9.2 Struct Basics

C uses struct to group related data into one unit. Unlike a union, each struct member has its own storage, so several members can be valid at the same time.

typedef struct {
    char owner[32];
    double balance;
} Account;

void deposit(Account *account, double amount) {
    account->balance += amount;
}

Use . to access members of a struct variable and -> to access members through a struct pointer:

Account a = {"Ada", 100.0};
a.balance = 150.0;       // through the variable

Account *p = &a;
p->balance = 200.0;      // through the pointer

Thinking about data and the functions that operate on it together is an important habit for organizing larger C programs.