How to create a single struct statement to declare an array and initialize?

Question

I have the following code so far, I am pretty sure I can make the explicit initialization with multiple statements but I want to learn how to do it with a single one.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#define LUNCHES 5

int main(void)
{
    struct Food
    {
        char *n;  /* “n” attribute of food */
        int w, c; /* “w” and “c” attributes of food */
    }

    lunch[LUNCHES], 
    lunch[0] = {"apple pie", 4, 100}, 
    lunch[1] = {"salsa", 2, 80};
}

I am thinking the following would work but it is another statement.

 int main(void)
 {
     struct Food
     {
         char *n;  /* “n” attribute of food */
         int w, c; /* “w” and “c” attributes of food */
     }

     lunch[LUNCHES];
     lunch[0] = {"apple pie", 4, 100};
     lunch[1] = {"salsa", 2, 80};

Side note: You got your answer below, but for your future benefit, to assign a struct to a variable, this is the syntax: lunch[0] = (struct Foot){"apple pie", 4, 100}; which was introduced in C99. — Shahbaz
– Shahbaz, Commented Nov 12, 2012 at 19:00

Jens Gustedt · Accepted Answer · 2012-11-12 18:57:11Z

3

You are almost there:

 = { [0] = {"apple pie", 4, 100}, [1] = {"salsa", 2, 80} }

would be an initialization for your array.

This is only if your compiler supports "designated" initializers that came with C99.

otherwise

 = { {"apple pie", 4, 100}, {"salsa", 2, 80} }

would also do.

answered Nov 12, 2012 at 18:57

Jens Gustedt

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6 Comments

user1781382 Over a year ago

Oh. I see, thanks... it makes sense. I was getting the conflicting error because I had multiple lunch[]

WhozCraig Over a year ago

+1: I had no idea the former sample was even possible in C. Please tell me it was added long-after I learned the base-language (C89). I can think of about a zillion places I could have used this since then. The latter I was already aware of.

huon Over a year ago

@WhozCraig, it was a GCC extension for a while, and was added to the C99 standard.

WhozCraig Over a year ago

@dbaupp Thanks. Good to know I was only sleeping at the wheel and not outright ignorant on how to drive. Now i need to go see what else I missed in that standard update. Thanks again.

Jens Gustedt Over a year ago

@WhozCraig, C99 is even replaced now by c11 :) And they add a lot of little things that make daily life easier, initializers that are arbitrary expressions (not only constants), for-loop variables, compound literals, ...

|

huon · Accepted Answer · 2012-11-12 18:57:42Z

2

Try:

struct { ... } lunch[LUNCHES] = {{"apple pie", 4,100}, {"salsa",2,80}};

answered Nov 12, 2012 at 18:57

huon

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Comments

MOHAMED · Accepted Answer · 2012-11-12 18:57:46Z

2

you could define in this way

int main(void)
{
    struct Food
    {
        char *n;                                                            /* “n” attribute of food */
        int w, c;                                                  /* “w” and “c” attributes of food */
    }lunch[LUNCHES] = { {"apple pie", 4, 100}, {"salsa", 2, 80}};
}

answered Nov 12, 2012 at 18:57

MOHAMED

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Comments

paulsm4 · Accepted Answer · 2012-11-12 18:59:39Z

1

Something like this perhaps?

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

#define LUNCHES 5

struct Food {
   char *n;   /* “n” attribute of food */
   int w, c;  /* “w” and “c” attributes of food */
} lunch[LUNCHES] = {
    {"apple pie", 4, 100}, 
    {"salsa", 2, 80}
};

int 
main(void)
{
  printf ("lunches[0].n= %s\n", lunches[0].n);
  return 0;
}

answered Nov 12, 2012 at 18:59

paulsm4

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