C Structure Pointers

C Structure Pointers – Access Structure Members Using Pointers

In C, pointers can also be used with structures. This is super useful when you’re dealing with dynamic memory or passing structures to functions efficiently.

🔹 Structure Pointer Syntax

You can create a pointer to a structure and use the arrow operator -> to access its members.

📝 Example: Access Structure Using Pointer

This example shows how to define a structure, assign values, and access members using a pointer.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

struct Student {
    int roll;
    char name[30];
    float marks;
};

int main() {
    struct Student stu1;
    struct Student *ptr;

    // Assign values using normal way
    stu1.roll = 101;
    strcpy(stu1.name, "Alice");
    stu1.marks = 89.5;

    // Assign address to pointer
    ptr = &stu1;

    // Access members using pointer
    printf("Roll No: %d\n", ptr->roll);
    printf("Name: %s\n", ptr->name);
    printf("Marks: %.2f\n", ptr->marks);

    return 0;
}
  

📌 Quick Note

• Use ptr->member instead of (*ptr).member. Both work the same, but the arrow syntax is easier and cleaner.
• This method is especially useful when structures are passed to functions via pointers or dynamically allocated.

🎯 Fun Practice!

Try modifying the example to use an array of structures and pointers. Experiment with accessing and modifying different elements!