You can do it a couple of different ways. You could pre-allocate an array of pointers and allocate each element. Or you can use the handy calloc() function. Or finally you can do as you said just multiply the size of the allocation by the number of elements. You can use the array subscript on the pointer current[i] and the compiler will do the arithmetic for you. calloc() is probably the best since it makes it explicit that you are allocating an array of items, it also will zero the memory for you. Answer from onionsburg on reddit.com
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › dsa › array-data-structure-guide
Array Data Structure - GeeksforGeeks
An array is a fundamental and linear data structure that stores items at contiguous locations. Note that in case of C/C++ and Java-Primitive-Arrays, actual elements are stored at contiguous locations.
Published   March 3, 2026
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ScienceDirect
sciencedirect.com › topics › computer-science › array-of-structure
Array Of Structure - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
An array of structures is a data layout in which a structure containing multiple fields is allocated as an array of elements, with each element representing a distinct instance of the structure and all fields stored contiguously in memory for each instance.
Discussions

Can someone explain how does array of structures work?
You can do it a couple of different ways. You could pre-allocate an array of pointers and allocate each element. Or you can use the handy calloc() function. Or finally you can do as you said just multiply the size of the allocation by the number of elements. You can use the array subscript on the pointer current[i] and the compiler will do the arithmetic for you. calloc() is probably the best since it makes it explicit that you are allocating an array of items, it also will zero the memory for you. More on reddit.com
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January 15, 2023
ARRAY of STRUCTS vs STRUCT of ARRAYS
Fun question. I think chatgpt is right. When it comes to extracting the data an array of structs will ensure a single struct within the array has the correct data sitting "on the same line". There could be use cases where null values in an array may be ignored or break iteration based processing if they aren't handled properly. It also has the potential for population to put things in the wrong order if it's not specified. No idea if one way is faster than another, though. Id feel doing a struct of arrays would have to be a lot faster for me to consider doing it that way, and if I did I'd try to keep it isolated from anything else. More on reddit.com
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MathWorks
mathworks.com › matlab › language fundamentals › data types › structures
Structure Arrays - MATLAB & Simulink
Structures store data in containers called fields, which you can then access by the names you specify. Use dot notation to create, assign, and access data in structure fields. If the value stored in a field is an array, then you can use array indexing to access elements of the array.
You can do it a couple of different ways. You could pre-allocate an array of pointers and allocate each element. Or you can use the handy calloc() function. Or finally you can do as you said just multiply the size of the allocation by the number of elements. You can use the array subscript on the pointer current[i] and the compiler will do the arithmetic for you. calloc() is probably the best since it makes it explicit that you are allocating an array of items, it also will zero the memory for you. Answer from onionsburg on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/c_programming › can someone explain how does array of structures work?
r/C_Programming on Reddit: Can someone explain how does array of structures work?
January 15, 2023 -

Good day,

So I created a structure Position with two int members.

struct Position {
    int x;
    int y;
};

typedef struct Position Position;

int main() {
    Position *current = (Position*)malloc(sizeof(Position));
    ...
}

If I want to create an array of it, should I just multiply it to how many elements I want to use?Does pointer arithmetic will move me to the next element struct every time I add 1 to the pointer?Why when I try to reallocate it by multiplying to higher number, it returns invalid pointer even though I just passed the pointer coming from malloc(). Thanks for answering and have a nice day.

