How to Initialize Char Array in Struct in C?

In this article, we will discuss how to initialize the char array in struct in C. Before initialization, we must know about the struct and character arrays in C.

What are Structs in C?

In C, a struct is a user-defined data type that enables us to combine different data types under a single variable name. The items in the structure are called its members, and they can be of any valid data type. Structs provide a way to organize and encapsulate related data.

What are Character Arrays in C?

Character arrays store sequences of characters, commonly used to represent strings in C.

Strings in C are expressed as arrays of characters marked at the end of the string with the null character ('\0').

Syntax:

It has the following syntax:

1. Direct Initialization During Declaration

We may use direct initialization at declaration to initialize a character array within a struct in C. It means providing the array's initial values directly within the struct declaration.

Example 1:

Let us take an example to illustrate the direct initialization during declaration in C.

Output:

 Person-1's Name is : Rajin Person-2's Name is : Mogili Person-3's Name is : Pavan 

Explanation:

This C code defines the Employee_data struct, which has a character array member Name with a maximum character storage capacity of 50. Person 1, Person 2, and Person 3 are three instances of this struct that are declared and initialized with distinct names ("Rajin", "Mogili," and "Pavan"). After that, it uses printf() commands to print these people's names. When the program has finished running successfully, it returns 0.

Example 2:

Output:

 The char array is: G, O, D, I, S, G, R, E, A, T, , , , , , 

Explanation:

1. The program defines a function called DisplayCharArray for printing character arrays and includes the standard libraries string.h, stdio.h, and stdlib.h that are required.
2. The DisplayCharArray function illustrates array traversal and character display by printing the characters from the input array accompanied by commas.
3. Additionally, even though they are not utilized in this code, it defines the variables LENGTH and HEIGHT.
4. A character array is first initialized in the main function with the characters 'G', 'O', 'D', 'I', 'S', 'G', 'R', 'E', 'A', 'T', and a length of 15.
5. The message "The char array is:" and the contents of the array are then printed by using DisplayCharArray from the main function.
6. Lastly, using exit(EXIT_SUCCESS), the programme ends its execution with a success status.

2. strcpy function

The strcpy function is a standard C library function defined in the string.h library. A string can be copied from one place to another using it. It takes two arguments: the destination string (where the string will be copied) and the source string (the string to be copied).

Initializing Char Array in Struct using strcpy:

1. Define the Struct: The struct with the character array as one of its members should be defined.
2. Declare an Instance: Declare an instance of the struct.
3. Use strcpy: Use strcpy to copy a string into the character array member of the struct instance.

Example:

Let us take an example to illustrate how to initialize the char array in struct using strcpy() function in C.

Output:

 The name of the Person is: Venkat The age of the Person is: 22 

Explanation:

1. The code defines a struct called Employee, with a maximum name length of MAX_NAME_LENGTH (50 characters) and an integer age contained in a character array name.
2. An instance of the Employee struct called Person is defined in the main function.
3. The name member of the Person struct is initialized with the string "Venkat" using the strcpy function.
4. The Person struct's age member has been set to be 22.
5. Afterwards, the program uses printf to output the user's name and age.
6. Upon successful execution, the programme returns 0.