What is the Difference Between Structure and Union in C?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between a structure and a union in C lies in the way they allocate memory and store data. Here are the key differences:
- Memory Allocation: In a structure, each member has its distinct storage location, and the total memory allocated is equal to the sum of the memory requirements of all members. In a union, all members share a single memory location, and only one member can be accessed at a time. The memory allocated to a union is equal to the size of its largest member.
- Accessing Members: In a structure, you can retrieve any member at a time without affecting other members. In a union, changing the value of one member will affect the others, as they share the same memory location.
- Usage: Structures are mainly used for storing various data types under a single unit, while unions are mainly used for storing one value at a time for all its members.
- Flexible Arrays: Structures support flexible arrays, while unions do not.
Both structures and unions are user-defined data types in C that allow you to combine different types of data together as a single unit. They can contain various object types, including different structures, unions, arrays, and bit fields.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Structure and Union in C? Comparative Table: Structure vs Union in C
Comparative Table: Structure vs Union in C
Here is a table comparing the differences between structures and unions in C:
Feature | Structure | Union |
---|---|---|
Memory Location | Each member has a unique memory location | Members share a single memory location |
Memory Size | Structure takes more storage space as memory is allocated to all data members | Union takes only the memory size required by the largest member |
Accessing Members | Can access multiple members at a time | Can access only one member at a time |
Flexible Array Support | Supports flexible arrays | Does not support flexible arrays |
Main Purpose | Storing various data types | Storing one data type at a time |
Both structures and unions are user-defined data types in C that allow you to group different data types together. However, they serve distinct purposes and have key differences in terms of memory usage and accessibility.
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