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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Array_(data_structure)
Array (data structure) - Wikipedia
November 15, 2025 - In computer science, an array is a data structure consisting of a collection of elements (values or variables), of same memory size, each identified by at least one array index or key, a collection of which may be a tuple, known as an index tuple. In general, an array is a mutable and linear collection of elements with the same data type. An array is stored such that the position (memory address) of each element can be computed from its index tuple by a mathematical formula.
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Scaler
scaler.com › home › topics › array of structure in c
Array of Structure in C - Scaler Topics
April 3, 2024 - We can evade declaring the different structure variables; instead, we can make an array containing all the structures that store the data of separate entities. An array of structures written in C can be described as a collection of numerous structure variables containing data about different entities. It is used to hold information about various entities of diverse data types.
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › c language › c-array-of-structure
Array of Structures in C - GeeksforGeeks
An array of structures is simply an array where each element is a structure. It allows you to store several structures of the same type in a single array.
Published   October 21, 2025
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › AoS_and_SoA
AoS and SoA - Wikipedia
November 3, 2025 - In computing, an array of structures (AoS), structure of arrays (SoA) or array of structures of arrays (AoSoA) are contrasting ways to arrange a sequence of records in memory, with regard to interleaving, and are of interest in SIMD and SIMT programming. Structure of arrays (SoA) is a layout separating elements of a record (or 'struct' in the C programming language) into one parallel array per field.
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › c language › array-of-structures-vs-array-within-a-structure-in-c-and-cpp
Array of Structures vs Array within a Structure in C - GeeksforGeeks
July 15, 2025 - The whole record is stored under a structure called a candidate. The below program demonstrates the use of an array within a structure.
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Emory
cs.emory.edu › ~cheung › Courses › 255 › Syllabus › 7-ARM › array-store.html
How is an array data structure stored in computer memory
array element is stored in · 1 byte of memory · The · array elements are stored in · contiguous memory · This is how a · short typed array is stored in memory: Each · array element is stored in · 2 bytes of memory · The · array elements are stored in ·
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Study.com
study.com › computer science courses › computer science 111: programming in c
Arrays of Structures in C Programming - Lesson | Study.com
December 12, 2018 - A structure of array stores a mixed record in a single location. In case of parallel arrays, we use two arrays to define two separate categories of data types.
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Upgrad
upgrad.com › home › tutorials › software & tech › array of structure in c
Array of Structure in C Explained with Example
January 4, 2026 - You don’t need to create separate variables like student1, student2, and so on. A single array, such as s[10], is enough to manage all students. Arrays of structures store all elements in contiguous memory locations.
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Yashchaturvediir
yashchaturvediir.github.io › DSLearning › Array.html
Array Data Structure
An array is a collection of items of the same data type stored at contiguous memory locations. Ex. int arr[5] = {1,2,3,4,5}; ... Arrays store elements of the same type; they are classified as homogeneous data structures.
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Simplilearn
simplilearn.com › home › resources › software development › data structure tutorial for beginners › what is array in data structure? types & syntax
What is Array in Data Structure? Types & Syntax
February 24, 2026 - Understand what an array is in data structure, its types, and syntax. Learn how arrays are defined and used in programming with examples.
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TutorialsPoint
tutorialspoint.com › explain-the-array-of-structures-in-c-language
Explain the array of structures in C language
December 6, 2024 - Once defined, you can declare an array of struct variables, just like an array of int, float or char types is declared. An array of structures has a number of use-cases such as in storing records similar to a database table where you have each row with different data types.
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L3harrisgeospatial
l3harrisgeospatial.com › docs › arrays_of_structures.html
Arrays of Structures - L3HarrisGeospatial.com
View our Documentation Center document now and explore other helpful examples for using IDL, ENVI and other products.
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Scaler
scaler.com › home › topics › difference between array and structure in c
Difference Between Array and Structure in C - Scaler Topics
April 14, 2024 - The array stores its variable in a contiguous memory location which means that the data is stored in a memory model where the memory blocks hold consecutive addresses whereas in the structure the variables may not be stored in a contiguous memory ...
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Unstop
unstop.com › home › blog › arrays vs. structures | key differences & when to use each
Arrays Vs. Structures | Key Differences & When to Use Each
August 18, 2025 - We’ll start by briefly defining ... effectively. An array is a collection of elements of the same data type stored in contiguous memory locations, allowing fast and indexed access to each element using a common name....
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › c++ › array-of-structures-vs-array-within-structure-in-cpp
Array of Structures vs Array within a Structure in C++ - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - Each element in this array is a structure on its own and since the array elements are stored continuously in memory, it allows for quick access and makes our program more efficient and straightforward.
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Testbook
testbook.com › home › key differences › difference between structure and array in c | testbook.com
Difference Between Structure and Array in C | Testbook.com
In a structure, the memory allocation for the input data doesn’t require being in consecutive memory locations. The array stores the input data in a memory allocation of contiguous type.