Nested Structures

Nested structures in C allow you to create more complex data structures by incorporating one structure within another. This is useful for representing hierarchical relationships or organizing related information. Let's delve into the concept of nested structures:

Defining Nested Structures

• A nested structure is a structure that is a member of another structure. This can create a hierarchy of data.

  struct Address {
      char street[50];
      char city[30];
      int zipCode;
  };
  
  struct Employee {
      char name[50];
      int empID;
      struct Address address; // Nested structure
  };

In this example, Employee structure contains another structure, Address.

Initializing Nested Structures

• When initializing a nested structure, you need to initialize the outer structure first, followed by the inner structure.

  struct Employee employee1 = {"John Doe", 101, {"123 Main St", "Cityville", 12345}};

Accessing Members of Nested Structures

• To access members of nested structures, use the dot (.) operator consecutively.

  printf("Employee Name: %s\n", employee1.name);
  printf("Employee ID: %d\n", employee1.empID);
  printf("Employee Address: %s, %s, %d\n", employee1.address.street, employee1.address.city, employee1.address.zipCode);

Array of Structures with Nested Structures

• You can create an array of structures with nested structures.

  struct Employee employeesArray[3] = {
      {"Alice Wonderland", 201, {"456 Oak St", "Townsville", 54321}},
      {"Bob Smith", 202, {"789 Pine St", "Villageville", 67890}},
      {"Eve Johnson", 203, {"101 Cedar St", "Hamletville", 98765}}
  };

This array contains three Employee structures with nested Address structures.

Nested structures provide a way to model real-world entities with interconnected attributes. They improve code organization and readability, making it easier to work with complex data structures.

If you have specific questions or if there are additional topics you'd like to explore, feel free to ask!