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
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.
Published October 21, 2025
TutorialsPoint
tutorialspoint.com › cprogramming › c_arrays_of_structures.htm
Array of Structures in C
In C programming, the struct keyword is used to define a derived data type. Once defined, you can declare an array of struct variables, just like an array of int, float or char types is declared.
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, 2023ARRAY 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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September 8, 2024When to use dictionaries vs arrays? (in terms of performance)
Arrays are generally more useful when data to be accessed is accessed consecutively or concurrently, and that data is assured to be adjacent or local in memory. For example, summing elements in an array. This is because data are loaded into the processor cache in chunks that can be hundreds or thousands of elements long. By ensuring the data you'll be using is local, no time is wasted fetching new data as it's already basically there. By comparison, dictionaries normally use a pointer to refer to data to be accessed, which means each read normally entails a memory move. To some extent the processor ensures stuff remains processor local when it's repeatedly accessed, but this is semi-stochastic in nature. Arrays generally demand elements are equal in size. This is fine when data are a long list of identically typed objects. When that's not true, an array can waste a lot of memory representing empty space that the largest possible element could occupy. Dictionaries can point to arbitrary memory so storage is dense. Basically, arrays are for dense, identical objects you work with successively. Dictionaries are for variable objects you work with in semi-random order. More on reddit.com
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May 27, 2024Linked-list-of-arrays data structure?
You're describing an unrolled linked list , but note, it loses random access. std::deque is typically (always?) implemented as a vector of pointers to blocks, which is similar in providing stable references, but allows constant time indexing. More on reddit.com
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December 2, 2023Can structures contain another array of structures?
Yes. A structure can have members that are arrays of structures, depending on the program design.
upgrad.com
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Array of Structure in C Explained with Example
What is the correct syntax to declare an array of structures in C?
struct student { char name[50]; char class[50]; int roll_number; float marks[5];}; struct student { char name [ 50 ] ; char class [ 50 ] ; int roll_number ; float marks [ 5 ] ; } ; struct student s[10]; // Array of 10 student structures
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Array of Structure in C Explained with Example
How do we pass an array of structures to a function?
You can pass it by reference for better performance: void display(struct student s[], int n);
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Array of Structure in C Explained with Example
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ScienceDirect
sciencedirect.com › topics › computer-science › array-of-structure
Array Of Structure - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
An array of structures (AoS) is a data layout in which multiple instances of a structure are allocated contiguously in memory, forming an array where each element is a complete structure with its own set of fields.
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.
Top answer 1 of 6
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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.
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4
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(). How did you try to reallocate it, and how do you know the returned pointer is invalid? One would do something like Position *temp = realloc(current, n * sizeof *temp); and then check if (temp), but unless n is very large, realloc should typically not fail and return a pointer that is not NULL.
TutorialsPoint
tutorialspoint.com › explain-the-array-of-structures-in-c-language
Explain the array of structures in C language
December 6, 2024 - In C programming, the struct keyword is used to define a derived data type. Once defined, you can declare an array of struct variables, just like an array of int, float or char types is declared.
Scaler
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Array of Structure in C - Scaler Topics
April 3, 2024 - It can be coupled with an array to create an array of structures. An array of structures is defined as a collection of structure variables that can, in turn, store various entities.
Upgrad
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Array of Structure in C Explained with Example
January 4, 2026 - The array s can hold details for three different students. Each element in the array represents one student and holds its own set of member variables. You can also declare structure variables in two ways:
Javatpoint
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Array of Structures in C - javatpoint
Array of Structures in C with programming examples for beginners and professionals covering concepts, control statements. Let's see an example of structure with array in C.
Study.com
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Arrays of Structures in C Programming - Lesson | Study.com
December 12, 2018 - An array of structures is a sequential collection of structures. With structures, you can store mixed record types, and with an array supporting this, you can have a list of mixed record types.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Array_(data_structure)
Array (data structure) - Wikipedia
November 15, 2025 - In computer science, an array is ... a tuple, known as an index tuple. In general, an array is a mutable and linear collection of elements with the same data type....
Shiksha
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Learn About Array of Structure in C - Shiksha Online
July 7, 2023 - To define an array of structure in C, you first need to create a structure that contains the data elements you want to store. Here’s an example: ... In this example, we have defined a student structure with three members: name, roll_no, and marks. Now, to create an array of structure, you can declare an array variable of the structure type, like this:
Quora
quora.com › How-do-you-define-an-array-of-structures-in-C
How to define an array of structures in C - Quora
Answer (1 of 4): There are couple of ways. Given [code]typedef struct { int length, int width; int height } Rectangle; [/code]The first way is to simply declare an array of that custom type, as follows: [code]Rectangle boxes[5]; [/code]and you have an array of 5 rectangle structures. Thi...
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › AoS_and_SoA
AoS and SoA - Wikipedia
November 3, 2025 - 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.
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 - A structure is a data type in C that allows a group of related variables to be treated as a single unit instead of separate entities. A structure may contain elements of different data types - int, char, float, double, etc.
MathWorks
mathworks.com › matlab coder › matlab programming for code generation › data definition › structures
Define Arrays of Structures for Code Generation - MATLAB & Simulink
To create an array of structures using the struct function, specify the field value arguments as cell arrays. Each cell array element is the value of the field in the corresponding structure array element. For code generation, corresponding fields in the structures must have the same type.
Naukri
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Array of Structures in C - Naukri Code 360
Almost there... just a few more seconds
NV5 Geospatial Software
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Arrays of Structures
View our Documentation Center document now and explore other helpful examples for using IDL, ENVI and other products.
Unstop
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Array Of Structures In C Language Explained With Examples
July 19, 2024 - As the name suggests, an array of structures in C programming is an array where each element is a structure that itself can contain data of many kinds. This way, a structure array combines the storage & retrieval properties of arrays and the ...
TutorialsPoint
tutorialspoint.com › difference-between-array-and-structure
Difference Between Array and Structure
The most basic difference between an array and a structure is that an Array can contain the elements of same datatype, while a Structure is a collection that can contain the elements of dissimilar datatypes.
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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