years as a teaching assistant at UW Madison, where I taught complex concepts in operating systems, computer graphics, and data structures to both graduate and undergraduate students. Currently, I am an assistant professor at KIIT, Bhubaneswar, where I continue to teach computer science to undergraduate and graduate students. I am also working on writing a few free books on systems programming, as I believe in freely sharing knowledge to empower others.

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C Programming

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Build your arrays differently too!

In C, there are different ways to initialize arrays, both for single-dimensional and multi-dimensional arrays. Let's go through examples for both: Single-dimensional arrays: Method 1: Initializing at declaration: #include <stdio.h> int main() { ...

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Jyotiprakash's Blog

253 posts

I'm Jyotiprakash, a software dev and professor at KIIT, with expertise in system programming.

In C programming, structures are used to group different types of variables under a single name. Initializing a structure involves setting its member variables to specific values. Here are different ways to initialize structures in C, along with examples and explanations:

Member-wise Initialization: You can initialize each member of the structure individually.

 #include <stdio.h>

 struct Point {
     int x;
     int y;
 };

 int main() {
     struct Point p1;
     p1.x = 10;
     p1.y = 20;

     printf("Point: (%d, %d)\n", p1.x, p1.y);

     return 0;
 }

Designated Initializers (C99 and later): You can use designated initializers to specify the values for specific members of the structure.

 #include <stdio.h>

 struct Point {
     int x;
     int y;
 };

 int main() {
     struct Point p1 = {.x = 10, .y = 20};

     printf("Point: (%d, %d)\n", p1.x, p1.y);

     return 0;
 }

Initialization during Declaration: You can initialize a structure when declaring it.

 #include <stdio.h>

 struct Point {
     int x;
     int y;
 } p1 = {10, 20};

 int main() {
     printf("Point: (%d, %d)\n", p1.x, p1.y);

     return 0;
 }

Choose the method that best fits your coding style and requirements. The designated initializer syntax is a concise and readable way introduced in C99, but not all compilers support it. If you're working with an older compiler or in a constrained environment, member-wise initialization or initialization during declaration might be more appropriate.

In C, you can assign values to structures in various ways, depending on your preference and the specific scenario. Below are different methods with detailed code examples and explanations:

Direct Assignment: You can assign values to structure members directly. We have seen this before in this post.

 #include <stdio.h>

 struct Point {
     int x;
     int y;
 };

 int main() {
     struct Point p1;
     p1.x = 10;
     p1.y = 20;

     printf("Point: (%d, %d)\n", p1.x, p1.y);

     return 0;
 }

Explanation: Here, a structure variable p1 is declared, and its members x and y are assigned values directly.

Using a Temporary Structure: You can create a temporary structure and then assign it to another structure.

 #include <stdio.h>

 struct Point {
     int x;
     int y;
 };

 int main() {
     struct Point p1 = {10, 20};
     struct Point p2;

     // Assign values using a temporary structure
     p2 = p1;

     printf("Point: (%d, %d)\n", p2.x, p2.y);

     return 0;
 }

Explanation: The values of p1 are assigned to p2 by creating a temporary structure.

Using Pointers: You can use pointers to assign values to structure members.

 #include <stdio.h>

 struct Point {
     int x;
     int y;
 };

 int main() {
     struct Point p1 = {10, 20};
     struct Point p2;
     struct Point *ptr1 = &p1;
     struct Point *ptr2 = &p2;

     // Assign values using pointers
     ptr2->x = ptr1->x;
     ptr2->y = ptr1->y;

     printf("Point: (%d, %d)\n", p2.x, p2.y);

     return 0;
 }

Explanation: Pointers ptr1 and ptr2 are used to assign values from one structure to another.

Using memcpy: You can use the memcpy function to copy the memory contents of one structure to another.

 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>

 struct Point {
     int x;
     int y;
 };

 int main() {
     struct Point p1 = {10, 20};
     struct Point p2;

     // Assign values using memcpy
     memcpy(&p2, &p1, sizeof(struct Point));

     printf("Point: (%d, %d)\n", p2.x, p2.y);

     return 0;
 }

Explanation: The memcpy function is used to copy the memory contents of p1 to p2.

Choose the method that suits your needs and coding style. The choice may depend on factors such as performance, readability, and the specific requirements of your program.

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C Programming

Build your arrays differently too!

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