🧰 C Arrays of Structures – Manage Multiple Records Easily

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🧲 Introduction – What Are Arrays of Structures in C?

In C programming, an array of structures is a collection of multiple struct variables stored in contiguous memory locations. Each element of the array is a full structure instance, making this approach ideal for managing records like students, employees, products, and more.

🎯 In this guide, you’ll learn:

• How to declare and initialize an array of structures
• Access and manipulate individual structure elements
• Use arrays of structs in functions
• Real-world use cases and best practices

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🔍 Core Concept – Why Use Arrays of Structures?

When you need to manage multiple records of the same type, like 100 students or 50 books, using an array of structures allows:

• Organized access to each record
• Grouping related attributes together
• Efficient memory management and iteration

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💻 Code Examples – Declaring and Using Struct Arrays

✅ Example 1: Basic Declaration and Initialization

#include <stdio.h>

struct Student {
    char name[50];
    int rollNo;
    float marks;
};

int main() {
    struct Student students[3] = {
        {"Alice", 1, 85.5},
        {"Bob", 2, 90.0},
        {"Charlie", 3, 78.0}
    };

    for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
        printf("Name: %s, Roll: %d, Marks: %.2f\n",
               students[i].name, students[i].rollNo, students[i].marks);
    }

    return 0;
}

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✅ Example 2: Modifying Values in Struct Array

#include <stdio.h>

struct Product {
    char name[30];
    float price;
};

int main() {
    struct Product items[2];

    // Assigning values
    items[0].price = 99.99;
    strcpy(items[0].name, "Mouse");

    items[1].price = 149.99;
    strcpy(items[1].name, "Keyboard");

    for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
        printf("Product: %s, Price: $%.2f\n", items[i].name, items[i].price);
    }

    return 0;
}

📌 You can access members using dot syntax: items[i].member.

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📚 Use Cases for Struct Arrays

Application	Use Case
Education Systems	Student records, exam results
Inventory Systems	Product listings, prices, stock counts
Game Development	Enemy/player stats, levels, scores
Payroll/HR	Employee details, salary records

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🔄 Passing Struct Arrays to Functions

void printStudents(struct Student s[], int count) {
    for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
        printf("%s - %.2f\n", s[i].name, s[i].marks);
    }
}

🧠 Arrays are passed as pointers, so changes in the function reflect outside as well.

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💡 Best Practices & Tips

📘 Best Practice:
Use loops and helper functions to manipulate large arrays of structures cleanly.

💡 Tip:
Use typedef to simplify structure array declarations:

typedef struct {
    char name[50];
    float price;
} Product;

Product inventory[100];

⚠️ Pitfall:
Accessing uninitialized structure members may lead to undefined behavior. Always initialize your data.

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🛠️ Real-World Applications

• 📋 Student record management systems
• 🛒 Inventory and billing software
• 🧠 Game entity systems
• 📊 Tabular data in CLI tools

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📌 Summary – Recap & Next Steps

Arrays of structures make it easy to manage collections of complex data. They combine the benefits of structured data and indexed access, allowing you to build scalable, organized applications.

🔍 Key Takeaways:

• Array of structs = multiple grouped records
• Access via arr[i].member
• Can be passed to functions and manipulated efficiently
• Excellent for real-world data modeling and storage

⚙️ Real-World Relevance:

Used in databases, forms, billing systems, games, and IoT firmware for managing sensor or user data.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

❓ What is an array of structures in C?

✅ It’s a fixed-size list of struct variables. Each element stores a group of related data types.

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❓ How do I access structure members in an array?

✅ Use the syntax: arr[i].memberName

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❓ Can I pass an array of structs to a function?

✅ Yes. You can pass it as an argument using the struct array name.

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❓ Can structs contain arrays inside them?

✅ Yes. Structures can have arrays as members (e.g., char name[50];).

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❓ Can I use malloc() for dynamic arrays of structs?

✅ Yes:

Student *students = malloc(sizeof(Student) * count);

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